Most Popular MP3 players

  1. Apple iPod Touch (second generation, 8GB)
  2. Apple iPod Touch (second generation, 16GB)
  3. Microsoft Zune 120GB (third generation, glossy black)
  4. Apple iPod Touch (first generation, 16GB)
  5. Sony NWZ-S738F Walkman (8GB, black)
All Music »

Top Rated MP3 players

  1. Apple iPod Touch (second generation, 32GB)
  2. Apple iPod Touch (second generation, 16GB)
  3. Apple iPod Touch (second generation, 8GB)
  4. iRiver Clix (4GB)
  5. Apple iPod Touch (first generation, 16GB)
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MP3 players Buying Guide

What you need to know, from the kind of user you are to current technologies.
MP3 players Buying Guide »
overview
overview

THE GOOD
Small size; video player with 260,000-color LCD; customizable wallpaper; FM radio; line-in and voice recording; photo viewer; text-file reader; excellent sound quality; reads photos directly from digital cameras; compatible with OGG and FLAC formats, as well as subscription WMA tracks.

THE BAD
Must plug in an adapter to attach AC, line-in, and USB cables (however, the built-in side USB port handles camer transfers and MTP subscription downloads); so-so control layout; can't autosync music with a PC; can't browse by artist, album, or genre; many video files need to be converted to play on X5; no slide-show mode or music while viewing photos; no autoscanning presets for FM radio.

THE BOTTOM LINE
The great-sounding Cowon iAudio X5 looks like an iPod killer on paper, but this palm-size music and video player suffers from mediocre music browsing and some key design missteps.

Go to the Full CNET Product Review »
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Average CNET Reader Rating: 8.0 out of 10

CNET Reader Reviews

  1. June 14, 2005 07:59

    4.5/5
    Well, I'd like to keep this as brief as possible, mainly because I am currently engrossed by the player itself (listening to some Thievery Corporation with my Sennheiser HD270 headphones on this amazing gadget), and would prefer just to sit back and...  read more »

    - popemello

  2. July 9, 2005 11:21

    5.0/5
    This is really awesome. I gave my 4th Gen IPOD to my sister. This thing blows away the IPOD. THe case looks so cool and the color screen is great. The interface is much much better than Itunes. None of the crap its simply drag and drop. The ca...  read more »

    - tfong007

  3. July 25, 2005 02:07

    4.5/5
    I purchased my 30 gig X5L through the cowon america online store, and paid $399 including next day air delivery. I loaded close to 1000 songs, roughly 5 gigs, as well as 2 dvd movies just to try out the video features for a 3 hour plane ride I had....  read more »

    - tvewots


All CNET Reader Reviews (68)

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