Introduction

With its G5, Archos changes a bit in what concerns its batteries :

 with the G4, only the 604, 604 WiFi and 704 had a removable battery, thus excluding the 404.

 with this new generation, Archos changes its strategy : removable batteries over, all the PMPs (excluding possibly the 705 and the 105 of which we don’t have the specs yet) are now doted of an internal integrated battery.

A regression ? Not really. Archos now proposes a new accessory : the Battery Dock, which advantageously takes the relay.

We have to remind something : with the G4, the Docking Adapter allowed adding to one’s PMP some really useful functionalities (I would even say : definitely necessary !), precisely :

 USB Host

 AC adapter

With the G5, the Docking Adapter changes its name to become the Mini Dock, and has been granted with a video output, in order to replace the one that has been deleted from the PMP itself.

Moreover, Archos offers a derivative model of the Mini Dock, doted with a battery : the Battery Dock. It proposes the same functionalities as the Mini Dock, plus a battery able to take the relay in order to ensure 5 more hours of autonomy, theoretically.

Test

Package

The following elements are included :

 The Battery Dock itself

 A Video/Audio cable

 An AC adapter, with UK, US and Euro adapters

 A USB cable

In short, it brings every necessary element that is not integrated in the basic package of the PMP…

So far, everything’s fine…

Aspect

The Battery Dock is a little box of 3.9in long, 1.6in wide and 0.8in in its bigger height. Grey colored below, silver on the top, it thus adopts the new range’s colors, except for the “Lavender” version of the 405.

On the left side :

 The AC input

 The A/V output

On the right side : bothUSB ports, mini and host

On the top : the connector to the PMP

On the front : (notice that the Battery Dock documentation boasts pics with “CHG” and “ON” logos, while the product has battery and flash logos…)

 The charge light indicator

 The full charge light indicator

So far, everything’s fine...

The TV output

One of the deceptions concerning the G5 is the absence of a video output integrated on the PMP. This function has been deported to the accessories : DVR Station, Mini Dock and Battery Dock.

The A/V cable thus links the Battery Dock and the TV. Quality is there, there is no particular problem you should know about, since the Archos perfectly adapts the image to the TV dimensions (the menus particularly).

Just a remark : the TV sound volume often has to be turned out loud to the maximum in order to listen well. This has been done with several different TVs, I had the same problem with the G4. No big problem, just a bit annoying.

So far, everything is fine…

USB Host

Contrary to many of its competitors, Archos PMPs are able to react as an external hard drive. The USB host accentuates this freedom, by making them able to interact with connected USB drives.

Finally, the Battery Dock can be used to interchange files (in both directions) between the PMP and USB drives such as :

 USB key

 External hard drive

 Digital camera
 HD video cam

 Digital photo frame…

File copying from the external device to the PMP (and vice versa) is possible, in a very simple way, via the PMP’s file manager, which also allows you to modify file names, erase them or even create new repertories…

So far, everything’s fine…

Recharge

The Battery Dock thus allows you to improve your PMP’s autonomy, but also to charge itself via the AC adapter. Quicker than via a USB port, this charge type also allows avoiding the use of a computer…

Two possibilities :

 Charge only the Battery Dock

 Charge the PMP and the Battery Dock at the same time, simply by connecting them together…

While charging, the charge indicator is on.

When the Battery Dock is fully charged, the “full charge” indicator turns on too (be careful : contrary to the PMP indicator, this one doesn’t flicker !)

There’s one strange thing to notice :

 When the PMP is completely turned off (thus, no sleep mode), its full charge indicator doesn’t flicker, even if it is theoretically fully charged.

 When the PMP is in sleep mode, the full charge is announced by the indicator flickering !

Let’s hope a forthcoming firmware will correct this strange behaviour…

Anyway, you’ll be happily equipped for Christmas… ;-)

Autonomy

Except for the strange behavior with the charging, the Battery Dock so far offered really interesting functions. Unfortunately, the situation is going to change.

The Battery Dock is meant to replace removable batteries. Thus, the interesting thing about it is that it allows the user to prolong his or her PMP’s autonomy, if the internal battery is empty.

Unfortunately, the result is particularly mitigated !

When the PMP turns off after the complete use of the its battery, the reflex is thus to plug the Battery Dock in order to be able to continue looking at your favourite holiday movie. Unluckily, joy won’t last long : some minutes later, the PMP will turn off again.

