Updated 11 Feb, 2012, 4:06 pm IST

Cowon Q5

26 Jan, 2008, 6:00 pm IST | Laiq Qureshi | PMPs PMPs

The latest launch by Cowon, a south-Korean electronics manufacturer of MP3 players and large screen PMPs, is something I’m personally very kicked about. Honestly, we don’t get to see most of what’s launched abroad, and although this is only about to change; the longevity of the change itself could kill the wait. What with PMPs like Archos, Zune etc, still waiting to be imported by some enterprising folk, we have to be content with the few options available in the market.

After the A2, a product in direct competition with the Creative Vision: W, Cowon promises to flood the streets with the Q5. When we met the Cowon representative, I was miffed by the Koreans underplaying what they called a revolutionary product. Despite that, after a lot of nudging we forced them to send us the Q5 for review.

Design
The Q5 features a 5-inch LCD screen, a pleasant departure from the iPod Classic and many others that we are so accustomed to. Unlike the A2, the front portion of the player has only the screen hogging all the attention, with minimal interference from buttons. At 138.8 x 88.5 x 20.0 mm and 380g, it's quite bulky. You will have to make peace with the fact that a large screen means a bit of bulk.

The left of the player carries, in a particular order, the Wi-Fi antenna, a mic-in, an earphone jack, a USB and a USB host slot, and finally the charging slot. The power on/off slider key that doubles as the hold key is placed on top, alongside the two speaker outlets and the volume keys. The player comes with a leather carry case that can also be used to prop up the player.

Would you buy it?

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