Thinking of buying this seemingly amazing player but some advice would be nice.

[Technex]

Originally Posted by amit

Well, like I said, you didn't check out the S9 settings much. There's an option there to keep the play/pause, volume & track buttons unlocked & lock only the screen when you use the lock switch at the bottom. So you can engage the lock which will just lock the screen, put the S9 in your pocket & skip tracks, pause or play & adjust volume without taking it out of your pocket & without taking your eyes off whatever you're looking at!

As above QFTT.

[CrowdAds]

[ceph_752]

s9 is fully customizable, i have 3 ucis different music uci's and klaus browser and picture viewer and text viewer which made my s9 a lot "nicer" to use, by nicer i mean aesthetically and functionality wise, good sound quality, and great video, that's the reason why you buy
a media device not to surf the web, that's what mobilephones are for.

*edit

i also use claw's UI which made the cowon s9 a lot better.

[invertedskull]

Maitremiyamoto implies that the playlists are sucky on the S9. I would agree to a degree. I think the fact that so many people have made awesome UCIs and so on for the S9 that it is a much, MUCH better player than Cowon could have hoped for. No offense to Cowon, it's a great player out of the box, but yeah, playlists is one thing that could have been done better.

My biggest gripe is you cannot add tracks to queue. That's where Playlists come in. If you end up getting the S9, throw Claw's UI on it RIGHT AWAY and then sit down and learn how to use your awesome new player.

EDIT: Anyone not using a custom UI on their S9 is missing out on experiencing a GREAT player.

[Word-Weaver]

Wow, I wasn't expecting so many replies. Thankyou all so much, This shall be a long reply.

Mf1232 - Thanks, it's good to know it's the player with the great sound and not just the headphones. Yes, I also find it interesting to surprise my friends showing them incredible stuff - which I think this is.

Originally Posted by EddieE

The text reader does what it says on the tin - reads text files. There is a UCI text reader on iAudiophile (can't remember the name off the top of my head) that is superior allowing you to easily change tracks while reading.

Oh okay, so does that mean you can listen to music while reading text? Because that’s quite important too, oddly enough. XD

Thankyou very much for all the information. I've heard a lot about it having superior sound and want to kidnap one, or at least test one out in the store, because it probably has to be heard to be believed.

I thank you also for the downsides/negatives/warnings, and everyone else who has done this, because I need to understand the cons to pace myself. How often does it crash etc? And can it be solved easily enough eg. reset button?

Everyone keeps going on about learning curves, hard to understand UI etc. I take a different approach on this, that may seem weird but just think about it. I like not knowing all about your device/player instantly, if it's simple it's boring. It's like a journey, I will be on a total buzz whilst learning to use this player and so every knew feature or thing I learn about it will be totally awesome. The more to learn the better, although of course it can be bad in some situations. Like many people I like getting my player out instantly and learning the feel of it and how it works, if that takes a while so be it. I also understand it uses confusing icons more than text? Hopefully, my brain will get used to learning them and that should be fine. A different unique UI sounds quite refreshing actually.

Resizing album art, yeah and editing? Cause I am quite confused sometimes with album art, doesn't show up or there isn't one. So can i make my own images/covers to go with the albums and where would I put them.

Just a warning too, I may repeat things or questions that were answered or explained in other places so sorry. You can point me to the appropriate place if you want or would be easier for you. But I'm just wanting everything in the same place, directed to me so I can always come back to reference this easily and effectively enough. Or if any of the questions may seem stupid etc, I apologize.

Originally Posted by EddieE

There is some great UI out there. Claw UI (or wallpaper as is its official name) lets you customize everything about the unit, adds multiple dynamic playlists, auto resume and various other new functions. Dnw/fdx does some fantastic graphic design and functionality with his Aero and Dark Evolution UI. There's a lot out there and there will be plenty more to come.

Yes, what I've learnt quite quickly and recently, but still learning, is all about UCI, particularly on the S9 and I'm VERY impressed. I didn't even know you could personalize/customize any mp3 as much as the S9. So you can edit all the icons, fonts, colours, wallpapers etc? And where do you put them? Is there a tutorial somewhere? Could someone please link some.

Also, I’ve picked up that you can have more than one UI on s9 and change it in some sort of option on the actual player? Is that true? Would this cause much lag? Fully customizable?! Epic. Okay, I'll check out these awesome designers and UCI's.

