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"Innovation is the key to this product...when will the rest of the industry catch up?" on by jasonbeckett
Pros: Feature rich, trail-blazing concept, all-in-one wonder
Cons: 1st Generation with limitations, improvements will be welcomed.
Summary: This is the type of product that makes us all smile a little inside. Though it is not perfect is it an improvement in the marketplace. The 402 forces the rest of the portable media industry stand up and take notice; to dig a little deeper for ideas and innovations.
PVR, PVP, MP3 and the like are all old news. When you're looking to buy any of these devices you're really just choosing the "look" of the device (since they all do about the same thing). It's producers like ARCHOS that push the limits and make everyone wonder, "what else could we jam into this thing?"
The more advancements that come into the market, the more evident it is that manufacturers like APPLE need to get innovative rather than repackage the same old thing. We all want TV-on-the-go, so why can't the industry make it simple, affordable and fun?
While I doubt the 402 will smash sales records, or even make a blip on the iPod sales radar, I am sure the integration of new features like video capture will change the way we look at and purchase our personal media players. -
"Great Features, Great Product" on by PMR
Pros: All around media player with tons of functions. You can play audio, view pictures, and play movies and games. Built-in Camcorder & Camera.
Cons: No USB Charging. No built in FM.
Summary: I was hesitant about buying the Archos gmini 402 CC. I have had it for over a day and I can say that this thing packs tons of features. You can do just about anything on this. The games are cheezy, but still fun. Video playback is smooth and crisp, however I have to convert all my videos which is a pain. Music is nice. The movie quality is fairly good and the picture quality is just decent. I wouldn't buy this play for its video recording, but it is an extremely great add-on. The lens on the back is somewhat in an aquard spot. It's hard to put your left hand down without touching it. The only negatives is that there is no FM tuner or recorder which wasn't a big deal. I wished that it would charge via USB, but it doesn't. I was able to hook up my Canon SD400 to the decive using the adapter. While using the AC adapter it is hard to hold the decive. I would have also liked to have seen a sliding lens cover.
For all those iPod vs. "Others", I just want to say that this is not as easy to use as an iPod. That said, it has way more function than an iPod. I bought this at Fry's Outpost for $299. Same as the iPod. However if you think about it you get more in the box. The built in USB Host (iPod Camera Connector - $30) plus the AC adapter (iPod AC Adapter - $30). That right there is $60 saved on, what I think, necessities. -
"READ ME!!!!" on by cameronrohani
Pros: SO MUCH READ THIS
Cons: SO LITTLE READ IT
Summary: Ok i own a archos av 402 camcorder. there are three differnt mp3 players in my house. 1 this archos 2 ipod video 3creative zen 4. EVeryone in the house agrees the archos is the best!! why? well the video hour is around 3:30 which owns the ipod video. It also has a camera and video camera. it doesnt take the best pictures but the pictures are actualy not that bad. THE GAMES ARE 100x better then any other mp3 player games! It works easily on both macs and pc's. I could go on with the pros but now im going 2 go the cons
cons well the battery life 4 games is only around 2:30 hours
... for me this doesnt matter but... it only reads all avi video files and a few mpg4's... but you can get a converter of the internet that converts videos into avi's... mac comes with one...
ya so overall the best mp3 player on the market right now is this TRUST ME IF UR LOOKING 4 a MP3 PLAYER BUY THIS YOU WILL BE SATISFIED -
"Take your digital camera with.." on by darrelph
Pros: Excellent MP3 and Video, Great cam, all in a small package.
Cons: Lousy still camera, useless storage bag
Summary: I purchased this unit for a family vacation. I originally wanted a smaller digital camera that could easily fit in a pocket and would'nt be a problem to carry. I spoke with a sales clerk and he had a few sugestions which were ok, then he showed me this. As a techie I was instantly hooked and forgot what I originally came in for. The concept of having a camcorder that fits in a pocket intrigued me. I bought it, and could not wait to get it home. After a few hrs of playing around I've come to the following conclusions.
The good: Overall id say that it is an amazing little device.
* The video camera is excellent, especially at the lower resolution. When the resolution is raised to vga the video becomes a little grainy but is still pretty good.
* The video / audio playback is flawless.
* The MP3 playback is excellent, controls are intuitive, awesome sound with the right headphones.
* The small size of the unit vs it's features makes it a unique product.
The bad: My biggest problem with this unit is the lousy still camera.
* The still camera is horrible. DO NOT buy this unit for still pictures, it will disappoint.
* This unit is a little light on battery
* The storage pouch is useless, it may prevent scratches but if you drop it, it's over. Buy a better case.
* I agree with other reviews, the manual is less than informative, but, the controls are fairly easy to figure out.
* Headphones are not the best.
* line in recording is audio only, which is not a really a flaw.
* Lense placement takes some getting used to, my hand naturally wants to cover it.
I hope this helps. -
"Like it...but won't blow your mind" on by cmdoheny
Pros: Functionality is key. Video quality is good.
Cons: CNET Review dead on. User navigation is difficult and not intuitive. Movies do not play on Windows Media Player.
Summary: Like a lot of people, I want the most functionality for my money and can appreciate a small device that meets all my needs (music, movies, camcorder/photos, and games). Now that I have it, I'm more taken with the camcorder feature than anything else. As a MP3 player, navigation and controls are everything. This player just does not match up with the Ipod in that department. It would be nice if they gave you one or two games instead of just the demos. It is frustrating that you can't listen to music and look at photos and videos at the same time.
No matter what, Archos is ahead of the pack in technological convergence. The only thing better would be a phone that can do all of this and had a minimum of 20GB of memory.
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