View Full Version : Post Your Experience: Good or Bad?
tjpark1111
05-09-2006, 00:31
Not so good for me. The first A2 I got worked fine until it just went dead, as other people are experiencing. Charging, plugging into USB, did NOTHING. Although, I think there may have been some damage to the power plug in my A2 since the red light would turn on for a second if I wiggle the connector and just get it in the right spot. Oh well, I charged by USB by putting it on hold and it didn't work, so it really was DEAD. RMA service however, was prompt, and kind. The A2 I sent had a scratch on the back(my fault), when I received my new A2(prolly refurbished actually), it had a scratch on the front(thank god not the screen). Since then, I've gotten the invisible shield, the zcover, and the boxwave(threw that horrible piece of shi* out) for it and it works excellent. I'm trying not to sleep on top of my A2 so my power connector doesn't get bent again.
Excellent for me. Far superior to Archos device I had before.
Love the frequent firmware upgrades.
Eric
Packgrog
05-09-2006, 08:58
It saddens me to see that so many people have wound up with dead units. I wonder how much of this is misuse, and how much is genuinely flawed manufacturing. Strange.
That said, I'm quite happy with the unit. I don't think it's perfect, as it has a LOT of unrealized potential, and has occasionally glitched or crashed on me, but all things considered, I think it's a superb device. I don't expect perfection, and this device does quite a lot, all things considered, and most of what it does, it does quite well. The video playback and codec support are superb, especially in comparison to any comparable device.
And I must say, the frequency of firmware updates are really quite stunning. Most of these updates haven't been things I've been particularly interested in yet, but considering how much has been done in a relatively short period of time, I have high hopes that they will get around to some other features I genuinely desire (or at least stabilize some of the quirks). High marks for their dedication to improving this already impressive device.
Belgarion
05-09-2006, 09:38
Excellent device. Very glad I bought it.
Not working properly out of the box. Updated to 1.73 and I have freezes on external power and I only 50% of advertised battery life.
Still very good for firmware updates and very good device for all it can do. I love every minute of having it and dread having to send it back to replace the battery if it doesn't improve as I don't want a refurbished unit. I will contact Cowon directly to find a solution to the battery problem. As for freezes I can life with that for now.
Lord Entropy
05-09-2006, 09:49
Touch Wood..been fine out of the box since I got it in Jan.
Had the occasional file that won't load but a quick re-encode later and all has been fine.
Like some people the firmware updates has not always given me stuff I need but better that than no updates.
This device has been superb for my daily 4 hour commute only problem now is that I am running out of stuff to watch..
Overall I have convinced one friend to buy one and another is probably still begging his Wife to let him buy one ;)
Best bit of kit I have bought in a long time..certainly will buy from Cowon again.
everything's fine for me except the MAIN problem: DUST. Other than that I had a couple of freezes, which is trivial. I love my A2 and I can stand the dust by trying not to look at it when it's turned off lol. Gonna open it soon and clear the shitty dust---> I'll be happy :D
jontupper
05-09-2006, 10:56
Packgrog: well said, I'd say we're in the same shoes.
"misuse" was probably a better way to put it ;)
An occasional freeze when it can't handle a particular file. A tiny bit of dust under the screen. Only other problem was not the fault of the A2, but a faulty cable I was using with it.
Everything else is absolutely fantastic. I'm so glad my parents got me it for my birthday. I couldn't have asked for a better birthday present.
colinmcc
05-09-2006, 14:58
everything's fine for me except the MAIN problem: DUST. Other than that I had a couple of freezes, which is trivial. I love my A2 and I can stand the dust by trying not to look at it when it's turned off lol. Gonna open it soon and clear the shitty dust---> I'll be happy :D
I'd echo the above exactly.
Besides the annoying "dust jets" (so far three along the top - one of which is tiny - and one from the bottom left hand corner) it's been spot on.
The dust isn't bad enough to warrant opening it up just yet but I'll go down that road when it gets bad enough. Just a shame they didn't make the screen a bit easier to access and clean .....
Just a shame they didn't make the screen a bit easier to access and clean .....
I think that had they made the screen easier to access, it would have probably exacerbated the dust problem. Like on my cell phone, the screen is incredibly easy to get to, because of the changeable faceplate feature, but I ALWAYS have dust problems. I eventually just stopped cleaning it out. If I can't read the screen, I'll clean it out again sometime.
colinmcc
05-09-2006, 16:29
I see where you're coming from but I was just meaning 4 screws at the front with a rubber gasket right round would have made life a whole lot easier than having to disassemble the entire unit.
I know what you mean about phones too.
My SE K750i has a wee bit dust under the screen, but hardly any. My Moto E1000 also had a bit, again hardly any. My wifes Moto V3 though .... horrendous. At least the screen cover is cheap and easy to change though.
soljabiggz
05-09-2006, 16:43
No Complaints here:bigthumbs
Nightwing
05-09-2006, 16:47
Outstanding here!
