Portable Media Player Reviews

CNET has reviewed the Cowon iAudio T2 (2GB) player which is a "music-centric MP3 player". 'It may surprise you, but there's still a demand for MP3 players without photo and video playback features. Some people just want a compact device that plays music and makes exceptional work of it. For those users, there's the Cowon iAudio T2, a rectangular, black flash player available in 1GB and 2GB ($160) capacities. Sure, the T2 offers some nice extras, such as an FM tuner and a wearable, pendant-style design, but these don't distract from its main purpose: outputting great-sounding audio.

The "compact phone-like" Cowon iAudio F2 media player has been reviewed over at CNET. 'The iAudio F2 looks and feels like a cell phone--a very small one. It's an odd choice of design, though Samsung has its own phonelike MP3 player, the YP-T8. The nine red-backlit buttons beneath the 1.8-inch screen are situated in a phonelike grid and though there are many buttons to learn, they can be learned. It's the size of the unit (2.8 by 1.3 by 0.65 inches) and the location of the buttons that makes it difficult for anybody with average-size hands to operate. Trust me, the first time you switch modes or adjust volume is no sweat--it's the tenth time that starts cramping the hand. The buttons would actually be more ergonomic if they were situated a little higher up. Two-handed use is actually tolerable.'

iAudiophile have posted their review of the Cowon iAudio F2 portable media player. 'The iAudio F2 takes a new design approach in comparison to the failed iAudio F1. But Cowon have learned their lesson from mistakes they made. The F2 looks a lot more sophisticated and better designed than its predecessor. For those of you not familiar with Cowon – they have been in the digital audio player (DAP) business for a long time now. They launched their first player long before Apple released the iPod. Over the years they have managed to build a reputation of designing high quality players with great sound quality. Their most successful model is probably the Cowon iAudio X5 – many people are still waiting for an upgraded version of this model. The Cowon A2 – a portable media player (PMP) is also one of their very successful models.'

CNET Asia have published their review of the Cowon iAudio D2 (4GB) portable video player. 'A touchscreen is familiar. It is also intuitive. You don't have to fiddle around with the mess of buttons at the back to hit Play. There's a juicy green button onscreen. If a player can get any more intuitive than this, it would probably be telepathically linked to your head. At the end of the day, you would probably be using your fingers to prod the onscreen menu. We would suggest a screen protector to ward off grime and anything else you are likely to stain the display with. But new users would be taken with what Cowon calls the Touchpen. It's a triangular stylus that can be neatly grasped between the thumb and index finger. Some people may call it a guitar pick. We don't suggest you strum your Yamaha with it.'

Anything But iPod.com has posted a review of the Cowon iAudio X5 media player. ‘Why write a review about a "nearly obsolete" player? Well, for many users the X5 is still in a class of its own. It's one of the very few 1.8" hard-disk-based audio players still in production that use the UMS Mass Storage Class for connecting to a computer; most others use the MTP protocol, which can require installation of additional software. The X5 supports a huge variety of audio codecs, and its sound quality still rivals and even surpasses many new players. The X5L's 35 hours of battery life are unmatched in the field of HDD-based audio players.

A review of the Cowon D2 (4GB, black) MP3 player has been posted over at CNET. ‘The D2 is dominated by a 2.5-inch color screen, which makes it look quite similar to the iRiver Clix. Unlike the Clix, however, the D2's display is touch-sensitive, which means the majority of navigation is accomplished by poking at the screen PDA-style. Your finger will do the trick, or you can use the included stylus--which also acts as a nifty kickstand, by the way. The D2's touch screen is responsive, but we prefer tactile controls for MP3 players since a touch interface makes blind navigation impossible. All in all, the D2's user interface is pretty straightforward, with an icon-driven main menu that reminds me of Archos' PVPs, but deeper navigation will take some acclimation. Still, anyone with a bit of tech experience should catch on swiftly.’

Tamara Chuang writng over at The Orange County Register has reviewed the Cowon D2 MP3 player and video player. 'The iPod, however, does have 30 or 80 gigabytes of storage. The D2 uses flash memory, like the video-less iPod nano, so it only offers 2GB and 4GB options. But you can slide an 8GB memory card (about $80+) in its memory slot to make it a 12GB gadget. Better yet, carry a library of SD cards. If you really want 80 GBs of storage though, you might want to consider other options.