Yes, Disguise, and thankyou, there is many reasons as to why I should get this player and why it is nearly perfect for me but I need to actually get it rather than theory. However; Money, Information and Research shall be reviewed first.

I do love widgets/extras/apps etc. I think there was one on the iPod touch that showed moon phases/cycles; that was handy. XD Is there a notepad keyboard like thing on the S9 to take notes on etc and if so is it good? Because that would be very handy. (Edit: Typist? Some sort of update? What’s it do?) Unit converters, world time, calendar, calculator etc. ?

With conversion it isn't much of a problem, I have good programs to convert things. Would videos be best at same screen size?

Yah, thanks again Disguise, nice to know of someone in a similar situation going for it and loving it so much. Infact, its wonderful that you all have such a passion for it makes me happy and almost become a fangirl. XD

Shopao, yes exactly what I was saying above; I probably should just buy it and not look back but it freaks me out worrying about that and all the money it would drain. Infact, some of my family are not to happy about spending that much money on another mp3, instead of per se saving it.

Bart, okay thankyou for the photo tips I'll do that and keep and eye out for it. Handy.

Maitremiyamoto, i do thankyou actually, for sharing your negative views, warnings and experiences. Other people have addressed your post so I don't feel the need to but everyone has their own opinion and personal mp3 preference. I have said my views on apple, i don't mind it, given reasons in my first post and do not want to get into a debate.

Playlists, another thing that other people have been discussing and I feel the need for it to be clarified as playlists are actually quite important to me and I use them quite a lot. From what I've gathered you can make one kind of a temporary favourites/playlist thing on the device? But you can actually kind of 'import' playlists from software media players, like windows media player for example? So you can have many many playlists and how do you transfer/put them onto S9?

Yeah, I've heard about the touch screen being a bit iffy. I know the ipod touch is intuitive (Still don't understand how you can tap that tiny little pixel and it will understand that’s what you want and not the ones around it) but if the s9 is only a few steps behind it i will be very happy. I don't have any touch players to really compare it to, as I also don't use touch often it will be new to me so I shouldn't notice that much? If that makes sense. As long as I don't have to tap something like 5 times for it to do what I want then I shall be happy.

Thankyou Angelix, yah more southern hemisphere people! Yes, It is more expensive in local retailers and I should probably buy online somewhere. That freaks me out also though, I know some people who've had a lot of problems, but yes I see. I don't know, going in immediately and getting it or being anxious waiting for it. no idea. o.O Thanks for the advice and link. There's another point too, you'll feel superior for learning it.

Exactly, EddieE thanks again, it has more functions etc. so needs to be more complicated, which I think is a positive. "You press them and see what they do" couldn't be more correct. Syncing seems fine, even great, on the S9 so I'm not worried about that.

Another point, tactile buttons - absolutely wonderful. As much as I love touch, i need tactile buttons exactly for that. When in my pocket, at school etc. just change song etc without looking. Can be done easily? Tactile controls are a bonus. Yes, I’ll want to use it on a bus/train, at school, lunch, in bed, practically everywhere but also while sports, biking, walking etc. Is it safe, easy etc to do this? I could always use my philips for stuff like that too, because I still use it and love it. I hear many people here have more than one player?

Thankyou Amit, valid points. How do you choose/change MTP or MSC modes, you can anytime right? Whats M3U btw? There's a UCI shake gesture? Seriously, that's awesome! Where? Thanks Scowl, rather interesting problems. Yeah, there should be interesting lock screen and password stuff I've heard.

Oh and some advice, do you think 16GB is enough? Is it enough for those who have it? It seems like truckloads to me, but if this will be the player I want to be and last for years and years then...? For me sectioned out: 3GB for photos/images/pictures, 5GB Music, 7GB video and 1GB extra/other. Then I can always change things around all the time. That should be an okay amount for tons of anime episodes, movies, tv shows, text, music, flash etc? Besides 32GB is wayyyy expensive.

[Edit: Also apparantly it's very VERY light. Lighter than the ipod touch which i found light. I'm not sure if light-ness is a good thing. To you is it?]

An ultimate list/links of firmware, updates, UCIs, Tutorials etc. (Everything needed for a ultimate S9 experience) would be nice and handy too, thanks.

Everything i learn about the S9 makes me want to buy it more. Even simple silly things, like I learnt that an alarm clock on it could play any of your songs; i think that’s awesome! No more stupid alarm beep sound. I have a feeling I will be blown away by customization too ^-^ Thankyou to everyone else who replied and will continue to do so.

