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Archos PMA400 Linux Based Media Portable
freitasm writes "The new Archos PMA400 is a Linux based portable- entertainment/PDA/DVR/Internet device. It comes with wireless and ethernet LAN connections, plays Mophun and Qtopia and supports Microsoft DRM protected files (WMV, WMA).
The company will release a SDK on its dedicated website sometime before the end of January 2005. The device will retail for around US$800."
The display is a 3.5" TFT transflective touch screen (QVGA) 320x240 pixels, 262,000 colors and TV output. Archos says it can play up to 4 hours for video playback or 9.5 hours for music. A removable battery option is available. The unit is approximately 125 x 78 x 20 mm (4.9" x 3.1" x 0.8") and weighs 280 g (9.9 oz).
:)
:(
I have an 80GB Archos AV400 that I received for a Christmas present this year. A couple of things annoy me about the unit but that would happen with anything... The UI takes about 15 minutes to get used to as I really haven't encountered anything like it. Even after having it for three weeks I still find myself fumbling with the keys. The player display is very simple and tells me what I need to know but I would really prefer options to repeat one track/all tracks/etc right on the player screen itself rather than having to go into the setup each time to change these options.
The AV400 doesn't seem to have a removable battery which is worrisome as in my experience batteries start losing their charge after a year and if I am not able to replace it that would suck, bad. As far as length of play... The AV400 seems to easily get 15+ hours to a charge for music. I haven't been able to give it thorough testing on video playback and battery life yet though.
I love the fact that you can record *and* playback to TV. I am currently waiting for Tivo2Go's Tivo update to come down to my unit but until then I use the "Record to VCR" option on my Tivo to play the episodes and I use the Archos to record them. It's nice because I can watch the Tivo'd episodes anywhere in the house or bring them along with me.
It does play WMV DRM media and that's what it uses when you record a DVD to it. It's a bit annoying that you can't record a DVD and play it back elsewhere (it physically disabled the TV-out when you try) but other than ripping to AVI you really have little choice.
I haven't tried to use it to connect to my satellite receiver but knowing the issues I had trying to use the IR channel changer from Tivo I could only imagine the Archos wouldn't interface well either.
The LCD screen is nice on mine but it gets finger smudges all the time. I'd really like to see how well this Archos unit handles being a touchscreen. It might get ugly. I have one bad pixel (which is common) and I only notice it when playing movies but for the screen size it's pretty annoying. Maybe Toshiba can back these units too?
The AV400 comes with a CF expansion slot, currently used for picture retrieval, but I really wish they would allow for some wireless CF card integration. It would be VERY cool to be able to network via wifi instead of USB and surf the web and check email as the newer unit allows
All in all, I'm impressed with my Archos and I would recommend it to anyone that's looking into a portable media player that does more than just play music and display photos.
Like my old Jukebox Multimedia 20, it will be overly large, have horrible horrible build quality, require ripping movies in bizzare formats with hard to find utilities, and have just enough battery life to turn on before turning off again. Not to mention buggy firmware, slow product support, incompetent technical support (when the actually respond) and a slew of vaporware... have fun with your toys kids.
i liked it until i read about the...
"and supports Microsoft DRM protected files (WMV, WMA)."
Comment removed based on user account deletion
He's like Roland in more than one way. His "review" reads more like an advertisement. Why am I not surprised?
The hymn project is great for converting itunes music to MP3. Does anybody know of a similar solution for protected WMA files? Even something like a virtual CD to pretend to burn/rip to.
I would rather not buy music from Apple... Thanks..
supports Microsoft DRM protected files (WMV, WMA)
It kind of figures that one of the major product features of a Linux-based handheld is that it supports a media standard championed by MS, doesn't it? I mean why not support open-source standards like OGG?
Many Bothans died to bring you this sig.
This thing looks really cool... I mean awesome, except for two things.
First, it's $800. Second, it has a 320x240 screen. Who wants a screen that small anymore? You get better resolution on any $100 Palm now...
I can get powerful laptops at this price.
