Cowon iAUDIO U3
MP3 | February 11th, 2008
The Cowon iAudio U3 is virtually identical to its predecessor, the Cowon iAudio U2, though a bit fatter. The Cowon iAudio U3 is virtually identical to its predecessor, the Cowon iAudio U2, though a bit fatter. It has a slightly larger version of the same small four-way joystick, the same line-in and headphone jacks at one end, and the same USB port at the other end. But the buttons along the top have changed slightly–and for the better. In addition to record and play/pause controls, there’s now a menu button for quick and easy access to onscreen options. The iAudio U3 also bears a hold switch. We’d say that this new joystick is a tad mushier than the iAudio U2’s pinpoint control.
Cowon’s iAudio U3 is a huge improvement over the iAudio 5 (reviewed in our May 2005 issue). The U3 is $40 more expensive, but it’s made of a considerably higher-grade plastic and now includes a 20-hour rechargeable battery. With its 262,000-color, 1.2-inch screen, the U3 can display JPEG images and MPEG-4 videos. It also sounds good, thanks to the 3D Surround setting. The iPod nano offers 1GB more storage for an additional $10, but we think the U3’s extra features (including an FM tuner and a voice recorder), lighter weight, and stellar performance justify the premium.
The iAudio 7 also includes a user-customizable EQ and has a respectable signal to noise ratio: 95 dB. In fact, it has some of the best audio quality of any of its competitors. Users can upload photos for viewing or use them to customize the screen background. The iAudio 7 is even capable of displaying text documents (.txt), making it possible to view documents on the run.One of the best features of this player is that it is compatible with both Windows and Macintosh operating systems, which isn’t common in the world of flash MP3 players. And to top it all off, the iAudio 7 comes with all the little extras like clock, alarm, calendar and sleep timer functions.
Features
MP3, OGG, WMA, ASF, FLAC, WAV, Moving Picture Playback,
FM Radio Receiver and Recording, Voice Recording, Line-In Recording
TXT (Text), JPEG (Image) File Viewer (Image Enlargement, Background Screen Designation)
Built-in Flash Memory (512MB/1GB/2GB/4GB)
USB 2.0 Interface
260,000 Colors TFT-LCD, Resolution 160×128
Long Playback Time : Up to 20 hours playback(Based on company’s self-test, The playing time may be shortened according to LCD usages.)
Multi language support
Enhanced Integrated Navigator
Play/Pause, Recording/Pause While Recording
Next Song/Previous Song, Fast Forward/Rewind, Section Repeat
Resume, Fade-In, AutoPlay Features
Search Speed, Skip Speed Setup
Volume (Digital 40 Levels)
Various EQ and Sound Field Effects
- User-Adjustable 5-Band EQ
- Normal, Rock, Pop, Jazz, Classic, Vocal, User
- Supports BBE, Mach3Bass, MP Enhance, and 3D Surround.
Clock, Alarm, Timer Recording, Sleep Function, Power Saving Shut down.
LCD Auto Off Time Adjustment, Brightness, and Contrast Adjustments
Easy Firmware Upgrade
Supports ID3V2, ID3V1, FileName
Product Info Display (Firmware version, Memory Capacity/Usage)
Supports MAC OS (Data transfer only), Supports Linux v 2.2 or higher (Data transfer only)
Software
- jetShell (File transfer, MP3/WMA/WAV/AUDIO CD PLAY)
- jetAudio VX (Integrated multimedia player software, music/video conversion feature)