I bought the Archos 20 Jukebox after much deliberation and research, comparing it with the 20GB rival Nomad. I'm overall happy with the purchase, although the Archos 20 is far from perfect...

On the plus side, I love the small size of the gizmo and the ease-of-use. Unlike my old Rio 500, I plug it in via a USB cable and it mounts as a HD. No convoluted software needed -- just drag and drop files onto the drive through Windows. Another huge plus is that the Archos is essentially a mobile 20GB HD, so I use it for all my MP3s, but also to backup all my data files. It's a great two-for-one device, giving me both a portable MP3 player with a huge amount of space, as well as a roomy external HD that works perfectly as a backup system. I read many comments about "bad sound" but I found the Archos sound quality to be every bit as good as my Rio. Maybe it's the more recent firmware, but sound quality seemed fine to me. Battery life is pretty good, typically giving me 5-6 hours before needing a recharge. For a little over $200, this player/drive was a great overall value.

Now the bad stuff... First off, the jukebox is horribly lacking in documentation. Even the Archos web site lacks additional help resources. For example, at first I thought my system was defective and wouldn't power up. After calling Archos tech support, it turns out that you have to hold down the "ON" button for five seconds to turn it on -- but nothing that came with the device told me this. This is the kind of thing that requires an explanation for customers, but doesn't. The menu system is clunky and convoluted, with limited capabilities. Compared to some MP3s players, there's no easy way to call up a particular artists or album. I have to either play everything in a particular directory or play a playlist that I created beforehand. Compared to what I've seen on the soon-to-be-released "Rio Riot" the Archos software seems very clunkly and minimalistic. The device itself could have had better button interface design -- you can't adjust the volume without going deep into the menu system, and a few more buttons would make it a lot easier to navigate around. Finally, despite the compact size, the player is pretty heavy. I have no problem carrying with me and listening as I walk around or ride the subway, but it's not a good player for runners.

Recommended: Yes

Amount Paid (US$): 239