The power ports, as well as the headphone, A/V, and dock ports, are fairly self-explanatory, but you might be confused by USB A and USB B. The Archos AV700's connectivity ports are clumped together along the top of the device. A pair of speakers flank the LCD, while tiny LEDs indicate power, drive activity, charge status, and TV-out mode (when enabled). These are accessed and navigated using scroll-up, scroll-down, and select buttons that reside under your right thumb. The interface here, complete with your choice of attractive colors and backgrounds, consists of an icon-driven main menu and context-sensitive action menus that appear in the lower-right corner. All told, it's a pretty simple control system, though it's nowhere near as easy to work with as the touch-screen interface on the Archos PMA430. The D-pad navigates you through menus-and games, natch-while the buttons control playback and activate various menus. Holding the metal-encased Archos AV700 is like holding a handheld video game, with its D-pad controller on the left side of the screen and hodgepodge of buttons on the right. Next to the Zen Vision, the AV700 is massive. In fact, it can't hold a flame to the Creative Zen Vision's gorgeous 640X480-pixel VGA screen.
The LCD produces 480x234 pixels-a bit on the low side, given its size-and 262,000 colors.
PORTABLE DVR PLAYER PORTABLE
Of course, the mammoth screen accounts for most of the bulk: Measuring 7 inches diagonally, it's significantly larger than most portable video player (PVP) screens, which usually top out at 3 to 4 inches. At 8.2 by 4.2 by 0.8 inches and 1.3 pounds, it's not the kind of device you can slip unobtrusively into a pocket. Ultimately, the AV700 is best suited to tech-savvy users who have cash to burn and a firm belief that a bigger screen makes for a better personal media player. Further complicating matters, converting video files is a hassle, and the screen itself isn't that great, though its wide viewing angle should accommodate everyone in the backseat. Thus, the sizable screen goes largely to waste. What's more, while the AV700 does a fine job of recording video from external sources, such as a TV, it offers no clear-cut way to play back wide-screen movies or, for that matter, wide-screen TV. However, it's expensive-$600 and $800 for the 40GB and 100GB models, respectively-and far too bulky to slip into a pocket.
PORTABLE DVR PLAYER MOVIE
With its 7-inch-wide screen, TV-friendly recording capabilities, and kitchen-sink roster of media features, the Archos AV700 would seem to be the ideal traveling companion for movie buffs, couch potatoes, and music fans alike.