You just need an offline GPS app. Basically, rather than getting map data realtime from a cell connection, they store maps in memory sort of like any older-school GPS.
The Cowon D3 is not that good of an Android offering. The sound quality is great and battery life is okay but the UI is a bit laggy. The firmware is constantly being updated so that's a plus.
I had to go back to my Cowon D2 and J3 after trying out the D3.
Samsung players are known to have great audio quality as well but that doesn't mean this player might but it wouldn't be a surprise if it did.
They mimic the design of the Galaxy S, so I'm hoping that, besides the Hummingbird, they include the Wolfson DAC. The SGSII loses out in this area as they use a Yamaha equivalent (I would've thought that was good enough, but still...).
Soooo, I got one of the 5.0 from woot.com, they were kind of grey market North American Spanish language packaging or something. (Btw that is why they have started showing up on eBay very recently from individuals...woot profiteers reselling.)
Anyway, I haven't owned an Android device before, used a few people's phones though, and this mini-tab or PMP or whatever you want to call it is nice. The 5.0 is rather large compared to phones so I just tell people I'm compensating for not having a smartphone :p (and a high-priced monthly contract.)
SQ - very good straight out of the headphone jack, although I only tried lower impedance phones (some IEMs and some Grados) they all sounded great. Full sound, balanced sounding with no EQ or effects. Music playback is going to be my primary use and so far I'm very pleased in this regard.
Browsing - fast enough on my DGL4500 draft-N WiFi network. Still rather less than ideal given a 5" screen but what are you going to do.
Screen - touch works great. Picture quality is likewise good, but it's no IPS. When being a bit critical I could notice some color/contrast shifting when viewing at different angles much like a PVA screen so I imagine it's some *VA type...definitely not TN though. Pixel pitch is fine imo but I'm a bit old :)
GPS - need to find a good offline GPS app. I don't mind dedicating a fair amount of space to maps since there's a microSDHC slot. This was really a major selling point to me since I don't have a smartphone nor a regular GPS...I could get a better pure PMP if I had one, but not for the total price of this (paid much less than MSRP though) even with some SD cards. I tried this a bit by downloading a map through the stock map app (Google Maps) and then going offline. The GPS definitely kept my position, I just didn't get turn-by-turn nor was the map updatable if I moved off the initial map or zoomable. But this just tells me the right software is needed.
I think this is just straight-up Android, maybe some minor tweaks? Seems clean enough. Didn't get in to hacking too much but it is the same hardware as the original 7" Tab and also the Galaxy S i9000 phone so softwre hacks shouldn't be too hard to come by. A USB host OTG hack is what I'm really hoping for, but this unit can't provide power over USB so it would be a bit of awkward even with USB OTG...too bad about that, hooking a 2.5" drive up to this would let me carry my whole collection in FLAC :p
Battery life does seem awesome so far, even with some of the radios on.
How's the back camera? Specifically for taking close to 'macro' shots of text say? I use my iPod touch (4g) at work for taking pictures of random notes, etc. but the picture quality is terrible/unusable half the time.
That is a picture of a portion of the back of the box, taken from ~2" away. There are a few camera modes, I didn't play with it too much but I did use 'text' mode which is supposed to sharpen text. That priting is very small, the print below Audio/Video codec is less than 1mm tall.
Thanks!, Definitely way better than an iPod Touch. Now it's a waiting game to see if Apple steps it up a notch for their iPod next week, otherwise this seems like a great option.
If the music app is the same as with the Galaxy S, I'd replace it with PowerAmp as the latter, amongst all its features, doesn't normalise your sound output (unless you like that sort of thing).
I guess I'm a bit of an audio purist, so no I don't normalize output with replaygain. Maybe if I'd encoded my mp3's that way it would though? Doesn't really matter to me in any case
It will be interesting if this succeeds where the Zune failed. it's priced the same as the iPod touch (like the Zune's were) but has expandable memory. A 32GB iPod touch is $274 at Amazon, while upgrading the 4" version of one of these to 24 GB would cost about $252, so you don't save that much money with the expandable memory. I really think these need to go lower in price if they want to sell. My wife's LG optimus Android phone, with no contract, was only $99 - it slower and a smaller screen, but can be turned into a phone anytime.
