Archos 3 Vision 8 GB Video MP3 Player (Red) Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)this review was updated on 12/27/2009.
my archos 3 vision absolutely meets or exceeds my personal requirements for an mp3 player!
times are tough so when my mp3 player was stolen in july 2008, i honestly tried to use my aging windows mobile phone with windows media player as a replacement player for over a year. however, that solution had several limitations and frustrations. there were workarounds, but i grew tired of them.
the stolen player was an archos g-mini which i had owned for several years and i really appreciated it's features so that is the main reason i shopped for a new archos player first. the archos 3 vision player has all of those same features with heaping helping of style, storage and added features.
pros:
- it has style
- priced under $100
- plenty of storage space
- fits comfortably in all pockets
- good quality video on beautiful screen
- random play by folder, artist, album and genre
- better than average playback quality with a good equalizer
- total access to music at all times (without proprietary software)
neutral:
- battery life
- no firmware updates yet
cons:
- screen scratches quickly and easily
- the on screen control dial is almost useless for browsing tracks
the screen is beautiful and will also scratch quickly. my device had a 0.25" scratch within 24 hours of use, but i could only see it when the device was off. luckily, i have lots of screen protectors so cutting one to fit was easy. i could not see the scratch unless the screen was off. with the protector on, the screen looks much less beautiful.
the on-screen dial is certainly not the easiest navigation interface i have ever considered. if you prefer to use random play or pregenerated playlists, the on-screen dial will likely never be a concern for you. however, if you require the ability to browse through every song on your device so you can carefully consider which track is worthy of your listening time at this very moment, this device is not for you.
a couple bugs that i expect to be remedied with firmware updates...
- the button hold function sometimes requires a redundant switch on and off in order to switch off properly.
- the device will not remember my personal background picture; i select a picture, but when i turn the device on again, a different default background is displayed and my personal background picture is still available quickly by cycling through the default selections.
when i posted this review, i had owned the player for 2 months and the video features were basically useless to me. i thought i would occasionally use video playback during long train rides or plane trips, but music is really all i need... i knew i had paid a price for the feature so i felt committed to actually using the video playback and realized 1 very good use when i thought ahead to load it with a few downloaded holiday shows that i knew both of my youngest kids would enjoy. i also purchased a cheap speaker carrying case and the result is that watching shows on daddy's player was a hit during stressful holiday road trips and it is not something they will expect for everyday driving.
however, i still could live without video playback and i have recenly had a chance to play with the archos 2 vision player, which a friend purchased as a gift to himself. it has a screen that is barely big enough for showing id3 tags, but if you do not need and will not use video playback, i highly recommend that player because it has the same basic player features for about 40% less price. that player also has a simpler control scheme for browsing tracks.

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The ARCHOS 3 vision media player is a full-featured, affordable media player packed with a bright and sharp 3-inch LCD touchscreen, 8 GB of storage, and an FM transmitter. Just the ticket for making all your photos, music, and videos, truly portable.

3-Inch LCD Touchscreen The ARCHOS 3 vision screen is big and bright enough to show off your best photos and videos, but the device will still fit into your pocket. The touchscreen interface boasts a virtual scroll dial that lets you quickly zip through long lists of music files.
Your Music The ARCHOS 3 vision is perfect for music fans, with up to 14 hours of music playback before recharging and support for MP3, WMA, and WAV formats. The music library shows music by title, album, artist, genre, or your own favorites. With 8 GB of disk capacity to store over 4,000 songs, you'll have no problem saving tons of music and podcasts onto your device. And with the lyrics function, you can actually see song lyrics display right across the screen.
Your Video ARCHOS has always been the leader in portable video. This device is able to read a number of video file formats meaning that most everything you throw on it will play without conversion--MPEG 1/2/4, WMV, FLV, AVI, RM, and RMVB.
Your Photos The ARCHOS 3 makes a great little photo wallet. Display them one by one or play as a slide show. For a little more fun, add a soundtrack--your favorite song.
FM Radio The ARCHOS 3 vision has a built-in FM Radio. Set the radio presets to your favorite stations and your music, news or other programs are just few screen-taps away.
FM Transmitter With the FM Transmitter you won't need any cables in your car. Just select the frequency you want to transmit, lay your ARCHOS on your dashboard, and it will transmit your music or podcasts to your radio, for enjoyment right through your car's speakers.
Voice Recorder Need a voice recorder for a classroom lecture or personal notes? The ARCHOS 3 vision has a built-in microphone that will allow you to record audio for hours if needed.
Stopwatch/Calendar The ARCHOS 3 vision also includes stopwatch and calendar applications to round out the list of functions.
What's in the Box ARCHOS 3, headphones, USB cable (for charging and file transfer), user manual

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