@Hero Kid
Thanks for the help. I've been reading all the reviews I could find, and watching all the videos of it on YouTube, but it seems everyone but me prefers folder browsing, so that's all that was talked about or shown in any detail. I was a little worried because I've seen many players that have poorly implemented tag browsing. I couldn't hold myself back anymore and just overnighted one from Amazon along with a 32gb SD card. I've been looking for something to replace my Rio Karma for so long I've lost control of my wallet it seems! I'll miss the Rio DJ, but I guess you can't have everything
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@manuvajpai
There are lots of reviews of the the new iPod classic online but they all leave out important parts by comparing it to previous iPods! The last iPod I knew anything about was the very first one, which I didn't like. I'm sure they're better now but I still don't have any frame of reference for comparison without reading reviews of every iPod that ever existed in chronological order! I did find the manual on Apple's site and found out the iPod classic doesn't even have one user EQ preset! It was looking good except for that. I need at least one for my car stereo, and I'd prefer to have another for my 'phones, even though they don't need it nearly as much.
@ Everyone
I read a lot of reviews of the D2 that bashed it because it's complicated compared to the iPod, but I found one that actually summed up the situation accurately. They said something do the effect of, "Sure the D2 is more complicated than an iPod, but that's because it lets you do more than an iPod. Apple 'solved' this problem by not letting you change anything but that's not really a solution." Cowon's approach isn't necessarily a better solution's than Apple's. Unfortunately we have to live in an imperfect world and need to compromise. We're unlikely to get see a player on the market with all the features of a Cowon with a UI as easy as an iPod. As long as it actually works, I'll exchange some ease of use for more more functionality.
A large part of this is that the D2 and the iPod are aimed at completely different markets. It not just that the D2 is aimed at audiophiles and the iPod isn't, because that's not even true. It's because in S. Korea (Cowon's home market) being complicated is associated with being upmarket. It has a higher perceived vales because it is complicated, and something of the same performance with the same features will have a lower perceived value if it isn't as complicated. In short, being complicated is a fad in S. Korea. This applies to just about everything, not just DAPs. You can go to Sears and compare a LG refrigerator to an Kenmore one, and the LG will probably be more complicated. The iPod on the other hand is marketed as a fashion accessory to the lowest common denominator of the American middle class. That's not to say that it's necessarily bad, but if your a power user, it likely won't meet your needs. From all I can tell, the iPod is simple and easy to use, and meets the needs of the majority of users, but it's not "The World's Standard" it's marketed as, and has the reputation of being in some circles. It's the Toyota Camry of DAPs. The thing you recommend to your mom who just wants to get from point A to point B. Some people want a little more than that though, and those people are advised to look elsewhere.
/rant
