Archos, the French maker of hard disk drive-based portable media players, was arguably the first vendor to release a device with a colour display and capable of more than just music playback.
Although the first Archos player had a screen that was smaller than those on most mobile phones today, it was a good example of the company's innovation.
Archos not only offered devices with lots of memory storage, but also abundant features. Like the first Archos device, subsequent products had the ability to display photos and play back music. Video and movies were added to the mix - along with bigger displays - although Archos did release a second series of cheaper, music-only players.
Like previous Archos flagship products, the AV 700 is impressive, featuring a high-quality 18cm display - half the size of most computer screens today. The usual Archos features are all there, including a huge memory (40GB to 100GB) and the ability to record directly from an input source, meaning you can record off your television, DVD, or other playback devices without using a computer.
The software on the device features a photo wallet that makes it easier to catalogue and find your pictures. Like the Epson P-2000, you can plug compatible digital cameras into the AV 700 and transfer photos directly to the device - a handy feature that frees up memory from the camera while on trips.
The AV 700 also comes with the Mophun gaming engine; you can download a selection of games from Archos' website.