Review of the Archos Gmini XS 202 s 20GB MP3 player
MP3 players continue to grow and shrink at the same time, with gigabytes getting bigger and designs getting smaller, we are starting to wonder just how they manage it. So when we saw the teeny-weeny 20GB Archos Gmini XS 202s up for grabs we popped it in our palms and ran into a quite corner to play. Design |
| On first impressions, the XS202s looked like something you get free with Reader’s Digest, with its boring black design. Adding insult to injury, Archos have overloaded the poor thing with far too many logos and scripture for such a small device. However, in hindsight, once we’d got our hands on it we did start to enjoy the design. The dimensions mean you can hold it in the palm of your hand and use it one-handed. The bluescale 2” LCD screen dominates the player’s tiny 7.6 x 5.9 x 1.7 cms. Below the screen is a central controller for scrolling and selecting, which we found to be surprisingly comfortable to use, considering it isn’t a flat design like the favoured iPod. On the right-hand edge is the DC-in and USB port, which uses a high speed 2.0 USB lead. The included Archos headphones have a nice discrete grey design, which sat comfortably in our ears. |
| Features |
| What the Gmini XS202S has that most MP3 players this size don’t have is a whopping 20GB hard-drive. This means it can store up to 10,000 songs using its PlayForSure audio base. Supporting MP3, WMA (protected too), and WAV, it remains ultimately compatible for use by everyone. Other than its massive hard-drive, an equally as cool feature is PC AutoSync, making transfer of files extremely easy to do. It also synchronises with Windows Media Player versions 9 and 10, on both Mac and PC. The player itself has an extensive icon-based, hassle-free menu system that allows you to search for genre, year, artist and title, using Archos’ ArcLibrary. Other features included file management; you can even remove, move, copy or delete files on this device without the need for a PC or Mac. If you choose to buy an additional standard audio cable, you can connect the XS202S to your home stereo system and listen to your tunes throughout the whole house. |
| Performance |
| If the fact that we spent 17 hours over two days listening to the XS202S, doesn’t indicates that we enjoyed its outstanding performance, we don’t know what else would. We liked everything about Archos’ latest MP3 player, especially the comfortable one-handed design. Controlling an MP3 player when you have got your rail card in one hand and keys in the other makes life difficult, but with this nifty design we were miles happier. Sonically, the performance was top-notch. Bass was powerful and deep and dialogue was crystal clear. In fact, we preferred it to many other MP3 players for this price. Transferring rates were average, but we didn’t find ourselves sitting around waiting for it, so that was good. |
| Overall Opinion |
| Offering an overwhelmingly great sonically performance, and enough features to keep the most miserable gadgetiers happy, we can’t say a bad word about the Archos Gmini XS 202S. The design could have been more contemporary and battery life could have been a bit longer, if we are going to be picky, however considering it gives 4-hours extra than the iPod Nano 4GB, what more can we say. |
| By Lisa Malyon |
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Pros + 17 hours battery performance + Sonically awesome + 20GB hard drive + Mini design |
Cons - Unattractive design |
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Appearance 3/10
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Songs Capacity 9/10
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Build Quality 8/10
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Ease Of Use 10/10
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Value For Money 8/10
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Overall Rating 
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By Lisa Malyon
24/10/2006 at 11:53:50am
24/10/2006 at 11:53:50am
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