3. Archos 605 WIFI

There are three versions of the 605, with 4 GB, 30 GB and 160 GB of storage; they all have the same matte aluminum case and 800 by 480 4.3" touch screen. There’s a strip of rocker buttons (so two functions per button) that duplicates common functions like volume, but you can get to everything by tapping on the screen as well. Depending on what you’re doing, the interface can get very busy, especially with the video player, reflecting the wide range of features and options on the 605.

Some of those options mean spending extra money on a Web browser, extra codecs (AAC, MPEG-2/VOB, H.264/MOV, AC-3 and soon WMV HD) or a DVR adapter that gives you an electronic program guide where you can select TV shows to record by name rather than channel and time. The DVR adapter also lets you play content from the 605 or browse the Web on your TV screen, connect up to 5.1 surround sound speakers or copy or play content from a USB memory stick or hard drive.

Annoyingly, the USB connection uses a proprietary cable, but when you connect to a PC, the 605 shows up as an external drive and you can drag and drop files to it directly. You can also transfer files wirelessly - although you’ll still need the USB cable or an optional power supply to charge the player. Setting up a WiFi connection is thankfully simple, even for secure connections, with an onscreen HEX keypad that makes it faster to enter alphanumeric passwords as well as QWERTY, depending on the wireless security you use.

The 605 is an UPnP device so it can access music, pictures and videos from any computer on your network that shares folders, as well as from file shares on NAS boxes and other UPnP devices. As with content that’s on the player, you browse through virtual folders based on ID3 tags and metadata like Ratings, Genre, Keywords and Date Picture Taken, as well as the actual folders, or you can look through thumbnails of all the items (which enlarge as you select them or start playing if it’s a video). You can’t save a specific path to return to but once you’ve looked at a share for one type of media you’ll see it listed in the other media types too until you turn the device off.