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Give your keys the sound quality they deserve with the iAudio E2 MP3 player.

(Credit: Donald Bell/CNET)

Proving that good things come in small packages, the 4GB Cowon E2 MP3 player ($64.99) delivers outstanding, iPod-crushing sound in a space no larger than a key ring. In fact, the big metal ring built into the top of the E2 can literally attach to your key ring. It can't clip, though, so fitness types will need to find a way to get the E2 on a necklace, wrist strap, or carabiner (none are included).

Aside from the lack of a built-in clip, the Cowon E2 further distinguishes itself from the iPod Shuffle by including actual buttons for volume and track skip control. The right edge offers a small square power button along with a rocker switch for track skip control. The same button configuration is mirrored on the left side, only the rocker controls volume and the small button toggles the shuffle mode with a long press and flips through JetEffect EQ presets with short presses.

The buttons are handy compared with the iPod Shuffle's headphone remote, but Cowon didn't exactly go out of its way to distinguish the buttons from one another. Beyond a few faint, gray icons, there's practically no way to tell the buttons on the left side of the E2 from the ones on the right. Without squinting directly at the device, something as simple as a change in volume has a 50 percent chance of turning into a track skip.

Cowon iAudio E2--photos

Compared with the iPod Shuffle, the inclusion of Cowon's phenomenal EQ presets (eight in total) offers a distinct advantage in sound quality. In a nod to the iPod Shuffle's VoiceOver feature, each EQ preset is announced in a pleasant recorded female voice. Unfortunately, the same voice feature doesn't apply to song information, so the track, album, and playlist navigation available on the third-generation iPod Shuffle (or any Sansa Clip) isn't available on the E2--tracks are either shuffled or played in sequence--that's it.

All in all, though, the Cowon iAudio E2 packs great sound into a stylish design that's sure to turn some heads when people see you listening to your key chain. A rated battery life of 11.5 hours is just about what we'd expect from a player this small. We have a slideshow below. Stay tuned for a full review.

The iAudio E2 from Cowon offers an interesting alternative to the iPod Shuffle. Hey, at least it has buttons.

(Credit: Cowon America)

Is the iPod Shuffle just a little too boring for you? If you like your MP3 players small, cheap, and stylish, but prefer actual buttons to Apple's odd headphone-clicker voice navigation, the iAudio E2 from Cowon may be just the thing--that is, once someone can explain to us how it works.

On sale for the first time today, the 4GB iAudio E2 is priced at $64.99 from Jetmall. The key-ring-shaped MP3 player is 1 inch wide by 2.5 inches tall by and 0.3 inch thick, and is meant to be worn on a necklace. Like the iPod Shuffle, the E2 is an audio-only device, but tackles a different range of audio formats (MP3, WMA, FLAC, Ogg, WAV).

Like most MP3 players out of Cowon, the real clincher is audio quality. A total of 8 JetEffect audio enhancement presets are included (BBE, BBE VIVA, BBE VIVA2, BBE Mach3Bass, BBE MP, BBE Headphone, BBE Headphone2, BBE Headphone3) to squeeze your music for all its worth. A built-in voice guide is used to browse and select from the sound enhancement presets.

It all sounds great in theory, but there's no telling how well the E2's navigation works until we get our hands on it. At least it looks like there are a few real buttons, which might make up for the confusing hieroglyphics on the front. Right off the bat, though, I have to say that 11.5 hours of battery life isn't exactly dazzling. Also, lack of AAC support is going to be hard to swallow for iPod expats.

Will the Cowon iAudio 9 make a dent in iPod Nano sales? Not likely, but it keeps things interesting.

(Credit: Cowon America)

If last month's teaser of the Cowon iAudio 9 portable media player left you frozen in a state of awe, then we have good news. Our sources at Cowon have confirmed that the iAudio 9 is headed for U.S. shores in a matter of days.

At launch, Cowon will have one color (black) of the iAudio 9 on sale in the U.S., available in 8GB ($129) and 16GB ($169). No, it's not a tremendous savings over the Apple iPod Nano, but if you're looking for something that plays nice with FLAC, Ogg, Flash, and XviD files--the iAudio 9 is one of the best bargains around. More than anything, though, you're paying for Cowon's sound technology, which we expect will sound just as amazing as Cowon's other BBE-enhanced players.

