Archos 404 Camcorder Personal Media Player

Like a digital Swiss army knife, this all-in-one gadget was designed for the videoblogger, audio/video downloader, podcast producer, and MP3 connoisseur in all of us. This PMP shoots photos at 1.3-megapixels and records 640x480 pixel MPEG-4 AVI videos. Playback-wise, the 404 Camcorder handles MPEG-4 AVI, WMV videos as well as MP3, WAV, and WMA audio files. But to schedule recordings from your cable or satellite box, you'll need to shell out $100 for a docking cradle. And to playback H.264 and MPEG-2 files you'll need a $20 video podcast plug-in. But even lacking these two crucial accessories, Archos still manages to pack more versatility into the 404 Camcorder than an equivalent (playback-only) video iPod.

WIRED Promotes media production and consumption. Clean, loud sound. Decent video playback over TV or LCD. 3.5-inch screen dwarfs video iPod's. Can connect to any Linux, Mac, or Windows computer as a hard drive, or be configured as a Windows MTP device. Reads PDFs and displays photos. Spacious 30GB hard drive.

TIRED Slightly clunky menus. Requires bright light for clear video. No flash, optical zoom, or wireless connectivity. Needs $120 worth of accessories extras right out of the box.

• Style: Audio, Combo, Video
• Storage: Hard Drive
• Capacity: 15.1 GB to 30 GB
• Screen Size: 2.51 in to 4.0 in
• Manufacturer: Archos
• Price: $300
Release Date: August 16, 2006