The Archos MP3 Recorder is Still the Best

Back in the year 2000, I was just about to give up on finding any portable media device that would play my music. CD players skipped too much when jarred. Cassette players were becoming a thing of the past. Try finding one of those plastic audio cassettes anywhere. It's virtually impossible.

People always want the newest in any media player. The overall opinion is that the newest is the best, offering more possiblities for the money. The original iPod changed from being a small and convenient handheld music player, holding no more than 300 megabytes of information. If you know anything about computer storage, you know that this number isn't much space at all. Now, the iPod can store more than 30 gigabytes.

The plastic enclosure for this storage unit feels cheap, and flimsy. If it fell on the ground, it could bust, and it would have to be replaced. All together, this could cost you upwards of 600 to 700 dollars.

The iPod and almost every other multimedia device comes with all the necessary USB or Firewire cords to hook it up to your computer, and the standard programming disk. It starts installing automatically when you pop it into the drive. You can add anywhere from 1500 to 2000 songs on the modern iPod. Some come with video monitors, allowing for continuous playback. This portable media device can hold and play up to 500 to 700 music videos.

My biggest problem with iPod is the cheap way in which it was built. It's light and easy to carry, sure. But, the weight should give a buyer some clue as to the extension of the device's extended performance. When something feels as light as a feather, there's no guarantee that it won't break and become obsolete within its first year.

For the first few times you play an iPod, the video looks clearer than most TV screens and you could swear the audio sounds sharper than any other audio player you've ever heard. After multliple viewings and multiple playbacks, everything looks and sounds degraded. A great amount of dust can get into something with such a weak casing so much easier than Archos's original 15 to 20 gigabyte MP3 recorder.

In a battle to obtain popular demand, Archos put out the MP3 digital recording device soon after the iPod was first released. It was becoming so clear that this was a very equitable market. Soon every major company wanted a piece of this multi-billion dollar industry. Today, even most if not all cellular phone companies have the same technologies within their newest phones. Soon, the iPod or Archos digital recorder may be as obsolete as the A-track player.

Until then, the only portable media player I can recommend is the Archos MP3 recorder. It stores as much data as the modern iPod, it connects to a computer just as easily with even easier-to-use software. For the money, the Archos MP3 recorder is a great buy. There have been complaints about the Archos headphones being simply impossible to keep on your head when jogging or during any other physical activity. But, it's so easy to find an alternative, it's really not worth complaining about.

The Archos MP3 recorder comes with the program, MusicMatch. It comes with a USB cord, and an easy-to-read instruction manual. The Archos MP3 has better sound quality for a much longer time than I've heard in forever. Personally, I can tell you, my 20 gig Archos MP3 has slipped out of my hands a number of times. It's the thick metal casing and rubber bumpers on all four corners that's kept this wonderful portable media player working since I first bought it. The Archos MP3 is built tougher and stronger than any portable media device on the shelves today.