Archos Jukebox Multimedia 120

Summary: This is a great product well ahead of its time. First off this is not an iPod so dont knock it because it dosent do what the iPod does. Many people complain about its size, file system, etc. but this realy cant be compared to other stand alone mp3 players. this needs to be compared to other archos AV series, RCA's Lyra multimedia, and others of that type.
OK what i was looking for in an mp3 player was 20gigs at an affortable price. size was not an issue for me because i dont wear tight clothes where anything bigger than a pack of matches wont fit in. The iPod was out of my search because it is too expensive and second it was more of a fansion statement. my options were Archos jukeboxes series, rca's lyra, and creative's nomad, i ruled out the nomads because i used a friends and i hated the SLOW scrolling speed, and i really did not like the look of the lyra, so i looked at the Archos V2 recorder and V2FM. I picked up the AV120 however because of its price and features it offered. i got it on e-bay like new for $150 with the DVR100 module and all accessories. it was an awesome deal i couldent resist.
First impressions liked the fact no software is needed to transfer file. it shows up as an external hard drive and file are just dragged and dropped. simple, easy, and it works with any computer. Definate plus. The size was reasonable, bigger than an ipod, but not overtly so. i really cant think of a way to compare it to anything. Battery life is ok as long as the screen is turned off, more on that later, it lasts 5-6 hours which is all i need as i use it between my classes, if you want longer look elsewhere. The screen is awesome. it is super sharp and the clarity is unbeleaveable. it is realy not too bad watching a movie on. I used the recording module to record LOTR and it plays great, the player has many settings to adjust video quality and clarity, and a timer so it can really be used as a VCR. The video playing is a great plus especially if you commute (short trips) on busses trains etc. it really passes the time. Video life is pretty short 2-3 hours or so depends on the settings. The menu system is easy to use and intuative giving the user many customisations (including screen color to those complaining about that), basicly it lists exactly what you put on the hard drive as you list it. it is best to create folders Movies, music etc, and then catogorise them alphedically in individual folders by artist, album, track. it makes it so much easier. it also supports playlist made in musicmatch (incl) or on the fly in the player. After reading the .pdf (paper one is short and crap) user manual it is easy to understand.
There is so much that this player offfers i cant list them all. your best bet is to pick one up give it a whirl and see it for yourself. you wont discover a lot of its features and goodies until you see it first hand. but plase take it into consideration this is not a standard mp3 player, although it does all that well, so it does a lot more and it can complicate things a tad, however if you want more out of your devices like i do, then this is definatly the way to go.
The Verdict:
I wish i could give it a ten however i dont think it would be honest, as it has a few short falls i listed above.
It is sad to me to see how many people knock this device without first reading the specs, and complaing about things it clearly states it can or can't do. before you pick this or any mp3 player up read the specs, read the longer good reviews especially and longer bad reviews as they explain things more, and make sure you know exactly what your getting into. Other than that i hope this review was helpful to you in your quest.