Cowon D3 Plenue Android PMP review (video)

Something’s evidently: Cowon’s D3 Plenue is vastly different (and superior) to the firm’s AMOLED-equipped S9 from 2008, and it’s also catering to a vastly different sect of customers in comparison with its ultra-capacious X7 . This beaut is among the few pocketable Android-based PMPs available today, offering up an exquisite 3.7-inch AMOLED capacitive touchpanel (800 x 480), dedicated media controls along the perimeters, Android 2.1, WiFi, 1080p video output, a built-in microphone and a battery good for as much as 21 hours of use. As with any other Cowon player, this one also supports every file format ever conceived, including FLAC, APE and OGG — three that the audiophiles in attendance will certainly recognize. The true question this is simple: does having Android on a non-connected (cellular, anyway) device really do you much good, and moreover, is it worth the $357.99 asking price? We’ll discuss these points and more in our full review just after the break. Join us, won’t you?

Design

Per 0 usual 0 , Cowon has really nailed the design here. We’ve always been fans of the corporate’s aesthetics, and the craze continues here. The unboxing experience is definitely one of the best around, and the D3 itself is simply lovely to carry. It’s light, slim and pocketable, yet intensely rigid and solid. There’s nary a touch of low-quality here; everything from the harsh-as-nails capacitive touchscreen to the stiff, soft-touch back is only marvelous to hang and admire. We may also’t help but applaud the corporate for tossing in a number of extra physical buttons along the fitting edge. Apart from the traditional volume rocker, you’ll also get a track forward, track backward and a play / pause button, all of which might be toggled out of your pocket with no need to activate the display. Super handy, for obvious reasons.

We should always also mention that the three.5mm headphone jack resides at the bottom, right alongside the proprietary USB connector and DC input. As with the iPod touch, some folks will loathe it, while others find it irresistible — we’re a piece indifferent at the topic, but it surely obviously works best with right-angle plugs. Cowon also double-dipped at the storage front; while there’s 32GB of internal storage from the get-go, there’s also a facet-accessible microSD card slot while you’d rather push things to 64GB. We definitely appreciate not having to take away a rear cover that allows you to access this here slot, but in spite of this, this design decision also ensures that the battery is tightly encased and impossible to access. Not a big deal, but there it’s.

Software

Up to now, we’ve lamented the truth that Cowon’s homegrown software builds weren’t exactly ideal, and there’s no doubt that our interest was piqued after we heard that the corporate will be counting on Android for the D3. That said, Android 2.1 is already a bit of dated, and while the core is unquestionably here, it’s heavily disguised. Cowon has definitely reworked the OS for its own purposes, and in doing so, we’re left with a music app that’s actually less intuitive than Google’s own, an email app that’s laughable in comparison to Gmail, and no access whatsoever to the Android Market. If it seems like a train wreck, that’s since it is. We are able to’t deny that things are fairly pleasing to the attention at a look, however the eye candy matters less and not more as you really attempt to use the device.

The preloaded applications are all so-so, and the lack to simply find and download new ones is a true deal-killer. Because it stands, you’ll ought to scour the murky APK download market online, after which drag / drop those files right into a pre-established APK folder in the file system. We must always probably take this chance to indicate that the D3 isn’t as Mac-friendly because the company’s prior offerings; we were never capable of drop anything (music, apps, etc.) onto the device from a Mac, but things went smoothly when shifting over to Windows 7 Professional. It’s theoretically possible to get Skype on here, and we really managed to finish a Skype call over WiFi, however the app takes ages to load, and thanks to the lackluster microphone quality, folks at the other end couldn’t wait to rid themselves of our intrusion. Being the 1 argonauts that we’re 1 , we also tossed Google Maps on here for kicks; sadly, there’s no GPS or A-GPS, so regardless of a live WiFi connection, the app refuses to pinpoint your location.

After using it for every week, we found ourselves a good deal less impressed with Android on a PMP. Actually, we felt it unnecessary, at the very least when bona fide Android Market access is forbidden. You would say that you simply’d rather be capable of sideload Angry Birds than to haven’t any options in any respect for installing it, and we’d have a tricky time arguing that; however, there’s essentially no hope that this device will ever see Froyo, not to mention Gingerbread, and the hardware just isn’t powerful enough to run Google’s mobile OS in a satisfactory manner.

Performance

Speaking of which, it’s about time we touch on just how sluggish the D3 is. We will’t put a finger on what kind of processor is tucked inside, but judging by the above-average battery life (21 hours for audio; 10 for video) and below-average performance, we’re guessing it’s of the “slow” variety. In the main, we’d should swipe two or thrice before the device would recognize our touch, and while pinch-to-zoom is supported, you won’t be making much use of it if the device requires two to 3 seconds to appreciate what you’re attempting to do. Even changing orientation from vertical to horizontal takes three to 5 seconds, and while one or two of those will be forgivable, the full experience becomes slowed down right away flat. Observe what we mean within the video below:

Even loading up the Music app, which ought to be the purpose where this device thrives, is a painful experience, and sifting through your artists / albums / playlists takes a stunning amount of finagling. The internet browser manages to accomplish decently, and Bluetooth support seemed fine. Both BT-compatible sources in addition headphones paired up nicely, but don’t dare try and multitask in case you’re blasting music out over the fast-range airwaves. Sadly, the battery here actually falls short in comparison to prior Cowon devices; the 32GB iPod touch can last well over 30 hours on a single charge when playing back audio, while Cowon’s D3 isn’t even rated to last more than 21 hours.

Sound quality

It wouldn’t be a suitable Cowon review with no section devoted to audio quality, as — quite frankly — that’s the only place where you could anticipate the corporate’s players to be superior to the contest. Thankfully, nothing has changed on this regard. When A-B’ing the D3 to a Nexus One and an iPod touch, we consistently felt that the audio quality from the D3 was superior. Music just felt fuller and fewer hazy, and if there’s one saving grace in this entire thing, it’s the realm-class sound quality. We’d also prefer to throw a round of golf claps in Cowon’s direction for the thorough amount of included EQ options; we usually aren’t ones to screw with a producer’s mix, however the equalization options included listed here are almost definitely worth a listen. Dollars to donuts you’ll find one which you enjoy even better than the stock mix, and we’re guessing you’ll even be shocked at how well it enhances things without comically distorting a specific frequency range.

Wrap-up

Cowon’s D3 Plenue is very almost being a stellar PMP. The sound quality is actually unmatched, the build quality is worth writing home about, and the three.7-inch AMOLED display is beautiful to stare upon. Unfortunately, those pros are overshadowed by a laundry list of gripes, including a disturbingly sluggish overall experience, no access to the Android Market, the omission of an A-GPS / GPS chip, a terrible Music application, the inexplicable use of a proprietary USB connector and the inclusion of a second-rate email application. It’s also $357.99, that is nearly $60 greater than a 32GB iPod touch and just $30 shy of matching the 64GB iPod touch. We hate to make the plain comparison, but there’s no honest-to-goodness reason behind choosing this over Apple’s darling. Heck, at the least that one ships with a camera for video calling and features a processor that doesn’t make you wait between each panel change.

We’d like to love the D3, and we’ve certainly fallen for its superior aural qualities, but there’s simply too many pitfalls here (and too lofty a value point) to recommend for the loads. As for the audiophiles would could care less about the rest apart from auditory bliss? Go right ahead, but you should definitely tell us the way you’re planning to handle your heightened blood pressure — that painfully slow Music app is sure to have some negative negative effects.

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This post is tagged: asking price, conventional volume, headphone jack, tough as nails, video output