Insignia Blu-ray Player@ Best Buy.
- Average user rating: 4.0 stars out of 34 reviews Back to product review
- My rating: 0 stars
Full user review
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20 out of 22 people found this review helpful
4.5 stars
"One Killer Gadget - Don't be fooled by the iPod hype!!"
Pros: USB hosting (you can plug in flash drives, cameras, iPods and iRivers), Video features (Can play onto any TV)
Cons: Poor advertising for the product, No usb charging
Summary: This is easily the best mp3 player I have ever owned. It has so many features that all the others are lacking. Since everyone seems to be buying iPods I will compare it to that.
This little beast is basically exactly the same size as an iPod, but it has a 2.2inch full colour LCD screen. A big difference between this and the iPod is that this is a USB host. This means that you can plug any portable storage device like flash drives, digital camera, even iPods and iRivers and view and copy files straight from them. So no computer is neccessary.
The video display is excellent! And a huge bonus is that it has a video-out feature, so you can watch movies or view photos on any tv or computer.
The gmini is not just restricted to iTunes like iPod, although it can be used with it. It works flawlessly with Windows media player10 and has an autosync feature which updates files everytime you connect to your pc. Transferring files is as simple as drag and drop.
Navigating through the gmini is surprisingly easily, while probably not as simple as the iPods click wheel, my 12yr old sister can still easily find whatever she wants.
The gmini also comes with loads of demo games which can be purchased from the archos website. The games are by no means state of the art, but they are still fun.
The sound quality on the gmini is exceptional, I have owned an iPod before and I genuinely cannot tell the difference in sound quality.
The design is sleek and smooth, with a nice silver brushed metal finish. It feels very comfortable in your hands. Photos on this website do not do it any justice. This is one sexy machine.
My only dislike with the gmini is that it does not charge via the usb cable. However, the good features far outway this dislike and I couldn't be happier with my purchase.
So for anyone considering buying an iPod please don't be fooled by apples mass marketing. Why would you want to look like every other sucker!! The iPod is overpriced and lacks features, trust me, my iPod owning buddies are seriously jealous of my new gadget.
- 5 replies to this review
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i'm glad you admitted the scroll wheel rocks. there is no arguement in that; its the easiest to use, hands down. but first of all, the ipod screen is 2.5in large so it actually is a LITTLE bigger. and the colors are better. the software for ipod is easier to navigate through also. the ipod is thinner than this thing. also, why would you want to use anything other than itunes. i know i wouldnt. itunes is the best music/video downloading program. i also have to say there is no arguement in that. even cnet agrees (go look at the ratings). the ipod charges itself via USB, which the archos doesn't. there IS a video-out for the ipod. i would know, i own one. you say the ipod is overpriced? the archos is the same price if not more expensive. go look it up. and you say the sound quality is the same. i cant compare that because i have not heard the archos play music. but anyway the ONLY thing you stated correctly that the archos has on the ipod is that it is a "USB Host." i think thats pretty cool. finally, "hype??" i dont think so. sure it owns 75% of the market. but do you think ALL that is hype? the ipod is just plain sexy. tell me something, would you marry a girl/boy just because of their "features?" i wouldnt. they need to be good looking too. just like the things you buy. and besides, this archos thing is a pvp. if apple wanted to compete with this it wouldnt have said "the ipod is music player first, video player second." that pretty much solves everything. besides, when i buy an mp3 player, thats what i want, an mp3 player. i dont want something that plays cassettes, VHS, and freakin vinyl discs. soon their going to come out with a player that has a built in refridgerator.the nano accomplishes this with its size. thats what people want, size and storage. and its just plain SEXY.
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I'm deciding whether to sell my iPod and get the new one with video or buy another mp3 with video. From what I've heard this is better than the iPod, but can you buy music videos for the Gmini like you can for the iPod? If you can are they better priced than iTunes price of $1.99?
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I used to own an Archos Gmini 400, and it had major file problems, which eventually corrupted the hard drive after about a week's use.
I loved it though, the 402 looks amazing and I would definitely grab one before an iPod 20/40 GB model.
However, I own an iPod Nano. The hype isn't empty. It allows me not only to jog/run places, but shoot hoops and listen to music at the same time. No device can do that for the money and the size. However, the Archos is amazing as well, if I had a large income it would definitely have a home as my hard drive mp3 player/video viewer/etc. -
Thanks for the above review! This is the 10th good review I have read from various sites while I have been researching this new Archos player. I am finally having to retire my old Archos 6000 player (it is just getting too heavy and worn looking)and so I have been looking for a player with more 'bells and whistles'. I have had this last player since spring of 2000 and after travelling with it around the world for the last 5 years I have yet to experience any problems with it. I have looked at Ipod and other brands, but honestly, any company that can make that sturdy an mp3/hard drive player has my customer loyalty. I am off to buy the Gmini 402. Thanks, mate!
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are you sure this is itunes compatible? i have an ipod that i got over a year ago, and then i saw this and it looked awesome. however, i always felt like i was stuck with some sort of ipod because of the itunes format of all my songs. i HIGHLY DOUBT this is itunes compatible. you should be more careful with what you say in your reviews.
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