View Full Version : Q5 Reviews (includes Pics)
Yep Cowon released a lovely review of the Q5 (from pmpinside), unfortunally its in Korean, i would do the whole google translation but the text is printed in images so its a no go.
Any translators out there??
Linkage: http://board.cowon.com/zeroboard/zboard.php?id=B04&page=1&sn1=&divpage=1&bmenu=B&sn=off&ss=on&sc=on&select_arrange=headnum&bmenu=B&desc=asc&no=100&bmenu=B
Looking at the images, it is only slightly bigger then the A2, its the screen which beefs up the Q5.
+ new Q5 fw is out: http://board.cowon.com/zeroboard/zboard.php?id=C08&category=&no=409&bmenu=C&category=37 not that any of us need it, but it looks like is supports a number of connections with listed cameras.
+ for more user images keep checking: http://board.cowon.com/zeroboard/zboard.php?id=C50&bmenu=iAUDIO and look for "Cowon Q5" more and more users are starting to post their images. :)
Thanks dude!
one question though- Does the wired remote and case come with it? I saw the image but that was separate from the box.
omjeremy
06-04-2007, 11:20
Hrmmm... I don't think the case and remote come with it. Underneath the image of the case it says "Zenus OEM" That is disappointing.
Anyway, look at the size comparison! It's virtually the same as the A2.
http://download.cowon.com/review/COWONQ5/pmpinside/review_q5_08.jpg
ya i somehow think the case, remote etc are seperate accessories. Its werid though because many other images i have seen include the case, maybe they brought it seperatly?? maybe cowon korea offered it in a package with the Q5?.
Wow thats surprising the a2s size is comparable, geez the q5 make the a2 look like a relic now.
Looks like a pretty comprehensive review
Awwww ,it looks so good, I want it :'(
ya i somehow think the case, remote etc are seperate accessories. Its werid though because many other images i have seen include the case, maybe they brought it seperatly?? maybe cowon korea offered it in a package with the Q5?.
Nuts. Cowon should go back to their A2 package. It came with everything. Well except the remote[biggrin] . That case does remind me of the A2's case though.
Makes me want it even more.
have you guys seen this? I'm freaking out!!! this babe is the babe!!!
http://board.cowon.com/zeroboard/zboard.php?id=C50&page=1&sn1=&divpage=2&bmenu=iAUDIO&sn=off&ss=on&sc=on&select_arrange=headnum&bmenu=iAUDIO&desc=asc&no=10657&bmenu=iAUDIO
have you guys seen this? I'm freaking out!!! this babe is the babe!!!
http://board.cowon.com/zeroboard/zboard.php?id=C50&page=1&sn1=&divpage=2&bmenu=iAUDIO&sn=off&ss=on&sc=on&select_arrange=headnum&bmenu=iAUDIO&desc=asc&no=10657&bmenu=iAUDIO
:O Deep down I knew this was possible, but I had not thought about it. This is so cool.
Hehe, I translated it with google webpage translator, and none of it makes sense. Can someone please tell us what "bedspread" refers to? It's popped up in nearly every Korean Cowon page? Obviously that's not the right translation, so what is it?
could this record to tv???? Look at the review page and go to Record and setting and i believe there is a recording to tv!!!! Look at the 4th picture! Please tell me this is it!!!
Record to TV? How could you record to TV?
Are you referring to DMB?
could this record to tv???? Look at the review page and go to Record and setting and i believe there is a recording to tv!!!! Look at the 4th picture! Please tell me this is it!!!
@patx919 the model shown is a Korean model that has Tv incorporated (DMB)
thus unless your Korean (buying and using there) its nothing to get exited about, as this feature wont be in the Us/eur model
And Hess your as bad as me, how many times do you check the q5 thread daily?, me about 20 times a day, I need a life (or a q5)[laugh]
And Hess your as bad as me, how many times do you check the q5 thread daily?, me about 20 times a day, I need a life (or a q5)[laugh]
Lol, I know I check it too often :P I'm just hoping one time i'll look and it'll say "Q5 released in England, Suprise :D "
artichoke
06-05-2007, 08:52
@patx919 the model shown is a Korean model that has Tv incorporated (DMB)
thus unless your Korean (buying and using there) its nothing to get exited about, as this feature wont be in the Us/eur model
As far as i'm concerned "the recording from TV" feature is an outdated feature. Nobody needs it anymore as bittorrent has taken over. You can download any tv show and download it on to your Cowon. Archos is incorporating this bittorrent in it's 5th generation players.
Besides, who still watches tv???? NOTHING IS ON anymore. It's all garbage...not worth wasting your Cowon memory for!
In one of those pics, did the bottom of the Q5 say "40gb" ??? I thought there were going to be 2 and 4gb, or something stupid like that? If it's going to have decent space (40/60gb) then the a2 and a3 really has no chance.
yes, 40GB. :-) its a Hard Drive based device
In one of those pics, did the bottom of the Q5 say "40gb" ??? I thought there were going to be 2 and 4gb, or something stupid like that? If it's going to have decent space (40/60gb) then the a2 and a3 really has no chance.
Lol are you sure you're not thinking about the D2?
eutychus
06-05-2007, 14:46
As far as i'm concerned "the recording from TV" feature is an outdated feature. Nobody needs it anymore as bittorrent has taken over. You can download any tv show and download it on to your Cowon. Archos is incorporating this bittorrent in it's 5th generation players.
Besides, who still watches tv???? NOTHING IS ON anymore. It's all garbage...not worth wasting your Cowon memory for!
ok, so a little off the main topic, gotta address this; i have a lot o friends who dont watch tv cause they do other stuff, which is completely fine with me, but when people say theres nothing on tv, its just expressing ignorance; tv has made incredible strides in the past few years, and shows like heroes, rome, dexter, lost(perhaps not the most recent season), alias, and 24 often outshine movies; with brilliant writers and often incredible special effects, a decent television set will give you more for free than most movies you would pay $7 to see in a theater
^
you cant really beat the screen size of a resonable tv compared to a laptop or pmp device as such. having tv out doesent bother me. i already have a media hard drive which plays everything to my fancy.
Is it me or an i just dreaming about a Docking station for this. Placing it flat on a surface while working or holding it while watching it movie just doesent fit right with me most of the time. I would love to have it at a postitioned angle something like the archos dock, not no stinking back rest on a leather case (if it even has one which i doubt.)
Right to the point: (translation) http://translate.google.com/translate?u=http%3A%2F%2Fboard.cowon.com%2Fzeroboa rd%2Fzboard.php%3Fid%3DB04%26page%3D1%26sn1%3D%26d ivpage%3D1%26bmenu%3DB%26sn%3Doff%26ss%3Don%26sc%3 Don%26select_arrange%3Dheadnum%26bmenu%3DB%26desc% 3Dasc%26no%3D101%26bmenu%3DB&langpair=ko%7Cen&hl=en&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&prev=%2Flanguage_tools
original: http://board.cowon.com/zeroboard/zboard.php?id=B04&page=1&sn1=&divpage=1&bmenu=B&sn=off&ss=on&sc=on&select_arrange=headnum&bmenu=B&desc=asc&no=101&bmenu=B
Preview images: (some good shots in the review)
http://img522.imageshack.us/img522/1562/reviewcowonq5006kb8.jpg
http://img522.imageshack.us/img522/3032/reviewcowonq5165zi7.jpg
http://img523.imageshack.us/img523/5378/reviewcowonq5167hv8.jpg
http://img523.imageshack.us/img523/8696/reviewcowonq5134jx7.jpg
+ i need help here, i installed firefox again and how i can only see ????? marks in the place of korean letters. how can i display the normal korean letters. thanks.
Shows a lot of comparasons of the Q5 against D2. Also viewing angle looks pretty good.
Combination buttons on the GUI:
e.g. when media is selected on the left; Movie, Music, DMB, Radio and Flash buttons are displayed on the right. Quite a nice way to fit all the features on one screen without cramping the main display:
- MEDIA: Movie, Music, DMB, Radio and Flash
- OFFICE: Dictionary, Britaninca, Photo, Text and Broser
- UTILITY: ChckView, ManView, Record and Settings
- NETWORK: MSN, Explorer
- WINDOWS: Windows Broser, WordPad, Freecell and Control Panel and Windows
Anyway any Koreans around to translate please!
