The Archos - Ipod Rival? (Archos Jukebox Recorder 20 20 GB)

Member Name: Kris002263

Product:	Archos Jukebox Recorder 20 20 GB
Date:	10/02/04 (360 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Sound, Large Memory

Disadvantages: Bulky

Well to start with I must stress that I?m a proud owner of an Ipod, this is and will be for a good time my primary mp3 player but recently I was able to get my hands on this device for a little time, so I?ll let you good people in on the battle that is Archos Jukebox Vs Ipod

MP3 Explanation
(I always include this just for those who like me used to get confused with "computer speak")
For those of you who do not fully understand the full concepts of mp3s, in simple terms it?s just a smaller version of the same song (compressed). These mp3s are often downloaded from such programs as Kazaa or Audio Galaxy, although I would not promote music piracy of course.

Style / Look
The player itself is slightly larger and bulkier then most standard mp3 players and to be honest can feel a bit brick like in a shirt or trouser pocket. However the player itself has a silver finish with blue supports, nice but no Ipod.
It features a large backlit LCD screen which displays track info, play lists, functions etc. Also it features very large user friendly buttons, perhaps my favourite part of the player as with others I have found myself the wrong button or even 2 at once. The size itself isn?t huge and can still quite easily fit in your palm (and pocket at a bit more of a push) but just doesn?t compare to some of the stick players out there these days.

Capacity
This player features a 20 gig hard drive, which is quite impressive and will allow you to hold 5000-6500 songs depending on the quality of the audio. I don?t know about you but that?s all my cd collection and space spare. Also The Archos can be used to store data files, video files and pictures files unlike the Ipod. This will allow you to use the hard drive to transfer these files from computer to laptop or take them with you wherever you want.

Software and Transferring Files
The Archos uses USB 2 which is basically a wire that plugs from your player to the back
of your computer and allows you to transfer songs form the computer to the player at amazing speeds, literally a few seconds for each song.
Moving songs can be done in a variety of ways, using the Music Match software provided or simply dragging and dropping files over (as the Archos hard drive registers as a removable drive under the my computer window). The software is easy and fast to use, all it requires is very basic computer knowledge, and so everyone on Ciao should be fine.

Functions
Songs can be arranged in play lists (orders depending on genre, length, band or just the order you want them to play) thus saving you time having to flick through searching for the song you desire, however this can be quite tedious but beneficial once done once.
As I have already said the player can be used to transfer picture video and date files from computer to computer.

Battery
As with most players the battery is said to last up to 10 hours+ but I found it running out between 7-8 hours. This is still pretty good if your just going to take it out with you on day trips but I would most definitely advise rechargeable batteries as if not you?ll end up spending way too much having to replace batteries weekly.

Accessories
The headphones supplied are average but at least there not as obvious as the shining white Ipod ones, which basically say "Mug Me I Have An Ipod". I would advise buying a new set if you want optimal performance out of your player, check out my op on Sony MDR Q33LP, if you want my favourite choice.

Price
It really is worth shopping around for this as I?ve heard from friends ranging between £250-£350. Pretty good price considering a 20 gig Ipod will set you back about £300.

Overall
Good player, good sound quality, large memory, but not as good-looking or functional as the Ipod.

The Ipod still reigns supreme!!

Summary: