Customer Reviews:
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 Best Quality Big Touchscreen Player March 11, 2008
20 out of 20 found this review helpful
The Cowon Q5 is quite simply the best big touchscreen player for quality video. It is 5" measured diagonally, and the larger size makes videos vibrant and reduces eye strain. While touchscreen players have an inherently grainy screen, the Q5 somehow eliminates most of the graininess that plagues other touchscreen players (such as the Archos 705) and provides great clarity, contrast and detail when watching videos. And the audio quality is stellar (consitent with most other Cowon players). Music sounds so much better than on iPods, Zunes or other music players. Detail, soundstage, and stereo separation are all exemplary on this player. You can also customize your music with some of the best effects and equalizer settings available on any player.
Much has been written here and in the press about the UI and the use of Windows CE 5.0 as a base program for the Q5. While some of these complaints are legitimate, most of the complaints have been resolved through firmware upgrades (the last time I counted there were five upgrades in a very short period. The most recent firmware upgrade, 1.47, was just released a few days ago.) As a result of these upgrades, the UI is no longer sluggish, the wifi browser is much more user-friendly and there is no stutter in the playing of videos.
It has been said that Cowon makes some of the best hardware and only mediocre software. This is usually true at the inception of a product, but Cowon does regularly upgrade its software to address problems identified in its forums.
I did not award the Q5 five stars because it does have some shortcomings that have yet to be resolved. There is no pan and scan feature as in the A3 to adjust the size of videos to the screen. (The Q5 has adjustments for the aspect ratio, but these adjustments are not always satisfactory.) Music is not recognized by ID tags, and all songs cannot be played randomly, but random playing is limited to folders at this time. There are white lights that shine mostly from the bottom of the player which are noticeable during dark scenes. (Some users are bothered by this and others are not.) The flash player is outdated, and people generally have trouble playing youtube videos without some hesitation or audio/video sync problems.
However, based on Cowon's history of firmware upgrades, some of these problems will certainly be solved, while others are not significant enough to impair my enjoyment of this player. Above all, if you value the highest quality video and audio playback, you will enjoy this player.
 Good media player March 10, 2008
3 out of 4 found this review helpful
I purchased this product few weekes ago. It is a great product with tons of features and possibilities. It needs some improvements but overall i'm pleased with it.
Pros:
-great screen quality and resolution.
-great audio and video codec support.
-sensitive radio.
-very functional internet browser.
-can read excel, word, powerpoint or pdf files.
Cons:
-crapy wireless module. You have to stay close to the wireless router (up to 15/20 feet) to be functional. I wasn't able to make it work from one room to another in my apartment.
-need a lot of improvements on user interface functionality.
-only headset profile over bluetooth.
-can't record from radio.
-week build in microphone during recording.
-can't play VOB video files.
 I'm unable to find any deficiencies! January 8, 2008
13 out of 14 found this review helpful
I have owned a variety of mp3 players over the years, and therefore am not a newcomer to the field. I had good experience with the Creative Zen Extra, but when my player was "borrowed," I decided to add video to my options. I had replaced my wife's Phillips mp3 player with a Zune, which I regret, as both of these were clearly inadequate for our purposes. I embarked on an extensive "review of reviews" online, and the COWON kept coming up as being "too expensive, but worth it." So I got a Q5W.
Other than perpetual battery life, I cannot think of anything I would add to the Q5W. It has internal speakers which, considering the size, are actually as usable as those on my Sony laptop. Wireless works well, movies look good and play well, MP3 sounds good.
The unit is accessed via USB, and presents as a disk drive with numerous folders. The "drag and drop" works well. Accompanying software compresses videos adequately.
My wife and I both use MP3 players to listen to Audible.com audio productions. The Zune presents severe obstacles to such use, not the least of which it doesn't play the ".aa" files, and a laborious conversion to mp3 is necessary. Getting the files to play in the proper sequence is a headache. There is no direct access to the files on the player; it "synchronizes" with directories on the computer. Strangely enough, if I change the MP3 tags on a file, it keeps the old tags! It takes me hours to get an MP3 novel's files in the right order, using a playlist. But I digress. . .
None of the problems I have with the Zune occur with the Cowon. The "drag and drop" assures me that the files I want are on the player, and that there are no others. If I need to, I can directly modify the MP3 tags on the Cowon. The files play in alphabetical order based on the "title" MP3 tag (which I generally set as identical to the filename.)
The unit itself has a sturdy feel to it. The touch controls are easy to use, even with my large hands and wide fingers. Controls are properly labeled and generally intuitive.
Two notes: 1. download and install the latest firmware. It enables, among other things, the entry of the wireless WAP key.
2. The available screen protector's instructions are in Korean. If you don't read Korean, beware. I was unable to apply it without significant bubbles, and had to remove it. (This doesn't come with the unit; it's available elsewhere. The web site for it is entirely in Korean.)
I recommend the leather case (sold separately).
Now that my wife has taken it over, I'll have to get another one.
It's really great January 7, 2008
Review from wadjus (wadjus@voila.fr):
The quality of sound and image of the cowon Q5W are simply magnificent, the device supports many audios and videos formats what is practical and nice, the menus are rather intuitive and we meet ourselves there well, there is what is needed in the box and it is indeed. I think that it's one of better PMP of moment! It's really great!!!
Feature-pack player that suffers from poor user interface December 7, 2007
28 out of 34 found this review helpful
Watch Video Here: http://www.amazon.com/review/R17I5BJ498WGHN Cowon Q5W packs more features than any PMPs out there: WiFi, Bluetooth, optional GPS, NEF RAW support, etc. However, it suffers from poor user interface. The Q5W's interface runs as an shell on top of Windows CE 5.0 (released in 2004!!!). Many of the features come directly from Windows CE. The use of the stylus is a must on some screens and definitely on the on-screen keyboard.
If Cowon can beef up the Q5W's user interface, it will be the player to beat.
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