Anything But iPod have published a review of the Cowon iAudio D2 portable video player. ‘The player is even smaller than it appears in pictures, or at least that's my impression. Build quality seems solid, and the weight feels right. Nothing is flimsy or fragile on the D2, except maybe the cover for the USB ports. The slightly rough-textured plastic frame and back plate appear to be scratch resistant, and the back plate has four small bumps to further prevent abrasion. The D2's housing doesn't overly attract fingerprints.’

DAP Review have published a review of the Cowon D2 portable multimedia player. ‘The D2 comes in a neat-looking box, well-protected from the outside world yet lacking a few basic accessories on first sight. It seems Cowon doesn't ship their little multimedia marvel with a proper case, for instance. Seeing as how the whole concept revolves around a rather large, touch-based screen area (prone to scratching and dust), the lack of a (translucent) case comes off as a bit of a let-down. It's possible to purchase an optional pouch, of course.

Laptop Magazine have published their review of the Cowon D2 flash-based PMP. 'The Cowon D2 packs a lot of functionality into one very small device. It offers superb battery life and some powerful audio and video chops. The company's name might not ring a bell, but this is one of the best flash-based PMPs yet. While it has the same size 2.5-inch screen as a garden-variety 5.5G iPod, the solid-state D2 undercuts the hard-drive iPod's weight by 33 percent at 3.2 ounces. The Cowon unit looks pretty polished, with a pleasing two-tone gray-and-black color scheme and a design that's a dead ringer for a spiffier version of an iriver Clix.'

A review of the Cowon iAudio 6 portable media player has been posted over at Mobile Review. 'The Cowon iAudio 6’s casing bears much resemblance to conventional battery-powered flash-players which were sought-after a few years ago. This form-factor is called candy-bar due to its visual similarity to a chocolate bar such as “Mars”. In spite of the absence of any novelties in the design the player looks quite nice, mostly due to the balance between the size and shape of the elements – this effect goes through other Cowon’s models ( (but not in all of them). Personally, for me, the benchmark of a candy-bar has been model U3 released a couple of years ago.The build quality there is nothing to dwell upon. Everything is on the high level, panels are well-matched. Making quality shells has also become a good tradition in the “player industry”: the moment the competition got tough, the manufacturers realized that cheap plastic with curved buttons would do no more. However some “gems”, especially among private label (brands of major companies which are not involved into production directly) are still around.'

iAudiophile.net have published a review of the Cowon D2 MP3 player. ‘The D2 – Cowons latest flash based MP3 player that can do all sorts of amazing stuff has been on the market for a while now. iAudiophile’s review has been delayed, due to many reasons. My lateness is really inexcusable, so I won’t even try to justify it. Back to the player - so some of the amazing stuff the D2 can do is the ability to play videos and many different audio formats, SDHC compatibility, its battery life and of course the touch screen. The D2 has quickly become Cowon’s most discussed player on the iAudiophile forums. Frequent firmware updates have also expanded the players capabilities way beyond those it possessed at its launch.’

Computeractive have published their review of the Cowon D2 portable video player. ‘D2 comes in under 6cm by 8cm – it can be this economical because the display is also a touch-screen, so there's no need for extra buttons. The screen can be operated with a fingertip or with the supplied triangular stylus – both are effective, but the stylus smears the screen a little less. There are still a few buttons round the edges, to power the D2 up and control its menus, but most of the important stuff is done using the screen. The device comes with either 2GB (at £120) or 4GB (£150) of internal memory – the one we looked at had 2GB – and there's an SD memory card slot in the bottom, so you can add more.’

A review of the Cowon iAudio 7 (4GB) digital audio player has been posted over at Trusted Reviews. 'As soon as you turn the iAudio on and the indentations light up like a control panel on the Starship Enterprise, it becomes apparent what they're for – they're touch sensitive controls. Cowon calls them, collectively, its Swing Touch system: there's one long diagonal groove used to scroll up and down lists of tracks; either side of it are two circular indentations – the bottom right one is used to select, pause and play; the top left one performs a number of different functions, depending on which mode you're in.'

iAudiophile.net have published a review of the Cowon iAudio 7 MP3 player. 'The iAudio 7 is Cowon’s latest flash based MP3 player. Some people might be surprised about the fact that the iAudio 7 is the company’s newest player, simply because the design is not new. Externally the i7 is a near perfect copy of the iAudio 6. Internally there are some quite big changes. The failed 4GB 0.85 inch hard drive unit has been removed and replaced by more efficient, shock resistant and faster flash memory. Because flash memory is also physically smaller, the empty space has now been filled with battery - boosting the playtime of the i7 to a whopping claim of 60 hours. The unit will be available in 4 and 8 GB flavours for starters, but in the near future 16 GB versions should also be available. Cowon would then be one of the first companies to offer flash based MP3 players with 16 GB of storage capacity.'