I meant if it has DVR??? I like to have this feature..!
yes, 40GB. :-) its a Hard Drive based device
Damn.. This is fantastic news. All they have to do is get rid of Windows CE, put Linux on this bad boy and there's just no competition left...
tv has some things like heroes
could you tell me how to get to that torrent thing for tv
sgfaulkner
06-05-2007, 23:21
Damn.. This is fantastic news. All they have to do is get rid of Windows CE, put Linux on this bad boy and there's just no competition left...
Ubuntu just started the whole, embedded/mobile devices project. If I could have the Q5 running Ubuntu, AND still have all the features work I think I could die happy. As much as I love linux, I want everything to work, such as GPS, wifi, etc.
tv has some things like heroes
could you tell me how to get to that torrent thing for tv
The torrent thing is illegal in most countries so cant be discussed here, try google
tv has some things like heroes
could you tell me how to get to that torrent thing for tv
If you have no experience with torrents, I wouldn't jump straight in, you'll probably need someone to show you the basics. Torrents themselves are not illegal, it's the users who seed copyrighted material that is illegal.
on a side note, add prison break to that list of good TV series! :P but my current fave is obvioulsy Heroes...awesome stuff.
artichoke
06-06-2007, 08:42
The torrent thing is illegal in most countries so cant be discussed here, try google
Assuming bittorrent is illegal in some countries, is free speech (discussing it) illegal too? If I recall correctly Cowons are a South Korean product and NOT a North Korean right?
Anyways Bittorrent is the technology. All programs are free and available from the internet (ie Bitlord and Azureus) and then you use sites like www.torrentspy.com, www.mininova.org, www.piratebay.org to download the torrent...just to name a few!
It's so easy even a child can do it! There is nothing complex about it and everything is free. It's the reason why I'm buying a Cowon Q5 to begin with. So much stuff to download from these sites that I can watch for free!
re: torrents..
I see the Gen5 Archos units are going to be big on internet connectivity.. and they do mention torrents.. but, realistically, torrents take hours to download. You would have to have your PMP plugged into a power source to get the complete download!
Now having said that, the Archos units look to be more supported, and better availability in USA/Canada, and for that matter Europe, so I'm keeping an eye out for the announcement on June 15th from Archos on the their new units.
I would love to see if they have a device that looks like the Q5. I just want HOST USB on the PMP itself not a dang cradle!
b
Discussing how to get bittorent tech is permissible, discussing how to dl copyrighted material would _not_ be.
That being said, this thread is _way_ off-topic. Let's get it back to where it should be, people.
okay,
anyone got photos of the Q5 next to a PSP or Ipod?
dlawoan00
06-06-2007, 18:08
I am from Korea and I am staying in London now.
I am going to get Q5 after I go back Korea, I found a website to sell Q5 to other country but it is a little bit expensive than other site.
Is there any one would like to know about Q5 or want translator?
dlawoan00,
would it be possible to translate for to translate this *(or at least some of it)-->
http://board.cowon.com/zeroboard/zboard.php?id=B04&page=1&sn1=&divpage=1&bmenu=B&sn=off&ss=on&sc=on&select_arrange=headnum&bmenu=B&desc=asc&no=101&bmenu=B
Thanks!!
pepepaco
06-06-2007, 19:12
I am from Korea and I am staying in London now.
I am going to get Q5 after I go back Korea, I found a website to sell Q5 to other country but it is a little bit expensive than other site.
Is there any one would like to know about Q5 or want translator?
Dlawoan00 - Can you please post a link to the website? How much do they charge to send to the UK? (preferably the 60GB model?)
dlawoan00
06-06-2007, 19:47
[QUOTE=dlawoan00;130513]hm..
I have already checked the review before.
That review is talking about why Korean people are extremely excited to get Q5.
Sorry I can not translate that review perfactly because my English is not so good.
But I will try to translate some of them sooner or later.
The website is "www.daizzimall.com"
But it is Korean website and I think you have to register this website.
So.. you need a korean identity number...
I am so sorry
You know korean Q5 doesn't have bluetooth only have the DMB but COWON is going to produce Q5 with bluetooth without DMB for export to other countries.
So.. I think it is better to wait..
^
woh! You sure you dident mean built in Wifi insted of the bluetooth. or is this something we dident know which is also going to be included.
dlawoan00
06-07-2007, 05:31
I am not sure about Wifi as you know Q5 does not have Wifi inside in Korea.
I don't know Cowon will built in Wifi or not but I am sure Cowon will built bluetooth in Q5 to export USA and UK.
Because of bluetooth many Korean owners are complaining now.
Cowon is going to show up Q5 navi ver in this month, I hope that one has bluetooth with Wifi inside.
I think for many overseas users in Europe and US they would prefer Wifi rather then Bluetooth.
No wifi = no sale for me.
What do you mean by Q5 will show up in Navi Ver?
Do we yet know if the european/US versions with have GPS module as well?
Folks,
This thread is for discussion of Reviews of the Q5, not specs (which has its own thread to begin with). I already asked that people get back on-topic earlier.
Further off-topic posts may be summarily deleted. If you want to talk about something other than reviews, you can use an existing thread or start a new one.
Thank you for your consideration.
I'm gonna make this short and simple and list the stuff you guys would like to know... here it goes
1. introduction (nothing useful here)
2. the esthetics, revolution of highend and continuing
when I first held the q5 my fitst thought was "it looks like a blown up d2". both products have touch screen operation also so the only minor difference is the plated logo on the q5. the lcd was definetely wide. D2 has a 2.5 inch lcd and q5 with the 5 ince but in reality it's about 3 to 4 times the real estate compared to the d2. Because of the roomy screen more information can be displayed at once, the font size is similar but while playing media the fonts are in bold so it makes reading easier. The d2 has good side by side viewing angles but narrow viewing angle from the front but the q5 uses some new tech lcd to better the viewing angle from all directions. This is q5's file nav screen shot. From the 9 lines of file list you can see that most of the screen maintains the brightness even outside the immediate view. It covers up til 170 degrees of the viewing angle clearly.
skiping the part about d2's bad viewing angle.
They talk about how they are using the future generation in displays since the q5 is fitted with the 5 inch display and comparing it to units of 3.5 inch and 4.3 inch displays. It also emphasizes the fact that the screen size got bigger
but the unit didn't get too big in size. When compared to the unit with the 4.3 inch screen the difference in length was only 5.5 mm .
It also notes the great viewing angle even from up and down viewing angles showing off it's crip visible display at almost a flat angle. They also boast about how they are thinking out of the box so to speak. By the use of touch screen interface and a 5 inch display.
the picture of the 3 media players laying down. Far left on is the 3.5 inch screen model, q5 in the middle and the far right is a 4.3 inch screen model.
more comparison with d2 so skipping
skip to the volume button shot
they comment on the use of the hexagon screw and how it would probably prevent regular users from busting into it due to the rarity of the shape of the screw.
stylus holder opening gets bigger
making it easier for the user to take it out in one shot. The bezzel that wraps around the screen uses plastic materials on the inner layer and outer layer is metal.
connections
q5 has the same usb in slot as d2 but also a host in as well. it has audio in and tv in also. the picture of usb wifi adapter is shown is not included and must be purchased separately.
dmb antenna is usually stored within the unit and is 24 cm long with a flexible top for durability?
q5 has a 24 pin standart slot compared to the d2's sd slot and comes in 40 or 60 gig formats. q5 uses this slot to connect to various a/v cables. The q5's exterior is metal and gives the sense of durability. The color is non shiny and slightly rough so not much worrying about smudges and finger prints. The logo is a shiny silver plastic embeded in the indentation. this makes the logo stand out nicely. q5 stands out because of the all metal casing making it more luxurious and feels durable but without much weight difference than that of a plastic bodied model. The reviewer boldly displays his disgust for the palm sized remote control. hey it's included so quit with the bitching, I'd say. the leather casing covers the unit very well and lets users input commands freely. It double duties include the legs to stand the unit upright (somewhat). It has a silver colored buckle to use with a strap if necessary. he notes that when the case is closed it looks like a diary or a day planner.
3. functions and features
the reviewer rips the sony umpc about the poor battery life, no codec support, high price and justifies the q5's price. (around $550 and up with many different packages)
q5 uses windows ce as the os, because of this it can be comparable to a mini pc or a pda or laptop. within seconds of powering up, the menu comes up. the left side features menu catagories and right side has function icons.
skiping to media-movie screen shot
this is screen shot of when you choose media-movie. it has resume feature and marks where you left off if it turns off. this time the menues on both sides are icons to control the functions.
the list of 12+1 filelist and mini window ,makes previewing easy.
it also states that the new display technology used makes it less stressful for the eyes and is clear and visible under the light as well.
