Cowon A3

Cowon has always been a personal favorite, and not without ample reason. To begin with, I don’t see Cowon cowing down to the competition by subscribing to the whole "use only proonprietary software" crap! If there’s any product out there that's capable of breaking the iPod monopoly, I'd say it's Cowon. Even though the visibility is low, it's still likely to shine amidst it all.

The A3 is only an extension of the A2 where features are concerned, and fortunately, Cowon has made sure the player only adds to the likeable features of its predecessor. While we got a 30GB player for review, be aware that you can also get a 60GB A3.

Design
The player shares much of its looks with the A2, but I had hoped the bulk would have been reduced. It's heavy, but I haven’t come across any PVP (Portable Video Player) that isn’t. As in the A2, the screen size is a good 4 inches, and although it’s quite reflective, I will trust you guys to not use it to watch movies on the road. If you're curious, the 30GB player weighs around 280g!

I'd have liked to see the end of the weird joystick, but that was not to be. It doesn’t feel right, let alone work right. To begin with, it hurts your thumb. Sadly, using it is the only way you can navigate. And every time you try to hold it down to make a selection, it will more often than not jump icons – or worse still, make a wrong selection. Avoid fiddling with the player when drunk!