At least these are feasable to upgrade the memory in them (Sandisk and Creative's initial mp3 player with SD slot models had crippled integration); but with a 16gb uSD card only costing $10 more than an 8GB card being so miserly with the built in capacity is rather sad in a relatively high end device. I've been looking for a 64GB non-apple device for the last year and a half and it's only been since the 1st 64GB uSD cards have appeared that a DIY solution has been possible.
A few friends of mine with large music collections and full 160gb ipod classics have been waiting even longer for a new device.
I don't want to be a prick here, but it seems a bit strange to have a review of a supposed iPod competitor which doesn't actually mention how well it performs this task.
(a) Does it support Bluetooth? Because I didn't see a BT icon in the menu bar of any of the screen shots.
(b) How well does the music player SW work? Of course it offers the basics, but how well does it interface with desktops? If i LIKE iTunes, does it play well with that? Does it offer transcoding of songs (eg down to 128kbps AAC) in the transfer from desktop to device, so that I can fit more songs on the device? etc etc
(c) How well does it handle spoken word audio? Does it remember my place within a long spoken word file? Does it remember my place in a playlist (representing the files that make up a full book)? Does it allow me to play audio at faster than realtime --- and with what granularity of control over the speed? etc etc
(d) Likewise does it play VIDEO at faster than realtime --- this is important if one view a lot of podcasts and lectures which can be, let's say, leisurely paced.
(e) How well does the UI for random access within large files work? Does the device offer quick and easy ways to jump back a few seconds if you missed something, or forward a few seconds to skip over the boring intro to a talk?
Apple is not perfect in this space. The sad FACT, however, is that I've been following it for about 10 years now, and I still haven't found a company that can offer even the basics of what Apple offers, let alone a BETTER experience. Look, for example, at what I have listed in terms of better ways to handle spoken word audio/video --- Apple is pretty lame in that area. And yet everyone else (as far as I know) is even worse. It's like they are utterly incapable of original thought --- if Apple doesn't offer faster than real-time video, or multiple speeds for faster than real-time audio, they don't have that feature to copy and so don't offer it either.
The average consumer isn't going to be interested in all the problems that come with Android, if it's just intended as a simple MP3 player. I hope Samsung locks it down (only by default) to a few functions, so that Android doesn't get a bad name.
Honestly, it's disappointing to see Gingerbread still coming out on new devices .... where is Ice Cream Sandwich? It better be rock solid when it comes out ......
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HilbertSpace - Monday, September 26, 2011 - link
Will these have GPS independent of WiFi? Some places say the N. American versions will be without GPS versus the Korean version.MadMan007 - Monday, September 26, 2011 - link
You just need an offline GPS app. Basically, rather than getting map data realtime from a cell connection, they store maps in memory sort of like any older-school GPS.sprockkets - Tuesday, September 27, 2011 - link
You can download maps to google's map app via wifi and use the gps offline.MadMan007 - Wednesday, September 28, 2011 - link
Thanks, I am still looking in to the best way to use this as an offline turn-by-turn GPS, I will keep that in mind.Malih - Monday, September 26, 2011 - link
I've been waiting for alternatives to iPod touch... from Sony (they have decent sound quality), but current Sony Walkmans are not using Android.These Galaxy devices uses Android, but still I wonder whether the audio quality is good enough.
sprockkets - Monday, September 26, 2011 - link
You can get one made from Cowon, runs android.Omega215D - Monday, September 26, 2011 - link
The Cowon D3 is not that good of an Android offering. The sound quality is great and battery life is okay but the UI is a bit laggy. The firmware is constantly being updated so that's a plus.I had to go back to my Cowon D2 and J3 after trying out the D3.
Samsung players are known to have great audio quality as well but that doesn't mean this player might but it wouldn't be a surprise if it did.
silverblue - Tuesday, September 27, 2011 - link
They mimic the design of the Galaxy S, so I'm hoping that, besides the Hummingbird, they include the Wolfson DAC. The SGSII loses out in this area as they use a Yamaha equivalent (I would've thought that was good enough, but still...).Omega215D - Tuesday, September 27, 2011 - link
Samsung's P3 mp3 player had great sound quality but I don't know what DAC it used but they made it work.Apple's iPod lineup uses the Wolfson DAC but for some reason they don't sound as good as other players using the same or similar chips.
