ElementalDragon
The One and Only
- Joined
- 8 Aug 2002
- Messages
- 3,159
Ok..... since i got my new favorite toy for x-mas..... and haven't really used it that much yet, i decided to start off with a mini-review (including pictures, descriptions, and thought's so far) of the Gmini 402 Pocket Multimedia Center.
in the first picture, you see every little thing that the Gmini comes with (not including the manual or any of that other stuff you don't really NEED to see. just the stuff that over time you may have to, or want to use). First, still in the bag, is the AV cable, so you can hook the Gmini up to either a stereo system, or to your TV to play video's on your TV instead of on the screen. Next to that we have the ear bud headphones that come with the Gmini (which i have not used yet, and intend to buy a new set of headphones when i go to Best Buy possibly today yet, maybe tomorrow morning). Below those two you have the USB Host cable (which i'll explain in a short time). Right in the middle we have the.... well... not 100$ sure what to call it, but it plugs into where the headphones would go, and it splits off into two sections, one being for line-in to record music directly from the radio, and the AV jack for the AV cable. Then, on the top right, we have the bundled Gmini case (which i also intend to replace with the one for it that's on NewEgg), and finally the Gmini itself.
i'd have to say that the Gmini 402 is FREAKIN GREAT! It is able to play video files (though they must be converted/reencoded to a standard that the Gmini can play), though i haven't gotten to really test the video playing too well, since the first video i tried to convert so the Gmini could play it got out of sync with the sound. Audio quality on the thing is fantastic. has all the sound adjustments you'd want to make (bass, trebble, volume, bass boost, and balance). It can also display pictures, which it also does quite well. It has a built-in mic for voice recording, or recording music (though i don't know why you'd record music with the mic when it has the option to use the line-in jack). Probably my favorite little feature that someone might not have thought about *cough*apple*cough* is that, since it can be switched from a Windows device (for syncing to Windows Media Player on your computer and such) to just a standard Hard Drive (which wasn't an option on my first Archos player, the Jukebox Studio 20), it can actually be connected DIRECTLY to your digital camera, pen drive, etc... via the USB Host cable, and can copy your pictures and data easily between the two...... and i mean EASILY (i'll post a pic of what that looks like later, after i use it a bit more)
Now to explain the rest of the pictures. the second picture is pretty self explanitory... just a size comparison to my hand (sorry bout the fuzziness). granted i have fairly big hands.... i still think it'd easily fit into the "palm size" category, seeing as it's slightly larger than my Motorola V551 not including the antenna. in the third picture, you see the Main Menu that you come to after the device starts up (yes.... there is a boot screen.... it uses a 20GB laptop hard drive, unlike the iPods, which i think at least the smaller ones (Nano's, iPod Mini's, etc...) use microdrives). Sorry about the picture quality again..... the screen is very crisp and clear. it has the links directly to the folders for Music, Video, Pictures, and Games, as well as the audio recorder, the browser (which basically reminds you of "explorer" in windows). Then there's the Setup menu which lets you adjust the sound, display properties, change the time that is shown in the top right corner, adjust power options, change system settings, and change play modes. In the picture, you also see a Resume icon, which will resume the last song and video you played, from the last spot you stopped it at, even if you turn the Gmini off. I honestly think that's an awesome little feature. might not be USED that often..... but good that they thought about it. Then there's the Help icon, which i also have yet to use.
In the Fourth picture.... we have the left side of the player. the top port you see is the USB Host port, for connecting the USB Host cable into, and connecting the other end of it to your digital camera and probably just about everything else that has a USB Port. The second port you see is the Gmini's USB port, to connect it to your computer. Finally at the very bottom, you see the DC port for charging the device.
In the Fifth pic.... you see the LED's (at least a little better than in the third picture anyway). the LED's, from left to right, are the HDD activity light, the Power (or On light), and the Charging light. Then, just to the left of the LED's, you see 3 little holes in a triangular pattern. That is the built in microphone. Next to that, obviously, is the Headphone jack, and it's also the port for the AV splitter.
Finally we have the back.... which just displays the name of the payer, model, etc... and has little bumps so that when you have it sitting on a flat surface, there's a gap for air to flow under the player (since it does get kind of warm due to the HDD) Granted it's not a large gap, but it probably helps a lot more than having it sit flat on the bottom.
