A huge fan of new technology, especially portable gaming devices. Part of the reason is that I think manufacturing companies focus too heavily on features without thinking about usability. The battle of my life is my favorite example. It doesn’t matter how amazing your portable media player is – if the battery dies in 2 hours, you’re a crappy machine.
So when I was looking for a portable media player and found the Cowon Touchable D2, I got excited. The smallest device had a battery rating of 10 hours for viewing and an amazing 52 hours music – enough for a full day< /a> of videos or 3 to 5 full days of music before ordering. I immediately made a purchase.
For Cowon D2
Obviously the battery life of the Cowon D2 is simply incredible. Although I never watch enough for 10 hours, 8 to 9 hours was not a stretch at all, and music never disappoints. Its battery life meant that I could take the portable player with me on holiday and skip the charger altogether. To be admired.
The sound quality of the Cowon D2 is equally impressive. I could hear a background melody in my audio files that I didn’t know was there. It supports almost every codec imaginable, although interestingly it doesn’t support DRM files, so you’ll need to rip or torrent your CDs. Your iTunes account is not valid here.
Another feature of the Cowon D2 that I liked the most is the ability to drag and drop music and videos at will. Because I also had to deal with the funny iTunes syncing software for my iPhone, the D2 is easy to use drag and drop. Reason is a welcome relief.
The design – although small – is comfortable, sleek, and fits easily in your pocket. I bought a rubber screen from eBay, but only because I was worried about the light and polished design. That seems pretty durable. The touchscreen is user friendly and responsive. Perhaps my favorite part of the Cowon D2 is the price – I bought mine for just $125, and even though it’s an “old” product in terms of technical standards, I’d say it’s comparable to some of the better players still out there.
Cons Cowon D2
The Cowon D2 is not without some faults. The screen itself is very small at only 2.5 inches. Even though it’s an LCD and the color is phenomenal, I still squint a little to follow details, especially in widescreen video.
Flash player is also abysmal for games, so just don’t fight. Not a great text reader either and although I loved the photo album feature, I’d argue it’s a bit useless when few people use these tiny they look at pictures while listening to music. I looked at my dog, nothing more.
Finally, the concepts that come with the Cowon D2 should be restored, especially with the expensive prices that allow you to really appreciate the music.
Super Thoughts
I’ve tried a lot of portable media players before, and what’s more, the Cowon D2 is my favorite. These days I tend to use my iPhone more because I need it for work, but I think the Cowon D2 is a more serious music and video device, even though it’s smaller, bigger and less rich. If they ever make a Cowon D2 phone, my iPhone will be on eBay within 24 hours.
