Last week, Archos rolled out the first product of their next generation portable media players.  These guys just keep making some of the kewlest PMP's on the market.  I prefer the 4.3" screen size because the players within that category are still generally small, thin and light.  Examples include the Sony PSP, Creative Zen Vision W and of course the Archos 6 series.

The ARCHOS 605 WiFi lets you:

• Play all your digital entertainment: movies, TV shows, photos and music
• Record your favorite TV shows
• Stream and watch videos from your PC
• Download movies and music directly on your PMP using the ARCHOS Content Portal
• Enjoy the new high resolution 4.3'' touch screen (800x480 pixels)
• Internet enabled to surf the Web, share content, and access Web video sites (eg DailyMotion)
• Customize your ARCHOS with great accessories and plug-ins
• View, zoom photos and make slide shows with music and transition effects, for viewing on the PMP or TV
• Listen to all your favorite music in more formats than any other player

Video playback:

• MPEG-4(4) (ASP@L5 AVI, up to DVD resolution)
• WMV (MP@ML, up to DVD resolution)
• With optional software plug-ins (available for purchase on www.archos.com):
  - Video Podcast plug-in: H.264 up to DVD resolution and AAC
  - Cinema Plug-in: MPEG-2 MP@ML up to 10 Mbps (up to DVD resolution) and AC3 stereo sound (5.1)

Audio playback:

• Stereo MP3 decoding @ 30-320 Kbits/s CBR & VBR, WMA, Protected WMA, WAV (PCM/ADPCM).
• With optional software plug-ins (available on www.archos.com):
  - AAC stereo audio files
  - AC3 stereo audio and 5.1 sound files

See http://www.archos.com/products/gen_5/archos_605wifi/index.html?country=us&lang=en for all of the juicy specs and facts.  Apparently they are going to sell a 30, 80 and 160GB version of this PMP.  160GB ?  Wow, that's like 140 ripped DVD's. Supposedly the 160GB fat boy is going to sell for about $399.  Let's see, you could buy the 80GB iPod Video with the teeny tiny screen, or the 160GB Archos 605 for $50 bucks more.  Unless you MUST have iTunes, that would seem like a no brainer.