Engadget Review: X7

[k5r2an]

http://www.engadget.com/2010/12/01/cowon-x7-pmp-review/

I'm surprised that engadget didn't completely rip on the X7. Maybe it isn't as bad as it seems to be?

[CrowdAds]

[dfkt]

They didn't rip the V5 either (while even CNET wrote a negative review about that one).

[Marvin the Martian]

They gave it an 8/10....now we need an ABI review!

[glove4]

I keep trying to suppress it but I remain interested in this thing. This review makes me even more likelier to splurge at some point.

[The DarkSide]

It's calling to me,...

[nodirectionhome]

it's still too big.

[Urne]

I was considering this one, since I am looking for something with a nice big screen. The low resolution and the design is what turns me off tho.

[ih8m4a]

I was just looking at this too. I really want something with this kinda capacity, but I only want it for music.

My concern would be accessories. I would like a car (cig lighter) charger/power adapter as I mostly listen in the car.

Also, what kind of interface does it have for transferring music? I just want drag and drop and no proprietary file BS or DRM crap.

[The DarkSide]

The device will have a USB cable that can be used w/any generic cig lighter USB charger. I have 1 in my car that I use for quite a few different devices, in cluding my mp3 players AND my phone. Besides, the battery life on the X7 is INSANE!!!

[Xinz]

Given the $319.99 retail price, the 160GB unit represents a ~$70 upcharge over the 160GB iPod classic -- a unit with a far smaller display, worse audio quality, fewer supported formats (the X7 handles MP3, WMA, FLAC, OGG, APE, and WAV) a battery that's not even half as good and a deadly requirement to use iTunes.

Well that is one sentence that contains what I consider as truth(almost)

[Future Tomorrow]

Originally Posted by ih8m4a

I was just looking at this too. I really want something with this kinda capacity, but I only want it for music.

My concern would be accessories. I would like a car (cig lighter) charger/power adapter as I mostly listen in the car.

Also, what kind of interface does it have for transferring music? I just want drag and drop and no proprietary file BS or DRM crap.

Accessories - http://www.meritline.com/showLargImage.aspx?sku=254-948 - found in your local Marshalls and Ross etc for dirt cheap. Though I don't believe these will last long. Branded as a Travelocity package.

Transferring files - you have several options here and are not limited like iTunes etc. Yes drag and drop is supported...unless of course you own a MAC then you might want to think twice about this buy overall.

[dfkt]

Originally Posted by Marvin the Martian

They gave it an 8/10....now we need an ABI review!

I might get one for a review, or so I heard... but I'm fairly confident I know what the X7 actually does/is, even without holding one in my hands. I've had enough Cowon players over the years to go out on a limb here.

It's already clear that the X7 is based on the S9/J3 heritage, not on the horrible O2/V5 firmwares. So it certainly shouldn't suck much from a usability standpoint. Even if the UI is on the cheesier side of things, once more.

The bad parts are the lack of tactile buttons, the awful outdated screen (same as O2) paired with the lack of decent modern video playback (same as S9/J3), the huge klutzy form factor. It's neither a useful audio player, nor a satisfying video player by any means. It does have a huge HDD and an UI that's better than Cowon's PMPs, but that's about it.

End of magical clairvoyant review,
Sincerely,
The Amazing DFKTINI

[illusion]

@dfkt:

[The DarkSide]

Anyone wanna trade their Cowon X7 for an HP Touchpad??? I'm bored,...