Heh, good one.
Trolling is a art,
Is there a market for a device that's more capable than a $100-200 PDA and less capable than a $1000 laptop? Of course I want one, but does anyone need one of these?
Disclaimer: I work for a company, but I don't speak for them.
Yes, but does it run Lin... oh, wait, nevermind.
Seriously, My 2-year old Sony Clie has a 320x480 screen, and I can't see viewing video on a screen with 1/2 that resolution. And my Clie was 1/2 the price. Other than that, it sounds sweet. Hard drive, Linux, video in and out. Wish I had those. I wonder why nobody can seem to get ALL the cool features into one device, and do it for a decent price?
The fine print on the product page is interesting:
So no sneaky using your new Linux gadget with Linux. Of course I'd imagine you could make it connect to the storage just fine, especially if it does USB Mass Storage.
Do they mean bluetooth or wifi?
With an SDK, and p2p wifi, I got some nifty tricks in mind...
Get back to work, Johnson!!
There's a difference between advertising and endorsing. When there's an MS banner up top, that's advertising. When Taco posts what is clearly a product "review" it seems more of an endorsement. Not that there's anything wrong with that, but it'd be nice if folks are a little more forthcoming with it.
:)
As a tech, when I talk about certain products, it kind of carries some weight...like I prefer that product over its competitors.
On a somewhat related topic, I used to post web pages for a place that offered paying advertisers "editorial" content on their web site. Disguised as reviews, they were no more than actual press releases from the advertisers. I always thought it was a bit misleading.
Now if they say something like "I got a PDA out of this deal -- Taco" I'd understand and be more accepting.
but will it run Windows Mobile ?
From the article:
Internet access allows users to browse web sites and use services like POP3/SMTP and IMAP4 e-mail.
Ever notice how none of these network-enable gadgets ever say, "Internet access allows users to browse gopher sites and use services like IRC,Unsenet and FTP?
Trying to use sarcasm in text-based forums does not work.
"System requirements: PC: Pentium® III 800 MHz or higher, Windows 98 SE (with driver downloaded from ARCHOS web-site), ME, 2000 or XP. 64 MB RAM (128 MB recommended) with USB port and CD-ROM drive Mac: 9.2 or X (10.2.4) USB Manager version 1.2 or higher with USB port and CD-ROM drive "
...runs linux but requires windows/mac. :(
Who's managing the pool for betting when the first article is published bitching about some minor, easily-corrected GPL violation?
Not lame.
Ignore this joker's sig. Go to dreamhost.com and use promo code 777 and you get that hosting plan for $0.77 per month, no strings attached.
Look at the proto's screen res - 704x480. Could be used as a notebook replacement easily enough.
This version is not worth $800.
JH
What the hell does it matter?
<rant>
I don't give a damn who posts what, or who makes money from something.
If something interests me, I'll have a look.
Its not like I have to get my credit card and sign my life away.
Adverts are all around you, do you spend time cutting evil adverts out of newspapers before you read them?
Do you close your eyes whilst driving past billboards?
Your just an arrogant tosser who can't see the wood for the trees. Slashdot is built JUST like Roland or anyone elses "advert supported blog", except slashdot editors dont even find the articles, they leave it upto the readers.
At least people like Roland seem to have their finger on the pulse, and find decent interesting articles for the rest of us to discuss.
</rant>
liqbase
Ok dude, what devices DO clearly state they support Linux? That was a rhetorical question, by the way. I know some devices exist that list Linux as a supported OS (for example, a lot of nVidia cards have Linux listed on the box), but just because something doesn't list Linux doesn't mean it doesn't work with Linux.
For example, my digital camera has that same list of supported OSes, but guess what? I can use it in Linux. Same with my USB stick, my mouse, my keyboard, the wireless card, and the DVD burner. Hell, I'm sure my mouse pad didn't even list Linux, and it seems to work just fine!
You can mod your friends, you can mod your nose, but you can't mod your friend's nose.
