Cowon releases 32GB S9 PMP in Korea
By Darren Murph 
posted Apr 14th 2009 12:14PM
posted Apr 14th 2009 12:14PM
[Via PMPToday]
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omg omg omg
*screams like a schoolgirl*
Is Cowon big in Asia or Europe? I never see any in the US.
Mostly Asia, I believe, although I live in the US and I bought a Cowon A2 on Amazon a couple years ago. Great PMP.
Also, that thing is gorgeous.
These are common where people care about the quality of their audio.
I know two people who have A2's and one with a D5(?).
I think audiophiles like them alot too.
If only the actual unit is as good looking as that pic..
Still looks pretty sexy to me:
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3134/3168307837_20c7326f56_o.jpg
http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1083/3168309369_10468ba8a8_o.jpg
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3111/3168311375_792a37c902_o.jpg
But what do I know?
I'm actually pretty excited. Between the 32GB version, new firmware, probable H.264 support in the upcoming firmwares, and a few really nice UCI's, it's getting harder to say no.
That is one of the nicer looking PMPs I've seen IMO. I would really like to get my hands on one to muck around with. Anyone have any hands on experience with one of these (Not this specific model, but the previous editions of this same model)? How's the user interface? Any problems with syncing with either Windows or OSX? Thanks!!
No problems with Windows (not tried Mac). The stock UI isn't as bad as some people say (Engadget included, I found so much misinformation and missing information in their 'review') apart from the coverflow effort which isn't needed and a couple of vague icons which are rarely used (rare for me at least). But that doesn't matter anyway as the interface is FULLY customisable and there's already some great UCIs out there.
According to the reviews, the player isn't as stylish IRL, being contstructed mostly from plastic and with a shitty operating system.
Well, it may not look as stylis as the pics, mostly beacuse most reviewers reviewed the titanium version, but the chrome one looks HOT, even if it's plastic. The player's "operative system" is totally in flash so anyone can change it, and with some fw releases I belive that it has become a great player. Ofc it got it's cons, but doesnt all players have that?
is it just me or is that pic 16 bit?
Just you.
"for the privileged of ownership"?
Methinks someone typoed there.
If it had wifi it would be perfect.
I have read many reviews about this particular unit and they are all glowing. Some people may find the OS a bit daunting, but not shitty. This company is out of Korea, but has been making great players for some time. They are known for great sound quality reproduction. The OS on the unit is fully customizable (as long as you have some knowledge of Flash). Even if you do not know flash you can still download user customized interfaces.
Besides the sound on this unit the screen is absolutely gorgeous, it is in a class of its own. It uses a 16M color AMOLED screen that does not have any of the ghosting that LCDs commonly have. This allows it to get 55 hours Audio and 11 hours video out of a single charge. The only downside is it does not have Wifi like the iTouch, but the superior screen and sound more than make up for that, if that is what you are looking for.
cowon fail!
Call me when have wifi browser n 34000
Apps then well talk.touch is light years ahead!
I have touch, and overall it crashes too much.
Two weeks after I bought mine, cowon came out with s9 for $70 cheaper. I then hated my commitment to a touch.
Sure the iTouch can do a lot, it's a great little thing.
But this is more of an audio/video player then anything else, thats the parts where the ituoch fails. The S9 fails on wifi and apps, but for the people who just want great audio and video and allready has a phone for games and wifi this is unbeateble I believe.
Surprise surprise, an S9 post and Wank is spewing the same crap, only this time without a single ",." Looks like he can learn after all. Hopefully at some point in the future he'll have wised up and realised how much of a tool he is.
wait wait wait....
Personal devices are supposed to be priced at $700... how can this be less than $300?!?!?!?
Oh god yes, the lack of a 32gb version is the only thing that has kept me from buying an S9. Come to Europe please!
Shank, give it a rest mate. Anything that isnt an iclone you would probably consider a fail. This is a quality unit sound and vision wise and the firmware update sorted out many issues with the UI. Some people just want a good MP3 player and arent worried about the apps that make up for the lacking audio quality.
Nice looking bit of kit and the 32gb option makes it all the better
Check advancedmp3players.co.uk, i´m not sure if its avaible there already but i ordered my S9 16GB a while ago from it. Thanks the Pounds/Euro its right now rather cheap to order there, only they might be a bit slowish.
that is one sexy looking PMP
Awesome, i know plenty of people have been waiting for a 32gb option. I bought mine, 16gb, from amazon a couple weeks back. Its an awesome player, it does have a few quirks, but nothing major. Biggest selling point was the battery life, real buttons for playback and volume, and screen is really nice. Awesome thing is there are lots of custom UI's that people are making. You can make all the menus through flash and just place them in a folder, and bam, they work. If you look up Buuf and Claw with cowon s9, on google, you will see what i'm talking about. or check out forums on anythingbutipod or iaudiophile. I didn't care about apps or Wifi, so this player was perfect. An no more itunes, i just use windows media player.
It feels nice, screen holds up well, something called gorilla glass, there's a youtube video with a razer taken to it. It light, cause of the plastic, but it feels good, rubberized back feels good in my opinion.
