Cowon iAudio Q5W Cowon’s attempt to steal Archos’s crown
There aren’t many fields in the tech industry that you could argue are dominated by a particular make and model of hardware, but we believe the PMP (portable media player) market to be one of them. So impressive has Archos’s range of players been over the last couple of years that it’s difficult to see how someone else could compete.
A high-profile launch into this market would be a ballsy move then, but it’s one that Cowon hasn’t shied away from with the release of the iAudio Q5W. It’s finished in black with a dominating 5-inch display and a nice range of connectivity that includes a full sized USB port - so you can transfer content from devices such as digital cameras or MP3 players - and a proprietary connection for A/V output through the supplied composite/component lead. The latter is a nice touch since it means you can hook the device up to your TV or audio system directly.
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