Best thing for plane flights. A A2 loaded with TV, decent movies and a lot of good music. Add a decent set of Noize Canceling Headphones and it turns a Coast to Coast flight from a pain into pure pleasue!
jeffreyj900
05-09-2006, 18:56
I have not had any problems as of yet :rock:
kerminator
05-09-2006, 23:36
:coolio: I’m very pleased with my unit. Their have been Very few glitches that reset with no problem I got my unit just before Christmas of 05 and can’t believe the changes in firmware since then. I use it all the time. I like the fact that I can take it to my friends or family houses and watch my movies on their TV’s. The archos av500 has a separate pod that you need in order to hook up to TV’s and this pod is almost the same size a the av500. The number of codecs it has is amazing. The sound quality is very good. I use the built in speakers all the time around the house. I dictate notes with the mic. This new CSD feature is also amazing. Lots o people complain about the size of the unit. Yes it is a bit bulky but is still very pocketable (without the case).
MCSmarties
05-10-2006, 00:21
Absolutely the best purchase I ever made.
Top 5 best situations to use it:
1. Airplanes. There's just nothing better than having video, audio, photo and text to keep you busy on long, boring flights!
2. Daily commute. Sure it's a little more bulky than a DAP but I have never understood why that would be so big of a deal.
I used to carry a PB book around all the time (not anymore... I read my novels on the A2 now!)
3. Transfer files to and from university
4. Watch zone 2 DVDs, ripped to XviD, on my friends' TV (I use the TV out several times a week)
5. Image tank for my digital camera. No need to buy expensive CF cards anymore...
Unit worked right out of the box (and I was nervous, I left for a month long trip including some VERY long airplane flights just a few days later).
Never had trouble updating firmware or watching my DVD rips. Sure, a few short movie clips I had downloaded still give it trouble, but it doesn't bother me.
In the 5 months I had the unit, I only had to use the reset once.
Yes it did hang several times, but keeping the power button pressed for a few seconds almost always got it to reboot properly.
By the way, can you believe that I have never used the record mode yet?!
absolutely no problems at all.
just a few dust particles here and there that doesnt give me any problems at all when viewing something.
the few files that wont load due to uncompatibility but fixed later by reencoding it. which IS MY FAULT not cowons, but can be remedied when cowon supports more formats ;P hoping!
used it for 2 trips (one international and other national) - made the flight bearable. felt guilty when my 6 yr old nephew's dvd player died on him when watching harry potter 4 on an 11 hr flight. thank goodness i was sitting the row behind him and watching my movies/tv shows for about 5 hrs on the flight....and still had some battery life left after that. watched another tv show (45 mins) and listend to music for another 4 hrs during waiting time for connecting flight. and listened to music for another hour or 2 before it died out. but luckily, was picked up at airport right away and brought to family's home and i quickly charged it up. by the time i woke up, it was ready to go again.
also, the text view made my life a little easier. can read books (lots of them) without carrying all of them.
and sharing pictures, excellent. but as of now, a2 doesnt support my camera (casio exilm) so i have to transfer pics via computer. i am looking for a good SD card reader? any suggestions. hmm...i guess ill take a look at supported device page since its now updated.
and like mcsmarties, i had mines about 5 months now (dec 23, 2005 to be exact when i got it). but did 2 resets. and havent fully used the record mode at all. i think i just tried it once to see if i can record something (which i did and got it done) but since then, i havent used that function.
By the way, can you believe that I have never used the record mode yet?!
Yes I can. I am ready to bet that the recording mode is used very little overall by PMP users. The Archos PMA had crap recording mode, and for a while was my only way to record stuff... When I complained on the forums, I had no echo... And after a while it occurred to me that nobody (very few) really use the recording functions intensively.
Main reason is: A PMP can't be boh at home hooked to a video source AND in your pocket/with you all day/on a trip.
So the recording feature of a PMP I believe is an "accessory", a nice to have feature, but for real intensive recording you're better off with a fixed machine like a video server.
Recording on the A2 is very practical for some uses, if you're away, or you want the video straight on your machine, but it is not -like many reviewers tend to think- such a central function I believe.
I record 2x30 minutes a day when I am at home. That's all, and I guess it's a lot more than most users already.
More intense recording is up to a video server which has Tivo like functions.
Back to subject:
The A2 also works very well as a portable recorder.
Eric
MCSmarties
05-10-2006, 09:20
Main reason is: A PMP can't be boh at home hooked to a video source AND in your pocket/with you all day/on a trip.
You absolutely nailed it with that sentence!
(I first saw that statement from you in the jbmm.fr forum.
By the way, seems to me that the number of posts about the Cowon A2 has literally exploded there! Are they jealous...? :bigsmile: )
pcheung08
05-10-2006, 10:36
Quite satisfied with my A2 to handle music and videos. I give it 4.5 out of 5 and would give a perfect 5 if A2 can support Rm/RMVB. :notworthy
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