Take a closer look at the iAudio 9 MP3 player from Cowon USA.
Donald Bell
Donald Bell has spent more than five years as a CNET senior editor, reviewing everything from MP3 players to the first three generations of the Apple iPad. He currently devotes his time to producing How To content for CNET, as well as weekly episodes of CNET's Top 5 video series.
The base of the package offers ideas on how to re-purpose the container as a flower pot. I suppose this makes up for the fact that it's not exactly clear if the packaging is recycleable.
The iAudio 9 measures 3.5 inches long. Most of the face is covered with acrylic, with the exception of a slightly raised space near the bottom for the built-in speaker.
Main menu icons are displayed in a diagonal line, reflecting the equally diagonal navigation control strip below the screen. From left to right, icons represent: music; video; photos; text; FM radio; voice recorder; Flash media; and settings.
The Cowon iAudio 9 is up against some steep competition with the Apple iPod Nano. The iAudio 9 is slightly less expensive, but doesn't share the Nano's video camera, radio pausing/tagging, pedometer, integrated podcast management, or video rental capabilities.
