Cowon D2+ 16 GB MP3 Player (Black) Review

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(More customer reviews)First, allow me to clear up some confusion pertaining to the previous review pertaining to the tagged music not playing properly.
I've purchased the 16GB D2+. You can also just put your mp3's (or FLAC, ogg, wma's, etc.) in folders before transferring to the D2+ and then select Folder View on the D2+ too. The previous reviewer hasn't spent much time with his D2+ before deciding to bash it, or was going about it the wrong way :)
As far as video goes - I also have an 8gb Creative Zen (same size screen and color depth) and all my videos I've converted using CloneDVD Mobile and they play on the D2+ perfectly with no audio sync issues, so I'm not sure what "tools" he's used. Cowon also adds a CD to the kit for converting video as well.
For tagging music, MP3Tag or MediaMonkey work fine (leave out the "comments") and they're quick (and also free). I have over 200+GB in FLAC audio files alone and don't have any issues with them playing on the D2+ ...and yes, I've converted some of them them to mp3 to test on the D2+; however, I prefer FLAC, a lossless audio format which the D2+ clearly shows its sound quality benefit, if using high-end headphones.

That being said, the Cowon D2+ is a very customizable unit. You can adjust or change the font colors, add skins, themes, Flash skins and themes (again - free) to change the interface to something different and adds to the fun factor. They can also be changed back quickly to the factory default mode, if desired.
It also offers BBE+ sound enhancements which truly augment the sound in a nice way to emulate different listening environments (if desired, however not needed), unlike the cheap-sounding or distorting sound enhancements of other players.
As mentioned before, I also have the Creative Zen and the Sandisk Sansa Clip. While the Clip is fine if the audio EQ is set flat and is also great for being and uber-portable device (running, gym, etc.), the D2+ just absolutely blows them both out of the water in the sound department once you have the audio settings adjusted to your taste. It also features the strongest amp I know of in a portable music player. As an added bonus, the expandable SDHC card slot integrates the music with the music on the player's internal memory for a seamless listening experience. Just be aware that for a player that does so much, plan on spending some time to play with it in order to bring out all it has to offer, which I can say has been entertaining and enjoyable. It's also well supported in the major online audio Forums - primarily as the D2 version (since it's been around alot longer), but upon reading into it, practically everything that works for the D2 also works on the D2+ without issue.

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Product Description:
Video and audio player with FM tuner, voice recorder, and text and photo viewer 2.5-inch, 24-bit QVGA (320 x 240) touchscreen LCD with 16 million colors Up to 52 hours of music playback (10 hours of video) on one charge SD/SDHC/MMC/MMC-plus card memory expansion DRM-protected content and BBE+ support What's in the BoxCowon D2+ (Black), stylus, earphones, USB cable, Quick Guide, installation CD.

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iriver IFP-790T 256 MB Portable MP3 Player Review

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(More customer reviews)I've owned this player for about three weeks now and am very happy with it. Very nice sound quality and fairly easy to use. There are a few things that put it over other 256MB players in my opinion...

1. UMS FIRMWARE UPGRADE. This is probably the most important thing I'll list. I did this as soon as I got the player and it made it that much better. Contrary to what some other reviewers may say here, you CAN make this device (as well as ANY products in the IFP-700 or 800 series) function as a regular flash drive, and not have to use the included IRiver software to transfer songs. Just go to the IRiver site and/or Google search for the UMS firmware update for this device (currently it is at version 1.28). Once you upgrade the firmware (the instructions are easy to follow on the site) it will operate not only as an MP3 player, but as a portable storage device for ANY type of file you need to transfer. This also makes it MUCH easier to transfer/arrange/rename/delete your files around on the player, as you can do it in Windows Explorer instead of doing it through the onboard player menus.

