I read with interest a product review done by EDN (the voice of the electronics engineer). It was about the 4th generation of Archos portable devices. I am familiar with this vendor because their devices are light, sharp, hold hunderds of hours of video on long lasting batteries.

Here is the review:

Facts: The company's fourth generation of portable media players includes the Archos 604, with a 4.3-in., 16:9 display, and the 404, with a 3.5-in., 4:3 screen. Both feature 30-Gbyte hard disks and play back a wide range of video formats including MPEG-4 at DVD resolution. They also come with an optional docking station that makes it easy to connect them to the living-room entertainment complex, where they become DVRs. Later additions to the line will include a 160-Gbyte unit and a Wi-Fi-equipped model.

Opinions: Archos continues to evolve what was already a compelling feature set. Better yet, the company has made its price points more palatable. The $700+ prices of earlier generations put those devices out of reach of all but the money-to-burn set, but the newest models qualify as not-entirely-unreasonable splurges for the rest of us. The Archos 604 sells for $329 at Amazon and the 404 for under $300.

I am contemplating buying one of these for a Christmas gift. Can you provide a comment about your experiences with it?