[Cowon A2 Review]

[alida]

My original post was much longer, but the site logged me out, made me log back in and deleted it! It took me soo long to write*sigh*

Delivery and Packaging:
Delivery was fast and right on time. Packaging was attractive. Nothing wrong here. There was a small scratch near the top of the player when i got it, however. It's nothing that noticeable.

Design:
A2- I like how there are few buttons on the player. The little "control stick in the corner" is a little hard to navigate with sometimes. The ports on the side of the player are easy to find. There is a little panel hiding the USB and AV in/out ports, which is nice, but it's awkward/hard to open and I'm afraid I'll scratch the side of the A2. Nothing to worry about really, because the A2 doesn't seem to get scratches easily

Headphones-I thought something was wrong when i took the headphones out because one cord is about 2x longer than the other. Then i found out it's normal and i like it better than equal length headphones ^^. The longer length headphone goes behind your head to the other ear and the entire cord swings over your shoulder so no cords are in the way right in front of you.

Case- The A2 comes with a case to protect it. It's black with velvet lining and has openings for all the ports so the player can be manipulated within the case. It also serves as a prop for the player so you can watch movies without holding it. however, it lacks a screen cover and the lining where the pleather meets the velvet (right around the screen) is rough and even a little sharp on mine =O. But at least the A2 comes with a case, and i plan to get another one later anyways.

User Friendliness:
The A2 is not a simple gadget to figure out. It can do alot! It took me a few hours to figure out (almost) all of its functions, buttons, how to transfer files, how to manage files, etc, etc. The manual isn't that detailed, but it's ok. All you need to figure it out is a little patience and the internet!

Transfer of Files:
Music transfer is really fast. You just cut and paste from where the music file/album is located on your computer into the Cowon a2 "Music" folder unless you want to convert it (which is fast as well). I don't know why you would need to convert a music file since the A2 supports almost all types. Movie transfer took a longer time. I converted all my movie files ( i assume they need to be converted) with jet audio. it takes about 30 minutes or a little less to transfer a 1 hr, 700 mb file. It becomes about 200-400 mb. It handles subtitles easily/well.

Multimedia Management:
The A2 has tree file browsing, the kind used in computers. Although there is nothing wrong with this, I prefer Id3 tag browsing because it looks less messy and is easier in my opinion.

Music:
Music plays great, sound is great. I love all the settings i can fiddle with- equalizer, 3D Surround, MP Enhance, etc. The little bars that move around when music plays is fun =D. There are no pretty bars when playing ogg files though =(. Album art would be nice. I'm also having trouble making the artist name, album name, sometimes even title of the song show up under the CD icon. It says "unknown". Not really a problem with the A2 though.

Movies:
I love watching movies on the A2. The screen is beautiful. I have no problems with it being too dull/not bright enough. It has a large viewing angle. However, it can be hard to see outside in sunlight because of the glass covering the LCD which reflects alot. The screen is small but comfortable to watch. Subtitles are easy and comfortable to read- there are alot of options for this too.

Photos:
I don't use this function much right now. i've put a bunch of wallpapers on the A2 though and they look nice. The A2 comes preloaded with some useful diagrams of the different ports/buttons and how to connect the A2 to different things. Thumbnail browsing would be nice. It also comes with a bunch of subway maps for cities in korea. It made me laugh

Radio:
I like listening to radio, so i'm glad the A2 has one. The reception could be better. you can hold 25 presets, which is more than enough for me. It also has this useful autoscan function which scans for channels with good reception and automatically adds them to the presets. But it also deletes all your preexisting presets!

Text:
I haven't used this function much yet, but i'm sure i will so it's cool the A2 has one. it comes preloaded with some FAQ-ish info about cowon and the A2.

Recording:
i haven't used the record function for TV or voice yet. I don't have much of a need to record from TV since i would probably download it instead. Recording for radio is easy and listen-able.

AV Out:
I haven't AV outted to my TV yet and i don't think i will need to much. i have however played some of the files on my A2 on the computer, full screen, and they are watchable and not too blurry.

Battery:
The battery life is excellent. I haven't had the A2 run out of batteries on me yet and I carry it with me everywhere. It would be nice if the batteries were removable.

Overall:
The A2 is a great player. The number of functions is amazing. I did a lot of research before i ordered the A2 and was looking at the A2, Creative Zen, and Archos 500. I chose the A2 because of its great file compatibility, ability to play subtitles, and attractive design. I also chose it because it's screen is amazing enough for me and because of the good things i've heard about iaudio's sound and service. (except maybe jetcast, which I don't use) The A2 is pricey, but i'm glad i got it. It does everything i want a pmp to do and more =D Most of this info is already mentioned, but i hope it helps some of you prospective buyers anyways!

Order #: 13782