2. OGG FILE SUPPORT ALLOWS YOU MORE SPACE FOR SONGS WHILE STILL RETAINING HIGH QUALITY SOUND. For those not aware, OGG is a file type similar to MP3, but with better quality and smaller file size - IE, a 128kbps OGG file will sound better than an 128kbps MP3 file. Although it's unfortunate that it won't support any bitrate of OGG, it's a very minor issue. The lowest it will accept is 112kbps, but considering that's practically on par with a 160 kbps MP3, you can fit a lot more songs on here than you could with MP3s of an equivalent quality. I've encoded all my songs at 112kbps in OGG format and it's less than half-full with 32 songs on it - and they all sound very good. Should be able to fit about 70 songs on here no problem, which is more than enough for me since I mainly use this as a workout music player. If you're unfamiliar with OGG files just go to vorbis.com and check out the oggdrop program. Very simple to use, set the bitrate and then just drag and drop wavs to encode them.

3. QUALITY HEADPHONES. While they certainly aren't the best money can buy, they certainly ARE better than most pack-in headphones you get with CD or MP3 players. I see no reason to buy seperate ones. (note - the ones included with this model are the ear-bud type, I'd recommend putting the included foam-ish covers over them to avoid them becoming uncomfortable)

4. BATTERY LIFE. The fact that it uses a AA battery instead of a AAA battery makes it last longer than many other MP3 players. It won't quite reach the 40 hours advertised, but it's certainly well upwards of 30.

5. EXTRAS. Although the included arm-band won't win any awards, and the only bicep I could see it fitting around would be...oh, maybe Rick Moranis', it fits fine around just about anyone's forearm and the headphones are long enough to accomodate just about anyone...I'm 6'6 and it was plenty long enough for me while running. There is also a neck band included if you want to wear it around your neck instead. The documentation with the product is fairly well written, although there are so many menus and little features that some people may feel a bit overwhelmed at first. It also comes with a protective plastic-ish cover which slips over it and attaches to the armband. I just leave the cover on most of the time so the screen doesn't get scratched. Also includes an FM radio and voice recorder which I don't have much use for but will definitely appeal to most people. Finally, it also has a connector cord included if you need to do any direct line-in recording which is another nice feature, but something I don't think I'll ever use.

MY MAIN PROBLEM with this product is the joystick control. The little joystick is...LITTLE. I often find myself hitting up when I want to hit right, or hitting right when I want to push the stick in. Occasionally I'll be trying to turn the volume up and end up skipping to the next track instead. You'll probably want to be sitting still when you are using it, otherwise it may become a baffling ordeal for even the most brilliant among us.

I'd definitely recommend this if 256MB of space is large enough for you. If you encode your files properly like I talked about above you can fit quite a few songs on this. This is mainly used by me as a music player during workouts and so far it has worked great. I may upgrade to the 512MB version someday, but for now this serves me fine. If it weren't for the annoying controls/interface, this would be 5 stars easily.

Click Here to see more reviews about: iriver IFP-790T 256 MB Portable MP3 Player

Product Description:
iRiver iFP-790 combines advanced iRiver sound quality with a stylish, wearable design. It features 256MB of internal memory for up to 8 hours of music, extended battery life up to 40 hours on one AA, a built-in FM tuner and voice recorder. It also records music from any audio source. Plus, this ultra-light, skip-free player can be used to store music or transfer files of any type.Skip-free and sport-readyRecord music from any audio source (no PC required)FM Radio Tuner & RecorderVoice RecorderStore or transfer any file typeUp to 40 hours of battery life

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Apple iPod shuffle 2 GB Purple (2nd Generation) OLD MODEL Review

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(More customer reviews)It took some time, but I finally imported all my 80's rock CDs and my current favorites on my Shuffle.It's so cool that I have about 400 of my all time favorite songs on this little piece of technology, with room to add about 100 more.It certainly brings a smile to my face when I listen - especially with the song shuffle option - I'm listening to 70's Eagles, 80's Def Leppard, 90's Goo Goo Dolls to today's Nickelback with a mix of today's country and pop!I'm about to be 40 and I definitely recommend this to everyone my age.It's very easy to operate and even easier to enjoy.

