Model:  iAUDIO 6

Manufacturer:  Cowon

Reviewed By:  Miguel

Review Date:  05/08/06

  "0.85 begins."  That's apparently the marketing strategy Cowon is taking with their highly innovative new iAudio 6 Digital Multimedia Player.  This highly anticipated product sports the smallest hard drive found on an MP3 player to date and I did have a very brief chance to play with one earlier this year at CES.  This tiny but mighty digital multimedia player is packed with just about every feature an audiophile can ask for.  Cowon has quickly grown into a respectable company providing some of the very best "Ipod alternative" MP3 players on the market.  Their new iAUDIO 6 is truly remarkable, when you consider all that is packed into its small form factor.  Today I have the pleasure of taking a thorough look at this little gem and see if there is really anything major to dislike about this innovative and well-designed product. 

Packaging & Contents

The iAudio 6 comes in a small yet appealing packaging that includes a USB cable, USB host cable, line-in recording cable, some nice-looking earbuds, a software CD that includes the PDF manual and a quick start guide.  Unfortunately, the one accessory they fail to include was a power adapter.  They decided to make this optional though I really think this should have been included, considering a majority of other high-end players do.

Design

The iAUDIO 6 is quite small, measuring in at only 76.1 X 35.6 X 19 mm (H X W X D).  It sports an appealing two-tone black/silver design and while made primarily out of plastic, the back at least features a brushed aluminum stick-on style plate that does add to it's overall good looks.  This helps keep the player as light as possible, something most look for when on the market for an ultra-portable MP3 player.  Its most impressive feature is the high quality 1.3" 260,000 color OLED display.  I will honestly say it is one of the most impressive I've seen.  Another one of its most appealing features is its unique "Swing Touch" design allowing you to navigate your files via touch-sensitive controls.

There are no buttons on the left side, but the right does feature your volume, menu and power/hold buttons.

On the top of the player you'll find not one, but two audio jacks.  One of the jacks is for your headphones and the other is a Line-In jack for recording from other devices.  The bottom does have a flimsy pull-out cover exposing the USB connector and a very small reset button typically found in almost all MP3 players.  This cover is similar to those found in a variety of point-and-shoot cameras and extra care will be need to prevent it from eventually breaking.  While I have not have one of these fail on me in the past, it will still require extra care to prevent damage.

Specifications

Next: Install & Bundled Software