Archos Gmini XS 200

I bought this as a replacement for a Sanyo which had highly user-unfriendly software, to the point that it was actually impossible to make it play or to upload more than a fraction of my collection--some of which predated certain security functions installed on newer CDs. Apart from the starting problems with malfunction it has behaved impeccably. Because of the ease of use I would still stick to something along these lines rather than iPod if I have to replace it; but it's been going strong since 2005 now with no trouble at all and I still have only filled half the disk.

I bought an iPod for my wife three months before I first bought this player in Jan 2006. I bought the Archos because the iTunes programme was rubbish and I preferred to be able to drag and drop music to my MP3 player.

2 months later the hard drive died. I got a replacement from the internet seller I bought it from (hitech2go). Just over a year later the replacement has died (warranty is useless).

My wife still has her iPod and it is going strong.

I supported Archos as a competitor to iPod but I will certainly be buying another brand of product when I replace my mp3 player... at the moment I am singing to myself.

I am awaiting the 16 GB flash players to be released at the end of the year and will be going for one with a replaceable battery.

Archos' warranty is worthless. I have had the Archos Gmini XS 200 MP3 player for three months before it started having power problems. I sent the unit back to Archos under warranty. They wrote back saying the unit had been dropped and the hard disk had to be repaired. Not covered under warranty - cost £130. I'll put the money towards a Creative. Incidentally, the unit had not been dropped.

This Archos Gmini XS 200 is the 1st mp3 player I purchased and I spent a lot of time researching them. The research paid off because this player is great.

I am more than happy with my Archos, it does everything i need. The sound quality is good and the volume is loud. The menu is easy to use once you are used to the joystick.

It holds plenty of files and the organisation is simple. The best thing is that it syncs directly with media player and that i can also transfer other file types on it.

This Archos is also very small and lightweight, perfect for something that's portable.

When I first purchased the Archos Gmini XS 200 almost 12 months ago, it seemed ideal. Over this time I have become accustomed to the menu layout but recently have become very frustrated. The hard drive has decided to not work from time to time, tracks are shown incorrectly.

The menu system on the Archos Gmini XS 200 MP3 player is a bit cumbersome (too many layers to get through to update the library and switch to random play).

The sound quality with WMAs 192kbs is remarkable, but see error in bad points!

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.

I bought the Archos Gmini XS 200 a couple of weeks ago and (after upgrading my usb host) have been copying over my cds and mp3 files non-stop.

The compatibility with iTunes, windows media player etc, leaves a lot to be desired, but after a little bit of messing around I managed to figure out the best and quickest way of transferring files over (drag and drop through windows).

The headphones are a bit shoddy but I can live with them until I've managed to save enough pennies to upgrade to something better.

The fact that it also doubles as an external hard drive adds to the versatility of this little machine and I'm sure I'll be kept entertained by the Gmini for months, if not years to come.

I purchased this Archos Gmini XS 200 to be the main store for my CD library, and as such it does this in a fashion. I am VERY disappointed that it has no drivers for ITunes (PC), Win Media Player 7 or even MusicMatch Jukebox. This makes synchronising a pain, with Windows "drag and drop" the only method of administering files. I feel that I could have just bought a FlashDrive or other external HDD - it spoils the whole product, and whilst Archos promised me in January that they were "working on it" they have confimed today that they are no nearer. Pity - I therefore do NOT recommend this product.

I bought the Archos Gmini XS 200 just after Christmas as my previous one kept crashing. I was looking for something very affordable small and reliable with a large amount of memory space on the hard-drive. I was going to purchase the iPod Mini but they were too popular. I've never heard of the manufacturer before but I can say they are a very creative and intelligent putting the customers needs first. The large screen takes up most of the space of the MP3 player which allows for easy understanding of whats going on. The easy procedure for creating your own playlists comes handy when on the move, also coming with a digital keyboard to rename files. The sound quality is great as the song being played can be listened to very high allowing for the ultimate music experience especially rock songs. The linux operating system comes in very useful when speed is needed and sorting your songs through the built-in library. However perhaps the company could have created a letter based search instead of the slowly listed songs to scroll from. The battery life is great, as nearly everyday I listen to it constantly playing all the way through the day from 7am til when it needs charching at around 8pm. I would definitely recommend it for people looking for MP3's with great sound quality, fast loading speeds and easy to understand menus. A must have.