Ultra Cool Gadgets

Introducing the most versatile portable multimedia experience for digital media enthusiasts, the COWON A3 delivers a full range of high-end video/audio capabilities. The successor to the top-rated A2, the A3 PMP features HD video output (1280×720) for movie playback on HDTV and direct recording from external A/V devices (TV, VCR or camcorder) for viewing on a 4-inch widescreen color TFT LCD. The COWON A3′s digital video performance is optimized by the latest Texas Instruments DaVinci DM6441 digital media processor ¿ and an expanded hard-drive capacity of 30GB or 60GB provides maximum digital media storage. Designed for the best digital video experience, the A3 features HD video output via component, s-video or composite connections. The COWON A3 also boasts the industry’s most expansive digital media format and codec support, including popular lossy and lossless audio codecs True Audio, Monkey’s Audio, Musepack, WavPack, Matroska, FLAC and Ogg Vorbis; and video codecs DivX, XviD, MPEG-4 SP/ASP, WMV, H.264 MP and M-JPEG. Additionally, the A3 comes equipped with an FM radio and recorder, voice recorder with internal microphone, built-in stereo speakers, and it functions as a full-screen photo and document viewer. With its high-speed USB 2.0 interface and USB host functionality, the COWON A3 also doubles as a data storage and high-capacity photo backup device for digital cameras with support for JPEG, GIF, PNG, TIF, BMP and RAW image formats.

Product Details:

* 4 inch Wide LCD, 16 million color, res. 800×480, ultra portable
* Play all your digital entertainment: movies, TV shows, photos and music
* Record video from camcorder, TV sources; programmable PVR function for television programming
* FM tuner with record capability and voice recorder; line-in recording to MP3
* Internal rechargeable battery; compatible with Windows operating systems

Customer feedback:

The A3 can play everything the Archos 605 can plus way more extra formats. It supports MKV which no other player supports (I’m throwing that out since a lot of my videos are in MKV) The screen is huge for viewing videos and the audio can be configured. Battery life is good for video (estimated 7 hours) but audio is not so great (9 hours) though I have a feeling you can get more out of it if you lowered the brightness of the LCD screen and the power saver mode to 10 sec. One key factor is it can play HD resolution (720p only) which no other player can do.

Introducing the most versatile portable multimedia experience for digital media enthusiasts, the COWON A3 delivers a full range of high-end video/audio capabilities. The successor to the top-rated A2, the A3 PMP features HD video output (1280×720) for movie playback on HDTV and direct recording from external A/V devices (TV, VCR or camcorder) for viewing on a 4-inch widescreen color TFT LCD. The COWON A3′s digital video performance is optimized by the latest Texas Instruments DaVinci DM6441 digital media processor and an expanded hard-drive capacity of 30GB or 60GB provides maximum digital media storage. Designed for the best digital video experience, the A3 features HD video output via component, s-video or composite connections. The COWON A3 also boasts the industry¿s most expansive digital media format and codec support, including popular lossy and lossless audio codecs.

Product Details:

* 4 inch Wide LCD, 16 million color, res. 800×480, ultra portable
* Play all your digital entertainment: movies, TV shows, photos and music
* Record video from camcorder, TV sources; programmable PVR function for television programming
* FM tuner with record capability and voice recorder; line-in recording to MP3
* Internal rechargeable battery; compatible with Windows operating systems

Customer feedback:

1. FLAC! My entire music library is in FLAC, where I can manage, so I’m used to the beauty and intricacy of lossless audio on my computer and now I can FINALLY have it in my portable media player.
* The generous 60 gig HD can hold almost 100 FLAC encoded albums or many hours of high-quality video.
* The display on this thing is mind-blowing; the vividness and clarity are comparable to a high-end laptop screen. Its seriously like holding a photo in your hands.
*The sound! Besides the fact that the many high-quality codecs supported will always trump mp3 for sound quality, the A3 has very few EQ settings (I think 5 or so) and what the EQ presets lack in quantity, they more than make up for in quality. The user-editable EQ is the best I’ve seen in any audio player
2. The sound quality is exceptional. I own two other mp3 players – an IRiver, which has extremely poor sound quality, and a Cowon F2 which has very good sound quality, but not as good as the A3′s. The sound enhancement features of the A3 work very well. Even when you turn the volume up loud there’s no distortion. (With the F2, too much bass will cause major distortion at medium to high volume.)

Delivering the ultimate wireless connectivity and multimedia experience in a single portable device, the next-generation COWON Q5W portable multimedia player is the industry’s first PMP to combine Wi-Fi and Bluetooth wireless technologies with an ultra-fine-resolution 5-inch widescreen color TFT LCD, touch-sensitive GUI, Microsoft Windows CE 5.0 Professional OS, 40GB or 60GB storage capacity, and optional GPS navigation. With its integrated Wi-Fi (802.11 b/g), the COWON Q5W enables users to wirelessly connect to a LAN and the Internet to surf the Web, use e-mail and MSN voice-enabled Messenger. The pre-installed Adobe Embedded Flash Player 7 allows users to create and experience interactive content, applications and video on the Web. Additionally, the COWON Q5W includes the latest Bluetooth 2.0 technology to allow users to wirelessly connect to the Bluetooth-enabled headsets. More than just full-featured audio/video player supporting the most digital media formats, the COWON Q5W provides an FM radio/recorder, voice recorder, built-in stereo speakers, wireless remote controller and TV-out supporting component, s-video and composite connections. The PMP also functions as a full-screen photo and document viewer, and a high-capacity photo backup device for digital cameras.