I hope it's good. I found Samsung to have good UIs in their touch screen players.
sprockkets - Tuesday, September 27, 2011 - link
There's the OK Wolfson, and the good ones. That and Apple can't make an eq worth a damn.oldhickorytony - Thursday, September 29, 2011 - link
The upcoming Sony Walkman Z series will run Android... no word on the release, though...cosmotic - Monday, September 26, 2011 - link
Looks like the battery on the bigger unit is over twice the capacity. Definitely a major selling point.applefan - Sunday, October 9, 2011 - link
the battery on the 5.0 is much better. but the screen is a lot bigger too, so that will use up lots of battery lifejdonnelly81 - Monday, September 26, 2011 - link
Why are they using mini usb? Hasn't everyone standardized on micro?MadMan007 - Monday, September 26, 2011 - link
It's micro USB, the specs here are wrong.MadMan007 - Monday, September 26, 2011 - link
Soooo, I got one of the 5.0 from woot.com, they were kind of grey market North American Spanish language packaging or something. (Btw that is why they have started showing up on eBay very recently from individuals...woot profiteers reselling.)Anyway, I haven't owned an Android device before, used a few people's phones though, and this mini-tab or PMP or whatever you want to call it is nice. The 5.0 is rather large compared to phones so I just tell people I'm compensating for not having a smartphone :p (and a high-priced monthly contract.)
SQ - very good straight out of the headphone jack, although I only tried lower impedance phones (some IEMs and some Grados) they all sounded great. Full sound, balanced sounding with no EQ or effects. Music playback is going to be my primary use and so far I'm very pleased in this regard.
Browsing - fast enough on my DGL4500 draft-N WiFi network. Still rather less than ideal given a 5" screen but what are you going to do.
Screen - touch works great. Picture quality is likewise good, but it's no IPS. When being a bit critical I could notice some color/contrast shifting when viewing at different angles much like a PVA screen so I imagine it's some *VA type...definitely not TN though. Pixel pitch is fine imo but I'm a bit old :)
GPS - need to find a good offline GPS app. I don't mind dedicating a fair amount of space to maps since there's a microSDHC slot. This was really a major selling point to me since I don't have a smartphone nor a regular GPS...I could get a better pure PMP if I had one, but not for the total price of this (paid much less than MSRP though) even with some SD cards. I tried this a bit by downloading a map through the stock map app (Google Maps) and then going offline. The GPS definitely kept my position, I just didn't get turn-by-turn nor was the map updatable if I moved off the initial map or zoomable. But this just tells me the right software is needed.
I think this is just straight-up Android, maybe some minor tweaks? Seems clean enough. Didn't get in to hacking too much but it is the same hardware as the original 7" Tab and also the Galaxy S i9000 phone so softwre hacks shouldn't be too hard to come by. A USB host OTG hack is what I'm really hoping for, but this unit can't provide power over USB so it would be a bit of awkward even with USB OTG...too bad about that, hooking a 2.5" drive up to this would let me carry my whole collection in FLAC :p
Battery life does seem awesome so far, even with some of the radios on.
Any other questions?
HilbertSpace - Tuesday, September 27, 2011 - link
How's the back camera? Specifically for taking close to 'macro' shots of text say? I use my iPod touch (4g) at work for taking pictures of random notes, etc. but the picture quality is terrible/unusable half the time.MadMan007 - Tuesday, September 27, 2011 - link
[IMG]http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n256/Jem_1/perm...[/IMG]That is a picture of a portion of the back of the box, taken from ~2" away. There are a few camera modes, I didn't play with it too much but I did use 'text' mode which is supposed to sharpen text. That priting is very small, the print below Audio/Video codec is less than 1mm tall.
