Cowon's iAudio 9 offers excellent sound, but is it enough to take on the iPod Nano?
(Credit: Donald Bell/CNET)Some people just can't stand the iPod. Maybe an iPod Mini ran over their dog or burned down the family farm, or maybe they just feel fundamentally offended by the idea of using iTunes. Whatever the rationale for rejecting the iPod, companies such as Microsoft, Samsung, Sony, Creative, and others are all jumping at the chance to be your iPod rebound.
And then there's Cowon. A small company whose products are often available only through online retail channels, Cowon has maintained a niche following with customers who value sound quality and extensive format compatibility above all other concerns.
Cowon's latest portable media player, the iAudio 9, is the company's spin on the Apple iPod Nano. Sharing the Nano's same basic shape, with a 2-inch screen and 8GB ($129) and 16GB ($169) capacities, the arrival of the iAudio 9 probably won't be giving Apple any heartburn, but audio connoisseurs have good reason to take notice.
You can read up on my previous blog posts if you're looking for spec info. For the remainder of this piece, I'll just be giving my initial personal impressions.
Right out of the box, the first thing I noticed about the iAudio 9 was how light it feels. At just 1.4 ounces, you can barely tell this thing is in your pocket. Another impression I got right away was how much more masculine the iAudio 9 looks next to the latest candy-coated, rainbow-hued line of iPod Nanos. ... Read more
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The Cowon iAudio 9 is an overdue replacement for our favorite do-everything budget MP3 player, the iAudio 7.
(Credit: Cowon Korea)For years, the Korean brand Cowon has steadily churned out some of the best sounding, most format-friendly media players on the planet. And if the latest round of iPod and Zune coverage had you asking "Where's the XviD support for all my torrents of 'Rock of Love'?" then Cowon may have a new player that's perfect for you (actually, it already does).
The Korean version of Cowon's Web site is showing some teaser images and specs for a new media player called the iAudio 9. Presumably a radical makeover of the iAudio 7 (winner of a 2007 Editors' Choice), the iAudio 9 looks to have the same unique diagonal scroll navigation, along with music, videos, voice recording, photos, FM radio, text, Flash, and TV-out capabilities. Specifically, the iAudio 9 boasts MP3, WMA, WAV, OGG, FLAC, and APE audio format support, along with a truckload of video formats, such as AVI, WMV, XviD, and ASF. Which is not to say you're going to want to watch a ton of videos on the iAudio 9's 2-inch screen--but that's where the TV output may come in handy.
Now for the bad news. Cowon offers no indication of pricing, capacity, or release date. We can't even be certain it's coming to the U.S., so don't get your FLAC-listening, XviD- watching hopes up just yet.
(ViaAnythingButiPod)
We'll admit it, we've got a soft spot for DivX. The much-used video codec started as a hack of Microsoft's proprietary MPEG-4 codec, and was born out of frustration with Microsoft's video-playback lameness. DivX quickly became an important ingredient of Internet video, but in an HD era, something with a little more power is needed. Oh look, here's DivX 7. Just the ticket.
Although the origins of DivX are as a codec, the future is likely to be very different, and revolves around device certification. For example, you might notice that virtually every DVD player on the market now supports DivX playback. Well, the DivX chaps want to do the same with Blu-ray players, but extend the support to HD material too.
DivX 7 has, at its heart, an H.264 video codec and AAC sound. That means video encoded in 1080p will happily play, and if you want to get into the business of making your own video, the encoder tools will allow you to turn your footage into something you'll be able to play on any DivX Plus HD device too.
Hopefully Blu-ray player manufacturers will include the DivX Plus HD certification in future players, which will enable them to play MKV-encoded video. That would allow you to take advantage of downloaded video on your Blu-ray player. It's about time we got some MKV lovin' in the Blu-ray house, and although it's sure to upset movie studios, we're pretty sure the geeks will rush out and buy any player that can pull off such a trick.
Interestingly, MKV support will enable us to play 720p video on our D-Link DSM-330. Although this has been possible for some time with a series of complicated hacks, it's not been something most people would bother with. Our main irritation when we reviewed it revolved around the lack of MKV support, so this makes the 330 an even better buy.
(Source: Crave UK)
(Credit:
Sony)
So it looks like the PlayStation 3 is about a couple years away from becoming self-aware, taking over the world, and making us all its human slaves--if a few of us aren't already.
Sony announced that the v2.60 firmware update for the PS3, released Wednesday, will include many enhancements to the system's media capabilities.
The key feature, according to Sony, is the new photo gallery app, which allows your digital pictures to be organized by criteria including the camera used; event date and time; colors in the photos; and the number, ages, or facial expressions of the people pictured.
Yep, that's right. According to the video, the PS3 will be able to determine the relative age of the people in the photo and whether or not they are smiling.
Also included in the release is guest access to the PlayStation store for non-PlayStation Network members. With this access, they'll be able to check out demos, video, and so on. Sony will also be adding DivX 3.11 support to the system.
I guess in a few more releases we'll be seeing an update that reads our minds, fulfills our deepest desires, and then, when it's gained our trust completely, drops the other shoe, takes over the world, and we're done. Until that inevitable day, we might as well enjoy what we have now.
Check out the video for a walkthrough of the new features.
Toshiba upgrades portable DVD player offerings with 9-inch screen
(Credit:
Toshiba)
Toshiba just announced two new portable DVD players hitting this March. While we weren't thrilled with the SD-P71S, it seems the high-end SD-P93S has gotten quite a makeover.
The P93S will feature a 9-inch 180-degree swivel screen along with a pearl-white finish. In addition to MP3, JPEG, and DivX playback, the unit boasts a five hour battery life. We're also glad to see that Toshiba has
...Read the full post at CNET's CES 2009 blog.
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Read the full JVC KW-NX7000 review.
(Credit: Corinne Schulze/CBS Interactive)The JVC KW-NX7000 isn't cleverly named like its sibling, the El Kameleon, but it is just as cleverly designed. With its smart features, such as the proximity-based interface or the flash-memory-based navigation data, we found the KW-NX7000 extremely easy to use. We didn't like the sluggish iPod navigation or the omission of Bluetooth technology. However, the solid performance and fun little touches, like the custom greeting messages, ultimately made us fall in love with this receiver.
(Credit:
CNET Networks, Inc.)
The simple, blank faceplate of the JVC El Kameleon KD-AVX44 belies a plethora of features, including in-dash DVD/DivX playback, Bluetooth connectivity, and USB digital-audio playback, and that's just the beginning of this receiver's abilities.
Starting December 4, Xbox 360 owners will be able to download the latest dashboard update from Microsoft. While we announced earlier in the month that this update would allow users to download original Xbox titles, this update will also add various additional features to the console's interface. Since dashboard updates are only released bi-yearly, they are usually packed with a hefty amount of changes and this fall update is no different:
- Xbox LIVE Arcade hits: Best-selling Xbox LIVE Arcade games like Marble Blast Ultra and Lumines LIVE will be available at permanently discounted prices.
- New video features: Support for full-screen video previews and, more importantly, support for the DivX video codec (version 5.0 and higher).
- Inside Xbox: A direct newsfeed from Microsoft outlining up-to-the-minute information regarding Xbox LIVE and the Marketplace.
- Enhanced parental controls: New features include a timer that can limit the amount of time a child can play per day or week.
... Read more
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