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Cowon S9 Curve

Introduced in late August 2008, the Cowon S9 Curve is a powerful portable media device. Including a 3.3" 480 x 272 pixel touchscreen, the device is shorter and narrower than the first generation iPod Touch. Initially shipping with 8 or 16GB of internal flash storage, a 32GB version will follow after launch. Inside, the device features a 500MHz dual-core CPU, T-DMB digital television tuner, Bluetooth, FM radio, TV-out, and G-Sensor accelerometer. Rumors of a delay were recently dismissed with the first shipments going out on December 15th 2008. Prices were also announced in the press release - undercutting the Apple iPod Touch by $40-60. The 8GB model will retail for $199.99 while the 16GB version will come in at $239.99.

Where to Buy

Cowon S9 Curve
MSRP $200.00
Release date December, 2008
Brand Cowon
love it
want it
have it
tag it
Pros & Cons21
Reviews11
Details
Buy It
Competitors8
Comments5
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Pros & Cons

ProSCORE
10 reviews
90
negative
mixed
positive
10 positive
0 mixed
0 negative

[i] How is the ProSCORE calculated?

show me!

Pros:
Do you agree?
•
dual core processor
+10agreedisagree

•
affordable and competitive price
+10agreedisagree

•
large touchscreen
+9agreedisagree

•
open source codec support - FLAC and OGG
+9agreedisagree

•
up to 40 hours of audio playback
+9agreedisagree

•
includes many extra features the Touch doesn't - such as an FM radio, digital TV tuner, TV-out
+7agreedisagree

•
amoled screen
+7agreedisagree

•
smaller and thinner than the iPod Touch
+6agreedisagree

•
Sound quality
+6agreedisagree

•
Bluetooth
+5agreedisagree

•
lightweight
+5agreedisagree

•
free apps in firmware
+4agreedisagree

•
same capacities as the iPod Touch
+3agreedisagree

•
Customisability
+3agreedisagree

•
regular firmware updates and improvements
+3agreedisagree

•
gapless support for MP3, WMA, OGG, and FLAC (as of 2.31b2 firmware)
+3agreedisagree

•
customizable user interface (via Flash 7)
+2agreedisagree

Cons:
Do you agree?
•
no mention of WIFI or internet browser - included on ipod touch
+1agreedisagree

•
no third party software
0agreedisagree

•
software will not be as modular or as well supported as the iPod Touch software
-1agreedisagree

•
late to market - planned to be released in December
-3agreedisagree


12 people added to this review by submitting or voting on pros and cons. Add your say!
See individual votes »

Details

Features

  • Capacity: 8,16 and eventually 32GB SSD
  • Screen: 3.3" LCD Touchscreen, 480 x 272px, 16m colours
  • Supported Audio Codecs: MP3, WMA, OGG, FLAC, WAV
  • Supported Video Codecs: MPEG-4 SP, WMV9 SP, H.264 BP
  • Battery life: 40 hours audio or 8 hours of video
  • Dimensions: 57.08 x 105.75 x 12.7 mm

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This report was started September 10, 2008 at 1:13 pm by Yale
with the last edit occurring Thursday, 7:03 PM by Yale
This page has been viewed 3766 times, with 182 edits by 13 contributors.
See the full report history »

Buy It

Cowon S9 Curve | 16GB

• Cowon S9 16 GB Video MP3 Player with Touchscreen (Silver/Black)

• S9 16GB Black MP3 Player

UPC: 826487529175

EAN: 8809009958068

MPN: S9-16TB

Cowon S9 Curve | 32GB

• Cowon S9 32 GB Video MP3 Player with Touchscreen (Titanium Black)

• S9-32TB S9 32GB MP3 Player - Titanium/Black

UPC: 826487529250

EAN: 8809009958471

MPN: S9-32TB

Competitors

Cowon S9 Curve is ranked 3rd among it's competitors.  See the top picks in MP3 Players »
Apple iPod Touch 3rd-Gen

