First impressions out of the box are often a good guide and the Cowon iAudio G3 did not exactly overwhelm us, this player is a bit more chubby that the iAudio U2 we tested a while back but overall is still the size of a lighter albeit a more Zippo like one. The most obvious impression is that of a rather cheap and plastic like construction unlike the other Cowon models this one feels decidedly cheap and a bit flimsy, we don't just mean light, the Ipod shuffle is light but it doesn't feel like this.

We've go the 1gb model here and the G3 also comes in 256, 512mb and even a 2gb model Cowon's big claim to fame is the 50 hour battery life from the single AA battery while weighing only 36 grams.

In our tests the audio quality of the G3 is good with a accurate reproduction of the whole range despite the bass being a little lacking, however there is plenty of volume enough to block out the daily grind even the most stubborn public transport noise. This is a vital feature of any small MP3 player as they are often the ones used in the most challenging situations, even the operation is simple with a square control pad with central selector and a bright and very readable 4 lines LCD display.

Again when operating the iAudio G3 we did feel that the build quality was suspect, operating the rocker switch seemed to make the whole case flex which doesn't inspire confidence and we really thought we'd broken it on opening the battery compartment as this piece of plastic dangled down. Luckily it was intact but this battery cover and also the little flap that covers up the mini USB port are both likely to be knocked off the unit unless the user is very careful.

When it comes to format compatibility the Cowon G3 wins hands down, supporting our favourite Ogg and also MP3 up to 320kbits, there is also support for WMA, WAV and WM9, so you'll be spoilt for choice on format selection. The Jet audio software seems to get better each time we see a new version, this one has a nice drag and drop interface allowing you to bypass some of the more fancy less understandable features and plugins.

There are a host of little extras like the FM radio and the ability to encode audio files directly on the device either from the FM tuner or via a line input or microphone plus the ubiquitous 5 band EC system which left firmly in the off position throughout our review.

Battery life wasn't quite the 50 hours we'd been promised but with moderate screen operation and a splash of FM radio we did get 40 hours from our Duracell battery plus uploading new audio tracks is very quick as Cowon have equipped the G3 with USB 2.0.

For a device measuring 64.0 x 45.0 x 17.1 mm there is quite a lot on offer here but at £149 its not exactly cheap when compared to an Ipod Shuffle at £99, sure you get a great screen and multiple codecs plus the radio and a 40hr battery. But the build quality just makes us wonder about the sense in spending £150 on something we'd worry would snap in our pocket if we ran for the bus.

Its a worthy device and one perhaps for those who look after their tech, but if you are someone who has regard for gadgets but doesn't wrap them in cotton wool you may want to look elsewhere.

Published - 04/04/2005

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