In order to understand why, there are two tests done below :

Test n°1 :

1. Initial state : PMP on sleep mode and charged, Battery Dock charged

2. Connection of the Battery Dock : the charge indicator remains off and the PMP turns on automatically

3. Playback of a video on repeat mode

4. 2h later, manual PMP turn off and Battery Dock unplugged

5. Battery Dock replugged : the charge indicator turns on…

6. PMP rebooted, same video playback on repeat mode

7. 5h30 later, the PMP turns off by itself, having no more battery energy… but its charge indicator remains on, which indicates the Battery Dock isn’t completely empty…

8. The PMP remains in charge, off, until the indicator turns off

9. Reboot of the PMP

10. 45 minutes later, the PMP turns off again. Definitely, this time.

Test n°2 :

1. Initial state : PMP turned off and charged, Battery Dock charged

2. Connection of the Battery Dock : the PMP charge indicator turns on and the PMP turns on automatically

3. Playback of a video on repeat mode ; the charge indicator remains on

4. 7h23 later, the PMP turns off automatically (internal battery empty)… but its charge indicator remains on !

5. The PMP remains on charge, turned off, plugged to the Battery Dock, for 3 hours… until the charge indicator turns off

6. Reboot of the PMP (3 autonomy levels, which cill quickly pass to 1) and playback of the video, still on repeat mode

7. 55min later, the PMP turns off again. RIP ?

8. Oh no. 10min later, the PMP turns on by itself… only to turn off 5min later… RIP.

From this experience, we can conclude some things :

 When the Battery Dock is plugged to the PMP turned off, the second charges automatically (charge indicator on) : the Battery Dock, thus, charges the PMP battery, within its limits…

 When the Battery Dock is plugged to the PMP on sleep mode, the second doesn’t charge (charge indicator off). In this case, the Battery Dock is useless…

 Thus, the Battery Dock is able to charge the PMP internal battery and doesn’t replace it in any way !

 Energy providing bu the Battery Dock is weaker than the one needed by the PMP to work ! This is the reason why the PMP can’t be turned on for a long time when its battery is empty, even if the Battery Dock is fully charged…

Test conditions :

 Maximum backlight

 Same video as the 405 review…

As for the autonomy itself, the result is the following : while testing the 405, the PMP lasted 4h15 in the same conditions, without the Battery Dock.

Here, the whole lasts for 4 more hours, linked to the Battery Dock… In short, that’s the same autonomy as the PMP itself ; in the same conditions.

G4/G5 compatibility

The Battery Dock isn’t compatible with the G4 : my 604 can’t be plugged on it.

On the contrary, the Docking Adapter of the G4 is fully compatible with the G5 : USB host and AC in work perfectly. On the other hand, G4 accessories don’t provide the video output currently absent on G5 players…

Conclusion

During the G5 presentation, the specifications announcement and thus the absence of a removable battery disappointed me deeply.

However, this solution proposed by Archos seemed interesting…

Advantages :

 The absence of a removable battery allows compact the PMP better

 Financially speaking, the operation is interesting for the client : where he or she had to spend $87 in order to be able to take benefit from a complete pack ($30 for the Docking Adapter, $40 for the extra battery, $17 for the A/V cable), only the G5 Battery Dock would allow the client to profit of a full pack for only $50…

 The number of accessories to carry is also reduced (only the Battery Dock for the G5, against the removable battery and the Docking Station for the G4…)

 Possibility to charge the PMP and the Dock at the same time is clearly appreciable

 The 605 can still use its leg stand while being plugged to the Battery Dock

Disadvantages :

 The obligation, in due case of deterioration of the internal battery, of contacting the Archos Support in order to do the replacement

 The extra size of the couple PMP/Battery Dock during utilization

 It is impossible to make the 405 stand by itself steadily, but flat, on its back side (we would have appreciated that the Battery Dock could do something about it…)

 It is impossible to know the Battery Dock’s charge level

… and finally, the crippling points :

 The obligation of plugging the Battery Dock when the PMP is off, in order to make the first charge the second effectively

 The insufficiency of the Battery Dock AC output doesn’t allow the simple use of the PMP !

To conclude, there still is a hope of a forthcoming firmware which will correct these two last points, which, to me, reduce hugely the interest of this accessory (however theoretically real !). But, even if I have some hope on the first point to be repaired, the second seems to be directly linked to the technical capacities of the accessory…

So, if the extra battery function isn’t really necessary to you, maybe it will be better to conform yourselves with the Mini Dock, more compact, cheaper ($30) and fulfills perfectly the functions it has been designed to…