Apple iPod Touch 3rd-Gen

MSRP  $199.99    Released  September, 2009
Pros
  • integrated WiFi
  • upgraded capacities on the top two models - now up to 64GB
  • improved processor and graphics subsystem - the same as the iPhone 3GS
Cons
  • no open source codec support
  • high price for the upgraded models - starting at $299 for 32GB
  • no camera
ProSCORE
5 reviews
59
Vote! (1 vote)
vote Cowon S9 Curve 0% vs. vote Apple iPod Touch 3rd-Gen 100%
Apple iPod Touch

Apple iPod Touch

MSRP  $299.99    Released  September, 2008
Pros
  • Volume controls directly on the machine
  • WiFi capable
  • shares the same touchscreen application system as the iPhone
Cons
  • Speaker is very low-fi
  • No GPS
  • Not much different from previous versions
ProSCORE
24 reviews
63
Vote! (4 votes)
vote Cowon S9 Curve 25% vs. vote Apple iPod Touch 75%
Microsoft Zune HD

Microsoft Zune HD

MSRP  $219.99    Released  September, 2009
Pros
  • OLED touchscreen display
  • HD radio receiver
  • WiFi connectivity
Cons
  • sold in the USA only
  • app store isn't as mature as Apple's
  • Doesnt have true hd (1080p)
ProSCORE
15 reviews
64
Vote! (0 votes)
vote Cowon S9 Curve   vs. vote Microsoft Zune HD  
Creative Zen X-Fi2

Creative Zen X-Fi2

MSRP  $129.99    Released  September, 2009
Pros
  • quality earbuds included
  • included software is not required to sync the device
  • integrated speaker
Cons
  • wall charger not included, must be purchased separately
  • unintuitive controls
  • poor included software
ProSCORE
3 reviews
71
Vote! (0 votes)
vote Cowon S9 Curve   vs. vote Creative Zen X-Fi2  
iRiver P35

iRiver P35

MSRP  --    Released  June, 2009
Pros
  • FM radio
  • WiFi enabled (select models)
  • 4.3" touchscreen display
Cons
  • larger screen with lower resolution - image is less sharp/detailed
  • multiple variations of the device available (basic, WiFi, DMB), confuses the consumer
  • limited battery life (16h audio, 8h video, 6h tv)
ProSCORE
1 review
79
Vote! (0 votes)
vote Cowon S9 Curve   vs. vote iRiver P35  
iRiver P7

iRiver P7

MSRP  --    Releases  December, 2009
Pros
  • support for open source audio formats (OGG/FLAC)
  • attractive UI
  • touchscreen
Cons
  • limited codec support
  • touchscreen can be somewhat finicky
  • no WiFi
ProSCORE
1 review
55
Vote! (0 votes)
vote Cowon S9 Curve   vs. vote iRiver P7  
Sony Walkman NWZ-X1000 Series

Sony Walkman NWZ-X1000 Series

MSRP  $399.00    Released  May, 2009
Pros
  • active noise canceling
  • stunning OLED touchscreen display
  • attractive and slim form factor - more pocket-able than the iPod Touch
Cons
  • no open source OGG or FLAC format support
  • late to market - years or months behind directly competing products
  • expensive
ProSCORE
2 reviews
69
Vote! (1 vote)
vote Cowon S9 Curve 100% vs. vote Sony Walkman NWZ-X1000 Series 0%
Haier America Rhapsody Ibiza Touch

Haier America Rhapsody Ibiza Touch

MSRP  --    Released  January, 2009
Pros
  • same size as the Rhapsody Ibiza Mini
  • touchscreen
  • better battery life than the Mini
  • WiFi and Bluetooth
Cons
  • limited battery life
  • no FLAC/OGG support
ProSCORE
1 review
67
Vote! (0 votes)
vote Cowon S9 Curve   vs. vote Haier America Rhapsody Ibiza Touch  