I am more than happy with my $90 Palm. It syncs with my address book and iCal on my Mac....and fits in my pocket. And, if something bad happens to it during my travels, I am out $90...not $800. I just think these PDA's are getting crazy.
I am also confused why it is a linux PDA, yet you have to have windoze or a mac to sync with the thing. That sucks. If I am a linux guy I want a linux PDA that will work with my computer...
Having done so much with so little for so long, I now can do anything with nothing at all.
- an $800 laptop you can fit in your pocket.
- a $200 PDA with video and MP3 playback and 30GB of storage
Ok, so it's not perfect, but if it's capable enough, it might be a great travel device. Plays lots of tunes, edits text, goes wireless for email in coffee shops and fits in a pocket.Seriously, I'd love a small, cheap, underpowered laptop, just enough to fire up mozilla, xmms and thunderbird. Even my 800MHz P3M can't handle video on battery (speed stepped down to 700 + funky video chipset).
As the proud owner of an Archos Studio 10... well, ok, it's shite, but it still works and makes a decent USB drive (though it has never worked off the plug), I can sort of recommend Archos. I'll keep my wallet in my pocket for now.
... grumble, grumble, grumble, mutter, mutter, Millenium... Hand... Shrimp, I tol' 'em, I tol' 'em.
So, does anyone know when slashdot will return to its regular ipod ads?
I am guessing the next one will be within 3 stories .
Any opinions on whether the Qtopia environment is Zaurus compatible? Seems like a nice HW upgrade for any Zaurus B-XXX or 5xxx users out there...
how is this any differnt form my $150 ipaq running opie ( the opensource fork of qtoipa) and xine? I have a wireless card on it too. I dont see why it shoudl cost $800.
The war with islam is a war on the beast
The war on terror is a war for peace
If the quality is anything like previous Archos products,
I bought an Archos Gmini 400 last fall, just about as soon as it was available in the US. For the first few months, it worked great. Then it started having problems where during music playback, the controls would go unresponsive and the hard disk would seek for a minute or more before I could do anything again. Ultimately, the drive click-of-death'ed on me and the device won't even completely boot up any more.
I suspect it's just a faulty hard drive and swapping in a working one will solve the problem, but Archos customer service has yet to respond to my inquiries. And after reading horror stories about warranty service from other Archos users, I'm beginning to think I'm better off just cracking the case open and doing it myself.
Maybe they've changed their ways with this device -- but I doubt it. It looks like they've just kitbashed some new stuff into an existing AV400 design.
(See, Archos? This is what happens when you spend all your time trying to cram useless features into your device and neglect QA and customer service. I used to recommend your Gmini400 to everyone who was considering an iPod, and now I'm advising them all to stay away.)
Nice rant.
Aside form the fact that this thing is about 1/8 the size of any laptop, your claim is totally bogus. Show me where I can buy a new laptop with the Archos specs (30 GB, 802.11B, everything) that also has a TV input (can't be external, that'd make it useless) for $800. I can't even find a used one on ebay for anywhere near that price.
For these people posting "Why would I want a $800 PDA?" / "iPod is Better"
This thing is not an iPod. It's essentially a TiVo+iPod+PDA that you can carry in your pocket. It's like the ultimate tool for the road warrior - killer in the back of a cab or on a plane or bus. It is not for you to carry with you 24/7, it is to take on trips to watch those shows you missed.
The new Archos PMA400 is a Linux based portable- entertainment/PDA/DVR/Internet device. It comes with wireless and ethernet LAN connections, plays Mophun and Qtopia and supports Microsoft DRM protected files (WMV, WMA). ...it also makes Julian fries, will comb your hair, you'll forget all about that silly "sliced bread" nonsense, will completely redefine the wheel, and cure cancer!
*sigh* Another day, another "iPod Killer." Honestly, how many people, walking down the street, would honestly say, "I sure could use a tiny, low-resolution screen to distract me from the onerous task of not wandering into traffic."
These devices make no real sense to me whatsoever.
I have no tag line
My HP iPac4155 will play WMA files MP3 ect...
