Cheap alternative to the Ipod
Written: Feb 27 '04
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Pros: Long battery life, easy navigation, CHEAP, uses winamp *.m3u playlist files
Cons: Big, no sports with it, limited display, problems with playlists and shuffle
The Bottom Line: Recommended for average users on tight budget because of price, ease of use, and versatility.
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| Gomer808's Full Review: Archos Mini JukeBox Recorder (15 GB) MP3 Player |
I was looking for an mp3 player, preferably a big one to accommodate my somewhat large mp3 collection (IE a 128megabyte player was NOT gonna cut it). And I found the Archos Jukebox Recorder 15gig etc.
Physical: 3/5
Okay, it's not as streamlined as the Ipod, and it is somewhat clunky and big. Actually, all in all, it feels quite solid. The first thing my friends say when they hold it is, "man, you could probably drop this and it'll be alright!" I haven't dropped mine yet, so I couldn't tell you the result, but bear in mind there is a Hard Drive inside. The buttons are a little cheap; you could tell that under the faceplate, all the buttons are all mounted on one large plate, if that makes sense. It has nothing to do with functionality, but you know it's a little cheap. The rubber corners help the Archos from sliding around, if you're putting it on a slanted plane.
Just don't plan on jogging with this thing; it's not really a sport-friendly player. If you need a sport-friendly one, get a smaller 128meg player that loads on RAM, rather than the Archos, which is a hard drive, which shouldn't be shaken.
The Archos also comes with a blue carrying bag. It fits nicely around the Archos. There's a little pouch in front, and a strap for a belt to go through on the back. It's made of the same stuff as wet suit material, I think.
Display: 2/5
I wish the display would show more characters. Some of my MP3 filenames are quite long, and start with the artist’s name. So often all I see is long list of the same author's name, and then I have to wait for the filename to scroll, so I could tell what I'm selecting.
Navigation: 5/5
Very very easy. This would probably be one of the highlights of the Archos 15. Since it acts just like a hard drive, all you have to do is drag your mp3 folder onto the Archos, and wham, it's there. Navigating is easy, press volume up/down to select from the listing, fast forward to go into a folder (or subfolder), and rewind to go up a folder. That's it.
Sound Quality/Playback: 3/5
I have to be honest, I'm no audio professional. I'm just a regular old consumer. And to me, the audio sounds just fine. The headphones that come with the Archos aren't high quality, but they get the job done. They also fold up so you can store it wherever.
However, when it comes to playlists and the shuffle program, there are problems. Often when I load up a playlist (which can be created through winamp, as a *.m3u, and drag/dropped directly to the Archos), and enable shuffle mode, I seem to hear the same songs over and over again. I think the random setting is just plain off. Also, if you load one playlist, and then choose to load another, often after the first song plays on the second playlist, the player will revert back to the first playlist. It's annoying, so when it happens, I just reset the thing.
Also, if shaken, I've had the player skip tracks. If it's juggling around in your pocket, the next track button could be pressed, and it can be annoying. But there is a hold feature (press adn hold the On button), so that eliminates the problem.
Battery Life: 5/5
I believe it says it lasts about 10 hours, but it feels like more. There's a little battery in the corner of the display. Also, it comes with 4 AA rechargeable NiMH (Nickel Metal Hydride) batteries, as well as a charger. Cool thing is, you can keep the batteries inside the Archos, and plug the charger into the Archos. It acts as a charger! I've swapped out batteries before, adn it works just fine.
Load time: 4/5
It loads fairly quickly on opening. Loading playlists can take a long time, if you've got a huge playlist. I wouldn't suggest loading your entire 1000 songs at once, that would take a loooong time.
Cost: 5/5
Hahah! Cheaper than the Ipod! I bought this about a year ago, and I got it for roughly $180. I believe it's much cheaper now.
Extra Quirks:
I've heard that Archos' customer service is almost non-existent. IE Tech support is horrible. I haven't had any problems with my Archos yet, and it's been almost a year now.
It also works as a mobile hard drive, so you can run to your friend's place and grab stuff or give him stuff. It's USB 2.0, so it's really fast. And I know with Windows XP, it's plug and play, so no foolin' around with drivers!
I didn’t try out the voice recording function, so yeah, no comment on that.
Recommend?
If you're on a low budget, yes.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 180
Recommended for: Beginners - Easy Enough for Tech Newbies
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Epinions.com ID:
Gomer808
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Location: California
Reviews written: 19
Trusted by: 1 member
About Me:
Young adult highly interested in Games, Technology, Anime, and other things
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