1. Technology Or Form Factor Rehash?

Right off the bat, Archos Gmini XS200's featherweight 4.3 ounce form factor distinguishes the device from the iPod mini, the Rio Carbon and Creative's Zen Micro. But the iPod and the Zen Touch are what Archos is really gunning for with 20 GB of capacity packed into a 2.9" x 2.3" x 0.75" size. Archos has managed to pull off this form factor feat with some help from Hitachi's Travelstar C4k60m, which is a 1.8" hard disk especially designed for portable devices. But is the Archos Gmini XS200's design prowess enough to sway iPod and Zen Touch zealots?

Simplicity Before Beauty

One blue diode, one red one and a display with green backlighting, set into a sturdy rectangle of gray brushed-finish metal... Archos hasn't especially gone after harmonious colors or finesse in designing its new player. On the other hand, it definitely worked on simplicity. Three earphone, USB, and adaptor connectors; two buttons for Stop/Escape/Off and On/Menu controls and a navigation joystick are all you need to manipulate the device. Its simplicity surprised me so much that I spent the first few minutes looking for hidden functions. But no, there's nothing beyond playing MP3 or WMA files. No encoding, no Dictaphone and no FM tuner, which is a minus.

The Gmini's ease of use becomes especially apparent when you want to connect it to your PC. Finally there's an audio player that behaves like a real removable storage medium. You just connect it to the USB port and start exchanging files. And in addition, all the user documentation and accompanying software (Media Player 9 and Acrobat Reader for PC and an iTunes plug-in for Mac) are already on the player's disk. Then all you need to do is transfer your music files to the Music folder and other files to Data. Back in the Gmini interface, you'll find exactly the same folder structure in the Browser.