Archos Gmini 400
It's been a little while since our last mp3 player review, and for good reason! Back in November 2004 I had raised a fair bit of hell by slamming the iPod. I guess it was expected, since people don't like to hear about how their cool new product might actually suck! Ooh zing..
I'd been eyeing up Archos for a while, since they first put out one of the first hard drive based mp3 players on the market a few years back. They had been plagued with bugs and poor build quality. So why did I take the plunge and buy a gmini? Simple, it's $@%$@ awesome.
We're talking serious convergence plus excellent build quality, and outstanding functionality. After the initial learning curve of the somewhat un-intuitive (it's only drawback) interface, you will be up and running within minutes of powering the unit on.
It doesn't take long to impress a group of gawkers of the Gmini. Immediate responses will be something along the lines of "no-way" and "how much!?" Why should a silly little product raise eyebrows? Well once again let's just list it off.
- Same size as an iPod
- Plays Mp3, WMA and WAV files
- Voice Recorder (built in mic)
- Full 2.2" Color Screen (blows away the iPod photo btw), which you can plug into any TV.
- Plays Mpeg/DivX video
- Plug and play 20gig Harddrive (ZERO drivers to install)
- Software is built into the unit (no software to install to put your music on it)
- Compact Flash slot built in!
- Plays downloadable Mophun games (see cellphones)
- 10 Hours battery life
- Etc...
Let's cut to the chase. The Gmini is simply an outstanding little unit. It's build strong, plays more than just music, and doubles up as a very handy portable storage device (with or without a computer). The music sounds awesome, and you can even buy a FM Radio remote control as an add-on. You simply can't go wrong..
Oh and did I mention I've had it for 3 months now and there isn't a scratch on it?
