All Image Courtesy: Archos

Forget MP3 players, portable multimedia centers are the rage in consumer electronics these days. Archos’ Gmini 402 promises quite a bit in a package this small. According to Archos, "The Gmini 402 is the latest ultra-small, ultra-light, ultra-slim Pocket Multimedia Center of the ARCHOS Multimedia Range. Its compact design, stylish appearance, and extensive functionality offers the future of mobile entertainment."

There are six main features that make this product standout: PC autosync, video playback, photo wallet, connectivity, music playback and portable gaming. PC autosync would allow you to transfer files back and forth with an automated process. Video and audio playback are self-explanatory; the Gmini 402 would let you play DivX and MPEG4 video formats and MP3, WAV, WMA and DRM WMA audio formats exclusively. The 402 deliver 80 hours of video playback time with a connectivity option to connect to the TV to view movies and music videos. Similarly, you can record and listen to nearly 10,000 songs due to the center’s onboard storage capacity. Photo Wallet transforms the Gmini 402 into a portable hard drive for your digital camera; you’ll be able to directly connect the camera to the 402 and start transferring images instantly. The connectivity option includes connecting the device to the TV set to view photos or videos from the player. The Gmini 402 is USB 2.0 compatible and acts as a USB host to connect other devices. The portable gaming aspect of the device would let you connect the Gmini 402 to the TV (or remain portable), download games from Archos’ website and start playing. According to Archos, there’s a single game included in the package.

The Gmini 402 has a 20GB hard drive with a 2.2" TFT LCD screen; it has a resolution of 220x176 and support for 262K colors. It also integrates a stereo analog line-in port, TV output port and a built-in microphone. Archos suggests that you would get 10 hours of music and 4 hours of video playback. The batteries are sensibly rechargeable to prevent additional overhead cost. You can also power the device via an external power source such as an AC adapter.

The exterior of the Gmini 402 appears to be sleek with a silver physique, slim design, artistic layout and a bright screen. The average retail price for the Archos Gmini 402 is $329.95.

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