The controls are grouped together on the front panel, with buttons placed on either side of the screen in a style reminiscent of a Game Boy. On the left is a control pad and two buttons; below are three more buttons, and the last two are on the right.

In the center of the unit is a 2.2" screen that is this player's crowning glory. The TFT panel can display 262,000 colors at 220x176 pixels, which is a good resolution for a screen of this size. The images are bright, high in contrast, and offer good color reproduction. The angle of vision is wide in all directions except - oddly - from the left. The absence of antireflective treatment may be slightly bothersome in full sunlight.

If the display is not sufficient for your needs, the Gmini has a TV-out port with a supplied cable. The connector is a high-quality cinch type and carries sound in stereo. Obviously, a screen like this needs power. The built-in lithium-ion battery is good for approximately eight hours of continuous MP3 listening, which while a little skimpy, remains satisfactory.

Windows For Players

The unit does not come with a driver, because it's recognized by Windows as an external hard disk. The interface is close to that of Windows, complete with icons, a tree structure and menus. Classifying and storing files is easy using the two-panel browser for copying, moving and renaming. The controls have simple ergonomics, with specific actions assigned to the three bottom buttons. There's a slight learning curve, but once you are used to the controls, navigation is quite a bit easier than on a standard player. The menu is organized very logically using icons representing possible activities: music, photos, video, recording and games.