I tapped the screen once while watching a clip and the side menu and the time menu comes up.
in preview mode, menu goes to menu obviously, small is to shrink the screen, full is fullscreen mode, hit file list and you can navigate through files, bookmark is self explanatory, you can run the text viewer simultaneously while watching something. settings is settings.
I'm gonna do part 2 pretty soon I think but that's enough for one night good nite guys. this is down to about half way down the review. I ended at where they describe the menu functions.
genocide
06-09-2007, 01:56
lol im officially sold to get this baby :D
Thank you very much for the translation, The reviewer seems to have a bit of an obsession with viewing angles :P
seems to have a bit of an obsession
You would know the meaning of that word[biggrin] , I do[blush]
Some news
I have a friend in Korea just got in contact with him, he is an audio freak and didnt even know the q5 was released there, there isnt much news except the add ons they have to buy has affected sales there (wifi stick etc).
Cyrus The Virus
06-11-2007, 17:59
thx for the translation dude, cant wait for part 2 :)
Thought i'd post another review'ish from cowon korea website (if you havent seen it already) it appeared on the website today i.e. 22nd June.
http://board.cowon.com/zeroboard/zboard.php?id=B04&page=1&sn1=&divpage=1&bmenu=B&sn=off&ss=on&sc=on&select_arrange=headnum&bmenu=B&desc=asc&no=103&bmenu=B
Nothin special really, just a lot of nice pictures to look at while we all wait in despair for more Q5 news. :)
calcheese
06-22-2007, 06:33
I'll tell you the general content of the above review....this is not a direct translation since it's easier for all of us if I just go straight to the point rather than fanciful wordplay or prose or evening the ponderings of the meaning of "premium"..(see below)
First two paragraph talks about what it means to be labelled a "premium" mp3/pmp product. With lots of products in Korea labelled as such, only the Q5 is deserving of such a title. And the packaging design reflects this... (I never understood detailed reviews of boxes....?)
The 3rd paragraph talks about accessories - it comes with cowon earphones, USB cable, handstrap, an AV cable with 6 jacks (7 in the picture though...perhaps a mistake by the reviewer), installation cd and manuals for the Q5 and the dictionary. The only new thing is the inclusion of a DVD which contains a bundle of software including JetAudio Media Centre and similar software (probs Jetlogo and Jetshell and LDB Manager?) and also the Britannica Encyclopedia as well as the Powerdic.
4th section (Design) - although it looks similar to the D2, the feeling is completely different as the D2's outer casing is made of plastic but the Q5 is metallic and so has a more firm, solid high quality feel. The most distinctive feature is it's wide 5in screen in comparision to A2's 4in. Supports resolution of 800x480 with 16m colours. THe DMB atenna is at the top left corner and it is easy to pull out with your finger..you can move it 360o....not much use for us. Just below it is a jack input for the headset (incl microphone whihc is optional) which is covered by a little flap. With this you can voice record...
Actually there's quite a lot to translate so I'll just point out main topics from the article and not include stuff you can gather from the pictures alone...
The grills on the top are the stereo speakers separated by the remote control receiver...
i';ve just read over the review and there isn't much info that you cant get from looking at the pictures...so I'll just stop there..i don't see any point
ecardwell1
06-22-2007, 06:38
Calcheese: does it mention anything about the pictured remote control? Included or not?
calcheese
06-22-2007, 08:27
the remote control (ie the battery powered one) is included in the box but the line remote (ie which plugs in headphone socket) isn't.
ecardwell1
06-22-2007, 11:15
the remote control (ie the battery powered one) is included in the box but the line remote (ie which plugs in headphone socket) isn't.
Thanks much
That "not included" one looks the same as the a2 remote
calcheese
06-22-2007, 17:37
it is the same remote!
hmm..
those pictures make the Q5 more appealing!!
drrooool!
what happens if the HD dies one day? can you open it yourself? Install CE?I have a feeling this will cost around 600 bucks or more.
IdontexistM8
07-19-2007, 18:28
what happens if the HD dies one day? can you open it yourself? Install CE?I have a feeling this will cost around 600 bucks or more.
I wonder if you can clone the HDD using Acronis TI?....
Have you guys seen this review: (Anyone care to translate?)
http://board.cowon.com/zeroboard/zboard.php?id=B04&page=1&sn1=&divpage=1&bmenu=B&sn=off&ss=on&sc=on&select_arrange=headnum&bmenu=B&desc=asc&no=105&bmenu=B
Another nice review:
http://board.cowon.com/zeroboard/zboard.php?id=B04&page=1&sn1=&divpage=1&bmenu=B&sn=off&ss=on&sc=on&select_arrange=headnum&bmenu=B&desc=asc&no=110&bmenu=B
computer_geek_19
09-13-2007, 01:27
man does the gps feature really shows you the streets in 3d like in real life?
Off Topic:
Discussing how to get bittorent tech is permissible, discussing how to dl copyrighted material would _not_ be.
Why? I can't think of any reason.
On Topic:
Do any of the Q5 reviews in this thread mention the aspect ratio of the Q5s screen?
More reviews:
http://mostmax.egloos.com/3534137
http://tnocdam.egloos.com/3776125
http://board.cowon.com/zeroboard/zboard.php?id=B04&page=1&sn1=&divpage=1&bmenu=B&sn=off&ss=on&sc=on&select_arrange=headnum&bmenu=B&desc=asc&no=111&bmenu=B
http://today.shinjinho.com/tag/COWON%20Q5
http://alcoholic.tistory.com/entry/%EB%A6%AC%EB%B7%B0-COWON-%ED%94%84%EB%A6%AC%EB%AF%B8%EC%97%84-PMP-Q5
http://www.pmpinside.com/ws_root/brd/view.php?id=pmpgallery&no=4139
Regards.
I found this review. It might not be as good as I hoped.
The guy keep trying to click on the Cowon's icon and it does not work. It takes like 4-5 times minimum to make it work.
I guess we'll have to wait and hope it is in fact better than it looks in this vdeo and review. It might be too bad I guess I wanted one :(
http://gizmodo.com/gadgets/ifa2007/stylus+on-with-the-cowon-q5-verdict-not-good-at-all-297270.php
I'm wondering how much the Q5 is currently in Korea and does it support English language in the Korean version? Would non-Korean users have any trouble using this outside of Korea?
I'm wondering how much the Q5 is currently in Korea and does it support English language in the Korean version? Would non-Korean users have any trouble using this outside of Korea?
The Korean Q5 does not support English what-so-ever, and several users here have purchased a Korean Q5 anyways. There is, of course, quite a bit of discomfort using the device in another language - yes, but if you really want it - you can go ahead and order it from a Korean reseller.
Cnet how some pics with short reviews here.
http://reviews.cnet.com/4326-6499_7-6599001-1.html?tag=ss_prv
There is a quick preview of the European Q5 version at http://technet.idnes.cz/nejocekavanejsi-video-mp3-prehravac-dorazil-do-redakce-prvni-dojmy-z-cowon-q5w-1x1-/tec_audio.asp?c=A071130_140606_tec_audio_kuz. If you can speak Czech, go ahead. :-)
There are not many new information. Just that there is no video recording, but except of this, the preview is very positive.
A negative one per engadget
http://www.engadget.com/2007/12/04/cowon-q5w-gets-reviewed-needs-work/
A negative one per engadget
http://www.engadget.com/2007/12/04/c...ed-needs-work/
Touchscreen doesn't work properly? hmmm
Touch screen works great. I have owned 2 Archos players, the 404 and 605, they are junk (hardware wise) in comparison.
Ill never buy another archos, sound quality is subpar. But primarily their "bait and switch" play to sell the player a little less than comparable players, but then charge extra for needed accessories and plug ins is total crap.
A negative one per engadget
http://www.engadget.com/2007/12/04/cowon-q5w-gets-reviewed-needs-work/
Of course all they're doing is referencing the review Luckk put up on his site. Reading his whole review, I didn't take it as a negative one like Engadget portrayed it.
trancefxs
12-05-2007, 11:43
exaclty, also he didn't said that there are problems with the touchscreen, but "just" that the icons on the screen are too small and not easy to use.
There is a quick preview of the European Q5 version at http://technet.idnes.cz/nejocekavanejsi-video-mp3-prehravac-dorazil-do-redakce-prvni-dojmy-z-cowon-q5w-1x1-/tec_audio.asp?c=A071130_140606_tec_audio_kuz. If you can speak Czech, go ahead. :-)
There are not many new information. Just that there is no video recording, but except of this, the preview is very positive.
good review [thumbsup] nothing new, but it sounds great. cowon q5 is coming (som zo Slovenska[smile]) but the price in Europe[cry] 700eur=1022$
(USA 600$ - why?)
