Cowon’s V5 has become a player that we have grown to love in 2010 (even if it is Windows CE powered), but consumers will soon be falling out of love with the player after Cowon announced its V5W.

The device packs a 4.8-inch WVGA screen and is available in either 8GB, 16GB, 32GB and 64GB – keeping the SD expansion slot. Yes, we can ignore the HD support (720p).  Keeping in line with the V5, the V5W handles HD file format’s, but it also comes fitted with HDMI and composite output.

The big news is the WiFi 802.11 b/g support, sitting it just short of a full blown tablet. That’s right, Cowon have preloaded the Opera browser and a YouTube viewer to take advantage of the new wireless connection. The browser comes coupled with a multimedia app, image viewer, voice recorder, text reader, calculator, metric converter, world clock, and DMB-tuner amongst others.

The player still keeps its light power consumption, capable of 45 hours of continuous audio, 10 hours of continuous video. or 300 hours on standby.

It will be released to Korea in July (with the rest of us to follow) in three colors – Purple, Black, White.

The Cowon J3 might have only just hit stores stateside but in the midst of all the fuss and excitement, Cowon has released firmware update v1.10 for the Cowon J3. Not too many significant changes to the player’s functionality, namely speed improvements and a number of bug fixes.

Using the power of Google Translate, the firmware update comprises of (but not limited to) the following improvements:

• Cowon Cartoon Viewer <COMIX>
• Stopwatch Utility
• Browser speed and performance metrics
• Improved response and speed of UI
• Changes to the behaviour of the main menu.
• Improved scrolling speed of dictionary

[Thanks Jonathan, via anythingbutipod via Cowon]

After two months since we outed the Cowon J3, the highly anticipated and sought after MP3 player has started rearing its head in the US of A. Even though Europe has been blessed with the player since early April, US shipments caught us by surprise.

Unfortunately, our predictions on price were rather bullish; even though the similarities between the J3 and S9 are minute, it’s not to say that the prices should reflect these similarities (according to Cowon at least). That’s right. Where as the Cowon S9 16GB version will set you back $179.99, the newer J3 will cost a pricier $239.

Pick them up now any large online retailer.  Amazon are offering the 16GB Black version for $239.99 and the 8GB Silver (aka White) version for $199.99. If you’re undecided on whether to dip your hands into your pocket for this one, check out a video of the Cowon J3 in action available below.

Even since the Teclast T58 was purported to be the first Android PMP, a slew of manufacturers have jumped on the band-wagon and released Google-powered Android media players (not limited to the Philips GoGear Connect, Archos’ new tablets, and even the iRiver K2).

In an unprecedented move by the Korean-based firm, Cowon are about to ride the Android wave with their yet-to-be-released Cowon D3 according to Journal Du Geek. We’re not too sure whether this is a good or bad thing – check out the sentiments shared by anythingbutipod.

Half-baked attempts to integrate Android within mobile phones have been seen in devices like the HTC Magic (even though the firmware improved over time with new revisions). Cowon’s attempt to appease Google could come at a price to the respected Cowon brand.

The D3 is purported to be slated for a summer release, following just behind the recently released S9 and J3 players.

A number of close-up and personal videos of the Cowon J3 have been posted to the web courtesy of Cowon Inside. The videos, available through YouTube, give us an idea what to expect from the upcoming Cowon player (which has already had confirmation of a UK release).

If those still images just haven’t quite been on par with motion video, we might be able to relieve you of some of your frustration.

The neatly-laid GUI interface is not only responsive to the human touch but accurate. Everything is well labeled and navigation appears to be a breeze. The AMOLED touchscreen really is a good choice; video is crisp and clear.

Anyways we won’t babble on; otherwise, this could turn into a third-party review.

Videos after the jump…

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Just when you thought that the new Cowon J3 PMP would be limited to an Asian-only release, we have news of the J3 hitting Europe. That’s right. Having already hit the shores of South Korea, an official UK Cowon distributor, Digital Audio Distribution or DAD, has confirmed that it will be stocking the Cowon J3 come the end of the month.

Unfortunately, there is no exact word on pricing; however, a DAD spokesman stated that because of the similarities between the S9 and J3, the Cowon J3 32GB model should sit somewhere between £213 and £262 on launch.

She would be expecting a US release to follow? If the S9 is anything to go on, I think so – expect to pay somewhere in the region of $260 for the 32GB Cowon J3 sitting it inline with the S9.

On a side note, if you’re in or around the Birmingham area, you can get a sneak peak of the new J3 at DAD’s stand located in zone G3 of the Gadget Show Live at Birmingham’s NEC.

[via ElectricPig]

[EDIT:] If you don’t already have a ticket for the Gadget Show Live, you might be kicking yourself because all tickets are sold out.

Cowon have left us short of an official release this time instead opting to upload their new PMP directly onto their website. The product page devoted solely to the new technological masterpiece showcases the new Cowon J3 in all its splendor.

The best news is that we no longer have to keep guessing about the much hyped player.

The J3 will feature a slick 3.3-inch AMOLED touchscreen with accelerometer complimented by tactile-like buttons for  frequently-accessed features and the standard fast-forward/rewind and volume controls.

Available in either 4, 8, 16 or 32GB, the J3 comes packed with Bluetooth, JetEffects effects 3.0 technology for an improved audible experience, and a TV output line. Unfortunately, those wireless rumors that we first reported appear to be just that – ‘rumors’. The default storage size is expandable via the microSD slot.

The unit is compatible with a whole host of file types including  MP3, WMA, OGG, FLAC, APE and WAV for audio and DivX, XviD and WMV for video.

The battery capabilities of this device only underline the beef that this player carries – we’re talking about continuous playback of up to 64 hours of audio or 11 hours of video. Packing a lot of clout, the J3’s weight of 76 grams is rather modest and considering the 3.3-inch display, the player’s dimensions (106.5 x 56 x 9.9 mm) just make the mark.

South Koreans will be fortunate enough to get their hands on the device at the end of the month, but the rest of us are yet to receive an official release date.

[via SlashGear]

The Cowon J3 PMP has been somewhat of a mystical player…up until now.  All that we’ve had to go on previously was a back-side diagram of Cowon’s newest player, but now the cat has been let out of the bag.

A reliable source, French-based gmp3, is claiming to have captured the first image of the Cowon J3 along with a number of specifications.  Having used a combination of Google Translate and Babelfish, we still don’t quite understand how the image came to surface. Any French speakers in the house?

As initially suspected, the Cowon J3 is confirmed to be packing an AMOLED 3.3-inch touchscreen (480 x 272 pixels) with accelerometer. Available in either 4, 8 or 16GB, the J3 will come packed with Bluetooth, JetEffects effects 3.0 technology for an improved audible experience, and a TV output line. Not a word mentioned about the wireless capabilities that we first reported.

EDIT: Thanks to clarification from lebellium of gmp3 (see below), the original story was sourced from moveplayer.net and a Cowon press release.