I can even stream them from my PC over WI FI, and it was only around $500.00.
Looking at the info out on the PSP (PlayStation Portable) it looks like it may become the dommant Portable media player, if Sony does things right. It will be cheap too, they are taling less than $200
Sony did something like this with DVD's in Japan. Before the PS2 DVD held a low market share now DVD are perfered over what they had before
This looks pretty good. I bought the Multimedia Jukebox 20 when it came out, and I still love it - crappy quality, dying batteries, and all - because it beats lugging a laptop around on vacation to download my digital camera pictures. I've found it's simpler to just snap away and off-load later. So far, this is still cheaper that buying several gig of cards to last me over a vacation... and when the next generation of 10Mpixel cameras come out, we're going to need that much more space!
I looked at an iPod a few months ago and it still doesn't measure up. With the Archos I can look at the pictures ("Yes, they did copy" I distrust technology since the days of floppies) and it works as just a plain old external hard drive without Apple-retentive silly library management crap for my MP3's. Video? Who uses that anyway - although I did see someone using it once. By the time you convert your MP2, you might as well have just sat down and watched it.
This new device might be OK teamed with a PC-based DVR function; the current concept is nice, but what good's a "VCR" that you also have to disconnect and take with you? What's going to stay home and record shows while you're on the road?
They've finally conceded that replaceable batteries are needed. Good!
The "master USB" function is a good idea. It saves them having to build proprietary camera card readers, if any off-the-shelf USB card reader will do the trick.
I have a Zaurus with a 640x480 screen. It took me a long time to dig up a version of mplayer with hardware accel for whatever chip is in there so it could handle videos of that res, but after I did it turned out to be pointless.
The screens on these things are so small that QVGA is more than ample. I've been watching anime fansubs lately, which ever since the process went digital have been using these tiny font size subtitles (more suited to monitors than TVs), but even they read fine at 320x240 at the size we're talking about.
I'm getting one of ebay.com and risking the tax man for the sake of $255.
At todays rate
$799.95 = EUR606.61
EUR 799.99 = $1054
thank God the internet isn't a human right.
I see a lot of comments complaining that this device is too expansive, too big, not open enough (because it supports DRM), too small of screen, etc. I've also seen this compared to the iPod for some reason. Why? To me this looks like an extension of Archos popular (but flawed) AV400 with a Sharp Zaurus feature set added. It could be a Linux-hacker's dream (if affordable).
The main Pro to adding the Zaurus-like Qtopia here is that it will probably (or hopefully) be easy to port all the software over from the now dead Zaurus SL-5x00 series (which also has the same 240x320 screen resolution).
The other obvious pros are the 30gb drive and the Tivo-like ability. Can your PDA do that? I currently have a Sharp Zaurus SL-C700 with the 640x480 screen. It's an awesome device when paired with a CF connectivity card and a large SD card, but SD cards just do not provide enough storage for all my files. 30gb sure would. And the ability to push button record movies... that would save a lot of work with current PDA solutions.
There are negatives too however. (1) Archos support is questionable. (2) The screen. Why skimp on the screen? If you compare this device to the Sharp SL-C3000 with the 4GB mini HD it prices out about same, yet the C3000 has 640x480. (3) These devices that try to do everything ultimately leave you wanting more.... I've been through about 15 different PDAs, and 20 different mini-laptops. Still searching. (4) no integrated keyboard. If you put WiFi on a device, a keyboard sure is nice.
So many arguments,
-Should a PDA play music, take pictures, mix drinks, or just do PIM?
-Should a travel mini-computer need to run a full OS (like XP on the flipster and OQO)? Or should it be stripped down, cheaper, and have instant-on?
-The feature-price-performance riddle will probably never be solved. What is right for one person, will just annoy the heck out of someone else. For example, next people will complain that this device does not have a phone.
END OF RANT. Cliffs-notes version: cool and tiny Linux device to keep the all that Zaurus software living on a little bit longer (if people buy it).
