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60GB iAudio X5 has arrived
comment: 36 | Wednesday, November 09 (2005) 08:20AM | Posted by Robert Sinke
Maybe it's news to you, maybe it's not. We've received dozens of tips on 60GB X5s popping up at random webstores every so often, yet this seems official enough to us - it's on Cowon America's webpage and whatnot.

Dimension and weight specs of the 60GB X5 seem to be identical to that of the X5L. Price has been set to $ 439 (USD) and it appears to be "in stock".

LINK

Needless to say, the F1 and A2 have also been officially confirmed.
Comments

4phun

Comments: 40
 		Nov 09 (2005) 09:14AM  

The new 60 GB iPod seems to be a far better value.

Maybe Cowan will have a firesale on these X5s soon?



adamsp70

Comments: 5
 		Nov 09 (2005) 09:29AM  

Perhaps we could have a head-to-head review of the "heavyweight" DAPs, i.e. the 60GB iPod, X5, Toshiba X60 etc?



Agent Smith

Comments: 83
 		Nov 09 (2005) 12:33PM  

And then there were two...

I need a player with 60GB, drag/drop, OTF playlists, and tag browsing. I'm only a firmware upgrade away from choosing the Zen Xtra (needs drag/drop) or the X5 (needs tag browsing).

Unless there are patent or copyright issues, I don't understand why manufacturers would limit the number of potential customers by omitting firmware features. Firmware upgrades seem like such an inexpensive way to add features that would attract more buyers.



Mr. Odd

Comments: 8
 		Nov 09 (2005) 01:20PM  

Still a 10,000 file limit? Feh!



TrickyBuddha

Comments: 14
 		Nov 09 (2005) 02:04PM  

I ordered mine on Monday night. Still hasn't shipped out from ecost, but I'm excited anyway. I don't care about 10K file limits and not being able to search through my songs by id3 tags or whatever. I'm remaining optimistic that those features will eventually come. And if, for some reason, Cowon stops releasing a new beta firmware upgrade every month or two? Well, I'll still be happy with what it does have: 60 gigs, line-in recording, voice recording, pictures and videos, high quality sound, FM radio (is there really no AM?), and who knows what else.

And I have this website to thank... or rather, Cowon has this website to think - for me making this purchase.



Robert Sinke

Comments: 1221
 		Nov 09 (2005) 03:00PM  

Cowon is reading up on this, TrickyBuddha. They'll probably donate some millions to the DAPreview cause after reading your hint



Michael
Location: New York City
Comments: 2786
 		Nov 09 (2005) 04:06PM  

Also when ecost gets the 60gig in stock if they haven't already it will be cost 364US which is a better value than ipods.



Allen
Location: Dub Vee Ooo
Comments: 1511
 		Nov 09 (2005) 04:10PM  

Millions... Price of one 60 gig X5... I dont get it... bleh so whens that A2 review coming out? (I know Ive pestered about this a lot lately... but one if very anxious)



zip22

Comments: 1809
 		Nov 09 (2005) 04:21PM  

... a better value for the GB, other than that is open for debate.



zip22

Comments: 1809
 		Nov 09 (2005) 04:25PM  

oh yeah, i forgot to mention, the ipod 60gb is $369 (with free shipping) for students so its a better deal.



Michael
Location: New York City
Comments: 2786
 		Nov 09 (2005) 04:31PM  

because 369 is less than 364? and the general public are students?



zip22

Comments: 1809
 		Nov 09 (2005) 04:35PM  

ecost charges a handling fee of $7.95 and shipping is at least $1.99, so apples free shipping makes it a better deal for students. i thought it was clear in my last post: FOR STUDENTS. it also applies to teachers (i believe) so chances are you know someone who qualifies for it.



Michael
Location: New York City
Comments: 2786
 		Nov 09 (2005) 05:10PM  

zip if you really want to incorporate shipping into the value then you have to : incorporate taxes too. I went through the checkout process and after taxes thet total showed up as:

Apple Ipod with Student Discount:

Subtotal: $369.00
Shipping: $0.00
Estimated Tax*: $30.90
Estimated Total: $399.90


At ecost.com where there is no tax the final total looks like:

Subtotal: $364.99
Shipping: $1.99
Handling Fee: $7.95
Estimated Sales Tax: $0.00
Total: $374.93

So as I stated earlier, the 60gb X5 is a better value.





zip22

Comments: 1809
 		Nov 09 (2005) 05:34PM  

taxes are a more variable than if you are a student or not. ecost users in CA and TN will need to pay sales tax, so for them the ipod will be cheaper. there are 19 states that do not have apple stores and will not be charged sales tax. so if you're in CA, TN, AL, AK, AR, ID, KS, KY, LA, ME, MS, MT, NE, NM, ND, RI, UT, VT, WV, or WY then the ipod is a better deal.





zip22

Comments: 1809
 		Nov 09 (2005) 05:41PM  

also, you're sales tax at 8.3739% seems to be at the high end of the spectrum.