I´m getting Archos 605 160GB ...probably
just.another.blue
12-05-2007, 16:14
@filip
why get an archos when the cowons finaly released!? i only got one because the wait for the cowon was too long! i would rather get a cowon that an archos if i had the choice a few months ago!
@filip
why get an archos when the cowons finaly released!? i only got one because the wait for the cowon was too long! i would rather get a cowon that an archos if i had the choice a few months ago!
Should I cancel the order? it´s still possible... But how long I have to wait to fall the price? here in Europe (Slovakia or another country from which it could be delivered)
Folks, this is a thread for Q5 Reviews.
Further off-topic posts may be summarily deleted.
kalis104
12-05-2007, 18:17
Gizmodo seems to like it, this is an actual review not just a link to the one engadget did
http://gizmodo.com/gadgets/divx-compatible-pmp-review/cowon-q5w-divxgps-pmp-review-verdict-fantastic-330497.php
trancefxs
12-05-2007, 19:57
They also tried the gps add-on:
GPS Navigation: Fantastic. Just plug the unit into the dock, plug the dock into the cigarette adapter, and you're ready to go. The dock even has an FM transmitter so you can broadcast GPS sound, music, or movie (audio) over your car's speakers. The actual navigation is great too, with a pleasing female narrator and airplane-esque ding noise. The icons are large enough that you can hit with your finger instead of the stylus, and the UI has a 2D, 3D, and 2D/3D view. You can even listen to your on-board music while you're navigating as well.
They also tried the gps add-on:
Nice, I've been waiting for reviews of that. I think that was the final thing I needed before I place my order.
Q5W review from Netzwelt.de
Design: 8.0 of 10
Performance: 8.2 of 10
Equipment: 9.4 of 10
Advantages: Equipment, processing, sound, video, WLAN, Bluetooth
Disadvantages: Operation, price, weight, Windows CE
http://64.233.179.104/translate_c?hl=es&langpair=de%7Cen&u=http://www.netzwelt.de/news/76687-cowon-q5w-im-test-mp3player.html
I got to play with the COWON Q5 the other day after my friend bought one. Gonna be honest with ya, I been waiting for 6 months for this thing and sadly I was extremely disappointed with the functionality and the structure of the so-called "Firmware" that's an application that runs under WinCE 5.0 which sadly, is old as hell.
The touch screen is not really a touch screen, its a damn-I-need-to-open-this-file-but-it-just-doesnt-let-me-do-it screen. The way its put just doesn't work in favor of the device. As it acts as if the screen was large so the touch area has to be very small in order to get accurate functionality, which is absurd.
What shocked me the most was video playback. I think my COWON A2 can play videos better than this thing does. All widescreen videos are cropped, thanks to the awkwardly picked screen size that's not wide or full.
About the only thing that's good in it was the Audio, has the same features the A2 does, except for a more complex equalizer. Wireless antenna gives you a horrible signal when compared to a laptop. We took it out on a test (I live in an all-wifi university). The laptop was getting full-strength while the Cowon Q5 barely got a bar. The device will only give you a good signal if you were literally sitting by the router. Bluetooth works, didn't have any problems with that.
Another absurd thing was the FM Radio functionality.. I mean when you have an antenna, why wouldn't you wanna use for FM Transmission, instead of having to plug the damn headphones in.
Lastly, the stereo embedded speakers are the exact same ones on the Cowon A2, so expect no improvements over there.
That's it really.. As of right now, I'm shooting for the Wibrain. i don't think I'll be picking up a COWON Q5 unless its $200 or less.
I got to play with the COWON Q5 the other day after my friend bought one. Gonna be honest with ya, I been waiting for 6 months for this thing and sadly I was extremely disappointed with the functionality and the structure of the so-called "Firmware" that's an application that runs under WinCE 5.0 which sadly, is old as hell.
The touch screen is not really a touch screen, its a damn-I-need-to-open-this-file-but-it-just-doesnt-let-me-do-it screen. The way its put just doesn't work in favor of the device. As it acts as if the screen was large so the touch area has to be very small in order to get accurate functionality, which is absurd.
What shocked me the most was video playback. I think my COWON A2 can play videos better than this thing does. All widescreen videos are cropped, thanks to the awkwardly picked screen size that's not wide or full.
About the only thing that's good in it was the Audio, has the same features the A2 does, except for a more complex equalizer. Wireless antenna gives you a horrible signal when compared to a laptop. We took it out on a test (I live in an all-wifi university). The laptop was getting full-strength while the Cowon Q5 barely got a bar. The device will only give you a good signal if you were literally sitting by the router. Bluetooth works, didn't have any problems with that.
Another absurd thing was the FM Radio functionality.. I mean when you have an antenna, why wouldn't you wanna use for FM Transmission, instead of having to plug the damn headphones in.
Lastly, the stereo embedded speakers are the exact same ones on the Cowon A2, so expect no improvements over there.
That's it really.. As of right now, I'm shooting for the Wibrain. i don't think I'll be picking up a COWON Q5 unless its $200 or less.
I disagree, I liked my A2, but I would never choose it over the Q5W. You need to play with it for more than a few hours.
I played with it for about 1 week striaght and my only gripes can be addressed with firmware.
An maybe yo have fat finger :-) My touch screen works great.
I saw another review and it gave it bad reviews too. I hope someone here could use it for a while and give an honest opinion. I wanted it for the video playback and GPS but...at $599 and $199(for GPS) that's $800 to spend on a device that is crap right off the starting line. Lets get some more reviews in guys...come on....bring them on.
I saw another review and it gave it bad reviews too. I hope someone here could use it for a while and give an honest opinion. I wanted it for the video playback and GPS but...at $599 and $199(for GPS) that's $800 to spend on a device that is crap right off the starting line. Lets get some more reviews in guys...come on....bring them on.
Crap off the starting line??
I like it much more than the A2, and its a great piece.
I have owned several cowons, and I own a Q5W.
I am very happy with it, and it will only get better as cowon does what they alway do with continual firmware improvements.
chauncy_the_dog
12-11-2007, 18:00
Just received. I played with it for a little bit before updating the fw and sw to 1.42.
The thing is like a block hewn from heavy and I mean heavy weight steel. I would love to crush Ipods with it!
I fully understand the issues people are having with the interface. I've recalibrated the screen a couple of times and the result is only a minor improvement. There are icons on both sides of the screen and they work in a menu/submenu kind of way.
It took me several minutes to realize that, but if you don't get it, navigation is hopeless. The cowon menu seemed to work fine to me, even peppy. However, once you're in the windows enviroment, tapping, double tapping seems inconsistent. That said, it went better the more I used it- just don't expect any itouch users to figure this out- it just isn't that intuitive.
See, I wasn't that worried about it- I know Cowon and I believe they will gradually improve this.
But, be honest, a slick user UI has never been Cowon's strong suit- it's for audiophille's and videophilles and here- yikes! (In a good way)
I rip everything in flac, use sennheiser fones and my music sounded warmer and spatially wider. Yeah, the video is impressively clear and sharp too- again I use really high settings when I rip. 300 was noticablly better than my A2.
I haven't tested wi-fi yet- but I did notice that you have to make sure wifi is on in the settings! The wifi working well will be a major issue for me.
The only office thing is wordpad. There are no PM apps. The gps prog is not natively installed. Flash is installed as are several windows games.
You get used to the interface. I imagine other progs can be added. The video and audio are frankly without peers.
that's the 1hour view
instigator
12-12-2007, 05:23
The video and audio are frankly without peers.
And that, my friends, is what its all about. No other device, no matter how good it looks, seems to be able to provide these basic qualities.
Thanks Chauncy. You've sold me.
Wintermoon
12-12-2007, 07:17
Great review Chauncy. Thank you so much!
I received my Q5W Monday but haven't had much time to play with it. The audio absolutely blew my "generation one" Zune out of the water (I should hope so).
The movies I loaded ran flawlessly. The video is unbelieveably smooth with no flutter or choppiness. It's like watching a miniature TV.
The photos I loaded were just JPGs but looked beautiful. The photo files were large, over 3 Mb each and it takes a second or two to transition between photos. I would expect this with files this large. I would imagine that if the photos were formated to a smaller size and resolution the transition would be much quicker.
