Cowon O2 16 GB Video MP3 Player (White) Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)I've owned this device for about 3 months and I use it daily. It's reliable and very easy to use.

The equalizer settings differ greatly and can be used to enhance everything from music to speech. Unfortunately, there is no EQ support in Video mode.

My favorite features are the "boot resume" and "recent files" options. If you decide to turn off the player, when you turn it on again, you will return to the exact spot you left (boot resume). You can also resume any file (mp3, text, video) where you left off by simply navigating to it in the recent files folder. This is very convenient if you are listening to a podcast and decide to switch to a music, video, or text file and then back again.

The player is also capable of multi-tasking, which I use to listen to music while I read text. I'm finishing my second book in the text format. The screen is backlit, and displays text in a lined page format, which makes reading easier. There are font options - including size, ratio, color, attribute and brightness settings. And of course, it automatically remembers where you left off. I read .txt versions of books from Project Gutenberg and Manybooks.net.

The stylus is very easy to use (I attached it to the device with the elastic cord provided for this purpose) and the screen is very responsive. The stylus also doubles as a 2 position stand, although most of the time I dock the 02 in a small metal picture display stand - a perfect angle for viewing videos.

The 02 will play almost any audio & video format. It has no problems decoding FLAC and AVIs look terrific. There are options for auto aspect ratio, as well as manual overrides for 4:3 and 16:9.

I really appreciate the easy drag and drop and the ability to create my own folders and sub-folders.

The SD card also works flawlessly. Just be sure to access it through the main folders (Music, Videos, Pictures, Documents). The SD card slot and TV out are protected by a hinged door.

I made a leather pouch to carry the device around, with a neck strap that allows me to wear it. Push the power switch up and it locks the device so you don't inadvertently change settings, but you can set the device to allow volume change in the locked position. The only negative here is that the volume control is on the right side and the headphone jack is on the left side. If you want to wear the device in a pouch or in your pocket, you won't be able to access the volume control unless you have the phone jack pointing down (I use headphones, not earbuds, and my cable is too rigid to fit; a more flexible cable may work).

You can also manually set the LCD and system power off. This allows you to pause a file, go do something else and return within a reasonable amount of time without having to reboot.

ID Tags are NOT supported so you must search by folder - not by artist, genre, etc.

I also own an Ipod Touch. Although in certain aspects it is prettier than the 02, I'm often frustrated by how controlling its OS can be. With the 02, I feel I'm in charge of the player, not the other way round. I rarely use the Ipod for music or videos, because I hate that I can only sync with one computer; with the 02 I can drag and drop any file from anyone's computer via USB (unless the file is DRMed, of course).

All in all I am really enjoying the 02.

Click Here to see more reviews about: Cowon O2 16 GB Video MP3 Player (White)

Product Description:
Cowon continues to master the personal media player with the O2. The player's sleek minimalism marries cutting-edge technology with simple, sophisticated details. The O2 is much more than an eye-catching MP3 player--it boasts support for more audio and video codecs than you can count on both hands, a brilliant 4.3-inch touchscreen, image and document viewing, voice recording, and plenty more. The O2 is a compact and versatile media player that'll keep you entertained no matter where, no matter when.

Sleek minimalism marrying cutting-edge technology with simple, sophisticated details. Click to enlarge.
Navigate with ease using the 4.3-inch touchscreen LCD. Click to enlarge.
Sample UI screens. Click to enlarge.
Also available in black and pink versions. Click to enlarge.
View a control diagram. Click to enlarge.
A quick glance at the O2 will make you want to pick it up--it's nearly all screen, with its 4.3-inch, 16.7-million color touchscreen TFT LCD. This makes for quality viewing and easy navigation. Surrounding the screen are various input/output options, the volume control, power switch, and speaker on the back.
You'll also notice a slot for SD cards, which lets you expand your 16 GB capacity on the fly. Of course what really counts is what you can pack into all that storage...
Enjoy Video in Nearly Any Popular Format or Codec
Anyone with an extensive collection of digitized audio and video knows that things are far from cut and dried. Depending on sources and preference, you might have a slew of different formats on your hard drive. With a lot of media players, you might spend hours just converting everything to the proper format for playback on your device--more waiting, less watching. Not so with the O2, which boasts native support for AVI, WMV, ASF, MP4, MATROSKA(MKV), OGM, MPG/MPEG, DAT, and MTV video formats.
And then, of course, don't forget the compression codecs. Everyone's got their favorite way to squish video down to a size that makes sense for portable players. The O2 can handle DivX 3.11/4/5/6, XviD, MPEG-4 SP/ASP, WMV 9/8/7, H.264, M-JPEG, and MPEG 1 video codecs, along with the following audio codecs for the accompanying soundtrack: MPEG1 Layer 1/2/3, WMA, AC3, OGG Vorbis, FLAC, BSAC, True Audio, WavPack, G.726, and PCM. Quite a list, but it's one that any media geek would be happy to hold in his or her hands.
Regardless of file format and codec, you'll enjoy up to 8 hours of continuous video on a single charge. Whether you're on a transatlantic flight, a subway commute, or just hanging out at some coffee shop, you have plenty of video time at your disposal.
Support for Your Digital Music Library
Just as with video, everyone has a unique approach to digitizing their music libraries. Some are happy with low-bitrate MP3s, and others insist on lossless compression formats like FLAC for a higher-quality audio experience. No matter your preference, chances are you'll be covered here as well--the O2 gives you up to 8 hours of continuous audio on one charge, and will play back MP3/2/1, WMA, ASF, AC3, FLAC, OGG, M4A, MATROSKA(MKA), TTA, APE, MPC, WV, and WAV audio files, with full support for the following audio codecs: MPEG1 Layer 1/2/3, WMA, AC3, OGG Vorbis, FLAC, BSAC, True Audio, WavPack, G.726, PCM.
Whatever you use to tag your files with artist info will show up on screen as well, with support for various meta tags, from all versions of ID3 to Vorbis comment or APE tag. LDB lyrics files also are supported for the lyrics-obsessed.
Getting the sound you like is no problem either. In addition to a 10-band graphic equalizer, the O2 features four "JetEffect" audio technologies to help you improve your sound:

View Your Photos, Documents, and More
The O2 also happens to be a powerful photo-viewing device, and as with audio and video, it doesn't limit you to just a few formats. Share your favorite JPG, GIF, PNG, TIF, BMP, and even RAW images on the go, and personalize your device by setting your wallpaper to your favorite JPG, PNG, BMP, or TIF image.
The O2's text viewer lets you view pretty much any text file, and you can add support for all kinds of standard docs, whether it's PDF files or various Microsoft Office formats (DOC, PPT, XLS). And since the product supports true-type fonts, you can adjust the font size, character spacing, color, and properties to your preference.
Microphone In, AV Out
Use the built-in microphone to take voice memos, record lectures or meetings, sing melodies, or whatever tickles your voice-recording fancy.
The composite output (cable sold separately) lets you enjoy your O2 content on most TVs, whether NTSC or PAL video.
What's in the Box
Cowon O2 16 GB Video MP3 Player (White), Earphones, AC adapter, USB 2.0 Cable, Manual, Stylus/Mini Holder, CD, Quickguide