Lots of thankyou, sorry if that’s annoying, but it is much appreciated you all taking time to help me. Anyway, still thinking about it but definitely more on the side of buying it.

[Angelix]

(If I don't answer a question, it probably means I don't know the answer)

The tactile buttons are great. They stick out enough to be pressed (through your pocket!) but not so much that they are prone to accidental presses. The pause/play button is a bit stiff, though. Maybe it's because mine is second-hand, actually. As for online retailing, you can go to minidisc.com.au. The prices there aren't as flash as what eBay has to offer, but they are trustworthy and still cheaper than your local retailer (I think). Plus, if you buy their Cowon S9 you get a free AC charger, which can cost $30 or more.

The touch accuracy is definitely not as great as the iPod Touch. Fair enough, Apple has a larger budget and a better crew. For the most part you only have to tap buttons once, but you'll probably never tap anything more than three times.

As for the UI, I'll give a brief explanation on how it works:

The S9 uses three primary user-interfaces: the main screen, the browser, and the music screen. Each exist independently. The S9 can store up to 3 regular home screen UI's and one widget UI. I'm pretty sure it can only store 1 browser UI. I'm not sure how music UI's work: if you use the homescreen UI called "Paper" (by Luna) it will give you the option of changing between music screens whenever you want (you tap on "Music" and you have about five options). Storing extra UI's beyond 3 does not seem to interfere with the player speed, but users have yet to confirm this. If you want more info on UI's visit this forum: http://iaudiophile.net/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=90 .

16GB for what you're using it for should be ample. I went through 32GB really fast, though, because I pretty much dumped my whole music/video collection onto it, but I never watch most of the videos anyway.

[EddieE]

Hey no need to apologise for asking questions, the point of forums like this is to share knowledge and opinions, and users here are always happy to help

Yes, what I've learnt quite quickly and recently, but still learning, is all about UCI, particularly on the S9 and I'm VERY impressed. I didn't even know you could personalize/customize any mp3 as much as the S9. So you can edit all the icons, fonts, colours, wallpapers etc? And where do you put them? Is there a tutorial somewhere? Could someone please link some.

Also, I’ve picked up that you can have more than one UI on s9 and change it in some sort of option on the actual player? Is that true? Would this cause much lag? Fully customizable?! Epic. Okay, I'll check out these awesome designers and UCI's.

What you can do yourself depends on your skills - can you programme Flash? If so, you create your own Uis from scratch. But if you don't there are still a lot of options.


Font - this is inbuilt in the S9s stock fw, you can add any user font you want - here is a guide: http://iaudiophile.net/forums/showthread.php?t=25089


Wallpapers - in the stock UI you can change the wallpaper - in CLAW UI (officially wallpaper UI) you can have a separate wallpaper for each screen on the S9. Claw UI opens up a lot:


Icons: Claw UI makes it easy for anyone with artistic skills to add their own icons, and there are a shed load out there to download.


Colours: Claw UI lets you change the colour of pretty much everything - Claw UI lets you tweak pretty much everything you can tweak - colours, size of visual elements, font size and style, album art size, wallpapers, icons, and adds a load of new functionality too. It's a must-have UCI.


Installing UI is very simple - plug the S9 into the computer, goto "My Computer" and open it - inside the SYSTEM folder there is a FLASH UI folder - download UI swf files and just drop them in there - simple.


Regarding lag and UI - yeah Claw UI does slow things down a bit - the more customisation you do the slower it gets. Wallpapers seem to slow it down most - I use the no wallpaper option (black screen) and it runs pretty fast even with lots of other things customised. In other cases, like in CUBE browser - the UI is faster and more responsive than the stock. DNW/FDXs excellent UI work runs at a speed hard to distinguish from the stock and looks a hell of a lot better.

Playlists, another thing that other people have been discussing and I feel the need for it to be clarified as playlists are actually quite important to me and I use them quite a lot. From what I've gathered you can make one kind of a temporary favourites/playlist thing on the device? But you can actually kind of 'import' playlists from software media players, like windows media player for example? So you can have many many playlists and how do you transfer/put them onto S9?