I played with an Archos 605 at Circuit City last weekend. My impression was that the 605 is much lighter. Weight is subjective but a PMP isn't a bicycle where lighter is better. Personally I'm happy to pay a penalty for more features and better display. I think the additional weight makes the Q5W feel substancial and solid.
chauncy_the_dog
12-12-2007, 14:32
Yeah, the interface has issues. The office viewer, out in 2wks, cost 30 dollars. I tried to install some wince progs and had very little success. I need a primitive pim and an office viewer that work, so I'll probably pay for it.
But I don't care. Lordy- the sound quality! And the multiple playlists- at last.
One can't help but gush over the audio and video quality.
Other points:
The device's external speakers reach a listenable volume- a2 volume was just too low.
I did test the wireless- it works fine if you have a good strong source, the web page display is very good.
I tried usb host with my canon powershot d450 and it didn't work.
Will try the tv output tonight.
ecardwell1
12-12-2007, 15:03
The office viewer, out in 2wks, cost 30 dollars.
Go HERE (http://iaudiophile.net/forums/showthread.php?t=18307) for the WINCE Viewer.
chauncy_the_dog
12-12-2007, 22:50
starting to really love this thing.
Did more tests with the wireless- it's doing better than I thought, certainly
not as much range as a full laptop- I would guess like half the range- but it sees every network in the area and can connect to secure wans. I was able to check my email on hotmail with relative ease. That's a pretty cool extra, I think.
The tv out was okay but that's all. I thing we're going to have to experiment to get this working well. It outputs a full screen in fairly normal resolution- nowhere near HD. But I can't really give it a full test with the way my system is set up.
Just as a tip, I've found that when in the windows enviorment under cowon's interface, using the menus to open programs instead of a double tap is much more effective.
The touch screen in Cowon's interface is very responsive.
The remote is a joy.
I was able to connect USB hdd and flash drive and browse them in the q5- a lot of potential here with what we might be able to connect in the future.
So here's the deal- we who buy this are early adopters of a quirky but [biggrin] high performance piece of hardware. I anticipate the Q5w will get a lot of mediocre reviews.
This is a full wince device as well as a remarkable player. If you have some patience and don't let the frustrations of the touch screen get to you, you will be rewarded.
instigator
12-12-2007, 23:09
Thanks for your updates Chauncy. I, and a few others here I wager, am living vicariously through your updates :) Will be a little while until I can experience the thing for myself...
Out of interest, have you tried out any lossless music i.e. FLAC? Be interested to hear your report on that.
Cyrus The Virus
12-13-2007, 10:32
i agree with chauncy. My device is even better with wlan on second floor of my house then my laptop. I get a half full signal strength, and my laptop just 2 bars ^^ The only thing that sux on the wlan is the cheap ass antenna, but i can even leave it inside when im on 1st or ground floor of my house :) makes me very happy.
The sound in this device is sooo much better then any other MP3 player i owned.
Back in the day i sold my M3L to buy an ipod......biggest mistake of my life :O
The screen is very responsice, and does whatever i want him to do.
Have allreday 3 movies on the device and the display is awesome, even in sunny conditions.
Overall, this thing scores a 8,5 out of 10 for me, just blows my socks off, and the firmware updates are comming in rapidly, so it will only get better.
chauncy_the_dog
12-13-2007, 11:08
Thanks for your updates Chauncy. I, and a few others here I wager, am living vicariously through your updates :) Will be a little while until I can experience the thing for myself...
Out of interest, have you tried out any lossless music i.e. FLAC? Be interested to hear your report on that.
I use mostly flac- terrific. When I use flac I use little or no bbe effects. I will sometimes change equalizer settings.
Or I use 256k plus mp3s with some effects- mp3enhance on some. The effects are better for me with mp3s. flac just doesn't need any.
The mp3s sound great as well.
The spatial wideness I describe was pretty eyeopening through my sennheiser tr130s.
I ran the movie Chronicles of Riddick and it really rumbled.
chauncy_the_dog
12-13-2007, 11:11
forgot to add that when I ran a movie through my tv system. The pic was average- I got full 5.1 sound, big and moving as the ships in Ridick rumbled overhead
I want to know if the TV out only works in videos (like on D2) or if you can see all your interaction like on the player's display (e.g. see your moves on menus, text, pictures, win CE, browser, etc...) ?
Can you connect other devices on the USB (mouse, keyboard, and others) ?
I want to know if the TV out only works in videos (like on D2) or if you can see all your interaction like on the player's display (e.g. see your moves on menus, text, pictures, win CE, browser, etc...) ?
Can you connect other devices on the USB (mouse, keyboard, and others) ?
All interaction, unlike crapple products with AV out. And the remote ROCKS.
forgot to add that when I ran a movie through my tv system. The pic was average- I got full 5.1 sound, big and moving as the ships in Ridick rumbled overhead
chauncy_the_dog did you use the component cables to the TV...the blue green and red connectors?? What was the resolution and bitrate and codec of the movies you ran to the tv?
I'm interested on how it looks on a TV through the component cables at 720x480 at around 3 or 4mbps using .avi's from a DVD as source material?
btw thank you very much for all your updates on the Q5..:)...keep them coming please..
chauncy_the_dog
12-13-2007, 13:45
chauncy_the_dog did you use the component cables to the TV...the blue green and red connectors?? What was the resolution and bitrate and codec of the movies you ran to the tv?
I'm interested on how it looks on a TV through the component cables at 720x480 at around 3 or 4mbps using .avi's from a DVD as source material?
btw thank you very much for all your updates on the Q5..:)...keep them coming please..
I'm probably don't going to be able to help that much here. I used both rca and component out- it was okay. I think the movie was 480X272. It looks better than the a2 out.
But I think it's one of those things you'll need to practice a lot to get it to work optimally. i'd have to dismantle my system to be able to fully mess with the component ins.
So, it looked okay but not great. Full screen, great sound. But I doubt the av out is going to give near HD quality, not out of the box anyway. But maybe with a lot of experimentation and the constant fw updates it might get a lot better.
Anyone else have better results- please let us know specifically what you did.
I'm probably don't going to be able to help that much here. I used both rca and component out- it was okay. I think the movie was 480X272. It looks better than the a2 out.
But I think it's one of those things you'll need to practice a lot to get it to work optimally. i'd have to dismantle my system to be able to fully mess with the component ins.
So, it looked okay but not great. Full screen, great sound. But I doubt the av out is going to give near HD quality, not out of the box anyway. But maybe with a lot of experimentation and the constant fw updates it might get a lot better.
Anyone else have better results- please let us know specifically what you did.
ok thanks chauncy_the_dog, is your tv a widescreen...because to really see what it would look like is to use 720x480 res at a high bitrate...and you can't expect it to look like High def...because the source is DVD...so I would think it should look as good as watching a DVD movie on the tv that is if the res is 720x480..
High Definition is 1280x720 or 1920 x 1080...so that is impossible for the Q5.
Worst review I've read so far comes from customer at newegg.com
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16855228015
Any comments on this review by owners of the cowon q5w?
I was really looking to buy this for the longest time, but this review has really soured me on the cowon q5w[no]
AWFUL
Reviewed By: Steven on 12/9/2007 Tech Level: high - Ownership: 1 day to 1 week
Pros: very good idea, you can use it as a UMPC (you're supposed to be able to, at least), good audio quality, web browsing capability, several qualities of a UMPC
Cons: very poorly executed idea, very inefficient to use as a UMPC. WINDOWS CE IS WORTHLESS, very hard to use, slow internet browsing, choppy video playback, slow startup, cheap touchscreen, extremely heavy, USB host and keyboard/mouse does not work, extremely poor wireless reception, cheap antenna.
Other Thoughts: the Q5W is somewhere between a UMPC and the Archos 605 Wi-Fi You're definitely better off with a 605, even though its sound quality is not very good, and its battery life is dreadful. This thing though, its just a waste of $600
chauncy_the_dog
12-13-2007, 14:10
everybody's entitled to their opinon. I would advise you to read the reviews here and by reputable sources like the one at gadgetaholic.
Don't give this to your grandmother- get her an itouch that will fit in her purse.
This is a tech-savy toy. There have already been three fw updates- wince interface seems more responsive to me.
I like the fact its CE based- you can add progs and we will see much of this as more people play with it.
For the rest- I could answer the reviewer point by point but maybe you should just read this review string.
chauncy_the_dog
12-13-2007, 14:11
ok thanks chauncy_the_dog, is your tv a widescreen...because to really see what it would look like is to use 720x480 res at a high bitrate...and you can't expect it to look like High def...because the source is DVD...so I would think it should look as good as watching a DVD movie on the tv that is if the res is 720x480..
