Home > Consumer Reviews > Archos Gmini 220 20 GB MP3 Jukebox / Recorder / Photo Wallet-Viewer with Compact Flash Reader

After months searching for something else than just a mp3 player I decided that the Gmini 220 was the most suitable for me in terms of features and price

For a relatively low price you get an external ultra small 20 Gb hard drive, which also plays mp3/wma music files with very good sound quality. The USB2 port worked perfect in my Win2K and winXP PC's. No need of any extra software. Just drag and drop any type of file. Gmini 220 also reads CF cards (with few limitations I have to investigate yet), show pitures in B&W records from external devices using line in input (max bitrate 192 kbs), live records using the integrated microphone (max bitrate 112 kbs). It comes with Musicmatch (plus version!) soft which is necessary to create libraries but you don't really need it to play your music. OS sofware updates are free from Archos web site (I upgraded the unit's OS from v1.5 to v1.6 with no difficulty). Finally, I've been PC biased but Mac users be aware that Gmini does work as an external hard drive for Macs too!

In more detail:
- The huge screen and friendly interface makes it very easy to navigate and look for any file in your Gmini. You can move files between folders, create or delete files, see info like size etc, and even rename files with a keyboard screen that works pretty well for what it is.
- The huge screen also allows you to see the pictures you have stored (or the ones in the CF card) meaning you can 'identify' them, though don't expect to really 'see' details within the picture..
- The compact flash reader is an additional feature that works very fast and works wonders in conjunction with a digital camera CF based, to do backups or empty your card when full. I'am using that feature a lot too. However, I should mention that I couldn't move 1.2 Mb pictures taken with a Nikon 8mpx on a lextar CF card.
I read somewhere that Gmini might have some troubles with big files and/or some CF card brands.. In any case, I didn't have troubles with other 2 CF cards (sandisk, canon) transferring files of more of 1Gb.
- The microphone is another cute additional feature that impressed me with the quality of the recordings. It's true, you have to wait until the screen goes off (which you can set as fast as within 10sec ;) to get rid of a somewhat annoying hum that gets in, but I can live with those first 10 sec and filter or cut them out later.
- I converted a tape into mp3s playin it in my audio system which I connected to the gmini via the line in input. The quality of the mp3 recorded at 192 kbs was impressive, though of course you get the tape hum you can only get rid of by doing some simple sound filtering afterwards. Now I can digitalize old inedited tapes anywhere I don't have a computer. Gmini does it right there!
- Gmini comes with options to reproduce your music using playlists and so on. I haven't explored this yet, I am not too fond of playlists but I know you can do it easily in the Gmini. Using the Musicmatch soft that comes with it (plus version) you can also create libraries but I don't find this necessary either. I prefer to organize all my files by their names, and I decide what folders to create, play, etc. No need of tags either!
- I haven't really tested the battery life but I trust more those users who coincide in an average of 6 hs instead of the 10 hs advertised in the manual...
- One disadvantage is that the battery is internal but at least the unit comes with little screws that I think will make battery replacement possible.
- Another nice surprise is that the AC charger/adapter works for both 110V and 220V !! So no need of transformers anywhere! (I will eventually go to Europe and South America so this feature will be extremely convenient).
- Still, to be fair, I read about the i-river hp 120 and it does seem superior to the Gmini 220, with the included remote and everything... but...it's about 100$ more expensive, and it doesn't read CF cards. So, it depends on your needs and your pocket!

And finally some things that could be improved:

- Gmini uses the same port for both power and USB (they can be connected simultaneously though) but you cannot use other 'typical' AC plugs different than the one provided. Also, it would be more convenient to have the plug at the top on the unit instead of at the bottom.
- Buttons are just fine for my small fingers, but bigger hands might find them too small. Also, in my unit, the left arrow sometimes gets a bit stuck or does the 'down arrow' job instead. Seldom, some other buttons mix up their job, but in general it works ok.
- I noticed that just sometimes the unit warms up quite a bit and it might be bothersome if carrying it close to your skin. I guess it's a general behavior of these type of batteries.
- While music is playing you can browse the whole hard drive but you cannot delete or move files. Actually you can but the unit would then stop playing the song.
- A few times when playing mp3 and rewinding or forwarding my unit either stopped playing or kept playing not being able to rew or ffw in that song anymore. Everything came back to normal after changing the screen and restarting the song. No need to reboot.
I though that bug had been fixed with the last OS update but it seems it was not quite. Still, it happened very few times, in general it rew and ffw without a trouble.

I will have to first admit that I only have one day's experience with the Gmini. All in all, the device does its job well; it is an excellent external hard drive and transfers via USB 2.0 are fast. The sound of the ear buds seem fine to me, and the UI isn't the best but gets the job done.

Problems started, however, when I started trying to copy files from my CompactFlash card to the Gmini hard drive via the CF port (this is extremely important to me, since I bought this device primarily as a data vault for digital pictures while on vacation).

I have three CF cards: Kodak (256MB), SimpleTech(128MB) and SanDisk(8MB). Both the Kodak and the SimpleTech have problems in the Gmini (firmware 1.9). You can browse the directory structure on the CF cards fine, but when you try to copy a file, the Gmini hangs; turning the device off is the only recourse. In addition, whatever directory you were copying into on the Gmini's hard disk is now corrupted.

In desperation, I popped in my SanDisk 8MB card. Files from it copied perfectly. Hmmmmmmm.

