[stereoscopic]

Before I start I am not affiliated to this retailer in any way, but the links help to show the product details.
 
32 and 64Gb versions now available in the UK... I was surprised not to turn anything up with a search on here !
 
http://www.advancedmp3players.co.uk/shop/MP3_Players.1/Cowon_iAudio.15/COWONA5-64GB/Cowon_A5_64GB_Portable_Media_Player.13834.html
 

 
Specs (blatantly ripped from AMP3.com)  :
 
 
 
Features

Full HD 1080p Video Playback 1GHz Arm Cortex-A8 CPU & 800MHz HD VPU & 320MHz Mali 3D GPU 512MB RAM 4.8 inch Clear LCD Screen (800x480) JetEffect 5.0, 44 Presets + 4 User Defined Presets BBE+, BBE, Mach Bass, 3D Sound, MP Enhance Lossless Mixer Android 2.3 Gingerbread OS Wireless LAN (Wi-Fi) FM Radio & Recorder MicroSD Card Slot Built-in Speaker Bluetooth 2.1+EDR, A2DP / AVRCP G Sensor Touch Feedback NTFS File System HDMI TV-Out USB 2.0 Additional Features Bluetooth - Connect with other devices with no cables required. Gsensor - Tilt, swivel and rotate! The A5 knows exactly what you are doing and gives you the best possible display angles at all times! Built-in Speaker - Forgot your headphones? Make full use of the highly efficient built-in speaker. Sit back, put your feet up and enjoy your audio experience. Micro SD Card Slot - Expand your memory horizons. With the Micro SD card slot you are no longer confined to the standard memory capacities. Plug in your SD card full of your favourite movies or songs and enjoy!

 
 
Think this is just what I've been looking for

 

[tds101]

I'm contemplating the 64gb model myself,...

 

[analogue 3]

It looks good but I'm somewhat perplexed why Cowon didn't include tactile media playback buttons on the side like with the Z2. It's something I noticed that a lot of companies seem to be omitting these days (ibasso did the same with the dx100) in favour of making/forcing people use the touch screen. I use the tactile keys on my touchscreen android PMP pretty much ALL the time.
 
This device being marketed as a 'study' device on their site also shows short sightedness with leaving out the tactile buttons since I've got about 25gb of non fiction audiobooks, university lecture recordings and key radio interviews on my PMP and find it really useful to use Smart Audiobook Player app for android and tap the tactile buttons (without needing to even look up from notes I'm making) on the side to skip back and forth in 10 sec increments to help grasp a difficult point, i.e. it makes studying using spoken word on my PMP much more effective...rather than hitting the power button, unlocking it and using the touch screen.

 

[Achmedisdead]

meh....

 

[tds101]

So, no tactile controls? I want J3 type controls,...I'll pass.

 

[analogue 3]

^you could still go with the Z2 I suppose, although it's only got 32gb max for internal memory and a smaller screen. I'm glad I'm not the only one who finds tactile buttons a useful (must have) feature in a PMP. The price for the 64gb A5 is quite reasonable making it all the more attractive...I can't believe Cowon missed out on such an obvious feature, esp after just releasing 2 android PMPs which do have tactile buttons (D3 followed by Z2).

 

[ancjob]

does this have  android market ?
 
cannot they make this in 7-inch form factor ! Damm
 
now adays 7 inch android tablets galore.....who'd pay for this crap around usd$421 - i'll pass
 
i will buy this instead [

Ainol Novo 7 Aurora II Dual Core 1.5GHz 7 Inch IPS Touch Screen 1G RAM Android Tablet] 

http://www.ainol-novo.com/buy-products.html      and take a slight hit on sound quality - which is ok for me

 

[analogue 3]

Quote:

does this have  android market ?
 
cannot they make this in 7-inch form factor ! Damm
 
now adays 7 inch android tablets galore.....who'd pay for this crap around usd$421 - i'll pass

 
Calm down, lol. It's around £250 for the 64gb model which is pretty decent for a 4.8" PMP with 64gb internal emmc memory, micro sd card, BBE etc.
 
Anyway, there is a different model by Cowon which is a 7 inch model. Considering they specialise in PMPs, not tablets, it makes sense for them to continue releasing around 'droid 4inch models (Z2, D3 etc) and now the A5 with a 4.8" screen (since the Samsung Galaxy Player 5.0 is a PMP with a 5 inch screen and seems to be selling well enough).
 