CNET have published a review of the Cowon iAudio 7 (8GB) MP3 player. 'Like its predecessor, the iAudio 7 features a 1.3-inch OLED screen that does an exceptional job of displaying photos and video despite its size. The entire player measures 2.75 by 1.25 by 0.75 inches, weighs a light 1.8 ounces, and fits easily in a pocket. You'll find the Hold switch clearly marked at the top of the player, along with dedicated buttons for the menu and volume control. The left side of the iAudio 7 includes two stereo minijacks, one for line input and the other for headphone output. The right side has an extremely durable rubber door that conceals the USB port and a reset switch.

A review of the Cowon iAudio U2 MP3 player has been posted over at Captain-Odegard.com. 'The U2 comes with a decent amount of accessories. You have your standard stock earbuds, line-in cable, USB mini cable, USB mini plug, lanyard, plastic case, software CD (Win98 drivers, JetShell 4.10 PRO, JetAudio 6.21 Basic), warranty card, quick installation guide, and user’s guide. Judging from pictures on the internet it seems like the plastic case is a replacement for the case that used to come with the player, a flexible fabric case from the looks of it. There doesn't seem to be any accessories available for the U2 other than what's in the box, so the included case is a big bonus, although personally the older case looks better than what I got. Cowon chose to include two USB solutions, the standard USB cable along with a USB to mini USB plug, which is meant to make the D2 function like a USB stick.'

IT Reviews have published a review of the Cowon D2 media player. ‘The D2 is about the size of a pack of cards and comes with 2GB or 4GB of internal memory. This can be supplemented by plugging an SD or MultiMedia card into the slot in its bottom edge. Going round the edges of the player, on the left are sockets for mains charger and a USB connection, along with a headphone jack. On top is a slide power and hold switch, a miniature microphone and three buttons marked -, M and +, for Down, Menu and Up, respectively. The right-hand end of the player has a slot in it so that the triangular stylus can also be used as a stand, supporting the player at either of two angles when viewing a video.’

A review of the Cowon D2 portable media player has been posted over at InfoSync World. 'The Cowon D2 is a little smaller than a post-it note. It fits within the palm of our (admittedly large) hands, the breast pocket on our shirts or even the change pocket in our jeans. It has a little bit of weight, but it doesn't feel heavy. Rather, it simply seems well put together. The player is packed with 2GB of flash memory, which is both a positive and a negative. Flash is nice because it offers much higher speeds, no moving parts and better battery life than a comparably sized HDD.'

PC Magazine have published their review of the Cowon iAudio 7 media player. ‘The iAudio 7 is horizontally oriented for the sake of video playback. The 1.3-inch LCD screen takes up the left half of the player's front panel. Interesting touch-sensitive controls (three indentations that, together, resemble an off-kilter division symbol) rest on the right of the front face. The division-symbol buttons light up when the player is on and reveal a play/pause button (that also acts as Enter sometimes), a multifunction button, and backward/forward arrows. On top, from left to right, we have a mic, a power/hold switch, a Menu button, and volume controls. The left side of the device has a line-in jack for recording and a headphone jack. The right end of the iAudio 7 houses a mini USB port and reset control (hidden behind a protective plastic cover).

Trusted Reviews have published their review of the Cowon D2 4GB MP3 player. ‘A 2.5in screen fills most of the frontage and there are a few basic controls - hold, volume and menu - on the top edge. Other than this, it's a pretty minimalist affair. On the left you'll find the audio out socket and a small flap covering the USB and AV connections, while down below there's an SD slot for expanding the player's memory capacity. A welcome feature, given how cheap flash memory is these days. Fire it up and you're greeted with an impressive sight. The 320 x 240 screen is extremely bright, crisp and clear, it's viewable even outdoors in bright sunlight, and watching videos on it is a far more pleasurable experience than I anticipated.’

A review of the Cowon iAudio 7 MP3 Player has been posted over at PC World. 'PC World tested a production 4GB model with attractive black-and-silver styling. It costs $170, but you can also pick up a cool black-and-red version with 8GB of storage for $220. A unit with 16GB capacity is in the works, says Cowon. The device's audio quality earned a rating of only Fair in the PC World Test Center's evaluation. The included earbuds are adequate (our tests measure audio quality directly from the headphone jack rather than from the earbuds), but you'll still want to ditch them for a better pair.'

