Archos 704 WiFi
By Mark Korff
June 18, 2007

Recently we’ve taken a look at smaller media players such as the iPod shuffle and the Creative Zen V Plus, but today we’ll be visiting the other end of the portable media player spectrum and spend some time with one of the largest and most feature-rich players on the market, the Archos 704 WiFi - the current flagship product in Archos’ lineup.

The 704 WiFi is available with either 40GB or 80GB. While the 40GB version we tested doesn’t offer the most storage space of players in its class, the 704 WiFi’s 7” touch screen dwarfs the displays of most of its competition. Additionally, the “WiFi” portion of the full product title indicates what you’d expect, this device packs in some wireless features as well, including web browsing. While the screen size and feature list of the 704 WiFi are quite impressive, does the product deliver on all of its promises? Let’s take a closer look and find out…

First Impressions: After unpacking the Archos 704 WiFi, the full size and weight of the device was what I took note of first. At about 5”x7” and just under 1” thick, the player isn’t exactly what I’d consider “ultra-portable.” Being hard drive-based also adds to the size and weight, but overall the device feels very solid and well-built. Another defining feature is the lack of a button-centric UI (user interface).

The 704 WiFi does away with the button-driven schemes of most media players in favor of a touch-screen UI. This turns out to be a bit of a dual-edged sword in terms of actual usability, but we’ll touch on that a little later. In terms of visual appeal, the lack of buttons creates a very sleek minimalist look that I’m sure will appeal to many potential 704 WiFi owners.

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