Cowon is back with yet another MP3 player. Instead of introducing a full-fledged hard drive player, the company is hoping to target Apple’s iPod Nano with a version of its own, iAudio U2. The iAudio U2 comes in three striking colors including red (256MB), blue (512MB), black (1GB) and white (2GB).
According to Cowon, the iAudio U2 is based on a slim design, offers USB 2.0 for fast transfer speeds, is easy to use, has a wide LCD screen, a rechargeable lithium-ion battery with an average lifespan of 20 hours and an option to personalize your iAudio U2 with a logo of your choice. Moreover, the iAudio U2 is packed with dynamic bass and JetEffect audio enhancing technologies.
Cowon iAudio U2 Reviews
DAP reviews the Cowon iAudio U2 and write - ‘Taking in consideration that the U2 is an improved version of the already rather-impressive iAudio 4, there’s little worth complaining about. It’s smaller than its predecessor while operating it has become way easier, whereas iAudio 4’s top-notch sound quality and configurability has been implemented into the U2 without any problems. One thing that’s quite remarkable is the fact that i4’s screen has been simplified before it was fitted into our reviewed player. As a result of this, there’s a little less information to be found in there, but in return we get heavily-improved contrast and brightness values.
With iAudio’s activities in the past few months (new players popping up all over the place, with a few new flash units as well), it seems like technique has already caught up with the U2. However, although lacking on some areas (maximum recording/encoding rate), this little flash player can certainly still compete with the more casual (music-only) units out there. Build quality, design job, accessory set and the likes are still quite impressive and show iAudio’s craftsmanship when it comes down to flash-based stuff. If you happen to stumble into the U2 for a reasonable price (very well possible, these days), it’s certainly one of the top picks to choose from.’
CNET Reviews the Cowon iAudio U2 and gives it a ‘Excellent’ rating. They write - ‘The good: Excellent sound quality; small and light; eye-catching looks; FM, line-in, and built-in mic recording; equalizer and several sound effects; USB 2.0 support; no drivers necessary in Windows XP or Mac OS X.
The bad: Limited recording options; average battery life; pricey.
The bottom line: The stylish, flash-memory Cowon iAudio U2 crams great sound quality, an FM radio, and line-in recording into a tiny package.’
Cowon iAudio U2 Press Release
From the Manufacturer
The iAudio U2 is the latest innovative product to come from Cowon Systems and the deisgn is every thing we have come to expect from them. The new ‘handy-mini’ is small on size but big on features packing everything in from a voice recorder to direct MP3 encoding.
The ultraportable iAudio U2 is compact yet extremely functional. With a great new joystick navigation system and a large 4 line graphic LCD screen, you can easily select your songs or choose from the 1000s of sound settings and other menu options using one hand. Other controls on the device are a Hold Switch, Play/Stop button and the Record button.
The great colours and polished finish look fantastic and you will want to show this off to your friends and colleagues, however as part of the great accessory bundle you get a protective rubber case to keep the shiny finish out of site and safe from harm.
With an integrated FM tuner and direct MP3 encoding options there are endless ways to listen to music. Further enhancements are promised through Firmware upgrades, that should include increased audio Codec support.
Features
Compact Stylish Design, slim and smooth design fits snuggly in your hand or pocket
High Speed USB 2.0 Connection, the iAudio U2 can also be used as a portable storage device
5 Direction Joystick Control, joystick for navigation of files and volume control
Large Graphic LCD Bright Blue back light means great visibility in poor light
Long Battery Life, the tiny inbuilt lithiun polymer battery provides upto 20 hours playback
Song Lyrics Support, With LDB from Cowon, supports four lines of characters for lyrics display
Personal Logo, With the included Jet Logo Software you can create your own custom logo
Sound Effects, 5 Band EQ, BBE, Mach3Bass, MP Enhance, 3D Surround and Pan
Multi-Codec support, MP3, WMA(With DRM), WAV and ASF audio formats
Voice Recording, Multiple bit rate options
FM Radio, save you favorite radio stations in the presets
Direct MP3 Encoding, Record from external audio sources such as a your record player
Compare Price on the Cowon iAudio U2
Last Saturday Steve Jobs, the Apple Computers CEO, presented three new iPods. Steve presented the iPod Micro, a small mp3 player that holds 0.5 mln. songs. ALso announced that the iPod Micro, just a minute old, and was being replaced by an the iPod Pequeno, an even smaller mp3 player. The Pequeno was then replaced by the iPod Invisa, which, despite being invisible, holds 8 million songs and “every picture ever taken.” 