Kovno

Comments: 110
 		Nov 09 (2005) 05:52PM  

Also, the X5 is heavier. This means you will expend more energy carrying it around. Over a period of three years this is going to cost you $84.71 in extra food. Then again, the extra calories used by carrying the X5 will reduce the risk of heart disease by 2.45%
It's a difficult one to call.



Michael
Location: New York City
Comments: 2786
 		Nov 09 (2005) 05:55PM  

...



AFD
Location: Northeastern, U.S.
Comments: 166
 		Nov 09 (2005) 06:21PM  

Yeah, but you just can't put a price on "Color Sound" - X5 wins.

=)



Robert Sinke

Comments: 1221
 		Nov 09 (2005) 06:59PM  

haha awesome show guys

Let's see if I can put the right labels on the right states without Googling... "CA (California), TN (Tenessee), AL (Alabamba), AK (Alaska?), AR (Arkansas), ID (Idaho), KS (Kansas, home to the HQ), KY (Kentucky), LA (Louisiana?), ME (Mechigan ?), MS (Massuchettes), MT (Montana?), NE (Nevada?), NM (New Mexico), ND (North Dakota?), RI (Repetitive Injury?), UT (Utah), VT (Vermont), WV (Whavvington?), WY (Wyoming)"

There, another reason for me to catch up with geography. I'm in LI btw .



csidinim

Comments: 17
 		Nov 09 (2005) 07:11PM  

uhhhh... i can tell you're not from new england at all:

ME Maine
MA Massachusetts
RI Rhode Island

MS Missouri
MI Michigan
WV West Virginia (does this still exist? who cares?)

LI? You got me there.


Robert Sinke

Comments: 1221
 		Nov 09 (2005) 07:20PM  

Limburg, Belgium



twinsdad

Comments: 129
 		Nov 09 (2005) 07:22PM  



I had my cousin order my powerbook because she is a teacher and lives in Arkansas. It made for a great deal.

Ipod is a better deal because for about the same price you get a thinner design, bigger screen, better screen, better looking player, itunes integration, better video playback by a longshot, ability to view photos and listen to music at the same time, and all those fun ipod accessories to blow money on afterwards. Oh, and it sounds just as good. Of course, like michael,this is only my "objective" opinion. The only real advantage of the X5 is the color sound and that can't do without feature USBOTG.

Go Trojans


zip22

Comments: 1809
 		Nov 09 (2005) 09:37PM  

ssjmichael wrote ...
...


just becuase you made an off the cuff remark about the x5 v.the ipod and got pwnd (in CA, TN, AL, AK, AR, ID, KS, KY, LA, ME, MS, MT, NE, NM, ND, RI, UT, VT, WV, or WY if you now a student of any type or teacher) doesn't mean you have to be bitter.



zip22

Comments: 1809
 		Nov 09 (2005) 09:38PM  

now > know :p



Agent Smith

Comments: 83
 		Nov 09 (2005) 09:49PM  

twinsdad,
Your itunes plug makes me wonder if you are aware of [Linky] . Downloads there cost 2 cents per MB. In other words, about 10 cents per song. You can choose your bitrate and codec. And there is absolutely NO DRM. They don't have a library as big as itunes, but you'll find plenty. They also have a downloadable program called Allofmp3 explorer that makes the whole download process as easy, if not easier, than itunes. It works flawlessly and does not try to make itself a default program like itunes does.



zip22

Comments: 1809
 		Nov 09 (2005) 10:00PM  

it is also on the fringe of legality.



Agent Smith

Comments: 83
 		Nov 09 (2005) 10:09PM  

zip22,
I've been using it for a long time. I've NEVER had a problem with any aspect of the service. And from what I understand, the RIAA goes after the people/organizations that PROVIDE content. Not the recipient. Allofmp3 is still online, so everything must be cool



TrickyBuddha

Comments: 14
 		Nov 09 (2005) 10:16PM  

I'm not a student so the Cowon is a better deal for me.

>>> pod is a better deal because for about the same price you get a thinner design, bigger screen, better screen, better looking player, itunes integration, better video playback by a longshot, ability to view photos and listen to music at the same time, and all those fun ipod accessories to blow money on afterwards. Oh, and it sounds just as good. <<<

I don't care about thinner design, bigger screen, and better screen - I plan to listen to it more than look at it. I don't care about iTunes integration. Besides, I believe there is a hack that lets anyone use any MP3 player with iTunes, if it matters to you.

