Ab Work Outs: Cowon D2 - 16 GB Portable Multimedia Player (Black) Review

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(More customer reviews)(Initial Disclaimer:I am a big fan of most Cowon products.)

The D2 is a great A/V player, but I honestly have to say that I can't recommend it to everyone.If you want a flawless GUI, up-to-the-minute firmware, extensive playlist capabilities, compatibility with AAC files, bluetooth connectivity, superior FM radio performance, high-quality stock earphones, and name-recognition, then it is probably not for you.These are all D2 weaknesses.

Fortunately, most of these don't mean much to me.I don't really even care that much for the video capabilities (though they are pretty good for the size of the unit.)I want true drag-and-drop capability for media files, multiple playback formats (including FLAC and OGG,) superior battery life (EVERYONE admits that Cowon owns this one,) high power output at the phones jack, and superior (not necessarily audiophile) sound quality.The D2 has all of this.

I traded up to the 16GB D2 from a 8GB i7 and I must admit that I miss a couple things about the i7.For one thing, the touchscreen is annoying.(Don't misunderstand me...the touchscreen on the D2 works fine.It's just that ALL touchscreens are annoying to me.Would you prefer to use a mouse on your desktop, or to reach up and use a touchscreen monitor?A touchscreen is wasteful of motion, often difficult to use when your finger blocks your view of the screen, and ends up providing you with a nice fingerprint-filled display.Fortunately, the D2 display shows prints only at certain angles and is very easy to clean.)I also like the size and shape of the i7, which, being built like a little brick, has no wide surfaces to stress and no large display to protect.The D2, on the other hand, has a lovely (fairly-large) display and several firmware features missing from the i7.Both models are available in 16GB versions, with the i7 being slightly less expensive than the D2.

The sound quality of the D2 is very comparable to that of the i7, though I would probably give the D2 a slight edge in transparency.The output is more than enough to drive most earbuds, earphones, and low-impedance headphones, but you will definitely need a high-quality headphone amp if you use less-efficient headphones with this unit.My Sony MDRSA3000s and Ultrasone HFI-700DVDs definitely need the help, but my Grados and Ultimate Ears IEMs sound fantastic without the amp.

Frankly, I was looking at both the the D2 and the 16 GB Sony NWZ-A729BLK.The Sony is probably at least as good as the D2 in terms of sound quality and slightly better in its GUI, but the Sony is $60 more than the D2, doesn't have the EQ features of the D2, and won't play FLAC or OGG audio files.(Most of my audio files are encoded with OGG as I find that OGG files usually sound just as good as MP3 files, but with a 20% reduction in size.)

I haven't yet had a chance to check the battery life of the D2, but if it is anything like the battery life of the i7, it will be nothing less than astounding.My i7 will run for more than 35 hours, playing audio continuously.

One last comment...see the cute little pick-shaped stylus that comes with the unit?Do yourself a favor and just leave it in the package.Unlike most PDAs, the stylus does not fit into any sort of slot or recess in the D2.You're supposed to hang it by its little cord around the carrying strap (or somewhere.)Very irritating.It also functions as a little rest that allows you to lean the D2 at two different viewing angles on a desktop or table.The D2 is very unstable when you do this.If I were you, I'd just forget about the using the stylus altogether and use the back of my nail to select items on the screen.

So, there you go.I won't tell you that the D2 is the best thing since canned beer, but it does the things that I want extremely well.If I hadn't wanted to upgrade from 8GB to 16GB, I probably would have stuck with my i7, but the D2 made a lot of sense when I started looking at the avilable flash players.

UPDATE 3/2/2009:A couple more comments after more months of experience.I've seen several comments about database corruption here and I've got to say that I'm puzzled.The D2 builds a database when you turn it on (which causes a delay that some might consider annoying) but I've NEVER had to fool around doing some of the things other reviewers have described (reformatting SD cards, deleting files from the system folder, etc.)It reads MP3 tags just fine and without a hitch.I've used many tools to edit my MP3 tags (including my favorite, MediaMonkey) and they've all worked great.

You definitely want to remember not to change the SD card unless you turn the unit off.It won't hurt anything (I don't think) but the D2 needs to scan the new card to determine what media files are on it and it does this when you turn it on.Just don't plan on popping 1GB SD cards in and out to find your favorite songs.I keep things pretty simple...I keep audio files on the D2 internal memory and then use the SD cards for movies.I find that I can keep 15-20 movies on a single 8GB card.(I'm currently using Gordian Knot to convert the videos and it works fine.)

