The Quiet Competitor to the Heavyweights

Advantages: No restrictions, vast format support, colour screen, video support
Disadvantages: occassionally clunky interface, poor firmware following, video support is flawed

...The IAUDIO X5 is not a MP3 player your average consumer has. Its not been marketed to anything like the extent of Apple's iPod. It has relied on word of mouth, and its loyal fanbase that has tracked the developments of Cowon's product lines over the years. My experiences are based on owning the 20Gb model since August 2005. The X5 is beautifully crafted - very slim, a distinct lack of buttons and a sleek black finish. One of its biggest selling points to me was its unmatched format support - Ogg Vorbis compatibility was a must for me, and instantly limited the selection of MP3 players to a tiny number. In addition, the X5 plays other more common formats - MP3, WMA etc. with no problems. Please note, however, that the player does not as of yet support DRM. From a moral perspective I actually considered this a selling point, and found...

barneyboo 08.03.2006 · Read review
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Review of Cowon iAudio X5

iPod? Nah. This is better. WAY better.

Advantages: Amazing sound, good codec support, small in size
Disadvantages: Lack of included accessories

...When I bought it in March this year, the iAudio X5 was my third HDD player in the space of about 18 months. I'm sorry to say I followed the crowd and started with a 20gig iPod. Don't get me wrong, I thought (and still think) the iPod looked great, sounded pretty good and was a doddle to use, but by god was it restrictive. And it still is - I didn't realise it at the time, but my opinion now is that iPods are almost like cassette walkmans, only without a radio. My second player (having sold the iPod after needing a bigger hard drive) was an iRiver H340 - now THAT was more like it!! Sure, it didn't have the iPod looks and if truth be told it was a bit of a lump, but it beat Apple's flagship hands down in everything else from features, to sound quality and all sorts beyond. You could even play video on it. Plus it had a radio!! Sadly...

great_badir 18.08.2006 · Read review
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Review of Cowon iAudio X5L 30GB

What more could you want?

Advantages: Fantastic quality on video, audio, photos and text. Loads of extras built in
Disadvantages: Could have a larger hard drive but i'm just being picky!

...Why didn't I get an iPod like everyone else? Why not an Archos? I guess I just wanted to be different like always. I wanted to buy a brand of PMP (Portable Media Player) that no one has heard of and yeah, take a gamble. I'm glad I did! I got my Cowon A2 (30Gb) in February last year and am still a firm believer that this product is just as good, if not better, than an iPod. It has so many features it is astounding! I'll run through all these (or as many that i can remember) later on. Let me first introduce the makers of this fantastic method of watching video on-the-go. Korean company Cowon are also the producers of the iAudio range. These MP3 players are said to be of the very highest sound quality and that this was also carried on onto the Cowon A2. I must admit, the sound quality of the Cowon A2 is brilliant. Very clear...

Centaurus_X-3 09.05.2007 · Read review
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Review of Cowon Iaudio A2

Excellent portable music player

Advantages: UMS, good sound quality, very user friendly, good customer support
Disadvantages: relatively common phone jack problem, screen is realistically too small for movies and pictures

...I bought the iAudio X5L for a few main reasons, based on various reviews I'd found from trawling the internet. These were: - it connects to a computer as a Universal Mass Storage device, meaning none of your annoying iPod/Sony/whatever identification issues. It's just an external hard drive that plays your music, pictures, videos, records, etc. etc. - which leads me to the second reason: functionality. Its menus may not look pretty but it's dead easy to use, and can playback music in just about any format (including OGG and FLAC, for example, as well as your basics). Also can view movies, pictures, and text files, and you can record sound directly onto it. - good sound quality may not be so important for a portable music player, but it's there anyway. - ridiculously long battery life (on the X5L). Since buying it I've also found...

ianopolis 14.10.2008 · Read review
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Review of iAUDIO X5L

Cowon iaudio M3 MP3 Player

Advantages: Multi-use; very very stylish; light; robust
Disadvantages: controls on the remote can be fiddly for we old codgers. Don't always work as expected.