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Product Description:
The 2 GB iPod shuffle lets you wear up to 500 songs on your sleeve. Or your lapel. Or your belt. And now it's available in your choice of remixed colors. Clip on iPod shuffle and wear it as a badge of musical devotion.
Controls
iPod shuffle pays respect to its bigger siblings with a circular control pad that puts the "go" in ergonomic. Click the center button to play and pause. Click the outer buttons to move back, skip forward, and adjust volume.


Pop the iPod shuffle into the included dock and sync with iTunes. View iPod shuffle dimensions.

The shuffle switch lets you mix up the iPod contents, or play playlists in the order you want. View larger. Clip
Thanks to a built-in clip, iPod shuffle goes with anything. Clip it to your sleeve, lapel, coin pocket. No matter where you wear it, iPod shuffle speaks volumes about your style.
Shuffle switch
Embrace your inner rebel: Flip the shuffle switch to mix up iPod shuffle's contents. Flip it again to play your handpicked playlists and albums in the order you synced them from iTunes.
Battery indicator
Green means go, amber means you're low, and red means you've almost hit zero. But with up to 12 hours of battery life, the iPod shuffle may keep rocking even longer than you do.
Headphone jack
The headphone jack does double-duty as a dock connector. Flip iPod shuffle upside-down and drop it into the included dock. Connect the dock to your Mac or PC for a quick sync and charge. Away from your computer? Charge on the go with the optional Apple USB power adapter.

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Multimedia 256MB MP3 Player, FM Radio, Video Player, Voice Recorder Review

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(More customer reviews)I originally got this MP3 player because I lost my Apple ipod, so I didn't want to spend much.$49 for an replacement MP3 seemed like a reasonable deal.It didn't have the same slick look as the ipod did. But after using it for a few days, I really fell in love with this little MP3 player, and began doubting why I would buy an apple ipod at 4 times the price and less function?I think this MP3 is the best deal, and has much more features than the apple ipod video.
Things I like about it:
1) FM radio has very good reception
2) Voice recorder recordes very well, and easy to use.
3) MP3 play many formats, much better than ipod's limited choices
4) Very small, fits easily in my pants or shirt pocket
5) I really like the dual ear-phone plug design.I can listen to it together with my kids on the airplane.This is a very nicely thought out feature that I didn't expect.
6) The built-in speakers work quite well for its tiny size.
7) All the features for less than 50 bucks!

Things I don't like:
1) The operating instructions was written in English, but written by Martians!It took me a while to figure out what the user's manual was trying to say.
2) It comes in only 2 colors.I got the white, which looks pretty good.But I wish they had a metallic blue one.
3) The welcome video:it's a funny and strange video welcome.You'll see why.But you can change it.

It's also supposed to be able to read e-book, but I don't have ebook so haven't tested that feature.

All in all, this is a great deal.I give it 4 stars.

Click Here to see more reviews about: Multimedia 256MB MP3 Player, FM Radio, Video Player, Voice Recorder

Product Description:
A compact MP3 player that has built-in speakers for listening without a headset! The Player can play MP3, WMA, WAV, MP1, MP2, WMV and ASF formats. Features a brilliant 1.5" 65K color screen for viewing pictures and MPEG-4 video, an FM radio to switch it up a bit, and even a built-in microphone for recording memos to yourself. Includes a USB cable, earphones with neck strap, and charger.

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iriver T60 1 GB MP3 Player (Black) Review

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(More customer reviews)I bought this mp3 player just to see if really iriver is the best brand in digital audio players for the sound quality.i recenly used Creative,Cowon,Apple but they didn't satisfied me for the sound quality issues.So i wanted to find out wht iRiver is so popular?

When you play the music with the default eq you get a standart sound.But when you set the EQ to SRS WOW HD,and calibrate the options FOCUS,TRUBASS,WOW,DEFINITON you get an amazing Clear,powerfull sound from what i listened till now.Of cource with a quality earphone.