Product details:

# Wide LCD, 16 million color, res. 800×480, ultra portable
# Play all your digital entertainment: movies, TV shows, photos and music
# Surf the web, use e-mail and MSN voice-enabled Messenger service with Wi-Fi and connect to Bluetooth-enabled stereo headphones with Bluetooth 2.0 technology
# Touch sensitive interface, FM radio and recorder, voice recorder with internal microphone, built-in stereo speakers, and TV-out supporting component, S-video and composite connections

Customer feedback:

1. The Cowon Q5 is quite simply the best big touchscreen player for quality video. It is 5″ measured diagonally, and the larger size makes videos vibrant and reduces eye strain. While touchscreen players have an inherently grainy screen, the Q5 somehow eliminates most of the graininess that plagues other touchscreen players (such as the Archos 705) and provides great clarity, contrast and detail when watching videos. And the audio quality is stellar (consitent with most other Cowon players). Music sounds so much better than on iPods, Zunes or other music players. Detail, soundstage, and stereo separation are all exemplary on this player. You can also customize your music with some of the best effects and equalizer settings available on any player.
2. I have owned a variety of mp3 players over the years, and therefore am not a newcomer to the field. I had good experience with the Creative Zen Extra, but when my player was “borrowed,” I decided to add video to my options. I had replaced my wife’s Phillips mp3 player with a Zune, which I regret, as both of these were clearly inadequate for our purposes. I embarked on an extensive “review of reviews” online, and the COWON kept coming up as being “too expensive, but worth it.” So I got a Q5W.
Other than perpetual battery life, I cannot think of anything I would add to the Q5W. It has internal speakers which, considering the size, are actually as usable as those on my Sony laptop. Wireless works well, movies look good and play well, MP3 sounds good.

This credit-card-sized Zen has a stunning 2.5-inch color screen and is perfect for music, videos, and photos. Enjoy up to 8,000 MP3, WMA, or AAC songs; watch up to 120 hours of videos; and share hundreds of photos with your friends. Even expand your portable music, video, or photo collection by adding additional content through the convenient SD memory slot. The Zen player also is available in 2 GB, 4 GB, 8 GB, and 16 GB capacities.
View your album art, videos, and photos on this 2.5-inch razor-sharp TFT display. Your favorite photos will burst to life in 16.7 million colors on the fresh new Zen patented user interface. The TFT display works under sunlight and allows everyone to watch your home videos and vacation slideshows from any angle.
Zen is the first Creative player to support the unprotected AAC format, so you can enjoy all your favorite CD tracks that you’ve ripped through iTunes software. Zen also supports iTunes Plus tracks from the iTunes store, in addition to MP3 and WMA music tracks. It is also compatible with music subscription services, such as Napster To Go and Rhapsody.

Product details:

* Enjoy all of your media on a device that’s about the width of a credit card
* Watch 120 hours of videos, enjoy up to 8,000 of your favorite songs, or share hundreds of photos with your friends
* 2.5-inch TFT color display with 320 x 240-pixel resolution and support for up to 16.7 million colors
* Clock and alarm function, volume restriction, eight equalizer settings, and a USB hard drive mode
* Weighs 2.1 ounces and measures 3.26 x 2.16 x .44 inches (W x H x D)

Customer feedback:

1. What’s not to love about this device? For one, it’s flash based memory, so no hard drive to crash, which is what happened with my Zune. It’s lightweight and small. The picture/screen is gorgeous! Everything is so clear and the (16.7 million) colors are incredible. No complaints. Converting videos to a format isn’t an issue with AVS Video Converter. I created a new profile with the recommended Zen settings (use WMV, 320×240, 24FPS, etc.) and videos are converted flawlessly with a couple of clicks of the mouse. You can also use the Zen software that comes with the device to convert your videos. I haven’t tried it yet, so I can’t comment on it. Music sounds great even though I have not replaced the clunky earphones that come with it, which I highly recommend doing. The ones that come with the device are painfully large! Also, the mini USB cable is tiny and you’re probably going to have to replace it. I was lucky, my Blackberry Curve plug works with the Zen – charger AND mini USB. Also, unlike the Zune, I can plug my Zen into any Windows PC and copy music to and from or just charge it. I love everything about this device – especially that I am not forced to use iTunes or Zune software. Right-click on a file in Explorer and send to Zen. It’s that easy! Pictures look great on the Zen’s screen. The menus are easy to navigate with its tactile buttons.
2. I just purchased the 32 gb Zen to replace the 30 gb Zen Vision that died on me. I like the idea of it being a solid state drive. It’s a great little mp3 player with tons of storage space. It even has an SD expansion slot for even more space.