Next step was to call tech support. While not tremendously helpful, they seem to be loosely aware of the issue. Their claim is that they have seen a problem with SimpleTech cards and with Lexar cards (they were especially emphatic about Lexar). They are not sure whether it is a hardware or firmware problem, but the claim is that they are working on it.

I plan to test some Viking, Kingston, and SanDisk cards tomorrow; according to another Amazon reviewer, these cards should work in the Gmini. We shall see.

[UPDATE 4/29/2004, based on my personal testing]:
SimpleTech 128MB: NO
Kodak 256MB: NO
SanDisk 8MB: YES
SanDisk 64MB: YES
Viking 256MB: YES
Kingston 256MB: YES
[END UPDATE]

So, this is the main showstopping problem I have with this device. As of today with firmware 1.9 on the Gmini, be very cautious about buying this device if you have "off-brand" CF cards such as SimpleTech, Kodak, Lexar, etc. and plan to use the CF port with these cards.

A couple of other gripes: there is no belt clip, and the thing is way too big for a pocket. Where does it go while you are walking/jogging? Also, the earbuds are too large for my wife's ear, but that just might be an anatomical anomaly on her part.

Also, the Archos website *clearly* states that the device ships with MusicMatch *Plus*. Mine only shipped with MusicMatch Basic, which is the the free version that you can already download from musicmatch.com anyway. This was important to me since the Plus version can rip mp3's 8x faster than the basic version.

This player *will not* play secure WMA music files as of right now; I don't know if Archos is working on this or not. So, don't plan on playing any of that music you downloaded from your favorite service (musicmatch, etc.) on this player.
[UPDATE: according to tech support, secure WMA will never be added to the Gmini. I always take what they say with a grain of salt, but....]

Since there was a significant amount of bad, I'll restate the good: the price, 20GB can hold a *lot* of music, the USB 2.0 connection is fast. Being able to hold 20GB of any data you like in a small portable device is just too useful.

First, I want to explain why I started off enthusiastic, but returned the 220 after a week.

1) My simpletech flash card, which works with many other devices, couldn't be read by the Gmini

2) Battery life was around 6 hours

3) The screen was poor, even with contrast settings and backlight

4) Playlists got mangled when used with the resume function

5) Recording using the internal mic picked up loud screen noise

I just replaced it with an iRiver ihp-120. It is my third player, and I think I might keep it.

Here are the properties that the iRiver shares with the Gmini:

-same volume/weight
-browse by folder and connect as external hard drive
-record either by line in or internal microphone

However, the iRiver adds:

-true 16 hour playback, more than double what I had with my Gmini
-a full functioned remote with screen
-built in FM tuner

Now, you can't dump CF cards directly onto the iRiver. However, Macally makes a product which will let you do that. See http://www.macally.com/new/new_syncbox.html for details

I checked out http://www.misticriver.ws for a while before I made my decision. There is lots of good information there.

People get too tied up on the fact that it plays Mp3 and Wav files... you need to look at the bigger picture here. I own the Gmini for one reason, I'm a photographer and I need a place to save my digital pictures. You can't beat the Gmini in a price comparison as far as memory space to dollars. A 512mb memory stick will cost as much as the Gmini alone. If you are technically proficient, you can open up the Gmini and upgrade to a larger hard drive...it uses a 2.5X9mm standard laptop hard drive. You can store all you work files, GPS files, etc. and it's small and light. The added bonus is the fact that it plays music for those long trips to outer mongolia, or even more dangerous, Los Angeles... I think the button layout works.... once you upload the new operating system it works really smooth. The buttons have a feature so you can lock them, no more turning on in your pack. The battery last pretty long considering you have a hard drive spinning in this thing. If you really want you can replace it with a higher rated battery and get more life out of it. So I give this product 5 stars for ease of use, price, and there is nothing like it on the market that has all the features of the Gmini. And that's that!

This little unit is one of the best mp3 player I've seen. I've read as much as I could about this player and decided to take a little risk -- all I can say now is that it's all worth it! As a mp3 player it is well made. As a portable storage device for photos, it is excellent if you use CF cards! As a backup device for your computer, AWESOME! The documention and accesories are not the best, so the player is definitely made more for someone a little more tech-savvy. I spent a good hour or two figuring out the buttons and menu structure. The owner needs to be comfortable poking around and pushing buttons without really knowing what they do. ;)

The sound driver seems pretty good. There is enough power to drive full range sound (i.e. very good bass) into a pair of Denon AHD210 headphones. The small earbuds it comes with are only adequate -- so be prepared to use a higher quality set of headphones!

The device is instantly recognized by WindowsXP and file transfers are easy -- it's just treated as an external harddisk. I did not bother loading the provided software or drivers. I immediately went to archos.com and downloaded the latest firmware and the free updates to "unlock" the CF reader and sound recorder. I guess it's their way of getting you registered in the system. But that was a relatively painless process.

The USB2.0 interface is VERY fast and I was able to fill the jukebox in less than an hour! More music than I'll ever need to traverse the continental US!

The screen is not as good as some other players, but it shows enough information to be useful -- trk time, name, artist, etc.

The Gmini is small enough, though not as small as the new "mini" players coming out. My primary usage model for this is as a car music source and as a portable HD. Because it relies on Windows USB drivers, it functions very well as a portable storage device. All you need is a standard USB cable that has a "mini" connector on one end. (one cable is supplied)

This is being written hours after I've opened the box, so hopefully I won't encounter any problems! It's sad to hear the horror stories, but the results are great when the unit works as advertised!