High Definition is 1280x720 or 1920 x 1080...so that is impossible for the Q5.
Yes it is a widescreen and the image filled the screen.
Yes it is a widescreen and the image filled the screen.
Thank you very much chauncy.....ok then at 480X272 I can see why it would look just ok because the image would have to be stretched to fill the screen..
according to this review it can't play youtube!![surrend]
http://blog.wired.com/gadgets/2007/12/cowon-q5w-40gb.html
Cowon Q5W 40GB Portable Media Player — Don't Hate The Player, Hate The Game
By Danny Dumas December 11, 2007 | 1:00:00 PMCategories: Media Players, Reviews
With a Windows CE OS, an AMD 600MHz processor, and Wi-Fi web browsing, Cowon's newest media player seems more like an Ultra Mobile PC than a PMP. And like the poorly received UMPC, the Q5W doesn't quite deliver on its abundance of promised functionality. The unit's gorgeous 5-inch, 800 x 480 LCD touch-screen and built-in DivX and XviD codec support make watching flicks on the go the Q5W's forte, with 40GB or 60GB to store plenty of compressed video. The rest of the player's functions are hampered by the Q5W's slapdash UI — it actually runs as a program on top of the Windows CE interface, complete with annoying hourglass loading visuals. The interface's minuscule on-screen buttons, especially in sub-menus, make using the stylus an unfortunate necessity. Even though the Q5W conveniently supports flash-based web-browsing, surfing duties are relegated to Windows CE's Internet Explorer, rendering both the mobile and standard version of YouTube inoperable WTF? This is supposed to be a video centric player, not a video player hater. Add the Q5W's absurdly high $550 base price — almost twice of the lovely Archos 605 WiFi — and its quirks are even tougher to stomach. —Carlos Bergfeld
WIRED Fantastic audio quality and video playback. Loud, built-in stereo speakers for group viewing parties/rocking out. Support for DivX, XviD, MPEG4, WMV 7/8/9 video files. Bevy of audio formats including: Ogg Vorbis, FLAC, and Monkey's Audio. Wi-Fi enabled with MSN messenger and Flash-supported web browsing. Can act as a USB host to directly upload and view images from cameras, with format support for previewing Nikon RAW pics. Component/composite TV-out and remote for big-screen viewing. Bluetooth 2.0 support for wireless headphones.
TIRED Poor UI coupled with Windows CE 5.0 gives the Q5W the feeling of a shoddily constructed homebrewed device. We got only 4.8 hours of video playback; significantly lower than Cowon’s estimated 7 hours. Aluminum housing gets scorching hot after an hour of video play. No kickstand for hands-free use. Music library uses a horrid file tree for browsing media. Deficient 128MB RAM not enough to support flash-intensive web sites like YouTube. Can't charge battery via USB cable. High price cripples good looks.
Cons: very poorly executed idea, very inefficient to use as a UMPC. WINDOWS CE IS WORTHLESS, very hard to use
Its not a UMPC, but guess what...it the ONLY PMP out there that could even be considered one. This guy is probably comparing it to a $1500 UMPC, and he doesnt sound very tech savy. I got it to do plenty of nice things on the Win CE side. I consider this a nice feature.
, slow internet browsing
Turn off encryption you dolt!
, choppy video playback
I diagree, all DVD's I have ripped into 640X480 res played smooth an beuatiful.
, slow startup,
Umm...mine takes 6 or 7 seconds...THATS FASTER THAN MY U3 starts up!!!
cheap touchscreen,
I can only laught at this one, I have owned more pmps that this guys has owned pairs of socks, and this is an awsome screen.
extremely heavy,
13 oz is "heavy" for a PMP. I personally like the weight, its solidly built and is made of REAL METAL...what a novel concept. This guys need to hit the gym and work out more than his right hand :-)
USB host and keyboard/mouse does not work,
Absolutely incorrect. EVERY USB Mouse and Keyboard i have used worked. So werent HOT SWAPABLE and required a reboot, this guy is too stupid to figure that out obviously.
extremely poor wireless reception, cheap antenna.
I dare say I agree, Cowon need to work this out.
I would disregard everything this guy has said. He is more suited for an ipod, or a 1988 tape walkman...yes that it.
chauncy_the_dog
12-13-2007, 16:16
The guy from newegg had a knee-jerk reaction- needed to get used to the q5 before condeming it. Probably looked at it for 5 minutes and compared to an iTouch.
The cnet blog makes valid points- but these guys condemn the ui cause it's not as flashy as an iphone or as intuitive as archos. Took me .5 hour to feel comfortable with. The touchscreen issues seem to be fixed as far as I can tell.
tried usb mouse- worked fine. There are settings for these things under the utilities icon. You have to enable the mouse pointer, bluetooth, wireless, usb host for them to work. I wonder if some people are missing this.
The fw upgrades seem to be slowly fixing issues- for instance the manual clearly says you can't recharge the battery while using the device- now there's a setting that allows this. I think the wireless works a little better- but, yeah it could use some improvement.
I wish cowon would offer an opportunity for people to return it if they don't like it. If users could play with all its features for a week, I don't think very many people would.
In the words of Charlton Heston "You can have my q5, when you pry it from my cold dead hands".
Prosperus
12-13-2007, 16:46
In the words of Charlton Heston "You can have my q5, when you pry it from my cold dead hands".
Considering that apparently the q5 puts off a decent amount of heat through the case that would be more properly lukewarm dead hands...
Just ordered one for myself from newegg and can't wait to get involved in the reviewing effort!
Wintermoon
12-13-2007, 17:09
I love my Q5w as well. One of my fellow programmers dropped by my office today to check out mine. He watched a few minutes of Transformers exclaiming, Wow! Amazing! That's beautiful! I've never seen anything like it!
When he was done he said, "It's nice but I like the iTouch better". I asked why and he stated. "Oh, I don't know, I just like Apple". [laugh]
Need I say more?
OscarSmith
12-13-2007, 17:59
The guy from newegg had a knee-jerk reaction- needed to get used to the q5 before condeming it. Probably looked at it for 5 minutes and compared to an iTouch.
The cnet blog makes valid points- but these guys condemn the ui cause it's not as flashy as an iphone or as intuitive as archos. Took me .5 hour to feel comfortable with. The touchscreen issues seem to be fixed as far as I can tell.
tried usb mouse- worked fine. There are settings for these things under the utilities icon. You have to enable the mouse pointer, bluetooth, wireless, usb host for them to work. I wonder if some people are missing this.
The fw upgrades seem to be slowly fixing issues- for instance the manual clearly says you can't recharge the battery while using the device- now there's a setting that allows this. I think the wireless works a little better- but, yeah it could use some improvement.
I wish cowon would offer an opportunity for people to return it if they don't like it. If users could play with all its features for a week, I don't think very many people would.
In the words of Charlton Heston "You can have my q5, when you pry it from my cold dead hands".
Hate all you want, but I think the newegg dude had a point.
i think the touchscreen is fine, and the wi-fi signal is too, though
but he's right about WinCE
since u cant install any decent Apps, then whats the point? just to make it like a PC JUST so you can use IE and run the Cowon software?
if it cant run any software, then why bother? it better damn well work as a UMPC if it has WinCE on it, otherwise, why install such a bloated OS? (as opposed to a custom Cowon OS i mean)
WinCE on the Q5w just makes it more complicated without any payoff
also, he didn't even mention the iTouch, so how can u assume he liked it or even compared the two?
and isnt intuitiveness important on a tiny 5" touchscreen? i certainly think it is. i think the screen itself is alright, but i think the software is BS
Hi BS :-P
Have you visited the thread regarding applications for the q5w? I have several worthwhile programs installed.
Once again, its not a UMPC. Its not priced like a UMPC, its priced like a very sophisticated PMP, which it is.
People need to get over the Win CE thing. IF you never use the Win CE functions its still a stellar piece of hardware.
PS, it takes several hours to get up to speed in this thing, do you own one?
OscarSmith
12-13-2007, 18:49
Hi BS :-P
Have you visited the thread regarding applications for the q5w? I have several worthwhile programs installed.
Once again, its not a UMPC. Its not priced like a UMPC, its priced like a very sophisticated PMP, which it is.
People need to get over the Win CE thing. IF you never use the Win CE functions its still a stellar piece of hardware.