Anyway, here is the 7 inch Cowon model which runs Android:
http://product.cowon.com/product/COWONQ7/product_page_1.php
 
As a side point, I think that most of their demand seem to be orientated towards domestic sales.
 
edit: The link you posted doesn't work
edit2: Found the model myself on the site. Like so many other tablets, they've crippled the internal memory which doesn't really make it a viable PMP device (16gb). True, it has micro sd card, however if you've got mainly lossless music, it would be nice to have it maxed out at 32-64gb internal memory like the A5 (and some more expensive tablets by Samsung etc) + micro sd card for additional storage.

 

[ancjob]

Quote:

 
Calm down, lol. It's around £250 for the 64gb model which is pretty decent for a 4.8" PMP with 64gb internal emmc memory, micro sd card, BBE etc.
 
Anyway, there is a different model by Cowon which is a 7 inch model. Considering they specialise in PMPs, not tablets, it makes sense for them to continue releasing around 'droid 4inch models (Z2, D3 etc) and now the A5 with a 4.8" screen (since the Samsung Galaxy Player 5.0 is a PMP with a 5 inch screen and seems to be selling well enough).
 
Anyway, here is the 7 inch Cowon model which runs Android:
http://product.cowon.com/product/COWONQ7/product_page_1.php
 
As a side point, I think that most of their demand seem to be orientated towards domestic sales.
 
edit: The link you posted doesn't work
edit2: Found the model myself on the site. Like so many other tablets, they've crippled the internal memory which doesn't really make it a viable PMP device (16gb). True, it has micro sd card, however if you've got mainly lossless music, it would be nice to have it maxed out at 32-64gb internal memory like the A5 (and some more expensive tablets by Samsung etc) + micro sd card for additional storage.

 


regd sd card slot - cowon never seems to get this perfected - i doubt if the microsd slot accepts NTFS formatted cards ! even it it does it may have issues as in d2+ [i have d2+]
 
what i see is android 2.3 on A5 is old and it's basically a 5 inch tablet with sound presets and user config. possible
 
check out 

Ainol Novo 7 Aurora II Dual Core 1.5GHz 7 Inch IPS Touch Screen 1G RAM Android Tablet

with IPS screen and n-wireless and android ICS installed and that is not so costly just usd$160  - i can try this and take a hit on sound quality BTW - bbe,mp3 enchance seem like gimics on most of cowon players  , i like my sound natural as it 'd be without enchancements....which looks much better specs-wise compared with cowon 7-inch smart dic minus bluetooth [which i do not use]
 
http://www.ainol-novo.com/buy-products.html
 
 
if u have lossless music - do u think u can manage with 100gb - i have 1TB of lossless music which no player on earth can hold , the only option wifi streaming using file sharing if that's possible !
i do it with my acer iconia tab w500 effortlessly but with this cowon crap i sincerely doubt it
 
i am waiting for win 8 based 7 inch tablet with great battery may be viliv x70ex - who knows

 

[analogue 3]

Quote:

 


regd sd card slot - cowon never seems to get this perfected - i doubt if the microsd slot accepts NTFS formatted cards ! even it it does it may have issues as in d2+ [i have d2+]
 
what i see is android 2.3 on A5 is old and it's basically a 5 inch tablet with sound presets and user config. possible
 
check out ainol novo 7 aurora 2  with IPS screen and n-wireless and android ICS installed and that is not so costly just usd$160  - i can try this and take a hit on sound quality BTW - bbe,mp3 enchance seem like gimics on most of cowon players  , i like my sound natural as it 'd be without enchancements....
 
http://www.ainol-novo.com/buy-products.html

 
I could be wrong, however i think I've seen in the dx100 thread that most people need to reformat to fat(32?) to make 64gb cards work fine. I don't see the advantage of NTFS over FAT(32) for the microsd (something about massive files not working on fat format? I don't have any albums larger than 500mb and they are split into tracks anyway).
 
Also, the Samsung Galaxy Players still run 2.3 too. It's just how it is for whatever reason for non-commercial products. Same with the dx100 running android 2.3. I'd rather have a device with quality sound (my Cowon D3 even has SPDIF out with a simple cable for working with my desktop setup) and sufficient capacity to function as a PMP which can replace my desktop setup (notebook/pc) than something running ICS  but with only 8 or 16gb internal memory and average sound.
 
Anyway, check the iaudiophile forums for a proper discussion about Cowon products.
 