Just one more point. Apparently, even though i can't tell, it has the best audio output of any mp3 player. You can always fully use a custom equalizer which is nice if you want to use that kind of thing.
The plastic is what worries me. I've heard it is "cheap" feeling and not the best construction. I would really love to get one, but at nearly $300 I would debate between this and the getting-better Archos 5 ($299 for 60gb on Amazon).
The build and materials are not cheap quality but it is reeeally light which is what makes people say it FEELS cheap.
@htowngator
Guess you haven't been paying attention to the prices on Amazon.
60GB is $320
However, the 160GB is 279 right now (thats right, 100GB more for $40 LESS)
To all haters, the market has spoken, the iPod has over 70% DAP marketshare. Cowon should just give up.
This may come as a surprise to you, but Cowon players are fairly popular. Just not in the United States. It's one of the top 3 brands in South Korea (iriver, samsung, and cowon account for 80 percent of that market).
Or let me put it this way: Apple has less than 20 percent of the market share in South Korea. Maybe they should just give up completely? "The market" has spoken(?)
And another thing, market says nothing about quality.
Isn't that Apple fans favourite argument against Windows anyway? It goes both ways, you know.
by your own argument, apple should just give up the computer business and just focus on ipods. microsoft still holds 90% of the market. the market has spoken.
@mac404
Well, you're right about Apple's market share being low in Koreat. However, what was Apple's share in Korea 5 years ago? I am sure it has increased exponentially in the last 5 years. I'm a Korean American living in Seoul, and everyone seems to want an ipod touch these days.
Didn't the S9 sell out in a matter of hours in S Korea?
finally! can't wait for this bad boy. the only thing that set me back on getting it was lack of expansion but I this will do it.
I own this player 16gig and it is an excellent player, sound is incredible paired with my Shure SE530s, and just lovely with my
Sennheiser px200. the OS is very responsive and flows just right, this thing is very fast and supports allot of formats, videos and pics are truly beautiful. Yes it is made out of plastic but the feel is solid the glass is gorilla glass super strong check out the review and video on it... (http://www.anythingbutipod.com/archives/2009/02/corning-gorilla-glass-protects-the-cowon-s9.php). in about a week one will not realize that at all. overall this thing laughs at the iPod touch, this is truly a beautiful pmp and for all you guys questioning it you don't u give it a try just for a week, if you are not a believer return it get your money back and buy a iPod Touch simple like that.
i too have the 16 gig s9. i'm liking it very much. looking at the price of the 32 gig, i wished i would have waited. it's only about 50 US dollars more.
btw, the new firmware has widgets on the homescreen. it's very cool.
I had just been waiting for the 32GB version of this to come out before I got one, but now I cant decide do I want the cowon with superior audio/screen and ogg support OR an iPod touch so I can have Pandora on it with virtually unlimited music
Will you be in a Wifi area the entire time?
If compressed internet music is fine for you, I'd go with the Touch. Cowon is for audiophiles.
Looks like a lenovo OPhone ....
http://www.engadget.com/2009/01/09/lenovos-android-powered-ophone-to-hit-china-mobile-this-quarter/
Ophone pictures surfaced 4 months after pictures for the S9. If anything, Lenovo copied Cowon?
i've been waiting for the 32g back when i found out about this device. 16g was out at the time. byebye iCrashalotifidontreboot(ipod) touch 1stgen. (yes even with 2.1 update!) i like how the specs for the battery life on this thing is sooo much better. i get at best 8 hrs of music before the touch dies, even at low volume. yes, sometimes i listen to the touch ALL day at work. 32g will finally be able to hold the shows ive wanted to watch as well! awesomeawesome!
Ah, now I have to make a decision. Do I get the 32 GB S9, or wait for the Samsung P# or Xony x1000. Decisions, decisions, decisions........
I'll make it easier for you the Sony 16GB NWZ-X1050 is US $400 so you can imagine what the 32GB might possibly cost, but if cost is no object to you then it'll be a tougher choice for you.
As to the Samsung P3 the 32GB will set you back US $300 and it only gets 30 hours for audio and 5 for video.
The Cowon S9 32GB is $287 gets you 55 hours Audio and 11 hours video out of a single charge.
Try doing the math now.
Pocketables.net has a subjective comparision between Cowon and Samsung if you look around there a bit, might be of interest to you.
I replaced my iPod with the 16gb S9 and I have no regrets. A coworker has the 16gb touch and once she saw the S9 she cooed "ooh sexy" put the touch down and started using the my S9.
The screen on this thing is awsome!!!!!!! and fantastic audio and codec support!
crap. i just bought a 16gb version b/c i couldn't keep waiting. perhaps i'll be able to sell it on craigslist or e-bay and upgrade.
for those wanting to know about how well it works: it's wonderful. the sound quality is excellent. there are some great custom interfaces out there already. the amoled screen is incredible looking, even with the brightness all the way down to 1 for max battery life. i still think it's a great looking piece of hardware even if the casing is plastic and it feels lightweight. i wouldn't trade it in for any other player (except for the upgrade to a 32gb model).
we all knew this was coming out, congrads to the first gen owners