Video playback? Again, I want to listen to music with it. Looking at pics while listening to mucis? OK, you got me there. iPod would win in that category, for me.

As for the accessories, I didn't buy any for my 2nd gen iPod except one to let me play it over my car stereo, and it works with any MP3 player so no loss there.

I loved my 2nd gen iPod. I really did. The new ones look great, too. But I am more excited about the Cowon.



TrickyBuddha

Comments: 14
 		Nov 09 (2005) 10:18PM  

PS

I believe the rules state that, in Canada (where I'm living) you can download anything off the 'net, and it's legal. The issue is uploading protected content to the internet.


zip22

Comments: 1809
 		Nov 09 (2005) 10:24PM  

if you don't care about the size, the screen, or the other features and the deal is what matters, why not get this
[Linky]



TrickyBuddha

Comments: 14
 		Nov 09 (2005) 11:28PM  

Well, I was just sort of going along with the conversation about the iPod being the better deal for students because it's cheaper for them - throwing in that I'm not a student and I liked the features of the Cowon better. But truth be told, I'm not too worried about the price, either. I don't want to spend more than I have to, but I would have spent more if I found a better player.

I checked out the link and that player looks nice, too! But I think I would still prefer the Cowon only because I like FM radio, and I like the built-in recording capabilities. Also, I read a C|Net (oh noes!) article (linked at from here) that stated that the audio quality on the X5 was tops. I can't buy all the players and judge for myself, so I'll trust their word. Also, I already ordered the X5. I don't know if I can cancel now. And I don't want to unless it's for an obviously better player.



AFD
Location: Northeastern, U.S.
Comments: 166
 		Nov 09 (2005) 11:31PM  

I think both are nice players, but personally find the iTunes service (and software) a negative aspect of the iPod and not a selling point, in my opinion. All of my equipment plays both MP3 and WMA (DAP, PDA, DVD players, in-dash receiver) but not AAC.



twinsdad

Comments: 129
 		Nov 09 (2005) 11:55PM  

I've been to the Allofmp3 site but prefer emusic to that one. Emusic has the same lack of restrictions and has a better site and better selection of stuff that I like to listen to.

Only problem with the nomad is that it is unreliable and the software it uses is really unreliable. It does sound really good though.

I can't really tell any difference in sound quality between x5 and G5 ipod but if you need FM radio and recording then your choice is obvious.



mosquito

Comments: 3
 		Nov 10 (2005) 02:00AM  

Allofmp3 is not enough...
we also have mp3search, 3mp3, mp3spy and delit.net (2 free songs every day)
Russia brings the art for this world:) no DRM, only some money:)



unit

Comments: 21
 		Nov 10 (2005) 05:09AM  

zip22 that's not an argument - A complete non-sequitur. It doesn't follow that because TrickyBuddha doesn't want those things he'd necessarily want anything else.

For one, the X5 supports far more file-formats and features than the Nomad, apparently sounds better, allows you to drap and drop and has none of the restrictions that the creative has. And as he says, he wants radio and recording fucntions (without having to buy all those cumbersome and pricey dongles you need for the ipod.

Looks are entirely subjective but the X5 imho looks far better than the Nomad and well I actually prefer it to the ipod, if spending time looking at your playing matters to you. For me, I actually prefer the 'feel'of the cowon players (I have an M3) the solid construction, the metal which seems quite scratch resistant.

Give looks matter to you then give the ipod a few weeks. It'll look like crap for sure. I've had my M3 for 10 months and still, despite being thrown into myu bad on a daily basis, no scratches whatsoever.



Dominic
Location: Ireland.
Comments: 2396
 		Nov 11 (2005) 10:33AM  

What are you guys talking about?you're both preching to the blind, the blind being each other in this case



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TheDarkSide
Personally, I didn't buy any of those clips, great deal nonetheless - enjoy!!!!

DaHarder
TDS...

I couldn't help myself - In for 3 of those WOOTs - LOL!

DaHarder
Yea! It's here Android 2.1 for the DROID

TheDarkSide
Sandisk Sansa Clip 8GB MP3 Player for $32.99 on woot: [Linky]

Dominic
lol

Step666
[Linky]

TheDarkSide
Forgot the link: [Linky]

TheDarkSide
OMG!!!! I can't post the meaning of my name, but #2 & #3 is actually me. But, I did get a decent amount of action cause I'm great @#1,............

Dominic
That's great...my skills are average at best

Step666
Yeah but my one's true


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