After my iRiver fiasco (see iRiver iFP-180T review for more info) I finally gave in and spent the extra hundred dollars for the Archos Jukebox Recorder 20. What a difference a hundred dollars makes!! This little jukebox has all the features you're looking for - plus some!

First of all, it is SO much more user friendly than the competition. I was wondering when someone would make an mp3 recorder that is as simple to use as a little tape recorder... and here it is. You're just a few clicks from any function - and it's so easy to navigate.

Second - the sound quality is wonderful. Compared to some other players, this is like a little symphony in a box. The voice recorder is great too. Just hit record and go. For better sound quality, it has an input for a microphone - which many others do not.

Third - storage space... WOW!! That sums it up. Do you know how much music you can store on a 20 GB hard drive??? A lot - that's how much. This little gizmo has a bigger hard drive than most personal computers! You can store up to 700 HOURS of voice recording. What a blessing. I got to take this out of town to record a presentation to be placed on the web. I didn't have to stop and download files to make space for more. After all was said and done I still had 694 hours left on the hard drive.

The FM radio also gets really good reception - I was amazed. You can also record directly from the radio.

The battery is a little powerhouse too - 12 hours of continuous playtime. I charged the Archos up - took it out of state and it was still fully charged when I got back home. If you're thinking about price - think of what you will save not buying batteries. With the iRiver, I almost depleted a battery just moving files back and forth to my computer.

The Archos may be a little larger - but there's a reason why. I felt like I could drop this thing on the floor and not worry about it. It is extremely sturdy. With the iRiver I felt like I was going to break it just opening the battery case.

I don't have enough good things to say about this product - it is simply the cream of the crop. If you're on a budget, it's still worth the extra money in the long run. I can't imagine anyone being sorry they purchased this product. Take my word for it - I put the iRiver and the Archos to the test and there is no comparison.

I would recommend the Archos Jukebox FM Recorder 20 to anyone in the market for an mp3 player/recorder.

Recommended: Yes

Amount Paid (US$): 229