Buy Archos Gmini402 20 GB Pocket Multimedia CenterArchos Gmini402 20 GB Pocket Multimedia Center Product Description:
- Portable multimedia powerhouse with 20 GB hard drive, stores up to 10,000 songs
- Play MPEG4 or DivX video back on the 2.2-inch LCD or connect to a TV
- Measures just 0.7 inches thick and 4.2 inches wide; weighs just 5.65 ounces
- Compatible with protected Windows Media content downloaded from multiple PlaysForSure online music services
- Connects to Windows-based PCs and Macs via super-fast USB 2.0
Product Description
Take all your digital entertainment on the go, including videos, photos, music and games.
Customer Reviews
Most helpful customer reviews
38 of 40 people found the following review helpful.
Digital Camera Owners, Beware! Recorders Rejoice.
By M. Russo
I originally purchased the Gmini 400 because I like to travel with my digital camera and unload photos so I don't have to carry a lot of CF cards. The 400 did this just fine. Then a few days after purchasing the 400, I saw the 402. It looked like a nice upgrade and it has a universal download feature so any digital camera could (theoretically) dump photos on the drive. Well, my two Canon cameras both generated error messages and Archos Tech Support has yet to explain what's happening. The bright side of this picture (get it?) is that it actually works with an optional USB 2.0 CF reader which I can take with me. Problem Solved but not very elegantly.The real bonus is that I took my Gmini to a concert last night and I stealth recorded The Steve Miller Band and the recording is fantastic. This little guy records .Wav files and the quality was amazing. I use external pinpoint lapel mikes from Giant Squid and a battery box. I could have easily gone 3-4 hours or more on a single charge.I also loaded 20 hours of TV shows which I can watch on the plane if I don't get tired of staring at a 2.2" screen. A ton of child photos and... wait a second.. I don't have any room left on the hard drive to use it for traveling. Oh well, I will unload the concert files anyway. You can delete things on the fly so I may keep the TV shows and dump them if I need the space.One other thing; the 400 came with foreign power adaptors, the 402 does not, but it does come with a wonderful belt case and the 400 did not.If Archos can deliver on the original promise and allow my to jack my Rebel XT directly, this tiny multi-media center would seem perfect in every respect. I would have rated it 5 stars had this feature worked.Sound Quality. I consider myself an audiophile and have returned other players which sounded bad to my ears. The sound quality of the Archos 402 is superb, exceeding my expectations. Remember, I didn't buy this to play music but it's really a versatile device.I highly recommend this device over an ipod and most of the Creative players. It is tiny, feather weight and easy to carry. I bought it here at Amazon, they let me return the 400 with no restocking charge and get the 402. For just under $300 I thought it was a great buy.
17 of 17 people found the following review helpful.
Gmini 402: fun little media player...
By drgteeth611
I just got a Gmini 402 a few days ago, and I've gotta say, I'm thoroughly impressed. I'm a college student and I've seen all of my friends walk around with the trendy ipods, but I decided I wanted something a bit more interesting, so I decided to put my money in a Gmini. From the moment I pulled it out of the packaging, I was immediately enthralled with it. The player is made of a sleek silver aluminum that feels very durable. The buttons can be a little hard to push down, but you adjust quickly enough. It turns from a small annoyance to just commonplace without much thought. The unit itself is about the size of an ipod, unlike the other, less discrete PMPs out there. The input jacks are easy to figure out and the host usb port seems to be a great idea. I've got a digital camera that I could probably use it for, but I just haven't gotten around to that just yet. The battery is decent: about 10-12 hours for music that I've noticed (although the manual estimates about 10); I've gotten about 4 hours of video out of it in one charge.Music:Transferring music from the computer to the player couldn't be easier. It's recognized as an external hard drive by the computer, so all you need to do is copy/paste your songs from your computer to the Music directory of the Gmini hard drive. Navigating through the songs isn't as easy as the iPod's click wheel, but you get used to it quickly. The backlight turns off when you're listening to the music, so you don't have to worry about the battery running around before you expect it. The included headphones are nothing to write home about, but when is that ever the case? =) I replaced it with a better pair of headphones and the music sounded excellent. If this unit was just bought for the mp3 player function, I'd be perfectly content as is...but there's more of course!Video:This is obviously what