With CLAW UI you can use both dynamic playlists (making them on-the-go with the S9) and can also import M3U playlist files. I generally use dynamic lists as I like to be able to add a track on a whim as I listen so am not the best person to give advice on importing playlists. Iaudiophile forum is a good place to browse to learn more about CLAW UI.

Yeah, I've heard about the touch screen being a bit iffy. I know the ipod touch is intuitive (Still don't understand how you can tap that tiny little pixel and it will understand that’s what you want and not the ones around it) but if the s9 is only a few steps behind it i will be very happy. I don't have any touch players to really compare it to, as I also don't use touch often it will be new to me so I shouldn't notice that much? If that makes sense. As long as I don't have to tap something like 5 times for it to do what I want then I shall be happy.

A lot of people on first use of the S9 find it iffy, I did when I first played with a friend's one. The issue is that the S9 touch screen responds extremely well (perfectly I'd say) to the fleshy pad on the base of your fingertip, whereas it often doesn't recognise to end of the tip of your finger (next to your fingernail) which the ipod touch does. Not sure why this is, but when you start to tap and stroke the screen with the pad of your finger you will realise it is in fact very responsive indeed.

How do you choose/change MTP or MSC modes, you can anytime right?

It's in the settings menu and yes you can do it any time, but I've never changed mine from MSC as it is a far superior mode IMO.

Oh and some advice, do you think 16GB is enough? Is it enough for those who have it? It seems like truckloads to me, but if this will be the player I want to be and last for years and years then...? For me sectioned out: 3GB for photos/images/pictures, 5GB Music, 7GB video and 1GB extra/other. Then I can always change things around all the time. That should be an okay amount for tons of anime episodes, movies, tv shows, text, music, flash etc? Besides 32GB is wayyyy expensive.

Depends on how you want to use it. If you want to load full albums on, as I do, 16gb is still a lot of memory, but you may find it limiting, if you want to load on those tracks you really love on each album, 16gb will be loads.


Despite finding 32gb limiting myself, as I like hearing albums from beginning to end as a whole experience, I bought my girlfriend a 4gb E2 for Christmas and went about putting all my favourite tracks on and I found that 4gb means a LOT of individual tracks, even though it means very few full albums. Quite an eye opener!

Edit: Also apparantly it's very VERY light. Lighter than the ipod touch which i found light. I'm not sure if light-ness is a good thing. To you is it?

I love the lightness of it, others hate it. It's really a person preference, but it is VERY light, you won't beleieve it when you first get one in your hands. Now mine is velcroed to a headphone amp the value of the lightness of it is even greater increased. I imagine an itouch + my amp would really strain the fabric of my jacket pocket with the weight!

An ultimate list/links of firmware, updates, UCIs, Tutorials etc. (Everything needed for a ultimate S9 experience) would be nice and handy too, thanks.

I-audiophile forums - head over there and sign up and browse through the S9 forums - you'll find everything you need to know is there.


Another thing no one has mentioned yet that will be good to know is that Cowon players do not recognise album art added by windows media player - Olley explains how to make them work here:

http://www.anythingbutipod.com/forum/showthread.php?t=51023

Or since you might want to be resizing your art to 272x272 for perfect quality, you can add them using MP3Tag as well.

One further thing off the top of my head is gapless playback - this works flawlessly with lossless and LAME mp3 codecs - not with windows media player ripped mp3s where you'll hear a microsecond gap.

[amit]

Originally Posted by Word-Weaver

Playlists, another thing that other people have been discussing and I feel the need for it to be clarified as playlists are actually quite important to me and I use them quite a lot. From what I've gathered you can make one kind of a temporary favourites/playlist thing on the device? But you can actually kind of 'import' playlists from software media players, like windows media player for example? So you can have many many playlists and how do you transfer/put them onto S9?

2 ways for playlists - if you use a music software like Windows Media Player or Winamp or Cowon Jet Audio (comes with S9) or Media Monkey etc on pc to transfer music to your S9 then you can also create playlists in them & transfer them to your S9. Another way is to use Claw's UCI & create playlists on your S9 either via PC or on S9. For knowing how, here's a comprehensive guide to using Claw's UCI
http://www.anythingbutipod.com/forum...ad.php?t=43781

Originally Posted by Word-Weaver

Thankyou Amit, valid points. How do you choose/change MTP or MSC modes, you can anytime right? Whats M3U btw? There's a UCI shake gesture? Seriously, that's awesome! Where?

