e.Digital Corporation (fka EDIG)

[Tenderloin]

The first challenger to take a bite out of Apple's mighty iPod.

CoWon Systems iAudio M3
http://www.computing.co.uk/Products/Hardware/1156545

Price at time of review £279.00
By Niall Magennis [09-07-2004]

To have a chance of knocking the iPod off its throne as king of the MP3 players you need to produce a smaller device with similar storage capacity. That's just what CoWon Systems has managed with the 20Gb iAudio M3.

Cowon are entering the HDD market with the iAudio M3 and immediately it looks like a serious contender. Previous solid state offerings from this manufacturer are award winners and have topped best selling lists around the world. The M3 looks set to follow. The slim iAudio M3 and remote control come in a number of metallic finishes and look very smart. In a moment of genius Cowon decided to put all the functions on the

The slim iAudio M3 and remote control come in a number of metallic finishes and look very smart. In a moment of genius Cowon decided to put all the functions on the remote control so that you don’t have to use the controls on the main HDD unit, while out and about. Your iAudio M3 stays in your pocket, out of site and safe from harm, while you openly and easily use the remote control to select your tracks, create play-lists or tune into your favourite radio channel. As a result the main unit has been de-cluttered of controls and a screen.

Housing 20GB of storage, the M3 will keep you occupied for some time and with an integrated FM tuner you could always tune into the radio to listen to something else if you manage to get through your 600+ albums. With support for M3U play-lists and multilevel folder support there many different ways that you can organize and play your music.

USB 2.0 connectivity and audio inputs/outputs through the desktop cradle mean that integration to your PC setup and your home entertainment system is a doddle. Multi audio codec support including MP3, WMA and OGG files and superb sound quality powered by BBE and Mach3Bass all add to your listening pleasure.
Features
• Plays 5,000 songs of MP3 (tested on 20GB)

• USB Storage Drive
Store or transfer any type of files

• Supports MP3, WMA, OGG, ASF, WAV files

• High speed download
USB 2.0 interface

• Direct MP3 encoding & Voice recording

• FM Radio & FM Radio recording

• Superb sound quality powered by BBE, Mach3Bass, 5 Band EQ

Specifications
• Playback formats - MP3, WMA, OGG, ASF, WAV
• Capacity - 20GB
• PC Interface - USB 2.0 (Max. 480Mbps)
• Battery – Built in rechargeable Lithium Ion battery (Max 14 Hours Continuous Playback)
• Buttons – Play (Pause), FF, RWD, MENU (NAVI), VOL+, VOL-, MODE, REC
• Switch - Hold
• Display – 128 x 96, 6 lines 4 grey LCD with LED backlight
• S/N Ratio – 95dB
• Frequency Range – 20Hz-20kHz
• Maximum Output – 20mW + 20mW (16 Ohm Earphone)
• Dimensions – 103.7mm x 60.8mm x14.2mm (excludes remote control)
• Weight – 136g (including battery)
• Charging time – 3 hours
• Power Supply – AC adapter DC5.0V, 2A
In the Box
• iAudio M3
• Headphones
• In-line remote control
• USB cable
• Desktop Cradle
• DC Charger
• Software CD-ROM (Jet Shell, Jet Audio)
Support Information
• I have copied music into the Playlist Folder on my iAudio M3 but I cannot play them back?

The Playlist Folder is designed for storing M3U Playlists and not for music files. Music files stored in the Playlist Folder will be ignored and you will not be able to view them on the in-line remote control or play them on the iAudio M3. Please create a folder or folders on the iAudio M3 for your music files, and refer to your instruction manual for the iAudio M3 and the Jetshell software for details on how to create M3U Playlists.

In part, its small size has been made possible because there's no display screen on the iAudio itself. Instead this is mounted on the in-line remote on the headphone lead.

This works reasonably well, but be warned that the display is very small and using it is nowhere near as slick as Apple's offering. The biggest failing is that you can't search for songs by name or album. Instead, you have to track down tunes by browsing through the main music folder.

However, the iAudio does score over the iPod in terms of features. It's got a built-in FM radio, it can support WMA and Ogg audio files, there's a good-quality voice recorder and an encoder that allows you to record directly into MP3 format from analogue sources such as a hi-fi. On top of this, the battery life is excellent at 14 hours - that's six hours more play time than Apple's pride and joy.

All in all, this is a very high quality player. It has an abundance of features and sounds great. We just wish it was easier to search for individual tracks. See how the iAudio compares in our hard-disk MP3 player round-up in the next issue of Computeractive.

Contact: MP3 Plus 01225 762137
www.mp3-plus.net

Overall:
The smallest and best sounding hard-disk MP3 player on the market at the moment.