catch most peoples' eyes about this little device. The installation software for the video conversion software is already in the device as a file in the hard drive, so you don't have to worry about having another installation CD to keep track of. If you accidentally delete these, or something unfortunate happens like you need to reformat the HD or something, you can get the software easily from Archos's homepage. The software itself is incredibly easy to use. Just choose the movie you want to convert, pick the folder you want to save it to, and choose Gmini 400 as the "Target" (device you want to watch it on). It automatically chooses the optimal format and compression that fits best for the gmini 402. The conversion is slow, but almost all conversion software likes to take its time. Once you're ready to watch it, just load it on the unit and you'll find that it's a clean, crisp, smooth image on the lcd screen. It's small, but I've found it perfect for personal enjoyment of a movie when I'm on the train or something.Games:The Mophun games that come with the unit are somewhat drab, and I'd have to say that this part didn't live up to expectations, but I also didn't want to spend 6 dollars per game to see if there were anymore that might appeal to me more. All in all, nothing big to complain about. Others may like the games more as they're a pretty decent way to waste a little time here and there, if you're not too picky about complexity of games and whatnot.Recording:I use the Gmini to record lectures all the time. It's not so great in huge lecture halls, but still managable. I'm happy enough with it, however, and it's convenient as well. Helps when I miss something during lecture and I don't need to carry around another device for voice recording.Conclusion:This is a great little unit, I'd have to say. The upsides overwhelmingly surpass any downsides it may have. Apple is coming out with video iPods now, but I'd still say this has the new generation ipod beat. It has a handy little voice recorder, has games (while not my personal favorite feature, could still entertain). It also has a cool FM radio/remote control accessory that I'm planning on purchasing too. So if you want something to stand out in the big ocean of apple iPods and can do more for pretty much the same price, I'd say get this. You'll never be happier with a purchase than when you first watch a movie or a tv episode on this thing. It just makes you happy! =)
18 of 19 people found the following review helpful.Lovn' my Archos
By Daniel E. Finley
I purchased a 20gig Photo iPod which I returned after a week. I then picked up the Archos Gmini 402 which I've had about 2 weeks, and I love it.Here's why:1. If I connect it to one of my friends machines it won't wipe out all my songs/videos and automatically load my friends songs onto it much like an iPod does.2. I can move songs off my Gmini and onto my computer if I want. You can't with an iPod.3. iPod wouldn't let you play songs that you put onto it in hard drive mode, Gmini doesn't have that problem.4. The Gmini has a in-device browser system that lets you reorganize and retype file names if need be. (can't remember if iPod had that ability)5. Can record audio without any additional gear. Or you can attach a better quality microphone through USB cable.6. Plays AVI, WMV9 video files. Hell it even plays the NTSC ~AND~PAL format... I don't know any home DVD or VCR players that do that.7. No proprietary synch! I can hook it up to any computer with a simple mini-usb plug.The few drawbacks:1. The interface isn't as `intuitive' as the iPod BUT it's still user friendly and easy to use. You gotta admit that the iPod interface is near brilliant.2. Not as many accessories on the market as for the iPod. (I only found two or three options for a good leather case). Maybe if it gets more popular this will improve.3. Audio doesn't stop when the earplug is accidentally yanked out.4. No Quicktime movie driver. ; ;Simply put, since Archos doesn't `assume' you're gonna go out and pirate stuff and provides a machine that has freedom to do what you want with it. A company with this kind of insight, as opposed to Apple, is why I think this will be light-years ahead of the Video iPod. Apple has great design, great marketing, and a dedicated fan base but... their products just don't meet up to the money you pay for it.Viva la Archos~!And to answer a language question: Yes it does display Japanese text. I have a few Japanese podcasts and it displays the ID3 tags just fine. You have to load it onto the operating system yourself though, it's not automatically installed. It's simple to do and already stored in the Data folder on the device, you just move it to the /system folder. It will only give you the option of displaying one of 2 forms of Chinese or Japanese (unless they provide more languages on the website) and you can only view one foreign language side by side with English.
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