[ka-boom]

Dude, the i7 would be perfect. If you like the U3 size and portability, the i7 is right up your alley. And you're already familiar with the Cowon menu and you know how damn good Cowon sounds.

 

[sputnik00]

one of the reservations i have is the lack of tactile buttons. not a fan of touch thingies. with the U3's joystick, i can fiddle with the controls with the player still in the bag (since the menu is pretty easy to memorise) and not have to look at the screen.

 

[ka-boom]

Probably the main reason I returned my perfectly functioning D2 was because I quickly realized I hated touch screens. The "swing touch" is entirely different. Although it is technically "touch" based, you can lower the sensitivity to the point of having to really press on the button to perform the action. I was afraid I would hate it before I ordered it, but after playing with it for 10 minutes I loved it.

 

[GreatDane]

The hold feature is very useful. I usually set it for track selection when using at night. It would be just as useful while keeping the i7 in a pocket.

 

[qusp]

great review, very thorough; I just wish you'de leave your anti-apple/pro-what-i've-got comments out; its just as annoying as pro-apple fanboy comments and adds nothing to the review

 

[ka-boom]

You're just going to have to deal with it.

Can ipods compete with the battery life? Erm, no.
How about the ease of use? Try again.
Audio quality with and w/o enhancements? Well.... umm....
The ability to play non-restrictive files, not just itune's offerings?
FLAC support? What's that....?

I'm just sayin.

Can you dispute any of those clear differences?

Relax dude, it's all in good fun.

 

[Wallach]

Quote:

Originally Posted by ka-boom /img/forum/go_quote.gif You're just going to have to deal with it. Can ipods compete with the battery life? Erm, no. How about the ease of use? Try again. Audio quality with and w/o enhancements? Well.... umm.... The ability to play non-restrictive files, not just itune's offerings? FLAC support? What's that....? I'm just sayin. Can you dispute any of those clear differences? Relax dude, it's all in good fun.

I agree with most of what you said there, but ease of use? C'mon now. If there's anything you should give credit to Apple for it is their usage/UI, especially when stacked against a Cowon player.

 

[ka-boom]

Ease of use = you plug it into your USB port and paste files onto it. That's all. Maybe you're thinking operability(?)

No propreitary cable plug, no propreitary bloated software to install, nothing required to move your files to your player other than a simple copy and paste. How much more easier can it get than that?

 

[Wallach]

Quote:

Originally Posted by ka-boom /img/forum/go_quote.gif Ease of use = you plug it into you USB port and paste files onto it. That's all. Maybe you're thinking operability(?) No propreitary cable plug, no propreitary bloated software to install, nothing required to move your files to your player other than a simple copy and paste. How much more easier can it get than that?

I figure usage involves both operating the device itself and how music is loaded onto it.

Sure, they require iTunes but it's not like iTunes is a complicated piece of software. Given that it automatically syncs to the device on its own I don't think it'd really be considered harder to use than drag & drop. When it comes to actually using the device though, I'd say it's definitely more intuitive to navigate an iPod than pretty much any Cowon player.

 

[qusp]

Quote:

Originally Posted by ka-boom /img/forum/go_quote.gif You're just going to have to deal with it. Can ipods compete with the battery life? Erm, no.

can cowon compare in features, SIZE and interface errmmm no. this is what drains the battery quicker and seriously who gives a crap if a player has to be recharged every 4-5 days of use rather than double that; dont you have power points?? the nano, which seems to be the one you are referencing, so much thinner its unbelievable, makes it pretty hard to fit in a battery for the life you seem to require... god knows why

Quote:

How about the ease of use? Try again.

LOL

Quote:

Audio quality with and w/o enhancements? Well.... umm....

actually IMO my iphone 3G sounds superior to the X5 I heard recently IMO and I dont need or use enhancements. and then of course theres my DIYMOD; but thats not a fair fight

Quote:

The ability to play non-restrictive files, not just itune's offerings? FLAC support? What's that....?

ever heard of rockbox?? and can you please explain the advantage of flac over ALAC??

Quote:

I'm just sayin. Can you dispute any of those clear differences? Relax dude, it's all in good fun.

yes, saying over and over; my primary player is my iriver and I run RB on that and my DIYMOD, and I still found it a bit much. nothing uptight here either, just thought i'd mention it, because it seemed a little gratuitous to me and distracted from what was otherwise a good review

 

[sputnik00]

coincidentally, i use a rockboxed 1st gen nano which gives me almost the same experience as my U3 sans radio. both interfaces are great if you're the drag-and-drop type of person. i listen to both with flat eq but still prefer the sound from my cowon by a bit, especially for jazz and classical.

@ka-boom: thanks for the explanation of the "swing-touch". am encouraged to give the i7 a chance.

 

[ka-boom]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Wallach /img/forum/go_quote.gif Sure, they require iTunes but it's not like iTunes is a complicated piece of software. Given that it automatically syncs to the device on its own I don't think it'd really be considered harder to use than drag & drop. When it comes to actually using the device though, I'd say it's definitely more intuitive to navigate an iPod than pretty much any Cowon player.

Really? Case in point.

Quote:

Originally Posted by ka-boom /img/forum/go_quote.gif nothing required to move your files to your player other than a simple copy and paste. How much more easier can it get than that?

I rest my case.

 

[qusp]

LOL and on it goes

 

[Shauntell47]

@Qusp: The new ipod nano has not been rockboxed yet, which means the cowon i7 easily has more features....

Sizewise, you seem to be a victim of the thinner, better sickness that brands such as Apple have been spreading.. although the cowon is a bit thick, the ipod nano is almost too thin... i don't think a few mm more would bother anybody... battery life is important, if you start off with a 60 hour battery life, you'll still be left with plenty after a couple of years... not so with an ipod...

I do agree though that ipods do offer better SQ while using its LO... my ipod 3rd gen does sound better than my i7 through an amp...

 

[sallan75]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Shauntell47 /img/forum/go_quote.gif I do agree though that ipods do offer better SQ while using its LO... my ipod 3rd gen does sound better than my i7 through an amp...

I am just wondering why LO is relevant when discussing sound quality of a portable device? As a portable device, my D2's SQ has stomped all over my missus's various iPods she has had. I would never consider a portable device as heart of my home entertainment system as there are far better options available to me.