(void) signal(SIGALRM, (alarm_fired=1)); if (alarm_fired) printf("Revoke is clueless!\n");
Basicly, so whats your point?
This sounds much better than, say, the Oqo or other palmtop computers: it has a longer battery life, it's much cheaper, and it has video I/O. If they don't screw up in some way and if it is actually an open device, this could be a huge success.
Could you be a little more specific: Do you mean North Americans or South Americans? If you mean North Americans: Do you mean those living in Mexico, USA, or Canada? If you mean South America... well, you get the point. Oh, and I'd watch the use of capitalization, otherwise someone might label you as a "dumbass"... oops, too late.
...yeah but give it a couple of weeks as soon as the right person gets their hands on it. OpenARCHOS anyone?
...Windows 98 SE (with driver downloaded from ARCHOS web-site), ME, 2000 or XP...
A lot like the requirements for USB flash drives, which are all USB mass storage devices. They work fine with any newish OS with USB support, but you need to install a driver for 98. If the only thing you connect this thing to your PC for is to copy files back and forward then it probably will work (as a usb storage device).
I'm glad they've finally decided to add in removable batteries. I have an Archos AV120, and after a year's usage, the battery started to crap out. Its battery life is much shorter now.
About the only other complaint I have about Archos is their GUI. It's just not very pretty nor is it very user friendly. Takes some getting used to.
With that said, this device looks to be awesome! I mean, having wireless access, being able to connect to the net. Nice!
eTrade SUCKS
That is exactly the case, as stated in the product manual. It just looks like any other USB hard drive.
Just once I would like to see one of these companies design with ergonomics in mind. Left handers must be loving these things because they can use the pen in their left hand and push the buttons and hold the unit with the right hand. My tablet pc is the exact same way. Sure I can rotate the screen but the buttons are all backwards. XP tablet edition did not like fliping back and forth so I gave up and installed linux on it. Tablet pc as a form factor would get a lot further if manufactures would make them easy to hold and operate. A bios selection that allowed the device to be one way or another would be a plus.
Why don't we design stuff with attention to detail anymore.
I recall when the little company I work for tried to place any open-source software within 100miles of our WinCE license a jet full of lawyers were all over us. Lots of FUD about giving away everyone's IP, etc. So I'm really suprised Archos can get a license from M$ to use their DRM on a GNU/Linux platform.
My SyncMaster 710N (LCD panel) from Samsung came with some half-baked instructions for configuring X11. Hey, at least they tried..
(FWIW, I plugged it in, pressed "autosync", and it worked perfectly from day one. No xorg.conf hacking necessary.)
It doesn't play Qtopia; it runs Qtopia. Qtopia isn't a media format but rather a smallish environment, meant for handhelds, based on Qt/Embedded.
not that I entirely disagree with you, but he didn't "find" the article, he wrote it. Also, the review is basically a press release and the slashdot link could and frankly should have just linked to the archos site.
That said, at least he didn't get slashdotted, thanks in part to the granparent poster.
"I don't give a damn who posts what, or who makes money from something.
If something interests me, I'll have a look.
Its not like I have to get my credit card and sign my life away."
Glad somebody was finally modded up for this point. The whole reason advertising is such a big business is that a lot of businesses come up with interesting products and services, but they can't sell them if people don't know that they even exist.
I really don't care if Slashdot actually does use articles for advertising. If it's interesting, how you heard about it isn't important. If you're worried about how well a product/service stands up to the claims they're making, that's totally understandable, at least you know what it is you want to do research on.
Advertising is not a sin.
"Derp de derp."
I have the 80 gig model, so I can cram a lot of video onto it.
AAAAachos.........
Bless you..................
The device will retail for around US$800."
Ok, nevermind.
In the land of the blind, the one-eyed man is kinky.
Thanks for your concern dubiousmike. Even though the granparent poster was there, that was the second /. article pointing to our domain in the same day. So, regardless of the cited post, there was already a heavy traffic on the server anyway. It just happens that it didn't get slashdotted (even with two /. articles!) due to the hosting infrastructure (I beter thank my provider!)
