Archos Gmini 400

You don't need MC Hammer trousers to fit this video jukebox in your pocket

The problem with most portable video players so far is that they've been portable but not exactly pocketable. To date, Archos's AV400 has been the most pocket-worthy of the lot, but now the French outfit has gone one better with the teeny Gmini 400.

It really is a tiny player - only slightly larger than Apple's iPod - but it's more versatile than a military-issue Swiss Army knife. In addition to playing MPEG-4 PC videos on its impressive 2.2-inch screen, it can play music and acts as a voice recorder, a line-in MP3 recorder, a games console and a portable digital photo album. Hell, it even has a built-in CompactFlash card-reader. Whew!

Unlike most portable video players, this one can't actually record video - it can only play it back. To get video onto it, you need to convert footage to MPEG-4 using the supplied software and download it onto the unit via a USB 2.0 connection. Converting footage is a bit of a hassle and the player is quite fickle about the types of files it'll play. None of our existing XviD and DivX files would play properly, so you really do need to encode your own video files while paying close attention to the settings specified in the manual.

Along with the video-playback capabilities, the other really outlandish feature is support for games programmed using the Morphun system. Graphically, the three games supplied are fairly good, but in terms of playability, they're not really on the level of those you'll find on the Game Boy Advance. Nevertheless, they would serve as a nice extra distraction on a long journey.

When it comes to usability, this product is good, but not truly great. The interface is almost identical to that used on the AV400, and there are some annoying inconsistencies between different menus that we really wish the designers would address. The battery life is simply average. The video-playback time of around five hours is good, but the audio-playback life of ten hours is a touch on the poor side.

Despite these failings, it's hard to dislike this little gem. It's so small that it makes many boring old hard-disk MP3 players look decidedly chunky, plus it's got a gorgeous design and a vast range of features. If you're in the market for a music-only device, such as those from iPod or Rio, hold fire until you've seen this - it's good, and offers stacks more features for your money.

FEATURES
Plays MP3, WMA, WAV, MPEG-4 SP, XviD, DivX 4.0/5.0. Mac-compatible. 20GB hard disk. 2.2-inch, 220 x 176-pixel LCD. 10 hours' music, 5 hours' video battery life. Weighs 160g.