Detailed Archos Gmini 220 MP3 Player Description & Review

Archos: Gmini 220 £255.00inc. VAT  &  Delivery

This model has been superceded by the Archos GMini 402 20GB MP3 player.

The Archos Gmini 220. Another GMini from Archos - this time the 220. What's the story with this jukebox? Full skinny follows:

Ah - now, we have been waiting for the Archos Gmini220 jukebox for some time. We first became aware of it at the same time as the Gmini120 (Q3 2003) but we've had to wait another 6 months for the UK full product roll-out in Q1 2004. What is a Gmini 220?

Let's start with the basics: This is a music jukebox that has 20GB of space, which means that you can fit approximately 330 hours of MP3 music on it. If you prefer the WMA format for your compressed music then you could fit even more hours of songs on. You can of course have a combination of the 2 formats, which is probably what most people will have.

There are 2 versions of the Gmini 220 available - Version 1 with Record function enabled and with the Compact Flash (Type I and II) photo card reader enabled (so that you can copy/ swap your digital photos from your digital camera onto the Gmini). Version 2 - without either of those features. They are disabled and have to be purchased separately through a download. Dukebox.com only sell version 1 - with these features enabled. Other retailers may sell the 'same' jukebox at a lower price, but please enquire to make sure that you're getting the version (and features) you want and expect.

The Gmini 220 can be used as a full photo wallet - i.e. you can copy your digital photos from your digital camera's card and transport them around on your Gmini220 and show them to everyone. (And then reuse the photo card as you have saved a copy of the picture, obviously). The photo display on the Gmini screen is monochrome (black and white, if you prefer) but the picture is stored as a colour image.

If you would like a colour photo wallet - something that does the same thing, but still displays the picture in colour on the screen then you might like the AV340 instead.

Recording from live sources - music or speech - can be done in a couple of ways. If you want to record from live music sources, you can connect the Gmini 220 up to an amp using the included cables, or if you want to perform interviews with a vampire, or make verbal notes for yourself you can use the included microphone to record.

Playing music via a stereo system is another fairly standard feature - you can just plug your Gmini 220 into the stereo via the included cables so that the stereo system is blasting your tunes

Like all Archos Jukebox models this one is recognised by your computer as an additional hard drive, so copying music, or even data files on to it / off of it is as easy as drag-and-drop.

It�s easy to lose sight of exactly how small this jukebox is. Earlier models were described by dukebox.com as about the size of a pack of cigarettes, but this one is smaller still. Famously, Archos have demonstrated that the GMini 220 is only about 2 thirds the length and breadth of a 3.5" computer disk (the sort that fits in your computer's A: drive)

There is a hardware plug in too - it's an FM tuner and wired remote. It does have to be purchased separately.

See the accessories section below for more specific information on how each of the plug-ins work and what they can do for you.

It's got the good features at a good price and if you want one just click.