The D2’s touch screen is responsive, but we prefer tactile controls for MP3 players since a touch interface makes blind navigation impossible. All in all, the D2’s user interface is pretty straightforward, with an icon-driven main menu that reminds me of Archos’ PVPs, but deeper navigation will take some acclimation. Still, anyone with a bit of tech experience should catch on swiftly. The D2 is dominated by a 2.5-inch color screen. The D2’s display is touch-sensitive, which means the majority of navigation is accomplished by poking at the screen PDA-style. Your finger will do the trick, or you can use the included stylus-which also acts as a nifty kickstand, by the way.
The sleek body is wrapped in a brushed-metal border, where you can find some tactile controls: a power/hold slider, volume buttons, and a menu key. On the left edge, hidden beneath a flap, are two USB ports: one standard mini for syncing with the computer and one proprietary for use with the included wallwart power adapter. The bottom of the device features an SD card expansion slot for adding more memory. At 3x2.2x0.6 inches, the player is pleasantly compact overall.
You can simply connect the player to your computer using the included USB cable and begin transferring content, either via drag-and-drop in Windows Explorer or by using Windows Media Player(WMP). Cowon also includes a software CD that includes JetShell for transferring files and JetAudio for media playback and conversion.
As with all Cowon players, the D2 is teeming with features. It offers support for multiple audio codecs, including MP3, Ogg, WAV, FLAC, and WMA-including subscription tracks. You can also create a dynamic playlist on the device itself. Music playback options include shuffle and repeat modes, six EQ presets as well as a user-defined mode, and BBE sound effects(Mach3Bass, 3D Surround, and Stereo Enhance). You can also view photos and videos on the device. It supports WMV and AVI natively, and the aforementioned JetShell can help you with other formats, such as DiVX. There’s also voice and line-in recording, as well as an FM tuner with autoscan and a seemingly limitless number of preset slots.
And how about that ever-pressing performance issue? As I’ve come to expect from Cowon players, the D2 sounds great when paired with a decent pair of headphones. You’ll definitely want to replace the set that comes with the player-they sound pretty awful. The multitude of sound-adjustment options should help you find the perfect balance for your tastes. Overall, tunes sounded rich, warm, and detailed with a thumping low-end to satisfy bass-freaks. The stellar sound quality remained consistent across all genres of music. Photos looked crisp and detailed on the bright, color screen, and it’s kind of cool to see the chunky, pixilated effect just before an image comes fully into focus. Video playback also proved more than acceptable-we wouldn’t mind watching a 30-minute clip on the D2, though we still think the screen is too small for feature-length movie watching. The rated battery life of 52 hours for audio and 10 hours for video is also nothing to scoff at; indeed, it’s very impressive, and the D2 pretty well proved itself. I get about 50 hours for music and 10 hours for video-simply awesome.
Overall:
The pros: The Cowon D2 MP3 player offers a sleek and compact design dominated by a lovely, touch-sensitive screen. The device is packed with almost every feature in the book, including video playback, voice recording, and an FM tuner. The D2 comes with a handy stylus/kickstand, and the sound quality is great.
The cons: The Cowon D2 is pricier than similarly featured MP3 players, and it’s a bit heavy. The touch interface won’t appeal to all users, specifically active ones.
Verdict: If you can get on board with the Cowon D2’s PDA-like touch screen interface, the reward is great-sounding audio and a fantastic battery life.
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