Cowon S9: A Review

MP3 and MP4 players are not only treasured by the youngsters, but there is a surging trend in grown-ups, too, regarding likeness for media players. Markets are filled with media players of every size, shape, color, specs and features. The media player market is so much over crowded that one gets confused about what to choose and what not to choose. For those who think that media player means iPod, I am going to provide a review of pretty nice media player known as Cowon S9.

Let us have a look at the specifications of Cowon S9:

Specs:

• Dimensions: 2.2(W) x 4.17(H) x 0.5(T) inch
• Weight: 2.7oz (battery included
• Operating temperature: 0 degree C ~ 40 degree C
• Type: Touchscreen
• Display: 16million colors, 3.3″  16:9 Wide AMOLED, 480×272
• System requirements: Pentium III 500Mhz or higher
• Linux v2.4 or higher (support only for data transfer)Operating system: Windows Vista/ XP / 2000 / ME ; MAC OS 10.X/
• Video feature: Capacitive Touchscreen interface
• Audio channel: stereo
• Audio Frequency range: 20Hz ~ 20KHz
• Max output: Stereo, Left 29mW + Right 29mW (16 Ohm earphones)
• S/N ratio: 95dB
• Memory capacity: 4GB/8GB/16GB/32 GB, FAT32 file system
• USB interface: USB 2.0 High Speed
• Bluetooth version: Bluetooth 2.0 + EDR
• Bluetooth profile: A2DP, AVRCP Profile
• FM radio frequency range: 87.5~108 MHz (KR,US,EU), 76~108 MHz (JP)
• Buttons: six POWER&HOLD Switch, FF, REW, VOL+, VOL-, PLAY
• Movie player: File format AVI, WMV, ASF; Video codec Xvid SP/ASP, WMV 7/8/9 SP/MP, DivX 3/4/5; Video resolution 480×272, 30 fps (recommended); Playback time Approx. 11 hours
• Music player: File format MP3/2/1, WMA, FLAC, OGG, WAV, APE; EQ 5 Band, EQ Filter; STE Stereo Enhance; Lyrics LDB 1.0, 2.0; Playback time Approx. 55 hours.
• Recording: Support built-in microphone recording and line-in recording
• Photo: File format JPG; Resolution Unlimited (excluding Progressive jpeg format)
• Document: File format TXT; File size Unlimited
• Extras: Flash player, Calculator
• Battery: Built-in rechargeable lithium polymer battery
• Price range: $209.00 – $299.00 (subject to variation according to time and location)

Features:

It is an eye catching media player which is amazingly light weighted. The AMOLED display is awesome and renders fine quality picture. The plastic casing at sides and back makes it lightweight though, but it also feels a cheap product at times. It is almost half the weight of latest iPod Touch. Backside is dark plastic (which conceals the smudges and fingerprints quite well), whereas the whole front has been covered in a clear and quite scratch-resistant plastic. Touch sensitivity of the OLED display is nice. As we all know that OLED consumes less power as well as there is no need for a backlight; thus the Cowon S9 is very lightweight and thin, too.

One of the finest features is its user interface. Lay out of menu is nice, and items are nicely spaced. Also, the touch interface is quite responsive to touches. Other main features include Bluetooth audio, an FM radio with recording, voice recording, a text reader, and a Flash media player for gaming. A wide range of video and audio formats are supported. Sound quality is splendid and can be matched with certain high end media players.

Pros:

• Excellent sound/video quality
• OLED screen
• Thin and lightweight
• Responsive touch screen
• Bright screen
• Recording facility

Cons:

• No multi-touch support
• Cheap feel because of plastic material
• Non-standard 20-pin USB connector
• No H.264 support

Final words:

This is fine media player that competes well with the high end media players like iPod Touch. It is not going to disappoint the users as we hope.