A review of the Cowon iAudio D2 portable audio player has been posted over at Computeractive. 'Cowon's iAudio D2 is a tiny DAB radio that also plays music and video files. Confusingly, it's a different player to the D2 of the same name that we looked at a few months ago. This D2 has a 2.5in (6cm) touch-sensitive display with a resolution of 320x240 pixels. Volume is controlled by buttons on the top, but most other functions are activated by tapping the screen. This makes it easy to use if you're sitting down, but fairly hard to control when walking around. A triangle-shaped tool, attached to the player by an elastic strip, can be used as a stylus for tapping the screen, or as a stand to prop up the player when using it on a table.'

A review of the Cowon A2 30GB portable multimedia player has been posted over at Trusted Reviews. 'As with all Cowon products, the A2 is an extremely well-engineered product. It's not particularly attractive in today's iPod-obsessed world, with its pearl-white and gun-metal grey plastics, but it has a heft to it and rigidity that suggests longevity in a way the Archos 605 doesn't. The joystick control and the four buttons arranged down the right hand edge of the screen feel solid too, and even the plastic flap covering the connections on the left hand side feels like it'll last, though this is just as well as it covers the frequently-used USB socket. And there are other areas where the A2 outdoes the competition as well. Unlike Apple or Archos players, for instance, this player comes with everything you need in the box. There's no need to buy extra cables in order to take advantage of its ability to record and output video.'

A review of the Cowon iAudio 7 portable media player has been posted over at Personal Computer World. 'Cowon is obviously hoping its much touted Jeteffect technology, which offers a range of equalizer effects and sound enhancements to give you Sony-style audio control, will help its appeal. Indeed, we were fairly impressed by the Jeteffect audio options. If you’re prepared to take the time to experiment, you can achieve some very good results. Aside from Jeteffect, other features include a photo viewer, video player, text reader, voice recorder and FM radio, which allows you to schedule recordings so you can save programmes to the built-in memory. You’ll also find a line-in port to record directly to the player.'

A review of the new Cowon Q5W portable media player has been posted over at Gadgetaholic.com. 'The Q5W is clad with an aluminum shell that feels very sturdy and heavy; it can definitely cause some injury if dropped on a body part. As mentioned, the front of the unit is all screen. The screen is recessed slightly to prevent damage when one accidentally drops it. All of the buttons are located on the top: a power/hold button on the left and volume buttons on the right. The top of the unit also houses an IR receiver, an internal microphone, speakers and a stylus. To the left of the unit, you will find a retractable WiFi antenna, a mic input jack, an earphone jack, a USB connector, a USB host connector and a DC in jack. Rounding off the looks department is the proprietary connector located at the bottom. The connector can be used to connect the AV cables or the optional GPS cradle.'

PC Magazine have published their review of the Cowon Q5W multimedia player. ‘At close to a pound and measuring 3.5 by 5.5 by 0.8 inches (HWD), the Q5W is positively bulky, and far from pocket-friendly. Cowon put two USB connections (one standard, one mini) on the device for loading media, as well as a built-in speaker and a mic. An I/O port on the bottom panel connects to an A/V-out cable (included, but, oddly, not the cable pictured in the manual). There's also a remote that controls many of the device's functions. These inclusions are thoughtful, but the real meat is in the player itself, and boy, is it a pain to use!

CNET Asia previews the new Cowon iAudio A3 (60GB) portable media player. ‘After spending the last 24 hours abusing Cowon's latest A3 portable video player, I have to say I'm pretty impressed...mostly. As a high-capacity portable video player, the A3 offers spectacular video resolution (800 x 480) and supports just about every file format under the sun. Along with its built-in video recording capability and a high-quality video output, the Cowon A3 is an undeniable force to be reckoned with in the PVP marketplace.’

A review of the Cowon A3 multimedia player has been posted over at Gadgetaholic.com. 'The user interface of the A3 is very intuitive; you hardly need to open a manual to use this player. Its main screen shows icons representing all the 10 main functions of the player. These include Movie, Music, Photo, Document, Browser, Mobile TV, Radio, Record, Recent Files and Setup. The user navigates through the user interface using a 4-direction joystick and 4 slim buttons (Back, A, B and C). To perform a function, the user presses down on the joystick. The Back button takes the user back to the previous screen. The rest of the buttons change functions depending on what screen is current displaying.