PS, it takes several hours to get up to speed in this thing, do you own one?
can u name some of those programs and give me the links? my friend has one and i used it for like 2 hours.
no serioulsy im not being sarcastic, some worthwhile programs would be awesome (is there a Microsoft Word .doc editor? excel? maybe a browser besides IE)
and i'm calling it a UMPC because of its $600 (i know its not, but its priced almost like one)
and i think for $600 it better be able to do something more than just a/v.
the WinCE i think just adds a needless $150-200 to the pricetaga
and since ur saying "if u dont use the Win CE functions its a..." then why get the Q5W over the 605WF?
other than for the audio quality reason, i dont see one
unless u can actually show me a good piece of software i can install on it and use efficiently.
and i'm calling it a UMPC because of its $600 (i know its not, but its priced almost like one)
and i think for $600 it better be able to do something more than just a/v.
.
Hold on for second...youre keying on price so lets go down that road.
1. It can be had for 530.00 (40gig).
2. It includes hardware and software that would cost you roughly $130.00 with the 605, I know, I owned one.
3. There is NO WAY Cowon paid $200 a license to put Win CE on this thing. Youre just shooting in the dark on that one.
4. The 605 Wifi had an MSRP of $399.00 when it was released. Add $100 for the DVR dock and 30 for the Web Plug in, youre at....YOU GUESSED IT $530.00. And thats for the 30gig Archos 605 when it came out.
5. At that price point you still would be WAY short on supported codecs.
So upon release a 605 that would ALMOST do everything a Q5W will do costs the SAME.
But..
At that price point it has a smaller screen, inferior sound, inferior video, inferior file support, 10 less Gigs.
So figure that all in....Having windows CE is a bonus. The unit has been out for 2 weeks, I guarentee you at the rate the program thread here is going there will be dozens of urls an posts of useful programs for it.
If you ahvent owned a lot of PMPs or MP3 players you cant really appreciate how good the construction and equipment list is on this thing.
Its only going to get better, hell...2 weeks and 2 new firmware upgrade with good results....give it 2 months and I bet its UI amd software will be on par.
OscarSmith
12-13-2007, 19:19
Hold on for second...youre keying on price so lets go down that road.
1. It can be had for 530.00 (40gig).
2. It includes hardware and software that would cost you roughly $130.00 with the 605, I know, I owned one.
3. There is NO WAY Cowon paid $200 a license to put Win CE on this thing. Youre just shooting in the dark on that one.
4. The 605 Wifi had an MSRP of $399.00 when it was released. Add $100 for the DVR dock and 30 for the Web Plug in, youre at....YOU GUESSED IT $530.00. And thats for the 30gig Archos 605 when it came out.
5. At that price point you still would be WAY short on supported codecs.
So upon release a 605 that would ALMOST do everything a Q5W will do costs the SAME.
But..
At that price point it has a smaller screen, inferior sound, inferior video, inferior file support, 10 less Gigs.
So figure that all in....Having windows CE is a bonus. The unit has been out for 2 weeks, I guarentee you at the rate the program thread here is going there will be dozens of urls an posts of useful programs for it.
If you ahvent owned a lot of PMPs or MP3 players you cant really appreciate how good the construction and equipment list is on this thing.
Its only going to get better, hell...2 weeks and 2 new firmware upgrade with good results....give it 2 months and I bet its UI amd software will be on par.
alright then
if it becomes better, i'm thinkin of purchasing one in like february or march
thanks for the info and clarification
much appreciated
,oscar smith
WAIT UP
i thought only the Korean one had DVR - in which case thats a whole $100 diff off of what u just said
chauncy_the_dog
12-13-2007, 19:20
I agree with dsakk- the wince programs thing is like a bonus to me-
geez if I can check email, maybe a lite pim(pocket outlook) and check a acrobat file that's all just icing on the cake. It's not UMPC, it just has some UMPC-ess functionality
I don't why people think wince is bloated- there's nothing really pre-installed, I think everything was 170mb initially- half of which was Cowon's progs.
Big I suppose compared to linux. But customization would be harder if even doable. There are lots of progs for wince- the best ones aren't free however.
BTW, I'm a software developer- the license tag for win ce pro is $6.
For Pro plus, or whatever the $30 upgrade is- it's about $19. This is probably why cown used it- it gives you a baked in api that can be built off of.
In any event, wince doesn't get in the way of the PMP functionality. Once you've got stuff set up, you can live a happy life and hardly ever have to deal with it.
But I digress. This is a review thread. If anyone really hates wince don't buy the player. If you need to understand everything at a glance this is not the player for you. That's fine. Apple and archos make good players. I think the q5 fares better with a tech-savy crowd.
The video is better than any pmp on the market. The audio is better than any player on the market.
This is why you pay a premium- and it's not that out of whack- iTouch is, what, $399, archos is about the same by the time you buy all the stuff. The price will gradually come down I think.
I paid $509.
Hope than helps some. It's a lot of money and unfortunately it's non-returnable- so absolutely research all you can
You wont be disappointed. [thumbsup]
Wintermoon
12-14-2007, 08:29
I've noticed my Q5W is operating much cooler after a few days of usage. Maybe a break in kinda thing. Has anyone else noticed this?
Cyrus The Virus
12-14-2007, 09:50
I've noticed my Q5W is operating much cooler after a few days of usage. Maybe a break in kinda thing. Has anyone else noticed this?
What do you mean? like its not getting warm when you use it? Mine is only very warm when im charging it, or when im uploading loads of files through USB. Normal usage almost no heat.
exactly, I held it in my hands, watched 1 hour show while it was pluged in.....very warm.
The next night, did the same thing, but not plugged it.
Much much cooler.
Wintermoon
12-14-2007, 11:03
IMO, when I first got mine it seemed to get exceptionally warm, bordering on hot, especially when charging. I was very alarmed.
I've had it charging and playing a movie this morning and it doesn’t seem nearly as warm as it did the first few times I used it. I'm no longer concerned about the heat issue.
chauncy_the_dog
12-15-2007, 23:10
Hey guys,
Just want you to know I've combined my remarks and posted them as a review at amazon and newegg. It might be easier to see the whole thing at once instead of hunting through the thread.
I can post it here too if someone asks but I feel like I've taken up a lot of space lately.
Hey guys,
Just want you to know I've combined my remarks and posted them as a review at amazon and newegg. It might be easier to see the whole thing at once instead of hunting through the thread.
I can post it here too if someone asks but I feel like I've taken up a lot of space lately.
Taken up a lot of space?? No Way...I'm dying to hear anything I can about the Q5...Post it..:)
chauncy_the_dog
12-16-2007, 00:26
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
http://www.cowonamerica.com/products/cowon/q5w/tech_specs.html
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, $6.
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 $50 to $100. 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 the 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.
Cyrus The Virus
12-16-2007, 02:02
Amen Chauncy, tho i disagree with the wifi, realy, i can leave my antenna inside at groundlevel, first floor, and still have half strength of signal...........
The only thing im fighting with is that i cant connect it through wifi with my home network pc so i can stream with teh q5w, probably a vista prolem grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr
odeyssus
12-16-2007, 13:21
Hello, i'm a french user and i buy a cowon Q5 in france...
Pictures of my Cowon Q5W (http://www.owendia.com/index.php?option=com_smf&Itemid=35&topic=282.0)
I'm very glad with my cowon Q5W... but i haven't test Wifi. (i have no Wifi at home)
Amen Chauncy, tho i disagree with the wifi, realy, i can leave my antenna inside at groundlevel, first floor, and still have half strength of signal...........
The only thing im fighting with is that i cant connect it through wifi with my home network pc so i can stream with teh q5w, probably a vista prolem grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr
Hi Cyrus
What can be streamed with the Q5? Could I acces for example Movies from the Network with the Q5? That would be awesome!!!
PC Mag was less than thrilled with it.
http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2704,2232499,00.asp?kc=PCRSS02129TX1K0000530
I'm still thinking about selling my A2 and getting a Q5W. I'm confident that Cowon will address the perceived shortcomings in FW updates.
PC Mag was less than thrilled with it.
http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2704,2232499,00.asp?kc=PCRSS02129TX1K0000530
I'm still thinking about selling my A2 and getting a Q5W. I'm confident that Cowon will address the perceived shortcomings in FW updates.
