Cowon A2 Portable Multimedia Player
Since I'm much more on the go these days - taking public transportation from job to job and whutnot - my digital audio player (DAP) requirement has turned into more of a personal media player (PMP) desire. As both DAPs and PMPs move to the video player spectrum I find myself slightly behind the times with my coveted Philips Gogear. The Philips has performed admirably since I first purchased and reviewed it back in January but my needs (and desires) have shifted since then.

First, I would like a DAP that plays video, second I'd like a larger screen, third I'd prefer better sound output, and fourth I'd like something that doesn't requires a proprietary cable to transfer media.

To that effect I've spent most of my time looking at the Creative Zen Vision M - it has gotten consistently high marks from the various MP3 player review sites and is available for purchase at most stores locally (Best Buy, CompUsa, etc.)

After spending much of the evening researching the Zen Vision: M, I moved on to researching the Cowon A2 as it tickled my gadget-whoring fancy in an undeniably appealing way. While admittedly larger than a DAP, the feature-set blows all other PMP's out of the water. From the battery life to the screen-size, flexible interface, and attention to detail, the A2 appears to be everything I'm looking for in a portable player. So, it's away from DAPs and on to PMPs - the main differences? Size, battery life, features, resolution, performance, product lifespan (unlikely to be major changes in the marketplace within 6 months) and price (typically +$50).

Without going much further into the detail I'd recommending reading Dapreviews' bit-by-bit impression of both the Zen Vision M and the Cowon A2. Pretty much any and every question you could have is answered in those two reviews.

Ultimately I decided on the 30 gigabyte A2 because of Cowon's history for releasing Firmware upgrades in response to customer feedback and vibrant user community.

Since purchasing the GoGear, Philips has released ONE firmware upgrade (fixing some performance issues) while in the same span of time Cowon has released THREE firmware upgrades that I know of (+2 recent beta releases) - fixing not only bugs, but improving playback, performance and responding directly to customer feedback by adding more and more features with each release.

Not only that, but the active user community supporting the Cowon iAudio line of products at iAudiophile.net means that I'll be able to search forums for answers, ask other users for advice, suggestions and optimizations, and get up-to-the-minute news and updates on all the latest features. Meanwhile, where have Philips Gogear HDD6330 fans got to turn to but Jungle Life? Just look at the list of questions in the HDD6330 review!

In the end, my needs are unique to me so be sure to read up on the reviews and do your homework before making any decisions. Keep in mind that $50 should not make the difference between your decision to purchase an Apple iPod, Creative Zen, Philips Gogear, Cowon A2 or any other PMP/DAP for that matter - when spending upwards of $300 be sure and get the player that fits your needs.

Most people I've spoken to own 3 to 5 MP3 players (most of them iPods) and I personally own 5 different DAPs. Lumped together that's around $1500 spent to get almost what I'm looking for and mostly the features that I want. Give that some thought: $1500 for 5 players or $400 for 1? How does that extra $50 factor in to that equation now?

So what's my personal recommendation? If you're looking for an iPod alternative with less-stringent restrictions and better quality video try the Creative Zen Vision: M. If you're looking for the next step up from that try the Cowon A2.

Cowon A2 30 GB Portable Multimedia Player

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