You can set the PC connect mode for S9 in its settings; MTP when you want to use a music player software on PC to transfer files & MSC when you just want to drag-drop or copy-paste the files to S9. And yeah, you can do it anytime & as many times as you want, its just a flip switch in settings!

M3U - basically its a playlist format which was developed by Winamp's maker Nullsoft & its now supported by many music players.

Claw's UCI supports shake gestures! Also I think Dark Evolution UCI supports them too.

Originally Posted by Word-Weaver

Yeah, there should be interesting lock screen and password stuff I've heard.

Claw's UCI has a lock screen protected by a password.

Originally Posted by Word-Weaver

Oh and some advice, do you think 16GB is enough? Is it enough for those who have it? It seems like truckloads to me, but if this will be the player I want to be and last for years and years then...? For me sectioned out: 3GB for photos/images/pictures, 5GB Music, 7GB video and 1GB extra/other. Then I can always change things around all the time. That should be an okay amount for tons of anime episodes, movies, tv shows, text, music, flash etc? Besides 32GB is wayyyy expensive.

Depends on the kind of music etc you have & how much you wanna put on your S9. I rip my CDs to FLAC & my 32GB S9 has just abt 5GB left and I don't have any videos or photos on it & neither my entire music collection. If you just have MP3 then you should be ok.

Originally Posted by Word-Weaver

An ultimate list/links of firmware, updates, UCIs, Tutorials etc. (Everything needed for a ultimate S9 experience) would be nice and handy too, thanks.

There's a sub-forum here in S9 section on Firmwares & one on UCIs. I don't think there's any need for tutorials (you'll just need a bit of info on using the UCI you decide to go with - already gave you the link to Claw's UCI guide above). There are many tips etc here in the forums, so just use the search!

[scowl]

Originally Posted by Word-Weaver

Everyone keeps going on about learning curves, hard to understand UI etc. I take a different approach on this, that may seem weird but just think about it. I like not knowing all about your device/player instantly, if it's simple it's boring.

What I don't like is learning how to do something then forgetting how to do it a month later because it was so needlessly counter-intuitive. If you enjoy relearning complicated steps to do trivial things then you'll never get bored with the S9.

There are also some gotchas that may surprise you. For example you can't use the S9 to play music when it's plugged into your computer. That means you must always drain the battery when you play music and you must regularly recharge it unless you purchase a USB charger. Why? Don't ask me.

This problem is made worse because it's very easy to leave the S9 playing when the screen is turned off because there's no indication that it's turned on. I had been so used to leaving the Zen running continuously at work that several times I've arrived to find a dead S9 on my desk because I forgot to turn it off before I left. I now have the screen turned on all the time so I will see that it's on before I leave.

[Edit: Also apparantly it's very VERY light. Lighter than the ipod touch which i found light. I'm not sure if light-ness is a good thing. To you is it?

I've knocked mine to the floor many times because it's lighter than the cord of my headphones. But that's also one of the best features of the S9: it's very solid and I've never had any crashes or lockups. It may be the only device I've purchased under $1,000 that I've never had to reset. This was a huge step up from the Creative Zen which would lock up if you hit the forward button too many times.

[amit]

Originally Posted by scowl

There are also some gotchas that may surprise you. For example you can't use the S9 to play music when it's plugged into your computer. That means you must always drain the battery when you play music and you must regularly recharge it unless you purchase a USB charger. Why? Don't ask me.

I don't get why that's needed, cuz when I'm at computer I listen to songs on it instead of S9. Perhaps you may have your reasons for this.

Originally Posted by scowl

This problem is made worse because it's very easy to leave the S9 playing when the screen is turned off because there's no indication that it's turned on. I had been so used to leaving the Zen running continuously at work that several times I've arrived to find a dead S9 on my desk because I forgot to turn it off before I left. I now have the screen turned on all the time so I will see that it's on before I leave.

For this problem I don't set the playlists etc on repeat, so when the folder or the playlist is done with its songs, the S9 would atomatically go to sleep mode in case I fall asleep while listening to music (which I often do at night, eh!).

For you the better way would be to check the earphones to see if S9 is playing any songs while the screen is off. Then you can switch it off when you're leaving. And you can set your S9 to automatically go to sleep after a set interval if its sitting idle. Its better than keeping screen on which will drain battery faster.

[scowl]

Originally Posted by amit

I don't get why that's needed, cuz when I'm at computer I listen to songs on it instead of S9. Perhaps you may have your reasons for this.

