Cowon iAudio F2

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Specifications

 

Tuner frequency range	20Hz ~ 20KHz
PC interface(s) supported	USB 2.0 High Speed
Audio Playback Formats	MP3 : MPEG 1/2/2.5 Layer 3, ~320kbps, ~48khz, mono/stereo / WMA : ~256kbps, ~48khz, mono/stereo / OGG : ~Q10, ~44.1khz, mono/stereo / FLAC : Compression Level 0 ~ 8, ~44.1khz, mono/stereo / WAV : ~48khz, 16bit, mono/stereo / Video File up to 160x128 / JP
Display	128 x 160 dot, 260,000 Color TFT-LCD
Available Memory	1GB
Dimension WDH mm	8 x 72.9 x 16.7mm (W X H X D)
Battery	Built-in Rechargeable Lithium Polymer Battery (Max. 22 Hours Continuous Playback)
Weight (g)	39g (Include Lithium Polymer battery)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Performance

The iAudio F2 is a USB 2.0 plug-n-play device. Drivers or any other custom software is not necessary under Windows XP and the player is detected as soon as you plug it into the USB port. Data or songs can be transferred by the usual copy/paste or drag and drop methods. Since the player is compliant with USB 2.0, the transfers are quick.

As for the mp3 sound quality, it is brilliant, just like the U3. The bundled earphones do an excellent job with whatever that comes their way and do not crack even at the peak volume. The sound is crisp with sufficient punch and loudness. However, the FM tuner is way below par. The reception is plagued with hisses and was just about average even in good signal zones. From what we have seen in the past, FM tuner doesn't seem to be iAudio's forte.

The battery life is quite impressive. The player charges through the USB port. It takes approximately 3 hours to charge fully. On a full charge, it lasted for about a week at 3 to 4 hours of daily usage; that's roughly 21 to 25 hours. No complaints here at all.

 

Conclusion

The Cowon iAudio F2 1 GB version is available for a street price of Rs. 7,500 with a one year warranty. The pricing is at par with the 2nd generation iPod Nano with twice the capacity. Though in terms of features and sound quality, the F2 is a superior product, it cannot match the aesthetics of the Nano. Yes, audio players are meant to sound good and not just look good but even then I would term the price tag of 7K as a bit higher than ideal. To sum it up, I would say that the iAudio F2 is a good product but comes at a premium. Buy it, if you are looking for a feature-rich audio player with good sound quality and of course, if you can connect with its phone-like looks.

 

Reviews of latest mp3 player, portable audio/video player