Home > Consumer Reviews > Archos 404 30GB Portable Digital Media Player with Camcorder (500867)

Archos can be added to the list of consumer electronics companies that will put faulty products in the market and then refuse to take responsibility for them.

I have experience with three of these units, only one of which is still functional. The first was a friend's whose screen cracked while the unit was in a protective case inside a bag. I realize electronics are more delicate than the average consumer product, but this thing was more sensitive than an iPod nano, which also happened to be in his bag and did not break.

The second unit I received as a gift and it worked well for about a month. I have to say, when it worked I liked it, with the exception of the really poor sound, which I crancked up to be able to hear anything. A few days ago I awoke to find my unit with the back casing distended like it was about to burst. I immediately unscrewed the back to release the pressure and found that the battery was inflated like a balloon. I put the unit in a sealed bag to make sure if it burst it didn't ruin anything else in the apartment. When I called Archos customer service, I was told by the goon on the phone that having unscrewed the back of the unit, despite the fact that leaving it as it was could have been dangerous, nullified the warranty. So now I am stuck with a month old unit whose warranty is useless.

Way to go, Archos. You've guaranteed I will never buy anything from you again.

This little bugger is great. While, like some of the other reviewers, I was torn at first with some of the bugs, I quickly downloaded the firmware updates from the Archos website. It fixed every problem I had and I just love the way this thing does it all pretty well. It's no camera or camcorder replacement, but the picture quality is better than most any cell phone camera.

The controls and UI are easy to understand and figure out with only minor exceptions (adding songs to an existing playlist took me a bit to figure out).

I downloaded the codec that allows you to play podcast and iTunes files for $20. Well worth not having to convert all my music.

Only con is that it doesn't come with a charger. It charges via the USB cable rather slowly, and the docking station/charger is sold seperately.

Considering what all this little thing does and its price, you can't really go wrong.

My daughter really loves her archos and I am impressed with the features and the price. The only dislike is when I read the description and capabilities before purchasing this item, it was not very clear if you need the Archos 404 DVR station to record from the tv onto this device. Found out you need this station, but unable to locate one to purchase. When I finally found one it cost as much as the device. But overall, it is very nice.

My son loves this! The camera and video camera are a plus!! It does not have a touch screen though, so I would recommend one with a touch screen - it is much easier to navigate with the touch screen

The low price of this item is deceptive. Upon receipt, it will perform minimally as an MP3 player, but hardly anything else. Each added feature requires an additional purchase. One can expect to spend another $60 to $100 to bring it up to 'advertised' capability (recorder, multi-mode viewer, photo vault, etc.) .

My experience with Archos customer support was disappointing. In trying to replace a part for a legacy 402 Gmini, I found the support to be unfamiliar with the products and unwilling to help. I will not purchase another Archos product. More expensive products may actually be less expensive after factoring additional purchases for increased functionality and subsequent replacement due to nonsupport.