Apple iPod Touch vs Archos 605 WiFi

• The Contenders
• Navigation
• Sexiness
• Compatibility
• Sound and Science
• Wallet factor
• The winner is...

Round 4: Sound and Science

The technical stuff

Archos 605 WiFi

Let's talk about sound quality, build quality, bonus features, battery life, and any other wonders of science. Both of these MP3 players are definitely leading the cutting-edge of portable multimedia technology, but which one does it better?

Player	Jasmine	Donald	Nicole	Total
Archos 605 WiFi	4 Wow. Excellent video and audio quality, wireless downloading of video, and the option to record video--with scheduling a la TiVo. Fantastic. Now, if only the battery life was better.	4 Picture quality on the 605 WiFi puts the iPod Touch to shame. A 5-band custom EQ with panning control and bass enhancement gives the Archos an advantage for audio playback as well. Unfortunately, battery life is tragically short. The 605's recessed, antiglare screen might not be glass, but it is superior to the Touch in every other way.	4 I'm extremely impressed by the video and sound quality of the Archos, plus the ability to add extra widgets to it is great. I'm not too pleased with its dinky battery life, however.	12
Apple iPod Touch	3 As an audio player, it's not quite up to snuff for me (due to nonexcellent sound quality). But the 6-hour video battery life, easy availability of video content, and wide screen make it a really cool video player. Plus, the touch screen implementation is sweet.	4 What the Touch does better than any other MP3 player is provide an incredibly detailed graphic user interface experience. The graphic engine in the Touch is unmatched: menus spring, covers flow, and photos resize with the pinch of a finger. Battery optimization is remarkable for a Wi-Fi device.	4 Similarly, I was blown away by the quality of the video on the iPod Touch, and the extra features like Safari and the iTunes Music Store are great. So overall, I give it a tie.	11

Winner: Archos 605 WiFi