Suggest a new competitor to add to the list of competing products.
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Comments

1.  avatar Yale said:

One would hope that Cowon's $200/240 vs Apple's $230/300 will make a dent or force the later to drop their prices... but I suspect it won't.
Dec 15, 2008 12:44pm
2.  avatar Omar said:

It remains to be seen how much developer support the S9 Curve will get. One of the most compelling features of the iTouch is the App Store and related programs and games. The specs on this device are very nice, but if there's no apps to really take advantage of the hardware it's all for naught.
Dec 15, 2008 12:50pm
3.  avatar mattmach33 said:

The Cowon is getting a lot more professional level support in Korea, so just join the iaudiophile forums and anything that comes up will normally be posted eg themes, games etc.
And most apps are made by Cowon themselves and released through firmware, and unlike with those orchard players, is FREE. The s9 will also support games from the Spinn, and irivers fans are incredible programmers, so there will most likely be some awesome content for the S9.
The only advantages on the touch are wifi and itunes support, and, in the age of smartphones, few people don't already have wifi, and itunes support is arguably a disadvantage as well. Apps are purely up to the user, if you want to spend the twice the money you spent on the player on apps, be my guest, but I'm not stupid.
The advantages on the S9 however are practically endless: sound quality, file support, customisabiltiy, video quality, individuality, ui, advanced 360 degrees accelerometer, dmb, dvb (freeview), fm quality, line in recording, picture quality, BBE+, Mach3 Bass etc. scene select, dual core cpu, price, style... i could go on. lol
Jan 01, 2009 9:04pm
4.  avatar Acreo Aeneas said:

Mattmach33 pretty much has it down pat. The iAudioPhiles forum already has 3 large Flash games packages that bring a total of over 9000 games to the S9 not including all the other ones you can get for the S9 by yourself.

People seem to always compare the iTouch and iPhone to the S9. The S9 wasn't produced to be a alternative to either. It's designed as a better PMP (portable multimedia player) rather than a handheld MID (mobile internet device). Besides the obvious lack of WiFi and custom apps (the ones that involve more than just Flash), I feel the S9 is superior to the iTouch.
Aug 10, 2009 5:51pm
5.  avatar avid said:

Exactly Acreo... It isn'y meant to be an alternative to i-Pod Touch or i-Phone. The S9 is definitely superior to both of them really. With great sound quality, amazing range of file format supports, awesome screen, customisability, recording options, long battery life etc. are just some of the +ves for S9 over i-Pod Touch.
With the frequent and free firmware upgrades unlike Apple it surely wins there too.
I am deifinitely more than happy without its support for Wi-Fi or other apps. :)
Sep 11, 2009 9:14am
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Reviews

Sort by: Most helpful  •  Newest  •  Most positive

mattmach33

avatar
January 1, 2009
approved
reviewer
ProSCORE
100
negative
mixed
positive
14 pros
0 cons
trustedtrusted
have ithave it
3 out of 3 people found this review helpful.

Pros

  • dual core processor
  • affordable and competitive price
  • large touchscreen
  • open source codec support - FLAC and OGG
  • up to 40 hours of audio playback
  • includes many extra features the Touch doesn't - such as an FM radio, digital TV tuner, TV-out
  • amoled screen
  • smaller and thinner than the iPod Touch
  • Sound quality
  • Bluetooth
  • lightweight
  • free apps in firmware
  • same capacities as the iPod Touch
  • Customisability

Cons

Did not agree with any cons

Comments

"The Cowon is getting a lot more professional level support in Korea, so just join the iaudiophile forums and anything that comes up will normally be posted eg themes, games etc.
And most apps are made by Cowon themselves and released through firmware, and unlike with those orchard players, is FREE. The s9 will also support games from the Spinn, and irivers fans are incredible programmers, so there will most likely be some awesome content for the S9.
The only advantages on the touch are wifi and itunes support, and, in the age of smartphones, few people don't already have wifi, and itunes support is arguably a disadvantage as well. Apps are purely up to the user, if you want to spend the twice the money you spent on the player on apps, be my guest, but I'm not stupid.
The advantages on the S9 however are practically endless: sound quality, file support, customisabiltiy, video quality, individuality, ui, advanced 360 degrees accelerometer, dmb, dvb (freeview), fm quality, line in recording, picture quality, BBE+, Mach3 Bass etc. scene select, dual core cpu, price, style... i could go on. lol"

