COWON Q5W-40DN 40GB Dark Navy

Average customer rating:

Cowon q5w by chauncy

Feature-pack player that needs a better user interface

COWON Q5W-40DN 40GB Dark Navy

Manufacturer: Cowon
ProductGroup: CE
Binding: Electronics

Portable Digital Media Players | MP3 Players | Audio & Video | Categories | Electronics
Product Features:

5¿ Wide LCD, 16 million color, res. 800x480, ultra portable

Play all your digital entertainment: movies, TV shows, photos and music

Surf the web, use e-mail and MSN voice-enabled Messenger service with Wi-Fi and connect to Bluetooth-enabled stereo headphones with Bluetooth 2.0 technology

Touch sensitive interface, FM radio and recorder, voice recorder with internal microphone, built-in stereo speakers, and TV-out supporting component, S-video and composite connections

Offer an optional GPS navigation package using COWON Navigator cradle equipped with GPS receiver antenna (SirF3 internal), FM transmitter switch for audio playback on vehicle radio

ASIN: B00104KN8E

Customer Reviews:

Cowon q5w by chauncy.......2007-12-16

The specs
5" touchscreen with 16 million colors. Plays a wider variety of audio and video formats than anything else on the market. Wireless. Bluetooth. USB Host. FM radio. Voice recording. Text and photo viewer. Read more at
[...]
So is the Cowon Q5w as impressive as it sounds? Let's see.
Build Quality
The Q5 is hewn from heavy and I mean heavy weight steel. With a 5-inch screen it comes across as big and heavy. It will fit in a jacket pocket but certainly not a jeans pocket. Nor is it meant to. The quality of the build is superb, solid and beautiful in a minimal sort of way. The screen doesn't scratch easily although screen protectors are highly advised.
Software and Interface
It's a touch screen with just buttons for volume and power on the outside rim.
The q5 has two distinct interfaces- Cowon's interface, which is a series of icons on the left side that act as a top menu and a corresponding series of icons on the right side that act as submenus to the selected left side menu.
Dig a little deeper and you'll find that the Cowon interface is built on top on Windows CE- to be specific Windows Embedded CE 5.0- total size about 70mb, total license cost, $[...].
What CE brings to the table is set of core functionality that is far easier than a linux based system to build off. It also allows for a fair amount of user customization.
The Cowon interface has a slight learning curve, not being that intuitive. However once you get used to it, it is peppy and responsive.
The windows interface is, well, windows, so it should be familiar to most. The problem here was that it didn't recognize taps on the touchscreen very well, even after recalibration. When the fw/sw was upgraded to 1.43 this issue vanished. I'll return to this in my conclusion.
The Cowon software has a fair amount of depth to it and a myriad of power-saving/skin options.
Video and Audio Quality
I rip all my music and videos at the close to the highest available quality settings. My music is 256 mp3 or flac. And my videos are at least 480X272. I use quality headphones
In that context, let me say this once. Nothing on the market rivals the Cowon Q5w's sound quality. Nothing rivals its video quality. The sound is wide, punchy and rich. The video, on the device at least, looks like it's HD with no stutter whatsoever.
And that's all I have to say about that!
Other
There's a lot more the q5 does. Wireless and Bluetooth. Web-browsing. TV out. FM radio. WordPad. Text and photo viewer. Flash Player. Audio recording. USB host. Remote Control
The wireless works okay. It is really good at finding networks in range. When its connected to a good strong signal, web browsing works well, the web pages look great. The range itself is okay but not great.
TV-out: The TV out was solid but that's all. Experimentation will be needed here. The q5 outputs rgb and component and, with an adapter, svideo. It outputs a full screen in fairly normal resolution- nowhere near HD. The sound output from the movie I tested was in booming 5.1 surround.
The remote control does its job extremely well.
Audio recording is adequate.
The flash player allows games and browsing of flash-enabled web sites. I browsed several flash-enabled web sites without a hitch.
Photos, as expected, looked great.
I had mixed results with the usb port\ host. It didn't recognize my Canon D450. I was able to plug in my mouse and use it perfectly.
FM radio and Bluetooth were not tested.
Conclusion:
The fact that the touch screen had initial problems has caused several bad/mediocre reviews already. It should have been fixed before it was released. That said, kudos to Cowon for fixing it so quickly. The other factor that `s contributed to the bad reviews is the fact that it's built on Embedded Windows CE and people seem to hate that idea. They think it's bloated and expensive. The truth is it's neither.
The Q5w has a slight learning curve. Does that scare you? Could the UI have been better? Yes. Could linux have been used as the OS? Yes. Does WinCe do what it needs to do for this player? Yes. Are there a few areas that need improvement? Yes. The wireless could have better range. The USB host needs to work with more camera. Is it overpriced? Yes. By about $[...] to $[...]. Although it's already dropped at a couple of places. Quality costs.
So, finally, I pose this question. Does anyone buy PMPs anymore for the quality of their main function? Or is it caché, add-ons, web tie-ins that carry the day?
I don't think this is the right device for your mother and your mother's purse or for your girlfriend who wants lime green to match her earrings. That is, unless your mother/girlfriend loves to be blown away by the quality of Chopin she's listening to or your girlfriend likes to able to pick out every note in Duff's snaking bass line. Or they both dig the near three-dimensional clarity of ships passing overhead in Riddick.
The Cowon q5w has a better build quality than any PMP I've yet to see. The bottom line is that it is a superb, unrivaled video and audio player. Seriously.
There's a gps cradle on the way by Christmas time and an upgrade to the OS that includes an office viewer.
A case and screen protectors are on sale now at jetmall.net.

