Archos Gmini XS 200 Review

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Archos Gmini XS 200
3.1 stars
Average rating for this product is: 3.1 out of 5

From 0 ratings and 13 reviews

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jslsys's Review of Archos Gmini XS 200 MP3 Player

4th Sep 2005

Overall Rating

4.5 stars
  • Value for money
    5 stars
  • Sound Quality
    4.5 stars
  • Features
    4.5 stars
  • Time MP3 Player Owned
    1 - 6 Months
  • Battery Life
    3 stars
  • Memory
    20Mb
Good Points

Standard mini USB Connector.
Doesn't require any special software on your PC (just drag and drop).
Treats music files and data files the same.
Small with solid build quality.
Supports WMA.


Bad Points

Doesn't charge through USB connection.
Some lower bit rate WMA files don't work.
No specific support for media player.
Battery is built in, and may be difficult to replace.
Middle joystick button may not be to everyone's taste.


General Comments

What a fantastic little player the Archos Gmini XS 200 MP3 Player is. I was fed up of needing special software to download music to my player (I had an old creative labs player). What I wanted was a machine that I could transfer files with windows, whether they be music or not, in the same way. That's just how it works! You plug in, and the XS200 appears as a removable disk, drag and drop files and folders, and your done.
The player can build its own database of any music you download from any ID3 tags that are there (it only searches for files in the music folder - it assumes the other directories contain only data). You can browse files and folders from the built in back-lit screen, which is easy to read. The interface is simple too.
The sound quality is good, and the supplied headphones aren't too bad (I've had a lot worse). They have a built in volume control on the cord.
Battery life is OK. 6 hrs or so in the real world.
The bad points:-
Not many really! If the battery fails, you may struggle to replace it. I have found that some lower rate WMA files won't play (but at least it supports WMA), and it may not be what you want if you expect seamless integration with media player or iTunes.

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