Cowon J3

Cowon’s J3, with its brilliant AMOLED touchscreen, literally shines out from this month’s crop of players. The superb 64-hour battery life is another plus point, and as you look down the rest of the feature list it’s hard to find a box that isn’t ticked: audio support includes FLAC, Ogg and APE, and there’s an internal speaker and a microphone. The microSD card slot lets you expand storage, with external items integrated seamlessly into your main library.
There are some esoteric features too: the J3 can display lyrics along with your music, and you can adjust the speed and pitch of songs and videos. The recorder tool can record not only from the radio, but also from a line-in cable that attaches to the data port. Bluetooth support lets you use wireless headphones or hook up to remote speakers, and a built-in Flash player lets you upload simple games, although there’s nothing as advanced as Apple’s App Store.
It’s all accessed via an attractive touch-driven interface ֊ not perfectly intuitive, perhaps, but clear, responsive and easy to learn. All the same, we’re happy to see it’s supplemented not only by physical volume controls, but also by play/pause and skip buttons, making it easy to control the player without taking it out of your pocket.
It sounds great. Out of the box, you might find it a little flat compared to the sparkle of the Creative and Sony players, but that’s the sound of transparency, and there’s no denying the J3′s ability to reproduce detail and separation. If you prefer a more effervescent sound there are plenty of post-processing options to tweak EQ settings, adjust the stereo soundstage and enhance the harmonics.
To be sure, it isn’t exactly a thing of beauty. The case is dull and functional, and the big bezel around the screen looks boxy next to Apple’s sophisticated designs. Cowon’s proprietary USB cable is an irritation, too. And all these features push up the price, so if you just want a simple device for music and video, it’s a poor deal.
But if you’re seeking a premium player, and don’t want to buy into the complexities of the iPod touch, the Cowon J3 makes the most of your media and throws in a bunch of extras besides.