Feature-pack player that needs a better user interface.......2007-12-08

Watch Video Here: http://www.amazon.com/review/R25Y9C4XLLZ8S4 The Q5W is one feature-pack PMP. I just needs a better user interface to go along with it. You can check out the rest of the review on [...]

Amazon.com Product Description

Finally, a compact stereo that looks as cool as your music sounds. The limited-edition MZ1200 offers a double-layer construction of sand-blasted aluminum alloy for a rugged finish. Diamond-cut details lend precision to its lightweight, corrosion-resistant shell. Crank up the radio with any of your 40 favorite preset stations, or slide a homemade MP3 CD into the vertical disc bay and rock out to your tried-and-true favorites--10 hours at a stretch. The system is powered by a relatively hefty 25 watts per channel, and the speakers are ported for reinforced bass response. A pocket-size remote control extends your system authority to your listening position.

What's in the Box
Main unit, two speakers, speaker cables, remote control, remote battery, FM and AM antennas, and user's manual.

Product Description

Double layer construction of aluminum alloy is thoroughly sand-blasted for a rugged finish. Diamond cut details lend precision to this lightweight, corrosion-resistant shell. Speaker guard is a twin shield of carbon steel mesh and high impact polystyrene. Shields up, let the sound rip. An exciting, new, psycho-acoustic method of widening the stereo spatial image especially suited for applications with limited separation of left and right speakers. Bass & Treble control allows sound adjustment of high and low frequencies to personal preferences. Download MP3 songs from the Internet on a PC and record them on a CD. This special "MP3-CD" can now be played on this Audio CD Player. One MP3-CD can carry up to 12 hours of music. Philips sets are designed to playback MP3- CDs recorded with a bit-rate (quality level) between 32 kbps and 320 kbps. The set will also handle variable bit-rate recordings. The player offers 100% playback guarantee of CD, CD-Recordable, CD Rewritable and MP3 discs over the entire lifetime of the player. Even CD-RW audio recordings on computers can be used.

Customer Reviews:

Great looking, pleasing performance.......2004-05-04

Having read the reviews below, I feel compelled to set the record straight.

First, the speakers DO produce bass. It's not the overwhelming blowout hip hop concert kind, but it's bass nonetheless. If you want spine-tingling lows, get a more expensive system -- or one with a subwoofer. Or, better yet, adjust the bass on this system up a step or two. I'm pretty picky when it comes to audio (I also own a pair of B&Ws) and I'm pleased with the overall sound from these speakers.

Second, the system really does look great. One reviewer said it's impossible to turn off the display light. That's not true. Hold down the power button, and the display light turns off completely. Five stars for looks.

The features are great too. I wont go into too much detail here; you can read about that stuff online. I personally like the gradually increasing volume on the alarm (which will wake you up to your favorite CD).

Finally, my complaint: the remote control, which you WILL use, just sucks. It is not backlit, and its shape is such that you have no way of telling which buttons you're hitting in the dark (the buttons are indistinguishable from one another by feel). Result: it's really hard to use the remote at night in bed. This is an example of design run amok.

Otherwise I'm happy with the thing.

Average customer rating:
OMNIMOUNT PLAD20 Adapter Plate for SONY Plasma Displays

Manufacturer: OmniMount
ProductGroup: CE
Binding: Electronics

TV Mounts | Mounts | Accessories & Supplies | Categories | Electronics | Carts | Ceiling Mounts | Stands & Pedestals | Under Counter Mounts | Wall Mounts
Product Features:

Suitable for use with SONY KE42XBR900 and KE50XBR900 Plasma Displays

May be suitable for use with other models, as indicated here or by OMNIMOUNT

ASIN: B00013BNMU

Product Description

An adapter plate for use with SONY KE42XBR900 and KE50XBR900 plasma displays

Product Description

Azura Pablo Blond Entertainment Center 724-725 The Pablo 60" TV Base features three storage drawers and two CD storage racks. Pair it with the Pablo TV Hutch for even more storage space. The TV base has a maximum weight capacity of 250 lbs. The hutch offers two cabinets for storage and an appliance shelf for a cable box, DVD player, etc. The TV Base and hutch have metal legs, handles, and drawer glides to enhance and accentuate the contemporary look of the furniture. Superior craftsmanship and easy assembly come together to create the ideal look for the Pablo Collection.