As per the content, as someone else pointed out, the site is presenting the news. Most time the PR are sent out a day or so before company's sites are updated. This means that sometimes the breaking news are posted, nothing exists in the company website, but when visitors start seeing the articles then they have the impression that it's redundant. If this was the case then who would need the IT news sites? Just wait for all companies to update their sites and then someone will link to then. Ah, wait a minute, that's what IT news sites do anyway...
As per advertising, this is a business model. How many times I've posted things on Geekzone, saw that going to news.google.com just to be shown next to a link to other site that says "Subscription required". Why are they charging for the information I'm making freely available? Or better still, how can I make the information available for free, if someone else charges for it? You're right, because I (and so many other websites) have advertising.
Please support the model, otherwise everyone would have to pay to read on-line.
Perhaps this should be an Ask Slashdot new article?
The PMA430 was never planned with a hi-res screen. It supports video playback with up to 704x480 pixels. But you can only profit of the resolution if you connect the device to a TV screen.
It still won't play MPEG4-ASP profile media files? No qpel, gmc extensions?
Dooh, this was the reason I waited for AV500 (now this unit).
I feel somewhat betrayed.
I was really looking forwards to the AV500 but they killed two of the most important featuures with the renaming.
1. No MPEG 4 Advanced Simple Profile. Means I have to mess about recoding everything JUST for this. Can't just download stuff because it probably won't work.
2. (Maybe) The screen. I have an AV300 and while the screen isn't bad I was REALLY looking forwards to the high-res one.
Damn...
after reasing you comment, I looked back and tried to find the word "review" somewhere in the Slashdot introduction and couldn't find it.
It is news and this would seem the only way for me to retract my statement. I don't have a problem with what your site posted.
My mistake.
It does work with Linux, but rather poorly. It's easier in fact to synchronize a PocketPC device with Linux (multisync).
The Raven
Just wonder, does Archos do it with the blessing of Microsoft (and does it bare the PlaysForSure logo)? Will it become incompatible when MS tweaked the implementation?
If it's done via reverse-engineering, wouldn't that put Archos up for DMCA lawsuits? Also, what it means for MS that its DRM system is publicly hacked?
I've heard some companies have licensed to port Windows Media to Linux but couldn't remember MS approving the DRM stuff.
Not to start an argument, but how is that really different than what I said? I mean, I see you added the line "because that's what it's best suited for" which is true, but doesn't contradict what I said.
As I said, linux (in which I'm referring to the kernel) supports most modern hardware, so with the exception of writing a module or two and compiling it, support for whatever hardware they've shoehorned into a small package is already there.
I didn't mention anything about a server, I said applications. Plenty of applications already exist for linux, which implies they don't have to develop it themselves, which you stated yourself.
I'm not trying to pick a fight, but I'm trying to figure out what you mean when you say I'm wrong. I could be wrong... it happens. But when you tell me I'm wrong and then repeat most of what I just said without negating anything I said, I have to dig deeper, so I may unlearn my wrongness and learn the rightness.
So, AC, what did I say that you disagree with?
Here's a quick nod to Archo's durability: I have a 20G Recorder. Several months ago, my wife and I were cleaning out the car and she put it on top of the car. We got in the car to drop my daughter off at a neighbor's house, which is across the neighborhood. Apparently, it flew off the roof when we took a corner and a kind man returned it to me while waiting at the friend's house. The top panel had come open, but after closing it, it started up fine and I haven't had a problem since! It may be clunky, but with Rockbox, it sure gets the job done.
It maybe linux based, but I doesn't support Ogg Vorbis like their other products! These guys are using opensource code to make products that are helping to kill non DRM software! Do Not Support Archos!
I can not find any information about the hardware specs. I emailed Arcos sales to find out what kind of processor and memory is in it.
Here is the reply:
"Dear Sir,
This is the operating system Linux Qtopia(TM) with embedded ARCHOS multimedia applications , I am sorry but we do not have specific specification of the processor or the board."
That information would be nice.