So.... yeah.... once i use the Gmini a bit more, i'll update the review a little further.... probably have more pictures too (like using the USB Host adapter).
in the first picture, you see every little thing that the Gmini comes with (not including the manual or any of that other stuff you don't really NEED to see. just the stuff that over time you may have to, or want to use). First, still in the bag, is the AV cable, so you can hook the Gmini up to either a stereo system, or to your TV to play video's on your TV instead of on the screen. Next to that we have the ear bud headphones that come with the Gmini (which i have not used yet, and intend to buy a new set of headphones when i go to Best Buy possibly today yet, maybe tomorrow morning). Below those two you have the USB Host cable (which i'll explain in a short time). Right in the middle we have the.... well... not 100$ sure what to call it, but it plugs into where the headphones would go, and it splits off into two sections, one being for line-in to record music directly from the radio, and the AV jack for the AV cable. Then, on the top right, we have the bundled Gmini case (which i also intend to replace with the one for it that's on NewEgg), and finally the Gmini itself.
i'd have to say that the Gmini 402 is FREAKIN GREAT! It is able to play video files (though they must be converted/reencoded to a standard that the Gmini can play), though i haven't gotten to really test the video playing too well, since the first video i tried to convert so the Gmini could play it got out of sync with the sound. Audio quality on the thing is fantastic. has all the sound adjustments you'd want to make (bass, trebble, volume, bass boost, and balance). It can also display pictures, which it also does quite well. It has a built-in mic for voice recording, or recording music (though i don't know why you'd record music with the mic when it has the option to use the line-in jack). Probably my favorite little feature that someone might not have thought about *cough*apple*cough* is that, since it can be switched from a Windows device (for syncing to Windows Media Player on your computer and such) to just a standard Hard Drive (which wasn't an option on my first Archos player, the Jukebox Studio 20), it can actually be connected DIRECTLY to your digital camera, pen drive, etc... via the USB Host cable, and can copy your pictures and data easily between the two...... and i mean EASILY (i'll post a pic of what that looks like later, after i use it a bit more)
Now to explain the rest of the pictures. the second picture is pretty self explanitory... just a size comparison to my hand (sorry bout the fuzziness). granted i have fairly big hands.... i still think it'd easily fit into the "palm size" category, seeing as it's slightly larger than my Motorola V551 not including the antenna. in the third picture, you see the Main Menu that you come to after the device starts up (yes.... there is a boot screen.... it uses a 20GB laptop hard drive, unlike the iPods, which i think at least the smaller ones (Nano's, iPod Mini's, etc...) use microdrives). Sorry about the picture quality again..... the screen is very crisp and clear. it has the links directly to the folders for Music, Video, Pictures, and Games, as well as the audio recorder, the browser (which basically reminds you of "explorer" in windows). Then there's the Setup menu which lets you adjust the sound, display properties, change the time that is shown in the top right corner, adjust power options, change system settings, and change play modes. In the picture, you also see a Resume icon, which will resume the last song and video you played, from the last spot you stopped it at, even if you turn the Gmini off. I honestly think that's an awesome little feature. might not be USED that often..... but good that they thought about it. Then there's the Help icon, which i also have yet to use.
In the Fourth picture.... we have the left side of the player. the top port you see is the USB Host port, for connecting the USB Host cable into, and connecting the other end of it to your digital camera and probably just about everything else that has a USB Port. The second port you see is the Gmini's USB port, to connect it to your computer. Finally at the very bottom, you see the DC port for charging the device.
In the Fifth pic.... you see the LED's (at least a little better than in the third picture anyway). the LED's, from left to right, are the HDD activity light, the Power (or On light), and the Charging light. Then, just to the left of the LED's, you see 3 little holes in a triangular pattern. That is the built in microphone. Next to that, obviously, is the Headphone jack, and it's also the port for the AV splitter.
Finally we have the back.... which just displays the name of the payer, model, etc... and has little bumps so that when you have it sitting on a flat surface, there's a gap for air to flow under the player (since it does get kind of warm due to the HDD) Granted it's not a large gap, but it probably helps a lot more than having it sit flat on the bottom.
So.... yeah.... once i use the Gmini a bit more, i'll update the review a little further.... probably have more pictures too (like using the USB Host adapter).