Yes, company rules don't allow song files on work computers here. It's a liability thing since idiots wouldn't think twice about putting 10 GB of pirated music on a company computer. In theory I could use it as a USB disk but a new rule requires that the data on all detachable disks must be encrypted (I use encfs to back my system to an encrypted file system on a USB drive). We are allowed to play CD's on our computers though... as long as they are originals and not copies.

For this problem I don't set the playlists etc on repeat, so when the folder or the playlist is done with its songs, the S9 would atomatically go to sleep mode in case I fall asleep while listening to music (which I often do at night, eh!).

In shuffle mode, it would have to play all 10,000 songs before it would turn off.

For you the better way would be to check the earphones to see if S9 is playing any songs while the screen is off.

Yeah, I did that once right when a song had faded out and didn't hear a thing. I came back the next day to a dead S9. It's easier to touch the screen and easiest to leave the screen on.

And you can set your S9 to automatically go to sleep after a set interval if its sitting idle.

Why would I have it turned on if it's idle?

Its better than keeping screen on which will drain battery faster.

The S9 has a great battery and the screen doesn't suck up too much juice if it's set to dim.

What it really needs is to automatically dim the screen x seconds after the last screen touch or button press. That's something other players like the Zen do so you can't expect Cowon's players to do it too.

[Angelix]

The so-called way to preserve battery life by draining it and recharging fully is utter crap. It's a myth.

[Word-Weaver]

Okay, thankyou everyone. I hope I'm absorbing all this information. Ony a few more questions at the moment:

- I'm confused with wallpapers, can you use your own wallpapers from your picture file? Like I design an image the same size as the S9 then set it as the wallpaper for a menu? Like on a desktop. Because I was confused as to if you had to use stock wallpapers etc.

- Cases. Yes, many people talk about this. Should I get a case for it? And how do you all often carry it around, just in your pocket? And will an S9 fit into a ipod touch case, because they're nearly the same size?

- I've found someone else to get the 16Gb for $378 BUT also the 32GB is $464 or something, which is cheaper than what I originally thought of the 16GB. Whatever shall I get? More to be safe, cause in the future or enough for now and can always change stuff on it etc.?

Thanks. ^-^

[amit]

Originally Posted by scowl

Yes, company rules don't allow song files on work computers here. It's a liability thing since idiots wouldn't think twice about putting 10 GB of pirated music on a company computer. In theory I could use it as a USB disk but a new rule requires that the data on all detachable disks must be encrypted (I use encfs to back my system to an encrypted file system on a USB drive). We are allowed to play CD's on our computers though... as long as they are originals and not copies.

Ah yes, I never put my data (even music) on computers that I don't own, so didn't think about this, eh!

Originally Posted by scowl

Yeah, I did that once right when a song had faded out and didn't hear a thing. I came back the next day to a dead S9. It's easier to touch the screen and easiest to leave the screen on.

Ah, yes then leaving the screen on would be best for you in this case.

Originally Posted by scowl

Why would I have it turned on if it's idle?

No, I just meant that when the songs are finished playing & you're not doing anything with it then it'll be sitting idle & hence would go to sleep automatically.

Originally Posted by scowl

What it really needs is to automatically dim the screen x seconds after the last screen touch or button press. That's something other players like the Zen do so you can't expect Cowon's players to do it too.

Umm, I dunno, when I engage the lock on my S9, the screen is set to dim after a few seconds & then further after a few seconds it turns off. So I guess S9 does dim the screen when you don't touch it for a few seconds.

Originally Posted by Word-Weaver

- I'm confused with wallpapers, can you use your own wallpapers from your picture file? Like I design an image the same size as the S9 then set it as the wallpaper for a menu? Like on a desktop. Because I was confused as to if you had to use stock wallpapers etc.

Yes you can use your own wallpapers. S9 doesn't come with any by default. Here's the thread in UCI forum here where community members have posted some lovely wallpapers. You can design your own & use them as well & post them in the thread too if you feel like sharing.

Originally Posted by Word-Weaver

- Cases. Yes, many people talk about this. Should I get a case for it? And how do you all often carry it around, just in your pocket? And will an S9 fit into a ipod touch case, because they're nearly the same size?

I got Cowon's leather case for S9 when I bought it, cost about US$33 & yes I keep it on always, no need to take it off. And it adds just an inch to S9's bulk, so no issues putting it jeans pocket etc.