I don't know about "5 inch tablet". Like I said, I think it's in response to people like Samsung releasing the Samsung Galaxy Player 5.0 with a 5 inch screen. Would you consider that a tablet too? On their site, Cowon have clearly put their A5 in their PMP line of products which is what it's designed to be. The screen on the A5 is the same size as the Samsung S3, and I don't consider that to be a tablet. It's only once you get to galaxy note (5.4" screen) that the line between tablet and smartphone blurs and it's at 7" when it officially seems like a tablet to me, both in design and how people are using it.
 
Edit: Apparently Android doesn't support NTFS so you need to complain to Google about that, not Cowon.

 

[ancjob]

Quote:

 
I could be wrong, however i think I've seen in the dx100 thread that most people need to reformat to fat(32?) to make 64gb cards work fine. I don't see the advantage of NTFS over FAT(32) for the microsd (something about massive files not working on fat format? I don't have any albums larger than 500mb and they are split into tracks anyway).
 
Also, the Samsung Galaxy Players still run 2.3 too. It's just how it is for whatever reason for non-commercial products. Same with the dx100 running android 2.3. I'd rather have a device with quality sound (my Cowon D3 even has SPDIF out with a simple cable for working with my desktop setup) and sufficient capacity to function as a PMP which can replace my desktop setup (notebook/pc) than something running ICS  but with only 8 or 16gb internal memory and average sound.
 
Anyway, check the iaudiophile forums for a proper discussion about Cowon products.
 
I don't know about "5 inch tablet". Like I said, I think it's in response to people like Samsung releasing the Samsung Galaxy Player 5.0 with a 5 inch screen. Would you consider that a tablet too? On their site, Cowon have clearly put their A5 in their PMP line of products which is what it's designed to be. The screen on the A5 is the same size as the Samsung S3, and I don't consider that to be a tablet. It's only once you get to galaxy note (5.4" screen) that the line between tablet and smartphone blurs and it's at 7" when it officially seems like a tablet to me, both in design and how people are using it.

pal - the screen WVGA on A5 makes it useless - get viliv x70ex - being full windows computer with removable battery beats the heck out of A% and the cowon crap
i have Q5W and i consider it 'total crap' i'd have gotten viliv s5 if i'd known that then!
 
now i have matured so 5-inch screen is no-no , 7-inch ips screen is decent for video esp. 1080p video
one more thing - fat32 does not allow any file greater than 4gb  so if u have mkv in 1080p then the size most of the time is > 4gb so card has to be NTFS formatted which i am sure A5 will not accept !
 
i beleive viliv x70ex is decent for around usd$500 if u can get from anywhere
In short A5 is a gimic - i'd rather geta decent 7 inch android tablet instead with strong wifi support than the cowon crap!

 

[analogue 3]

Quote:

pal - the screen WVGA on A5 makes it useless - get viliv x70ex - being full windows computer with removable battery beats the heck out of A% and the cowon crap
i have Q5W and i consider it 'total crap' i'd have gotten viliv s5 if i'd known that then!
 
now i have matured so 5-inch screen is no-no , 7-inch ips screen is decent for video esp. 1080p video
one more thing - fat32 does not allow any file greater than 4gb  so if u have mkv in 1080p then the size most of the time is > 4gb so card has to be NTFS formatted which i am sure A5 will not accept !
 
i beleive viliv x70ex is decent for around usd$500 if u can get from anywhere

 
Ok, I'll leave you to stick with your opinions. All I'll say is that Android doesn't support NTFS. It's a Windows/MS proprietary format. You seem to be looking for an excuse to denigrate Cowon (what's up with that?) to the point of blaming them for a limitation built in by Google/Android...that pretty much implies I'd be unwise to continue down this road.

 

[tds101]

I think he/she is a spammer trolling for that crap ainol dap/pmp. The Cowon players are vastly superior, and don't break/malfunction like those garbage ainol players do.
 
Ainol is oem garbage, pass in it. And remove the spammy links,...did you get permission to sell here on head-fi?

 

[Achmedisdead]

Quote:

I think he/she is a spammer trolling for that crap ainol dap/pmp. The Cowon players are vastly superior, and don't break/malfunction like those garbage ainol players do.
 
Ainol is oem garbage, pass in it. And remove the spammy links,...did you get permission to sell here on head-fi?

If you pronounce Ainol phonetically, you get "anal".....the irony there is priceless! 

 

[tds101]

Quote:

If you pronounce Ainol phonetically, you get "anal".....the irony there is priceless! 

I figured the "crap" comment might lead to this,...behave yourself,...