MadMan007 - Tuesday, September 27, 2011 - link
Er, I used macro mode as well.HilbertSpace - Tuesday, September 27, 2011 - link
Thanks!, Definitely way better than an iPod Touch. Now it's a waiting game to see if Apple steps it up a notch for their iPod next week, otherwise this seems like a great option.silverblue - Tuesday, September 27, 2011 - link
If the music app is the same as with the Galaxy S, I'd replace it with PowerAmp as the latter, amongst all its features, doesn't normalise your sound output (unless you like that sort of thing).MadMan007 - Tuesday, September 27, 2011 - link
I guess I'm a bit of an audio purist, so no I don't normalize output with replaygain. Maybe if I'd encoded my mp3's that way it would though? Doesn't really matter to me in any casekmmatney - Tuesday, September 27, 2011 - link
It will be interesting if this succeeds where the Zune failed. it's priced the same as the iPod touch (like the Zune's were) but has expandable memory. A 32GB iPod touch is $274 at Amazon, while upgrading the 4" version of one of these to 24 GB would cost about $252, so you don't save that much money with the expandable memory. I really think these need to go lower in price if they want to sell. My wife's LG optimus Android phone, with no contract, was only $99 - it slower and a smaller screen, but can be turned into a phone anytime.jalexoid - Tuesday, September 27, 2011 - link
These have a better LCD panel and they're bigger. In addition a getting it to 40GB would bring the price point to iPod Touch 32GB.DanNeely - Tuesday, September 27, 2011 - link
At least these are feasable to upgrade the memory in them (Sandisk and Creative's initial mp3 player with SD slot models had crippled integration); but with a 16gb uSD card only costing $10 more than an 8GB card being so miserly with the built in capacity is rather sad in a relatively high end device. I've been looking for a 64GB non-apple device for the last year and a half and it's only been since the 1st 64GB uSD cards have appeared that a DIY solution has been possible.A few friends of mine with large music collections and full 160gb ipod classics have been waiting even longer for a new device.
name99 - Tuesday, September 27, 2011 - link
I don't want to be a prick here, but it seems a bit strange to have a review of a supposed iPod competitor which doesn't actually mention how well it performs this task.(a) Does it support Bluetooth? Because I didn't see a BT icon in the menu bar of any of the screen shots.
(b) How well does the music player SW work? Of course it offers the basics, but how well does it interface with desktops? If i LIKE iTunes, does it play well with that? Does it offer transcoding of songs (eg down to 128kbps AAC) in the transfer from desktop to device, so that I can fit more songs on the device? etc etc
(c) How well does it handle spoken word audio? Does it remember my place within a long spoken word file? Does it remember my place in a playlist (representing the files that make up a full book)? Does it allow me to play audio at faster than realtime --- and with what granularity of control over the speed? etc etc
(d) Likewise does it play VIDEO at faster than realtime --- this is important if one view a lot of podcasts and lectures which can be, let's say, leisurely paced.
(e) How well does the UI for random access within large files work? Does the device offer quick and easy ways to jump back a few seconds if you missed something, or forward a few seconds to skip over the boring intro to a talk?
Apple is not perfect in this space. The sad FACT, however, is that I've been following it for about 10 years now, and I still haven't found a company that can offer even the basics of what Apple offers, let alone a BETTER experience. Look, for example, at what I have listed in terms of better ways to handle spoken word audio/video --- Apple is pretty lame in that area. And yet everyone else (as far as I know) is even worse. It's like they are utterly incapable of original thought --- if Apple doesn't offer faster than real-time video, or multiple speeds for faster than real-time audio, they don't have that feature to copy and so don't offer it either.
steven75 - Tuesday, September 27, 2011 - link
but without the slimness, AirPlay, and the other nifty things that make the iPod the top tier device.steven75 - Tuesday, September 27, 2011 - link
Oh, and if you want to acquire music legally, you can... Do what exactly? Notice I didn't say rent or stream since this isn't a 3G device.MadMan007 - Wednesday, September 28, 2011 - link
There are other ways to get music legally than iTunes...sheesh.pcgeek101 - Wednesday, September 28, 2011 - link
The average consumer isn't going to be interested in all the problems that come with Android, if it's just intended as a simple MP3 player. I hope Samsung locks it down (only by default) to a few functions, so that Android doesn't get a bad name.Honestly, it's disappointing to see Gingerbread still coming out on new devices .... where is Ice Cream Sandwich? It better be rock solid when it comes out ......
applefan - Saturday, October 8, 2011 - link
Are these coming to the United States? if they are im SO getting this instead of an ipod 5. even though apple is awesome, i want to try android.