Archive for Cowon

Cowon D3 Gets Android 2.3 Update

After a long time being held back by Android 2.1, the D3 recently got an upgrade to version 2.3, usually referred to as Gingerbread by the cool kids.

It should make the device faster, more responsive, and improve system stability. Of course Cowon also packed in some new functionality (sleep timer, plug-in codec support, search widget, VoIP) and fixed some bugs under the hood.

Proud D3 owners, head on over to Cowon Global to download the update and give your player a serious boost in usability.

Thanks to Copperface for the tip.

Cowon C2: the Real D2 Successor

Everyone who anticipated the D3 to be a successor to the venerable D2/D2+ was slightly disappointed (same as the X7 has barely anything in common with the older X5). However, Cowon’s product naming scheme barely ever made sense, and the C2 is no exception. Lo and behold, this time around we actually get a successor to the D2.

The C2 comes in four colors, has basically the same screen as the D2 (320×240 2.6″ LCD),  basically the same audio and video codec support (plays most audio, still doesn’t support MP4/h264), the same amount of tactile buttons on top (power/hold is now a button, not a slider), and the D2′s full sized SD slot has been replaced by a MicroSD slot. The C2′s glossy metal back sure looks fetching in product photos, but I doubt it will stay that pristine under real world conditions.

It has no AMOLED screen, no high resolution, probably no capacitive touch screen, no Wifi, no Bluetooth, doesn’t run on Android, or anything else that would go with current trends or would distinguish it much from the years old D2/D2+’s hardware. A speaker on the back is the only new feature, and probably an upgraded version of BBE sound enhancements. Fans of the D2 form factor might still find it a worthy upgrade, but I don’t see overly much incentive in doing so.

The player’s user interface appears to be one of the most cheese-tacky-tastic ones Cowon released so far, besides the V5‘s UI. It provides ‘witty’ or ‘cute’ messages depending on the time of the day. I can see how slogans like “siesta now – after happy lunch” or “thinking about you – all the time” will never get old when one has to look at them constantly on the main screen… well, there’s always custom user interfaces that can fix those Korean cultural differences.

Release in Europe or America? I know as much as you.

Thanks to Mr. Popo for the tip. Korean C2 product page. Via CNET.

Android Market Hack for the Cowon D3

The moment everyone – well, everyone who owns a D3 – waited for is here: Android Market is working on the Cowon D3. Forum member roebeet posted his full installation instructions over at the iAudiophile forums.

It’s not the easiest or most straightforward hack, but anyone should get it working without issues. The hack requires ADB (Android Debug Bridge, from the SDK) and root access (z4root, Superuser) as prerequisites, and some commandline actions. It should be manageable in both Linux and Windows. Since Cowon managed to lock the D3 down properly, this hack will have to be repeated/adjusted for each new firmware version the D3 might get in future.

While it is nice that Cowon employees started posting selected Android apps for download/sideload in our D3 software forum, it sure feels right to cut out the middle man and go for the full, unrestricted Market straight away.

However, there seems to be more to Cowon not supporting Market on the D3 than monetary licensing issues. Unfortunately the D3 runs on a somewhat exotic Telechips processor that isn’t properly supported by many apps available (the ever popular Angry Birds won’t work well on the D3, for example), and it seemingly doesn’t have enough RAM as well. It might have been a bad choice by Cowon to use this processor instead of a well supported, say, TI OMAP… but that’s how it is.

Cowon D3 users now have access to the Market – make the best of it, but don’t be surprised if things don’t work as well as on an Archos tablet or similar.

Update: Cowon representatives posted APKs of alternatives to the official Google Market in our forums: 1MobileMarket, AndAppStore, and Slideme.

Cowon X5 SDXC Mod

Those classic HDD players just won’t go away… Some time ago we already had Godbes’ 128GB SSD ZV:M and my Cowon X5 CompactFlash mod on the front page. Now forum member Razorblader tried a more modern approach to beefing up his venerable X5 – with a state of the art 64GB SDXC card.

One advantage of SDXC over CF would be that it is a more future-proof storage medium, and that it will get huge capacities in the foreseeable future. Can’t wait for the first half-terabyte X5, H300, or ZV:M.

While CompactFlash always was the medium of choice for professional DSLRs and as a cheaper SSD replacement in computers, due to ATA/IDE support, this seems to be changing at the moment – with SDXC cards promising more storage space, almost comparable speeds (for now), and a smaller form factor.

Razorblader used his 64GB SDXC card in an SD-to-CF adapter, then put this contraption in a CF-to-IDE adapter, which finally is connected to the X5′s IDE cable. This sums up to about $120 for 64GB of solid state storage. Not bad at all.

While most such mods are made to players running Rockbox, Razorblader took care to get the stock Cowon firmware working as well, by modifying the master boot record of the SDXC card. Sure is lovely having some BBE sound enhancements with your 64GB of tunes.

Read the full mod instructions in the forum thread.

Cowon V5S, a Less Tacky V5?