Competitors

mattmach33 prefers Cowon S9 Curve over Apple iPod Touch
Did you find this review helpful?
Yes
 / 
No

Yale

avatar
January 1, 2009
approved
reviewer
ProSCORE
83
negative
mixed
positive
10 pros
2 cons
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

Pros

  • dual core processor
  • affordable and competitive price
  • large touchscreen
  • open source codec support - FLAC and OGG
  • up to 40 hours of audio playback
  • includes many extra features the Touch doesn't - such as an FM radio, digital TV tuner, TV-out
  • amoled screen
  • smaller and thinner than the iPod Touch
  • Sound quality
  • same capacities as the iPod Touch

Cons

  • software will not be as modular or as well supported as the iPod Touch software
  • late to market - planned to be released in December

Comments

"One would hope that Cowon's $200/240 vs Apple's $230/300 will make a dent or force the later to drop their prices... but I suspect it won't."

Competitors

Yale prefers Cowon S9 Curve over Sony Walkman NWZ-X1000 Series
Did you find this review helpful?
Yes
 / 
No

fractalhorizon

avatar
January 17, 2009
approved
reviewer
ProSCORE
73
negative
mixed
positive
8 pros
3 cons
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

Pros

  • dual core processor
  • affordable and competitive price
  • large touchscreen
  • open source codec support - FLAC and OGG
  • up to 40 hours of audio playback
  • includes many extra features the Touch doesn't - such as an FM radio, digital TV tuner, TV-out
  • amoled screen
  • lightweight

Cons

  • no third party software
  • software will not be as modular or as well supported as the iPod Touch software
  • late to market - planned to be released in December

Competitors

fractalhorizon prefers Apple iPod Touch 3rd-Gen over Cowon S9 Curve
Did you find this review helpful?
Yes
 / 
No

Omar

avatar
December 15, 2008
approved
reviewer
ProSCORE
75
negative
mixed
positive
6 pros
2 cons
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

Pros

  • dual core processor
  • affordable and competitive price
  • large touchscreen
  • open source codec support - FLAC and OGG
  • up to 40 hours of audio playback
  • smaller and thinner than the iPod Touch

Cons

  • software will not be as modular or as well supported as the iPod Touch software
  • late to market - planned to be released in December

Comments

"It remains to be seen how much developer support the S9 Curve will get. One of the most compelling features of the iTouch is the App Store and related programs and games. The specs on this device are very nice, but if there's no apps to really take advantage of the hardware it's all for naught."

Competitors

Omar prefers Apple iPod Touch over Cowon S9 Curve
Did you find this review helpful?
Yes
 / 
No

hawks22gk

avatar
April 6, 2009
approved
reviewer
ProSCORE
75
negative
mixed
positive
3 pros
1 con
1 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

Pros

  • dual core processor
  • smaller and thinner than the iPod Touch
  • Bluetooth

Cons

  • no mention of WIFI or internet browser - included on ipod touch

Did you find this review helpful?
Yes
 / 
No

jayschellenberg

avatar
January 2, 2009
approved
reviewer
ProSCORE
100
negative
mixed
positive
4 pros
0 cons
want itwant it
1 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

Pros

  • dual core processor
  • affordable and competitive price
  • includes many extra features the Touch doesn't - such as an FM radio, digital TV tuner, TV-out
  • Bluetooth

Cons

Did not agree with any cons

Did you find this review helpful?
Yes
 / 
No

Bluebery

avatar
February 17, 2009
ProSCORE
100
negative
mixed
positive
6 pros
0 cons
want itwant it
1 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