Battery life continues to be phenomenal.I have only dropped to a single battery segment on the indicator once or twice.

I use a rubber (silicone?) skin and a screen protector, rather than an actual case.Works great and I have zero scratches on the screen or unit.Unlike some other players, the D2 will use basically any mini-USB cable or charger to connect.I normally charge it on trips using my Motorola Razr charger.

I've done two firmware upgrades since I bought the D2 and neither one erased my media files from the unit.I'm not suggesting you take a chance, but my files survived just fine.

You can get an adapter which allows you feed the composite video and analog audio to a TV and/or stereo system.You would be shocked by the picture and sound quality you can get doing this.A lot of my movies are converted to 480p image, which is more than adequate for a standard (non-HDTV) TV set.This is really cool when you're on vacation.

While my fingertips work fine on the UI, flipping your finger over and using a fingernail is more practical.I also use a standard pen (not the writing tip) even if it's made of metal.The screen protector keeps you from scratching the screen at any normal pressure.The little stylus they give you continues to be virtually worthless, though I'll admit that there have been times I would have liked to have used it as a stand for the D2 while I was on a plane.Holding it in your hand can cause a bit of a cramp.

My SDHC cards work fine in the D2, though I've only tried 8GB and smaller cards.I don't see any difference in the speed with which the D2 accesses the files, regardless of what type or size SD media I use.

The biggest gripe remains the lack of a playlist feature.I just don't understand why Cowon is so hardheaded about this.You don't have true playlists on newer Cowon units, either.

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Product Description:
Take your media everywhere with the versatile Cowon D2-16BL 16 GB Portable Media Player. Features include a 2.5-inch LCD touchscreen, wide video and audio file format support, audio recording via internal microphone or line-in jack, FM radio, clock/alarm, TV output, and more--all in an ultra-portable package.
Take your media everywhere. View larger.
The D2 supports SD, MMC, and MMC-plus flash memory via the built-in SD card slot, so you'll never run out of memory. View larger.
The stylus doubles as a stand for extended viewing.
Compact Size. Jumbo View.
The D2's touch-sensitive, 16-million color 24-bit 2.5-inch LCD screen maximizes your viewing experience. Enjoy finer details and richer colors from your movies and images. Also, sharing memories with your loved ones has never been easier. Watch it, read it, and view it on your big screen TV or high-resolution monitor using the TV output.
Touch screen interface.
Use the D2's stylus touchpen for navigating your player's contents. It also doubles as a kickstand for extended viewing. The "Virtual Click" overlay navigation function lets you enjoy the convenience of navigating through the other contents in your player while watching video. Detailed information, such as file size, pixel, and format, can be viewed while browsing through files. The direct searching feature allows you to move instantly to the position you've clicked on from the progress bar while you're playing music or movies.
Format Freedom
Don't limit yourself. In addition to 320 x 240 30fps (frames per second) QVGA videos, the D2 will play MP3, WMA, OGG, FLAC, APE, and WAV file formats. ID3 support lets you browse your files by artists, genres, and albums. Use the screen to view lyrics while listening to your favorite tunes. Enhance your experience with customizable EQ, bass boost, and stereo effects. The MP Enhance feature compensates for sound quality lost in compression. Cowon's JetAudio VX software is used to create high-compression files for quality playback on Cowon D2, and use Jetshell to play and manage your multimedia library
Plenty of Room
In addition to the on-board 16 GB of storage, the D2 supports SD, MMC, and MMC-plus flash memory via the built-in SD card slot, so you'll never run out of memory. Transfer files freely from/to other digital devices, such as digital camera, PDA, and more.
Hours of Power
The D2's rechargeable battery provides up to 10 hours of video, and up to 52 hours of music on a single charge. Wherever you go, free yourself from worrying about interruption of your music. The D2 can be charged via USB cable or standard wall adapter.
Recording Features
The built-in microphone optimized for voice recording can be used to easily record meetings and lectures. Line-in recording capability allows recording of sound output from CDP, MD, TV, and other playback devices. Use the clock to schedule recording of FM radio.
Tools of the Trade
Cowon's JetAudio VX software is used to create high-compression files for quality playback on Cowon D2. Jetshell is capable of playing and managing of various multimedia allowing seamless integration of multimedia library.
Take Your Data, Too
Cowon D2 is automatically recognized as a removable disk when you connect it to your PC via the USB cable. USB 2.0 supports transmission of maximum 40 Mbps speed.
What's in the Box
Cowon D2-16BL 16 GB Portable Multimedia Player (Black), stylus, earphones, USB cable, AC adapter, QuickGuide, installation CD.