Need opinion on Cowon iAudio U3

[Buffalo Soldier]

Been thinking about buying this MP3/Ogg flash-based player. Need opinion from fellow Ubuntu users who have experience with this device. Especially on factors such as Ogg support and drag-and-drop file transfer.

- http://www.cowonglobal.com/product/product_U3_feature.php
- http://lxer.com/module/newswire/view/50793/
- http://reviews.cnet.com/Cowon_iAudio_U3_2GB_black/4505-6490_7-31589099.html

Most reviews that I came across seems to say it's an above-average device. What do you guys think?

[matthew]

I haven't used that model, but I have a Cowon iAudio M5 (http://www.cowonglobal.com/product/product_M5_feature.php) that I am nothing but pleased with and I recommend highly. The usability with Linux, various filetypes (including ogg), and general quality all receive high ratings from me. If the U3 ends up being even remotely similar in quality and design I would bet you will be pleased.

EDIT: just FYI, it mounts as an external USB mass storage device, so file transfer is super-easy

[Crashmaxx]

I have their U2 and it is excellent. The quality is above that of most mp3 players and it works fine with Ubuntu.

The only thing I recommend watching out for, is that it will be mounted as removable media, and if you have your settings wrong, it won't delete files. Which can cause some major problems. The first time I used it with Ubuntu, I deleted all the music off it and then was wondering why I had no space left on it. It turns out that everything got moved to the trash folder, but not deleted. So I stupidly formated it and reloaded the firmware, but all I needed to do was plug it back in and empty my trash.

So either have your settings so you delete files immediatly for removable drives, or make sure you empty your trash when you delete files off it. That is the only problem I had.

[Buffalo Soldier]

thanks guys. i appreciate it very much :)