Snooping around Cowon’s Korean website I found a new rehash of the V5 PMP, the “Smart Study” V5S. It seems this version is specifically made for the fiercely competitive high-pressure world of Korean education, loaded with lots of gimmicky study apps, dictionaries, and the like. This PMP will probably never see the light of day outside of South Korea, but the V5S’ firmware might be worth a second glance.

One of the main issues of the V5 (as described in our V5 review) is it’s tacky, counterintuitive, backwards user interface. Indirectly, Cowon seem to admit they botched the V5 interface, since the V5S comes with an UI that resembles the Android-powered D3 more than it’s hardware-identical sibling, the old V5. The V5S’ main screen is much tidier than the V5′s, with real icons that actually seem to do something, and main functions don’t seem to be hidden in subcategories as well.

How is this relevant, since the V5S is very likely to be sold in Korea only? Well, maybe the V5S firmware could be put on the V5, since both their hardwares seems to be exactly the same. If it’s not locked down in some way, it might work right away – if not, some hacker might certainly find an easy way to fix that. Of course the V5 is anything but a popular player, so community support is minimal – but who knows, it’s worth a try in any case. Unfortunately my V5 is the only Cowon that ever bricked, so I can’t try the V5S firmware on it.

Cowon V5S product page (Korean) and firmware download.

Update: Rafa got this firmware working on a regular V5. Only the main screen changed, everything else is the same – besides the additional Korean study apps. Read the installation instructions on iAudiophile.

Kizune’s Cowon J3/S9 UCIs: Aero Music and Chakra

I’ve whipped up two short videos to showcase what I personally believe to be the most fetching and useful UCIs (user created interfaces) available for the Cowon J3 and S9 (besides Claw’s venerable S9 UCI). Forum member Kizune really has outdone himself with these projects, combining a great visual style with a high level of usability and generally better logic than Cowon’s default interfaces.

Do not adjust your set, these videos are silent. I spare you the yapping, heavy breathing, and other superfluous background noises.  I prefer letting Kizune’s UCIs talk for themselves. Please provide your own music of choice to go with them, and if you have questions about these UCIs, just ask them in the comments below – or, even better, check out the Aero Music and Chakra forum threads.

Videos after the jump – even in 720p when Youtube isn’t clogged.

Continue reading…

First Cowon D3 UI Videos Appear, Verdict: Laggy

How about some Cowon D3 news for a change? Some user-created UI videos are starting to pop up on Youtube, originating from Korea and Japan, where the player is already available.

First impressions of the UI running on Android 2.1 are less than stellar: that thing seems to be seriously slow and laggy. Makes one wonder what CPU it uses and how much (or little) RAM the D3 is equipped with. I can already see Cowon releasing firmware updates on a weekly basis, as is their usual modus operandi in such situations, hopefully fixing these issues.

Watch some videos after the jump.
Continue reading…

Top 5 MP3 Players of 2010

In a device world where many are lining up behind app stores and music players on phones are taking a portion of the portable audio market, the dedicated MP3 player is far from dead. 2010 was a little bit of a slow year but some really interesting shifts towards these App centric non phone media players is happening. We got a little taste of it this year but will see a lot more of it for 2011.
As for 2010, here are there players that were at the top for 2010.
Continue reading…

Cowon D3 Specs

Forum member aznstriker92 translated the D3′s full spec sheet found on the Korean Cowon site (visit the site for more product photos).

So far, the biggest differences to similar Android PMPs that keep popping up daily seem to be support for BBE sound enhancements, an NTFS file system that supports files larger than 4GB, and a plethora of tactile buttons that should make the D3 a more pocket-friendly audio player on the go.  The 3.7″ 800×480 AMOLED screen is quite hoity-toity as well.

On the downside, Android 2.1 isn’t exactly the most current iteration of the operating system – but knowing Cowon’s modus operandi, this might get updated along the way. Furthermore, 21 hours of battery life for audio playback is a bit low by Cowon’s standards, especially considering their claimed battery life is usually higher than real-life performance. 10 hours of video playback sounds very nice, though.

Without further ado, here’s the full specs for you to drool over, or being indifferent about – it’s all up to you: Continue reading…

The Cowon D3 Becomes Reality

After years of speculation, the Cowon D3 becomes real… sort of. We still have no photos of it, but we know it will be a 3.7″ 800×480 AMOLED capacitive touchscreen device, running on Android 2.1. It will have Wifi and Bluetooth and should be available with up to 32GB internal memory and a MicroSDHC slot.

Of course this new D3 has nothing to do with the D2 and D2+ at all, same as the recently released Cowon X7 doesn’t bear any resemblance to the venerable X5. However, the D3 sure sounds way more exciting than the X7 in general. Can’t wait to hear/see more. Hopefully it will be the first Android device with BBE sound enhancements.

Thanks to forum member slitz for the tip (via AMP3 UK).

Additional info on the Bluetooth SIG Member Site – thanks to forum moderator lebellium.