The full list of iAudio 9 specifications are available from Cowon's Web site. Aside from the audio format support (MP3, FLAC, Ogg, WAV, APE, WMA) and codec support for XviD and WMV video content (sized at 320x240 pixels), the iAudio 9 also boasts a capacitive touch navigation strip (similar to the iAudio 7), 2-inch screen, composite video output (cable required), Flash Lite support (games), FM radio, text reader, photo viewer (JPG), and voice recorder. Cowan rates the iAudio 9's battery life at 29 hours for audio and 7 hours for video.

What it doesn't have, however, is the iPod Nano's video camera, pedometer, VoiceOver, video rentals, or accessory support--which pretty much ruins Cowon's chances at making much of a stir here. Still, for those who value audio quality above all else, this could be just the Nano-size music player you've been waiting for.

Stay tuned for a full review in the next few weeks. Until then, hit the photo gallery for more eye candy.

Cowon iAudio 9 photos

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)

Cowon's 16GB iAudio 7 MP3 player can now be had for $209.

(Credit: Corinne Schulze/CNET Networks)

Was it something I said? I know I called the Cowon Q5W portable video player pricey, but let's not be dramatic about it. Chalk it up to a prespring cleaning, I guess, but Cowon has dropped the MSRP on all its products--even the A3 and the Q5W, which I just finished reviewing. New pricing is up on its JetMall site, where the company is also offering the Q5W's GPS cradle free with purchase (reg. $199). Most notably, Cowon has shaved $40 off the price of the Q5W and put the 16GB version of the iAudio 7 down to $209.

Why not?

(Credit: Cowon, Inc.)

Our recent Editors' Choice MP3 player might be getting a significant boost in storage capacity. A press release on Cowon's Korean Web site lays out the details for a 16GB version of the iAudio 7, as well as a version of the Cowon D2 that's been beefed up to 8GB and is capable of using 8GB SD expansion cards. No word yet on pricing or availability in the United States. Along with Creative's announcement of its 16GB Zen V Plus last week, there's a good chance that 16GB players will be filling the shelves for the holidays.

The iAudio 7 is the Swiss Army Knife of MP3 players.

(Credit: Corinne Schulze / CNET Networks)

Our review is up, and the results are in--Cowon's latest player, the iAudio 7, snagged a CNET Editors' Choice award. This little guy has just about every feature you'd want in an ultracompact MP3 player, plus a rechargeable battery life rated at an incredible 60 hours. You'll have to read the CNET review to get all the details.

Or, if you don't care about details and just want some eye candy, then take a gander at our official Cowon iAudio 7 slide show. If you want a slightly less polished tour, then here's a slide show of when we first saw the unofficial version of the iAudio 7 (includes comparison shots of the iAudio 6).

iDespair

(Credit: CNET Networks)

OK, so I get the iMac, the iBook, the iPod, iTunes, and even (grudgingly) the iPhone. Apple thought up the moniker, so we can't begrudge them for expanding on the very successful franchise. But the iTrip, the iRiver Clix and Cowon's range of iAudio products tested the limits of my patience. And I could have held my tongue if BMW's iDrive had been the end of iOpportunism.

But when I noticed the iLoad--a device for ripping CDs and DVDs to iPod without a computer--on Senior Editor Donald Bell's desk this morning, I felt the need to vent. Is the future of consumer electronics destined to be prefixed with "i"? Do product managers and marketing departments have so little imagination as to think they can get away with tacking an "i" in front of anything they dream up?

We are working on a roundup of iGnominy here at Crave, so please feel free to share any more egregious examples you may have come across.

The Cowon iAudio 7 is here and ready to play. Click the photo to see our slide show.

(Credit: Donald Bell / CNET Networks)

We reported earlier on Cowon's announcement of their flash-based iAudio 7 MP3 player, and now we have the photos to prove it exists. We've heard directly from Cowon that the iAudio 7 will be available for purchase in the U.S. the first week of July. The product we received is still not the finished version, so we can't subject it to a real review yet. So far, it looks and behaves nearly identical to its microdrive predecessor, the iAudio 6. That's not such a bad thing, given what an outstanding player the iAudio 6 was. It's a little surprising, however, that the player's thickness hasn't come down at all, now that they've tossed out the microdrive. It also seems to weigh exactly the same.

Regardless, the real substance of this upgrade isn't cosmetic--it's the rated battery life of 60 hours and the increased reliability that comes with flash-based memory. The only player that can really beat the iAudio 7 on battery life is the MobiBlu B153, which can handle 153 hours of playback, but maxes out at a 2GB capacity and is relatively light on features. By comparison, the iAudio 7 has features in spades, including support for FLAC and OGG file formats, Janus DRM support for online music rental services, and an amazing suite of EQs and sound enhancements. We should get a real price on this soon.