I'm not very impressed with this guy's review. To address some of his points, as has been discussed else where on here the keyboard isn't that difficult to use. Including an email app seems like overkill when you have a browser that can get to most web mail sites. He complains about getting stuck on the desktop and needing to shut the machine down to get back to the media player. Apparently he missed the Cowon Launcher (or whatever it's called, I don't have mine here) icon right on the desktop. Simple double tap and you're back. He calls the file support "decent". If that's the case, what does he call Apple's? I think just because it's running CE he's expecting a lot more PDA functions than were ever intended. I don't see it being positioned as a PDA at all. He doesn't comment on sound quality at all. Overall I feel like he spent about a half hour with the Q5 and then wrote his review.
I'm not very impressed with this guy's review. To address some of his points, as has been discussed else where on here the keyboard isn't that difficult to use. Including an email app seems like overkill when you have a browser that can get to most web mail sites. He complains about getting stuck on the desktop and needing to shut the machine down to get back to the media player. Apparently he missed the Cowon Launcher (or whatever it's called, I don't have mine here) icon right on the desktop. Simple double tap and you're back. He calls the file support "decent". If that's the case, what does he call Apple's? I think just because it's running CE he's expecting a lot more PDA functions than were ever intended. I don't see it being positioned as a PDA at all. He doesn't comment on sound quality at all. Overall I feel like he spent about a half hour with the Q5 and then wrote his review.
I disregard ANY AND EVERY DAP review if the reviewer does not address SOUND QUALITY. It shows to me they are ignorant, and far less technical than myself, thus not worth my consideration.
This review falls into the catagory of "I used an ipod so I feel I can review DAPs". This person is a dolt.
That's the same guy that reviewed the D2, in the D2 review he never even mentioned sound quality once.
Notice the top rated products are the Zune, touch and nano...that magazine has really sold out as of late...absolute joke of a magazine.
In that review he says when you fast forward or pause videos it causes them to freeze [confused] I hadn't heard of that, is that true?
In that review he says when you fast forward or pause videos it causes them to freeze [confused] I hadn't heard of that, is that true?
I did that with some movies at 720X400 at 1500+kbps and it NEVER happened that the Q5 froze. My Q5 only froze when I installed some apps on WIn Ce which weren't compatible, but thats a whole other story.
mymandarin123
01-16-2008, 13:19
Generationmp3 have posted a Q5W video review
DailyMotion (http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x3zzew_test-du-cowon-q5w-par-gmp3_tech)
Youtube(Mirror) (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FPrxHnVLcu0)
Clipta(Mirror Via Pmptoday) (http://www.clipta.com/play?v=286a7b345fb515d41e14)
Original post (http://generationmp3.com/index.php/2008/01/14/8309-test-et-video-du-cowon-q5-par-gmp3) in french.
Google translation of their conclusion
We have introduced Cowon Q5w as a device halfway between PMP and UMPC ... And that's what it is! Indeed, it provides access to all the multimedia content with the ease of a PMP: the list of supported formats whether audio, photo or video is very long and the return is in any case of quality. His later "UMPC" is characterized first by its hardware configuration, its large touch screen and wireless connectivity, but also by the fact that it runs on Windows CE with its advantages and disadvantages. The Q5w, which can therefore be described as a hybrid device, in addition to proposing a microphone, an FM tuner, a TV output and especially USB host without counting the usual loudspeakers. Therefore, the entire aircraft, as his package which it lacks just a protective cover, but this Cowon is expensive, very expensive even at home! Therefore, some points hit a nerve as its autonomy average or the fact that they can not register via the microphone. But the most pain with our test model was the concern of finishing ... Cowon Hoping that we make a return on that subject!
http://stuff.tv/Review/Cowon-Q5W/
http://www.popularmechanics.com/technology/reviews/4244363.html
http://blog.wired.com/gadgets/2007/12/cowon-q5w-40gb.html
http://reviews.cnet.com/portable-video-players-pvps/cowon-q5w-40gb/4505-6499_7-32593881.html
Cnet review seem fair and on target that a suprise. I have Q5w for 3 week now some of the listed cons are on target. No ID tag browsing/playback support, weight heavy, window CE 5 instead of CE 6, UI trouble and wifi setup/reception problem. But 7 out of 10 rating seem unfair and tilted. I would give archos 605 7.5 and Q5w 8.0. I think it the high price on
q5w with weak UI/wifi that hurt Cowon q5w rating. Its no longer just about high quarlity video/audio on PMP anymore since iphone/itouch came out, ppl seem to care more about wifi and UI nowaday more. PPl keep forgeting the very reason to buy an PMP is the media playback and its quarlity. Wifi just a bonus not very usefull in any PMP due to memory limitation, power requirement and screen size for browseing. I have trouble justifily browing on an 5 inch q5w let alone 4i inch screen in archos or 3.4 inch in itouch. The power it consume and the loading time it just don;t make sense.
final note: No ID tag browsing and bad UI is cowon owns doing they should wake up and start paying attention othewise they gona lose fan base and reputation. I almost brought the 705 for bigger video playback/browseing screen until I heard thare alot of problems with archos product and the portablebiility of an 7+ inch screen. Also screen quarlity of 605/705 is not up to cowon q5w standard and 705 is worst then 605. I suprise Cnet didn;t mention how buggy the 605 is.
twinsdad
01-23-2008, 06:47
Cnet review seem fair and on target that a suprise. I have Q5w for 3 week now some of the listed cons are on target. No ID tag browsing/playback support, weight heavy, window CE 5 instead of CE 6, UI trouble and wifi setup/reception problem. But 7 out of 10 rating seem unfair and tilted. I would give archos 605 7.5 and Q5w 8.0. I think it the high price on
q5w with weak UI/wifi that hurt Cowon q5w rating. Its no longer just about high quarlity video/audio on PMP anymore since iphone/itouch came out, ppl seem to care more about wifi and UI nowaday more. PPl keep forgeting the very reason to buy an PMP is the media playback and its quarlity. Wifi just a bonus not very usefull in any PMP due to memory limitation, power requirement and screen size for browseing. I have trouble justifily browing on an 5 inch q5w let alone 4i inch screen in archos or 3.4 inch in itouch. The power it consume and the loading time it just don;t make sense.
final note: No ID tag browsing and bad UI is cowon owns doing they should wake up and start paying attention othewise they gona lose fan base and reputation. I almost brought the 705 for bigger video playback/browseing screen until I heard thare alot of problems with archos product and the portablebiility of an 7+ inch screen. Also screen quarlity of 605/705 is not up to cowon q5w standard and 705 is worst then 605. I suprise Cnet didn;t mention how buggy the 605 is.
I was thinking about trying the 705. Do you have one? I am wondering about your comment regarding the screen quality being worse than the 605. That is not encouraging for me.
705 don't have 16million color like Q5w/605/A3 but resolution is same 800x480. People in archos are saying you need to enable ditchering and dark scene looks bad.
beemanreturns!
01-24-2008, 06:09
Cowon's latest effort gets burned by the reviewers (http://reviews.cnet.com/4520-12519_7-6508253-1.html?tag=dir)!
That's the same guy that reviewed the D2, in the D2 review he never even mentioned sound quality once.
Notice the top rated products are the Zune, touch and nano...that magazine has really sold out as of late...absolute joke of a magazine.
Agreed 100%.
Its utter crap!
PCMag is a mag for Mainstream consumers. They have no clue about anything else that isn't mainstream. Shit no wonder that everyone is going with a bloody Apple Ipod, they have no idea that something way better exists. [cursing]
Can't blame these mag company, It all about corporate donation and Ads dollars. Every Reviewer wants to be as honest as possible but Money matter more. Who said reputation can;t be brought. lol If magazine bases there incomes on subscription only they would of been gone............. long gone.
IdontexistM8
01-29-2008, 14:10
Can't blame these mag company, It all about corporate donation and Ads dollars. Every Reviewer wants to be as honest as possible but Money matter more. Who said reputation can;t be brought. lol If magazine bases there incomes on subscription only they would of been gone............. long gone.
It's more than that..many really don't give much time to their tests/reviews.
striker6879
02-18-2008, 12:09
PC World review: http://www.pcworld.com/article/id,141184/article.html
The main complaint is the interface. However, this was interesting:
The device scored poorly in our lab audio tests, and the included earbuds are basic at best--though with some adjustment of the on-screen graphic equalizer, I was able to get acceptable sound through my own headphones.
makaveli72
02-18-2008, 14:39
Paul Jasper is crazy to make a comment like that...something must b wrong with his ears...the sound on the Q5 is awesome when using the included headphones. And very loud too...of course everyone will most likely customize their own EQ settings.
The audio through headphones is jammin' IMO. :jamming:
Whenever somebody is commenting on things which are from 90% subjective (as sound quality) and tells it as a plain truth, I skip it as a complete buls*it.
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