Pros

  • dual core processor
  • affordable and competitive price
  • large touchscreen
  • open source codec support - FLAC and OGG
  • up to 40 hours of audio playback
  • Sound quality

Cons

Did not agree with any cons

Did you find this review helpful?
Yes
 / 
No

avid

avatar
September 11, 2009
approved
reviewer
ProSCORE
94
negative
mixed
positive
16 pros
1 con
have ithave it
love itlove it

Pros

  • affordable and competitive price
  • large touchscreen
  • open source codec support - FLAC and OGG
  • up to 40 hours of audio playback
  • includes many extra features the Touch doesn't - such as an FM radio, digital TV tuner, TV-out
  • amoled screen
  • smaller and thinner than the iPod Touch
  • Sound quality
  • Bluetooth
  • lightweight
  • free apps in firmware
  • same capacities as the iPod Touch
  • Customisability
  • regular firmware updates and improvements
  • gapless support for MP3, WMA, OGG, and FLAC (as of 2.31b2 firmware)
  • customizable user interface (via Flash 7)

Cons

  • no mention of WIFI or internet browser - included on ipod touch

Comments

"Exactly Acreo... It isn'y meant to be an alternative to i-Pod Touch or i-Phone. The S9 is definitely superior to both of them really. With great sound quality, amazing range of file format supports, awesome screen, customisability, recording options, long battery life etc. are just some of the +ves for S9 over i-Pod Touch.
With the frequent and free firmware upgrades unlike Apple it surely wins there too.
I am deifinitely more than happy without its support for Wi-Fi or other apps. :)"
Did you find this review helpful?
Yes
 / 
No

Acreo Aeneas

avatar
August 10, 2009
approved
reviewer
ProSCORE
100
negative
mixed
positive
17 pros
0 cons
love itlove it
have ithave it

Pros

  • dual core processor
  • affordable and competitive price
  • large touchscreen
  • open source codec support - FLAC and OGG
  • up to 40 hours of audio playback
  • includes many extra features the Touch doesn't - such as an FM radio, digital TV tuner, TV-out
  • amoled screen
  • smaller and thinner than the iPod Touch
  • Sound quality
  • Bluetooth
  • lightweight
  • free apps in firmware
  • same capacities as the iPod Touch
  • Customisability
  • regular firmware updates and improvements
  • gapless support for MP3, WMA, OGG, and FLAC (as of 2.31b2 firmware)
  • customizable user interface (via Flash 7)

Cons

Did not agree with any cons

Comments

"Mattmach33 pretty much has it down pat. The iAudioPhiles forum already has 3 large Flash games packages that bring a total of over 9000 games to the S9 not including all the other ones you can get for the S9 by yourself.

People seem to always compare the iTouch and iPhone to the S9. The S9 wasn't produced to be a alternative to either. It's designed as a better PMP (portable multimedia player) rather than a handheld MID (mobile internet device). Besides the obvious lack of WiFi and custom apps (the ones that involve more than just Flash), I feel the S9 is superior to the iTouch."
Did you find this review helpful?
Yes
 / 
No

Blade

avatar
April 25, 2009
approved
reviewer
ProSCORE
93
negative
mixed
positive
14 pros
1 con
0 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

Pros

  • dual core processor
  • affordable and competitive price
  • large touchscreen
  • open source codec support - FLAC and OGG
  • up to 40 hours of audio playback
  • includes many extra features the Touch doesn't - such as an FM radio, digital TV tuner, TV-out
  • amoled screen
  • smaller and thinner than the iPod Touch
  • Sound quality
  • Bluetooth
  • lightweight
  • free apps in firmware
  • same capacities as the iPod Touch
  • Customisability

Cons

  • no mention of WIFI or internet browser - included on ipod touch

Did you find this review helpful?
Yes
 / 
No
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This product is also known as:

S, 9, S9