Apple iPod Touch vs Archos 605 WiFi

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

Round 3: Compatibility

File formats, music services, software

Archos 605 WiFi

This is a subjective take on its compatibility with software and music services we personally like to use. Many people like the cozy, closed-system offered by Apple's iTunes and its iPod players. Others prefer the open, widely compatible nature of the Archos. When push comes to shove, can the iTunes-tied Touch compete?

Player	Jasmine	Donald	Nicole	Total
Archos 605 WiFi	4 Lots of codec support, though you do have to pay extra for some of it, which is kinda lame. It also works with a variety of music and video services, and is one of the few non-iPods to work with Mac & Windows.	5 The Archos absorbed nearly every video file type I threw at it--without conversion! Add in DRM-WMA support, Mac/PC compatibility, and Flash video (YouTube) playback, and you've got one of the most flexible players on the market.	5 The Archos is compatible with a variety of music subscription services, plus you can simply drag and drop media on it like an external hard drive.	14
Apple iPod Touch	3 Boo, iTunes monopoly. Not to sound like a broken record, but I am not down with the closed service environment. Still, Mac/Windows compatibility is nice, and iTunes offers reasonably-priced TV-shows to go--props!	3 I'm a fan of iTunes, but it can get a little claustrophobic when it's your only choice. Native support of Audible audiobooks and H.264 video are big pluses.	3 Of course, the iPod Touch is tied into the iTunes architecture, which severely limits its compatibility with anything other than iTunes.	9

Winner: Archos 605 WiFi