......

bewick 02.10.2005 · Read review
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Review of Cowon iAudio M3

The X5 oozes quality

Advantages: Has a very upmarket image and robust build quality
Disadvantages: Limited off road ability

...Before I say another word, let's get one thing straight - BMW's X5 is essentially a road car. More or less without exception, everything I've heard or written about the X5 praises its superb road manners and its saloon car like quality, comfort and poise. Having just spent a hard-charging week behind the wheel of this 3.0-litre turbodiesel model, I would second that. The BMW X5 for me is a perfect mix of new and old. In my opinion it successfully blends BMW's new futuristic look, with the clean muscular lines of the old X3. The X5 front-end face echoes the traditional BM "twin-kidney grill" , whilst its rear end retains that distinctive "boxyness" which made previous models so aggressive. Underneath the bonnet is BMW 3.0L straight 6 cylinder where the diesel does 235 hp and has a top torque of no less than 520 Nm. It's nicely packaged...

joeyhey2007 19.10.2008 · Read review
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Review of BMW X5 3.0i

A great multimedia player

Advantages: Looks nice, will play anything you throw at it, excellent video quality
Disadvantages: Small hard drive

...I bought the Cowon A2 about a year ago and I must say that I am very impressed with the product. It is quite expensive compared to other portable video players out there and the hard drive is rather small also (20 & 30GB) but these things aside, the Cowon A2 is a great player. The Cowon A2 is comfortable in the hand with the buttons just at the right place if you are right-handed. Although some might say the Cowon A2 is quite heavy, I personally didn't find this. The player is attractive, a mix of white and silver, but is not as simplistic as say the iPod. The words 'Portable Multimedia Player' are written on the front which make the Cowon A2 look more technical. Navigating the player is a breeze although the joystick is not the most sturdy I have every used. There are also four other buttons, labelled 'Back', 'A', 'B' and 'C...

afraser 01.02.2008 (29.01.2008) · Read review
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Review of Cowon Iaudio A2

Cowon's wonderful little PMP

Advantages: Small player, huge touchscreen, packed with features.
Disadvantages: Maybe not as pretty as some, awkward stylus.

...I purchased a Cowon D2 about 3 weeks ago after deciding that I wanted a new mp3 player, and I wanted more than can be offered in your average stores. I took the risk of choosing a product that can only be purchased over the internet, and which is made by a company, Cowon, which I had not heard of before. As of now, I am extremely pleased about my taking of this risk. The main competition for the D2 is the iRiver Clix 2, however I chose this player mainly due to its slightly larger screen, at 2.5 inches, and because I found the idea of a touch screen appealing. Looking at that picture, the first thing you will notice is probably the screen. It is the same size as the screen you will find on an Ipod Video; however at 16 million colours it is a much higher quality. And it really is a very high quality screen. The photo viewing and video...

jabond007 01.06.2007 · Read review
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Review of Cowon D2

It's MY - X5!

Advantages: Small, Light, Hands Free function, colour
Disadvantages: Only one game

...Have just bought a second hand MY-X5, on T-Mobile. A great looking little phone in silver, with a large colour screen. The first thing I did after getting it was to get it Unlocked. For the uninitiated this means that I am now able to use any Network, and I have since plonked in an Orange Sim card, as Orange is the best in my area. As for the features of the phone, coloured icons lead you through the menus, which are easily accesed using the arrow keys. First is the Phonebook, which can store 90 numbers on the Sim card, and 300 on the phone. Each person can be put into a category, such as friend, colleagues, VIP etc. Next up is Accesories, which includes a very functional and easy to use Calculator, Alarm Clock, and Currency Converter, and a Countdown Timer, great for making sure you don't burn your fairy cakes! Then comes...

ferrismrk 27.06.2003 · Read review
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Review of Sagem My X-5 Mobile Handset

Speechless. It's amazing!

Advantages: Ipod Killer, Looks Stunning, Light, Accessories
Disadvantages: Price, Some people may not like remote

...protectors. How often have you wanted to protect your screen but the manufacturer can?t be bothered to supply that tiny bit of sticky plastic? Well thankfully Cowon have and they?ve even given you a backup in case one comes off/gets dirty etc. It?s these little things that make it so great 5) You even get spare plugs for the connector at the bottom of the unit. I will admit this was a bit annoying as I?ve never been a fan of these. What if I lose the rubber plug? Well doesn?t matter anyway, I?m safe and even if I do lose it I?ve got a backup. Again it?s the little things 6) The USB cable is about 1-1.5 metres in length and is nice and shiny. What more can I say? It does its job lol! *****CONTROL***** The inline remote control that was supplied with the unit is quite good actually. People have complained it?s a bit plasticy. No it?s not...

dippy38 17.06.2004 (15.08.2004) · Read review
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Review of Cowon iAudio M3