Archos 2 8GB: No features never cost so little

Affordable yet high-capacity MP3 players often come with the added bonus of being giant piles of unmitigated crud. Details of a new entry-level Archos model have leaked, and our extremities are crossed in favour of it not sucking as much as the Archos 105 it succeeds.

Engadget posted links to a translated French blog, along with links to a product page on Amazon.com, which highlight a model called the Archos 2. It costs $60 (£40), has 8GB of memory, a 46mm (1.8-inch) LCD display and support for MP3, WMA and JPG file formats, and you can expand it with microSD cards.

Boring it might be, but £40 for 8GB is cheaper than comparable players from Creative, SanDisk, Apple and Sony, which gives it both a reason to exist, and a reason for us not to hate its uninspiring guts.

Archos didn't have anything to tell us regarding UK release dates and official UK pricing, but we'll update you when we know more. If it comes out in the UK for more than £40 or so, we'll be writing this one off as pointless. Be warned, Archos.