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2.5 stars
"A Korean ambition gone (a little) wrong..."
Pros: Multi-featured, potential to rival tablets, Cowon-quality audio, which is great
Cons: Obselette WinCE version, missing formats, overpriced, tardy interface
Summary: The Cowon Q5W seemed to be everything you would ever want for a portable device. From Wi-Fi Internet access to GPS navigation, (and the ability to play MP3s, of course), it brought a chill to every gadgetphile's spine. Yes, it sure did... until it finally arrived on the shores of America.
For a once domestically-secluded player (initially labelled as the Q5) that defined the Asian ambitions of portable technology, it made a surprise release in the States. Instead of being another portable media player, the Q5W is sort of a mini PC, with Windows Embedded - otherwise known as Windows CE - as the player's OS. Audio performance was, as usual, Cowon-quality splendid; video playback seemed acceptable at best, and the design was simply sleek. However, gaping holes were already found as the Q5Ws get tested and tried with Western hands...
For a player that was destined to change the face of PMPs, the Q5W lacked to impress and soon fell short of expectations. From the tardy bundling of features to its inefficient interface, the player was assaulted with fairly mixed reviews. Judging from those unflattering responses, the Q5W was mostly ignored during this year's Consumer Electronics Show. All eyes were ironically focused on another Korean PMP manufacturer - iriver - as they revealed 12 new innovations, with one eventually winning CNET's Best of CES award in the MP3 and portable video players category. So why did this 5 wonder tank Here's a little flashback a certain similar Wi-Fi player beat the Q5W months earlier the Archos 605 WiFi. Flaunting its contagious combo, a hypothetical Prizefight would determine that the 605 would trump the Q5W in Wi-Fi capabilities, and also what Veronica liked to call sexiness... Being half as cheap ($349 for the 80GB model, compared to the 60GB Q5W's hefty $549 price tag) was the final blow, not to mention Cowon's ridiculous $199 pricing for the GPS cradle...
Ultimately, the Cowon Q5W might have to face the test of time - as one of those multi-purpose portable devices that could, but in the end, just didn't live up to the hype. If Cowon had not released the Q5W that late or overpriced the player and its accessories... Well, at least they could've concentrated more on the interface. Because of those errors, the Q5W failed to break out of the funk that Cowon suffers with their earlier players. Oh well, it's now another underground favourite. Or not.
Cowon Q5W (60GB):
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