Cowon iAudio D2 DMB (DAB) review

Video encoding through the supplied JetAudio conversion software was slow on a fairly average computer. Quality's good though, and video is crisp and smooth when played back on the D2. Photos too look beautiful on the bright, high-resolution screen. Music, video and indeed all files can be organised into folders simply through Windows Explorer (or the Mac and Linux equivalents). Small text is still clear on the screen and several pages were perfectly readable without hurting our eyes too much.

We had great fun using a Windows Paint-style application that lets you draw pictures using the stylus. Pointless, but very cool. There's a touch-controlled calculator and an Adobe Flash player that allows you to play back Flash files, though none of our videos or animations would play. Recording voice is simple enough even for your grandma, and the sensitive microphone enables high bit-rate encoding to sound crystal-clear.

Despite having an SD slot, recordings made using the D2 cannot be saved to SD cards. This would've been a useful feature, letting you fill the internal memory with music, and recording lectures, for example, to SD cards.

Conclusion
Cowon's new D2 is an outstanding player, with stellar sound quality, an unbelievable array of features and settings, and great functionality. Its solid design will appeal to image-conscious gadgetholics too. The downside is that navigating the player takes some getting used to, both because of menu design and the unusual use of a touchscreen. 

Still, this is the only player where you'll get DAB radio, full movies and lossless audio in the palm of your hand.

Supplier: Advanced MP3Players.com 

Edited by Jason Jenkins
Additional editing by Nick Hide