But when it comes to battery life T60 is not so strong,finished the AAA battery quicker than 8 hours.
Also i can't understand why the LCD Screen is so small,at least 128x128 would be very nice for this device.The letters are also very small and it is hard to read.T60 has a 5 way joistik controller which is good but not so fast to navigate through folders and playlists asipod nano.

i had problems with the software iriver plus 3 while trying to make playlist and upload music.

LAST THOUGHTS : This player has some quality sound that i never listened before.But if battery life and esay controls(like ipod) are important for you this may not be your choice.

Click Here to see more reviews about: iriver T60 1 GB MP3 Player (Black)

Product Description:
The ultra-portable T60 delivers exceptional sound quality in a uniquely durable and sporty design. The T60 includes everything contemporary customers expect from an MP3 player, including such extras as a 65,000-color LCD screen and a built-in digital FM radio. Users can load BMP picture files onto the T60 to share with friends on the T60's robust screen. In addition to supporting MP3, WMA, ASF, and OGG Q10 music files, the T10 is PlaysForSure verified to support subscription-based music download services, giving you instant, affordable access to millions of songs right out of the box. When it's time to transfer files onto the T10, USB 2.0 connectivity and Windows Media Player 10 compatibility make file transferring a snap. The T60 also supports a mass storage mode.
Other design features include a voice recorder--which is a great feature to record important class lectures or business meetings--an alarm clock, an integrated sport clip, and an easy-to-use jog dial user interface. With 1 GB of internal Flash memory, the T10 supports up to 34 hours of audio playback. Powered by one AAA battery, the T10 is capable of producing 19 hours of audio playback. Compatible with Windows and Mac operating systems, the T10 measures 2.57 by 1.08 by 0.87 inches, weighs just .85 ounce, and comes backed by a 1-year limited manufacturer's warranty.
What's in the Box
Digital audio player, iRiver earphones, USB 2.0 interface cable, printed manual, installation CD, and AAA battery.

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Trekstor 74412 i.Beat emo 2GB MP3 Player Review

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(More customer reviews)I purchased my 2gb Trekstor i.beat EMO from Office Depot for $[...] with a $[...] rebate, which makes the final price $[...]. I was very surprised to find that this is a really good gadjet. The packaging is really top notch, and the player it does everything that it is supposed to. I charged it, and downloaded around 100 songs. It seemed to take around 5 seconds to download each song. I really liked the sound quality. You have 19 EQ presets to choose from. It comes with software to convert MPG, AVI, and WMV to SMV format in order to play video on the unit. I downloaded a couple of free videos from the net and converted them. The software worked quickly, and the download to the trekstor worked perfectly. I was very satisfied with the video playback on the unit. The screen is tiny and the resolution is not the greatest, but I am satisfied with the look of it considering the cost of the player. The headphones are also nice. It has the lanyard that goes around your neck with a clip on holder for the mp3 player. It's nice that you can keep the whole unit together for simple use. It also has an FM radio/recorder. You can record FM broadcasts as well as use it as a voice recorder. I am sure that there are a lot of people that will unfairly compare it to an ipod or other expensive players. This is a great choice for someone looking for a great MP3 player for a giveaway price. You cannot beat this deal for $[...]. I think that it is worth $[...] if you cant find one on sale. The Trekstor EMO looks great and sounds great. You can't go wrong with this one.

