50 MA XIMUMPC DECEMBER 2005
Cowon 20GB iAudio X5
Well, it’s better than in-fl ight movies
We’d rather have Cowon’s iAudio X5 por-
table video player than none at all, but that’s
hardly a ringing endorsement. Like many
other PVPs, it’s ultimately defeated by its
refusal to play video encoded at high bit
rates, even more fi nicky than Qool’s Personal
Infotainment Centre. That’s a shame,
because the screen is bright and colorful
despite a relatively coarse dot-pitch that blurs
detail. So plan on encoding your
own video with the clunky bundled software,
and don’t count on the iAudio X5 to play
much of what you download off the Internet.It’s got an FM tuner, can record audio
from analog sources, and surprisingly sup-
ports lossless FLAC audio, but surely by
now your attention has wandered.The iAudio X5
is picky with
video files.
You’re picky
with portable
video players.
Guess who
loses?3
COWON IAUDIO X5
$ 300 , http://www.cowonamerica.comThe words “portable” and “video” don’t go
together in many folks’ heads—typically, the
more portable the device, the smaller the
screen. But MSI’s MEGA 588 strikes a nice
balance between a pocketable player and a
screen that’s better than what you get with
your coach ticket. The screen has a somewhat
coarse dot-pitch, but it won’t obscure too much
detail, and fi le support is second only to the
PQI’s mPack 600 (reviewed July 2005) in play-
ing our stash of downloaded videos.In addition to good video quality, the
MEGA 588 sports four awesome features that
stand out in the roundup. It’s got the easiest-
to-use transcoding software of the roundup,
which will convert incompatible media fi les
into Divx video or WMA audio formatted to the
player’s specs. It supports USB-To-Go, whichallows you to transfer fi les from another USB
storage device without a PC intermediary.
There’s an SD slot from which you can view
photos and videos directly from your SD card.
And it’s the only player that exceeded its rated
battery life by more than an hour!There’s a ton of pleasant surprises in
MSI’s MEGA 588, including easy-to-use
software, an SD card slot, and enough
battery life for a miniseries.8
MSI MEGA 588
$ 350 , http://www.msicomputer.comApex Digital E2Go MP-6500
I scream, you scream, we all scream
for a nice screenThe paperback book–size player boasts
a luxurious 6.5-inch screen, but unlike the
impressive-looking AV700 from Archos, the
E2Go MP-6500 makes the most of its real
estate with a resolution of 720x480 (the same
as commercial DVDs). The only downside is
that poorly encoded or low-resolution videos
look atrocious on a screen that’s so sharp it
might be dangerous.
The MP-6500 is far more tolerant of vid-
eos recorded at high bit rates, andin addition to MPEG-4 formats such as Divx,
Xvid, and WMV, it also supports QuickTime.
It’s also capable of recording from analog
sources, but only a single recording can be
scheduled, which is extremely primitive com-pared with the Archos family of PVPs.
The MP-6500 offers, by far, the loveli-
est image quality in a PVP we’ve ever seen.
In fact, the viewing angle is so wide and the
quality of the built-in speakers is so good that
you could easily prop it up on its kickstand
and take in War of the Worlds with a couple of
co-workers in your cubicle.The Apex
Digital E2Go
MP-6500
has a name
almost as
big as its
absolutely
stunning
screen.
Go ahead, lick it!FORMATS Xvid video; MP3, WMA,
FLAC, and WAV audio
BATTERY LIFE 3:44 (hours:minutes)
WEIGHT 5.1 ounces
DIMENSIONS 4.1 x 2.4 x .6 inches
SCREEN 2.25-inch LCDSPECS
FORMATS Divx (not Divx 6), Xvid, WMV
video; MP3, WMA, WAV audio
BATTERY LIFE 4:12 (hours:minutes)
WEIGHT 23.1 ounces
DIMENSIONS 5 x 4 x 1 inches
SCREEN 6.5-inch LCDSPECS
MSI MEGA 588
At last, features we’ll actually use!
9
APEX DIGITAL E2GO MP-6500
$700, http://www.apexdigitalinc.comFORMATS Divx (not Divx 6), Xvid, WMV
video; MP3, WMA, WAV audio
BATTERY LIFE 6:04 (hours:minutes)
WEIGHT 6.8 ounces
DIMENSIONS 5 x 3 x 1 inches
SCREEN 3.5-inch LCDSPECS
ports lossless FLAC audio, but surely byCowon 20GB iAudio X5
DIGITALMEDIAMEDIAPLAYERS
and don’t count on the iAudio X5 to play
much of what you download off the Internet.ports lossless FLAC audio, but surely by
now your attention has wandered.
3COWON IAUDIO X5
$ 300 , http://www.cowonamerica.comMSI MEGA 588 SPECS
ports lossless FLAC audio, but surely by
now your attention has wandered.50 MAMAMAXIMXIMXIMXIMUUUUMMPPPCCDECEMBER 2005
sources, but only a single recording can be
scheduled, which is extremely primitive com-co-workers in your cubicle.
http://www.apexdigitalinc.cominto Divx video or WMA audio formatted to the
player’s specs. It supports USB-To-Go, whichAnd it’s the only player that exceededexceededexceeded its rated its rated
battery life by more than an hour!8
$ 350 , http://www.msicomputermsicomputermsicomputer.com.comApex Digital E2Go MP-6500
The Apex
Digital E2GoPLAYERS DIGITAL VIDEO PLAYERS DIGITAL VIDEO PLAYERS DIGITAL VIDEO PLAYERS DIGITAL VIDEO PLAYERS
Cowon 20GB iAudio X5
DIGITAL VIDEO PLAYERS DIGITAL
Cowon 20GB iAudio X5