Finish: Blond Maple
Easy assembly
Set pictured above with hutch
Constructed of Medium Density Fiberboard (MDF) and Particle Board
Lifetime warranty on all hardware
5 year limited warranty on product
Ships ready-to-assemble
TV Base Overall Dimensions: 23¾" High x 59¾" Wide x 23¾" Deep
Hutch Overall Dimensions: 40¾" High x 59¾" Wide x 19¾" Deep

By being constantly attentive to the needs of our clientele since 1973 and by adapting to an ever-changing market Azura has become a leader among ready-to-assemble furniture manufacturers.

Product Description

Talk about simple. The portable StreetPilot c530 comes ready-to-go right out of the box with preloaded maps and plenty of options.Monitor traffic tie-ups with the addition of an optional traffic receiver. In select metro areas, with the addition of the GTM 20 FM TMC traffic receiver, the SteetPilot c530 notifies you of accidents, road construction, and weather-related traffic delays before they are encountered, and then offers an alternate route. Simply touch the screen icon to calculate a new route.The c530 comes with preloaded maps and includes automatic routing, 2D or 3D map perspective, and turn-by-turn voice directions that speak street names - making navigation easy. It also accepts customized points of interest (POIs) such as school zones and safety cameras.Optional software available on plug-in SD cards, lets you instantly add new features to your c530 - without connecting to your computer.

Amazon.com Product Description

The Garmin StreetPilot c530 GPS Vehicle Navigator comes with preloaded maps of North America and includes automatic routing, 2D or 3D map perspective, and turn-by-turn voice directions that makes navigation easy. It also accepts customized points of interest (POIs) such as school zones and safety cameras.

In addition to the simple touch-screen display found in previous versions of Garmin Navigators, the c530 features a high-sensitivity GPS receiver that provides faster acquisition times and maintains its signal under heavy foliage and near city skyscrapers. The automotive-grade, sunlight-readable, anti-glare display makes it easier to see where you're traveling, and configurable vehicle icons allow you to select a fun, customized car-shaped icon that shows your position on the map. The c530 also includes the Garmin Lock anti-theft feature that disables the unit from performing any functions until you type in a specific 4-digit PIN or take the unit to a predetermined location.

You can also monitor traffic tie-ups with the addition of an optional FM TMC traffic receiver. By adding traffic services and a receiver to your c530, it notifies you of accidents, road construction, and weather-related traffic delays before they are encountered, and then offers an alternate route. Simply touch the screen icon to calculate a new route. (These traffic services are available only in select cities where coverage exists.)

Other optional software available on plug-in SD cards lets you instantly add new features to your c530 without connecting to your computer. These optional packages include the Garmin Travel Guide that gives you helpful and thorough reviews and recommendations for restaurants, hotels, shopping, nightlife, sporting events and tourist attractions. The optional travel Guide for Europe is also available (sold separately). The SaversGuide is a geo-coded coupon book that notifies you of nearby discounts on restaurants, hotels, shopping, and more at thousands of participating entertainment businesses throughout North America.

The c530 includes a new high-sensitivity WAAS-capable GPS receiver by SiRF, a touch screen, automotive-grade, sunlight-readable, anti-glare TFT LCD display (320 x 240 pixels). The included rechargeable battery last up to 8 hours between charges. This Garmin StreetPilot c530 GPS Vehicle Navigator is a bilingual edition.

What's in the Box
StreetPilot c530 unit, preloaded City Navigator NT North America, vehicle suction cup mount, dashboard disk, carrying case, 12-volt cigarette lighter adapter, USB interface cable, carry case, and owner's manual.

Product Description

If youre looking for the finest all-in-one color LCD units available, set a course for your nearest Furuno dealer. The fully integrated GP1650W combination GPS/WAAS chart plotters are here. Compact, waterproof and durable, these units deliver highly accur

Product Description

TEAC's internal 52x32x52 CD-RW drive delivers TEAC superior reliability, and high performance. It writes to CD-R at 52X, rewrites to CD-RW at 32X and reads data at a maximum 52X speed. In addition, this drive rips audio CDs at a 52X speed, reads data at 52X and delivers a 100ms average access time, resulting in an unsurpassed performance.TEAC's 52x32x52 CD-RW internal drive's blazing-fast write performance makes it the ideal choice for either home or office users who demand the latest in optical storage technology and TEAC reliability and quality. For optimum results, this drive's buffer underrun prevention technology suspends recording until the buffer is refilled to prevent bad discs even while multitasking.TEAC's 52x32x52 CD-RW drive is ideal for both integration and upgrades.

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