Click Here to see more reviews about: Trekstor 74412 i.Beat emo 2GB MP3 Player

Product Description:
TrekStor i.Beat emo (74412), a stylish Video capable MP3 player with an Integrated sharp 1.44" CSTN LCD color display, it not only plays music, but also stores photos and offers video playback as well. Packed with features, emo incorporates a built-in stereo FM tuner, ID3 Tag display, and a Voice Recorder with built-in microphone. Based on Flash Memory storage, the 2GB i.Beat emo can hold about 500 songs, or around 10 hours of continuous listening. In addition to conventional MP3, WMA and WAV files, the new emo player supports WMA-DRM9 (Secured Files) Format for playing songs purchased over the Web. As a movie player, it plays back video in SMV format and can be used to store photos as well. It can also record WAV files directly from the built-in radio. The lithium polymer battery playback is rated at 10 hours and can be recharged via a USB interface. It also features 20 radio station presets with automatic station search, 19 equalizer settings and 5 repeat functions, user-defined equalizer for individualized sound and folder navigation. Additional functions include picture viewer to display photos in JPEG & BMP formats, slide-show function, shuffle function, resume function, delete function, auto shut-off with sleep timer function and much more. The slim player, measuring 1.6" wide x 3.0" tall x 0.47" thick, weighs just over 1 ounce. Suitable for Windows 98(SE), ME, 2000, XP, Vista, Mac OS X, Linux from Kernel 2.6.x. For those who are looking for a state-of-the-art, exceptionally engineered portable player at an affordable price, the i.Beat emo is your best choice.

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COBY MP-C741 MP3 Player w/256 MB Flash Memory & FM Radio Review

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(More customer reviews)I just got the COBY MP-C741 and have used it for a couple of days and I must say that I am impressed by it considering its price.

The package includes the player, headphones, a battery, the manual, a USB to mini USB adapter cable and a mini CD which includes its drivers. It is plug and play in Windows ME/2000/XP and Mac OS X so no drivers are needed, the included mini CD only has the drivers needed for Windows 98.

It has 256MB of integrated flash memory which can store up to 60 songs (at 4 minutes per song) at 128kbps and also plays WMA files (doubles the song capacity at 64kbps). It has an integrated mini USB 2.0 connection for fast downloads, it also supports creating folders as well as drag and drop. It also has a SD/MMC card slot in the battery cover for expanding its memory capacity to up to 768MB by using 512MB SD/MMC cards which can be swapped or changed to add more music.

It also features a navigation option to navigate and find files, the LCD is screen is backlit and can be programmed to display ID tags, file info or lyrics if available on the file. It also has some preset equalizer settings to improve the sound coming out of the player.

It can also function as a portable storage unit and it is not necessary to have a battery installed on it for using this function since it will feed on the USB port allowing you to take large files by putting them either on the integrated flash RAM or an installed SD/MMC card. Since it supports SD/MMC cards it can also be used as a portable card reader as well.

It lasted a whole two days with the included alcaline battery. It runs on a single AAA battery and you can also use AAA rechargeable batteries. The included heaphones while not the greatest they do a good job, you can also connect your own headphones to it if you wish since it has a standard headphone port.

It also has an integrated FM radio with good reception and also lets you store preset stations. The recording function allows to either record from radio or the integrated microphone, the recorded sound is quite clear (when using the medium or better settings) and can be reproduced by either the MP3 player or a computer (uses IMA-ADCPM encoding) and can store up to 16 hours of recorded sound using the best settings in the integrated flash memory.

The case is made of plastic so it has normal resistance and could be prone to scratches (no paint comes off) if not treated properly so I recommend that you get a carrying bag or case for it to keep at its best.

So far, I have no complains about this player or find any cons to its functionality.

Of course, there are a whole lot more options out there when it comes to MP3 players and it all depends on your needs for an MP3 player, the advantage of flash based drives is that they don't skip if moved around constantly (for example while jogging) or have a hard drive that could go bye-bye if dropped.

If you do not need to look at videos or pictures on your player or need to carry several gigabytes of music around, don't like MP3/WMA formats or are pretty annoyed by minuscule scratches (when maltreated) or that it won't make you a latte capuccino, this player is a viable choice.

With MP3/WMA playing capabilities, voice/FM radio recording, FM radio, plug-and-play, drag and drop, mass storage and SD/MMC card reading/memory expansion capabilities you will be hard pressed to find a device that will do all of this while costing around [...].

Hope this is helpful.

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Product Description:
Portable MP3 Digital Player with 256 MB Built In Flash Memory & FM Tuner

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