Archos 3cam vision

Archos 3cam vision

The sub-$100 MP3 player market is littered with subpar options, but once in a while, we see a standout. With a sleek design and an intuitive, touch-screen-based user interface, the Archos 3cam vision ($99.99 direct) exceeds expectations. The integrated camera, which can record video or take photos and store them along with your loaded media, isn't of the highest quality, but most devices in this price range don't have this feature, much less 8GB of storage. The same-capacity Apple iPod nano ($149, ) is a full $50 more expensive. The Archos 3cam vision may not be a masterpiece, but it raises the bar for budget players. A good-looking device measuring 3.9 by 2.1 by 0.4 inches (HWD) and weighing 2.3 ounces, the Archos 3cam vision has rounded edges and no physical controls save for a Power/Lock slider on the bottom panel. There's a touch-sensitive backward-navigation button beneath the 2.2-inch touch screen, but there are no physical buttons for volume control, which might be an annoyance for some. The 3cam vision features a slightly higher-resolution screen (400 by 240 pixels) than the iPod nano's (376 by 240), but the Archos player has a larger 3-inch display (versus 2.2 inches), so it looks less sharp than the nano's.