Archos Gmini XS200, World's Smallest 20GB

Archos has officially announced the world’s smallest 20GB hard drive-based digital audio player, the Gmini 200. This is in the price range of future 5GB mp3 players to hit the market, for $249 you won’t find a player with more gigs.

Last month someone jumped the gun and put the Gmini XS200 product page online at Archos.com, so the news of this is the least a bit of a surprise. The 220 will ship this month to retailers.

See press release below.

Archos Introduces the World's Smallest 5000-Song Digital Audio Player

The 20-Gigabyte Gmini XS200 Stores Five Times More Songs for the Same Price as Competing 4-Gigabyte Digital Music Players

ARCHOS, the pioneer and technology leader in pocket-sized audio and video digital media solutions for mobile consumers, today announced the introduction of the Gmini XS200, the world’s smallest 20-gigabyte1 hard drive-based digital audio player that boasts an entry level price of $249.99. The Gmini XS200 is designed for music fans looking for the ultra portable way to take music collections on the road. The Gmini XS200 will be available at major retailers nationwide and at www.archos.com by the end of October.

The Gmini XS200 expands the successful line of ARCHOS pocket music players with products that appeal to a range of consumers and digital media interests. The new Gmini XS200 measures 2.9” x 2.3” x .7” and offers five times the capacity of 1000-song music players for the same price, yet with the features that matter most to music fans. The Gmini XS200 lets music fans store up to 5,000 songs, 5002 CDs and 3002 hours of music, while playing MP3, WMA and WAV music files. With the Gmini XS200 consumers now have the ability to easily take music collections with them wherever they go, on a device that fits in the pocket with room to spare.

“With the introduction of the Gmini XS200, ARCHOS continues its strategy of delivering innovative handheld digital media solutions with competitive price points,” said Henri Crohas, chief executive officer of ARCHOS. “ARCHOS is once again ahead of the competition with the introduction of the Gmini XS200, a perfect solution for the consumer who wants an ultra-small, large-capacity music player with an affordable price.”

Rip, Rock & Roll

The Gmini XS200 allows consumers to carry their music collections in their pocket, and expands on ARCHOS’ successful line of hard-drive based audio players with its sleek design, and large-capacity hard drive. The Gmini XS200 features a 2.2” gray-scale LCD screen and includes an easy to use icon-based interface. The new player also features the proprietary ARCLibraryÔ advanced music management program, which lets users delete, rename, copy and move files, and create folders directly on the device—without using a computer.

The Gmini XS200 functionality allows consumers to:

· Store up to 300 hours2 of music or 5000 songs2
· Listen to MP3, WMA, and WAV music files
· Connect to a stereo to play music (with optional standard audio cable)
· Quickly organize songs and view tracks by artist, album, genre, title and year with the ARCLibrary
· Store important data files on the large 20-gigabyte1 hard drive
· Rename, move, copy, delete files and folders or make playlists on the move without a computer thanks to the ARCHOS Browser
· Navigate easily with the icon-based menu and intuitive 2” gray-scale LCD screen
· Transfer content via the USB 2.0 high-speed interface and store data from a PC or Macintosh

Pricing and Optional Accessories

The Gmini XS200 has a suggested retail price of $249.99 and will be available later this month at retailers nationwide and at www.archos.com. Additional accessories include a car charger, optional audio out cable, and a convenient carrying case. Product information and optional accessories are available at www.archos.com.

Via

Fabrizio Pilato