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via dapreview.net
http://reviews.cnet.com/Cowon_iAudio...2.html?tag=tab
7.3/10
This is what dapreview made of it:
Verdict: 7.3 out of 10... just average. And yet they gave Sony's NW-HD5 a full 8 out of 10. Confusing, to say the least. They raise a number of concerns about the X5, some of which we'll agree with, but a couple of points should be addressed:
"..we had to run all of our video files through JetAudio for them to play on the X5" and "converting your videos so that they'll work on the player is a multistep process"
• You'll have to convert your videos for just about every player on the market, downsampled to the size of the screen. And it makes sense: why use a video encoded at 640x480 or whatever when it consumes 3x the disk space of a video encoded for the dimensions of a smaller screen..? With the X5, they make it pretty easy at least, simply drag and drop your videos to the JetAudio application and will automatically encode them to the right format (Xvid) and settings.
"iPod converts accustomed to seamless iTunes integration should think carefully before taking the plunge."
• The X5 doesn't need iTunes, or any managment programs - that's by design. Not that iTunes is much of a hassle - we like it - but in some situations it can be cumbersome compared to loading music directly through Windows Explorer. On computers other than your own, for example.
"Cowon promises a late-July/early-August firmware upgrade that will do away with the old-school folder-tree structure and replace it with an iPod-style music library."
• A lot of people actually prefer the file/folder tree method of music sorting/navigation. All of Korea, for one. Why? Because you can customize the way your files are organized, and you don't have to deal with formatting iD3 tags, if you don't want. On the iPod, music is organized into predefined id3-tag catagories (Artist, Albums, Tracks), and if you're tracks aren't properly tagged, then finding what you want can be a chore. The best solution is to to have both iD3-tag based sorting (like iPod) as well as file/folder browsing (like the X5) so you can do it whichever way you want. Cowon is working on it at least, a good sign.
"adding a bookmark is a cumbersome process"
• Actually, you can customize the function of one of the player's buttons, including the option to set it as a dedicated Bookmarking button. It doesn't get much easier than that.
"The X5's USB Host mode lets you connect a camera and view or copy the snapshots to the player--a nice feature, save for the fact that only about 30 cameras from Olympus, Sony, Nikon, FujiFilm, Konica Minolta, Kyocra, Panasonic, and Kenox are supported."
• A more complete list of supported devices can be found on the iAudiophile.net fan-site, HERE. Nearly 100 devices have proven compatible so far.
We also noticed that while they compared the X5 with the iPod for the things that the iPod does better - like being able to listen to music while viewing pictures - they did not point out the areas where the X5 trumps the iPod. There's more than a few.
Valid issue they raised include the resolution of the screen, which isn't quite as nice (detailed) for viewing pictures as the screens you get on an iPod, or some players from iRiver, and the questionable design of the X5 where it requires the use of a mini-dock for charging, transfers, and line input/output. Along with most folks, we would have preferred that these were built into the main unit, even if added a half inch or so to the length.
CNET made a fair share of positive comments as well, noting that it has great sound quality, strong output, many recording options, and clear FM reception
http://reviews.cnet.com/Cowon_iAudio...2.html?tag=tab
7.3/10
This is what dapreview made of it:
Verdict: 7.3 out of 10... just average. And yet they gave Sony's NW-HD5 a full 8 out of 10. Confusing, to say the least. They raise a number of concerns about the X5, some of which we'll agree with, but a couple of points should be addressed:
"..we had to run all of our video files through JetAudio for them to play on the X5" and "converting your videos so that they'll work on the player is a multistep process"
• You'll have to convert your videos for just about every player on the market, downsampled to the size of the screen. And it makes sense: why use a video encoded at 640x480 or whatever when it consumes 3x the disk space of a video encoded for the dimensions of a smaller screen..? With the X5, they make it pretty easy at least, simply drag and drop your videos to the JetAudio application and will automatically encode them to the right format (Xvid) and settings.
"iPod converts accustomed to seamless iTunes integration should think carefully before taking the plunge."
• The X5 doesn't need iTunes, or any managment programs - that's by design. Not that iTunes is much of a hassle - we like it - but in some situations it can be cumbersome compared to loading music directly through Windows Explorer. On computers other than your own, for example.
"Cowon promises a late-July/early-August firmware upgrade that will do away with the old-school folder-tree structure and replace it with an iPod-style music library."
• A lot of people actually prefer the file/folder tree method of music sorting/navigation. All of Korea, for one. Why? Because you can customize the way your files are organized, and you don't have to deal with formatting iD3 tags, if you don't want. On the iPod, music is organized into predefined id3-tag catagories (Artist, Albums, Tracks), and if you're tracks aren't properly tagged, then finding what you want can be a chore. The best solution is to to have both iD3-tag based sorting (like iPod) as well as file/folder browsing (like the X5) so you can do it whichever way you want. Cowon is working on it at least, a good sign.
"adding a bookmark is a cumbersome process"
• Actually, you can customize the function of one of the player's buttons, including the option to set it as a dedicated Bookmarking button. It doesn't get much easier than that.
"The X5's USB Host mode lets you connect a camera and view or copy the snapshots to the player--a nice feature, save for the fact that only about 30 cameras from Olympus, Sony, Nikon, FujiFilm, Konica Minolta, Kyocra, Panasonic, and Kenox are supported."
• A more complete list of supported devices can be found on the iAudiophile.net fan-site, HERE. Nearly 100 devices have proven compatible so far.
We also noticed that while they compared the X5 with the iPod for the things that the iPod does better - like being able to listen to music while viewing pictures - they did not point out the areas where the X5 trumps the iPod. There's more than a few.
Valid issue they raised include the resolution of the screen, which isn't quite as nice (detailed) for viewing pictures as the screens you get on an iPod, or some players from iRiver, and the questionable design of the X5 where it requires the use of a mini-dock for charging, transfers, and line input/output. Along with most folks, we would have preferred that these were built into the main unit, even if added a half inch or so to the length.
CNET made a fair share of positive comments as well, noting that it has great sound quality, strong output, many recording options, and clear FM reception