Archos Vision PMPs In The Wild

Live images of Archos' latest Vision PMP range have appeared, courtesy of Archos Lounge, and they go some way to proving the old adage that clever angles can make an ugly device attractive.  Our main issue is with the Archos 2 Vision, shown here on the right, which in the press shots looked slick and clean but in the plastic, well, have overly-protruding buttons and seem a tad bland.

The Archos 3 Vision, meanwhile, shown on the left above, is even more bland, with a lumpen casing and little stylistically to lift it above, say, the iPod touch.  Still, it's at least vaguely capable, lacking the third-party application flexibility of the Apple PMP but getting various media-friendly features that should keep most happy.

In fact dare we say it, it's the Archos Clipper which we're finding most appealing right now.  Yes, it's a screenless MP3 player with about as much complexity as a toenail, but there's something about its shape, finger-friendly buttons and simplicity that appeals.  Happily, then, it's the cheapest too.