Judging by the number of models on sale at Hong Kong's computer centres, we love portable media players (PMPs). Unlike most MP3 players, PMPs offer large screens, allowing for better viewing of video and digital photos. One of he top makers of these devices is Archos, a French consumer-electronics firm. I use its 504 model PMP, but check out the new Archos 704-WiFi player. It has a screen that measures five inches x seven inches and offers an 800- x 480-pixel resolution, which is great for watching movies on a plane or in a hotel room. It comes with an 80-gigabyte hard drive, so you can store about 100 hours of video - depending on the resolution - or thousands of MP3 songs and JPEG-format pictures.

With a touch-screen, a stylus and built-in 802.11g wireless networking, the 704-WiFi allows you to surf the Web while on the go. Battery life is about 25 hours for music playback and five hours for video playback or browsing the Web.

The Archos 704-WiFi, with an international list price of US$549, is available now.