[scowl]

Originally Posted by amit

No, I just meant that when the songs are finished playing & you're not doing anything with it then it'll be sitting idle & hence would go to sleep automatically.

But if you have it playing in repeat mode, it will never finish.

Umm, I dunno, when I engage the lock on my S9, the screen is set to dim after a few seconds & then further after a few seconds it turns off. So I guess S9 does dim the screen when you don't touch it for a few seconds.

But then the screen turns off and silently eats up the battery.

With the Creative Zen, the screen automatically dims after a few seconds but stays on. The lock button will turn the screen off completely to save battery if you want. This seems more logical to me. Of course with the Zen this feature isn't that important because it can run off USB power but it's handy when you're not plugged in.

[Ambush]

The S9 is a great little device. I'm around your age, 18 as of January 4th, and I love it to death. The screen is very full of life on the few videos I watch on it and the sound quality is impossible to beat. I transfered to the S9 from a Samsung P2, and I'm sure that Cowon is going to be my only MP3 player brand from now on (not saying Samsung is bad, I convinced my girlfriend to get a P3 and its a very nice device as well). Claw's UI is a must have with this device. The customization is unbelievable, almost everything can be changed even down to the smallest things like the color of the scroll bar. My advice is to just get the S9, 16 GB is plenty for music. I have 2,187 songs and 3 30 minute long videos on mine with about 300 Mb to spare.

[EddieE]

I don't really understand the issue with the S9 not turning off if music is running… that would be incredibly annoying to me if I was actually listening and it turned off because it decided it was idle when I was getting into some extended listening.

It's not a complicated procedure to turn it off after you've finished listening, and you'll be a lot more environmentally sound if you do. I'd never take my headphones off without at least pausing it first anyway and you can set it to turn off automatically after how ever long you want when paused or not playing any media, which makes sense.

With CLAW UI auto resume on it'll start playing exactly where you left off automatically when you fire it up again. You can even set the number of seconds fade in you want, or just have it start fresh. When you set fade it finishes fading where you left off, rather than fading in from that point so you don't lose any of the track.

Yeah if you fall asleep with it on it'll use current. Same goes for pretty much any electrical device. But I prefer that to the alternative of it turning off without asking me first.

Also - the S9 battery does not need draining before charging. It's not that sort. It can take lots of little charges here and there and will not affect the battery life. In fact I've read it's worse for the battery to allow it to run out completely - you should always charge it before then.

I really don't share the huge problem some seem to have with the icons on the S9. I learnt them in half an hour and haven't forgotten them since.

Word Weaver,

I'm confused with wallpapers; can you use your own wallpapers from your picture file? Like I design an image the same size as the S9 then set it as the wallpaper for a menu? Like on a desktop. Because I was confused as to if you had to use stock wallpapers etc.

The S9 comes with a few wallpapers, none of which you'll probably want to use. You can use your own images yeah. With stock UI you can have one wallpaper on all screens, on CLAW UI you can have a different one for every screen if you like. This is one of the biggest causes of lag with CLAW UI though, so that's worth considering.

- Cases. Yes, many people talk about this. Should I get a case for it? And how do you all often carry it around, just in your pocket? And will an S9 fit into a ipod touch case, because they're nearly the same size?

The S9 is smaller than the ipod touch. I use the Cowon official leather case, it fits very snug and you never need to take it out, as said above (except to clean away dust gathering). All the buttons and the outputs are accessible with it on and it even has a hole in for the mic and reset button. I think it's worth getting. The screen is scratch resistant but it's not scratch proof. Why take the risk? With the leather case and no screen protector my S9 is completely scratch-free and I've had it for a good while now. It looks nice too I just carry it around in my jacket pocket, but it's a compact device and will be fine in a trouser pocket, top shirt pocket, whatever.

- I've found someone else to get the 16Gb for $378 BUT also the 32GB is $464 or something, which is cheaper than what I originally thought of the 16GB. Whatever shall I get? More to be safe, cause in the future or enough for now and can always change stuff on it etc.?

Not one anyone can advise on really as it's down to preference. If you think 16gb is enough for you save the money. If you think you might need more splash out as you can't upgrade memory on the S9, your decision will be final.

I personally didn’t consider a 16gb but as I said above, I like to have complete albums to listen to rather than folders full of random tracks. I just prefer the option of putting a full album on during my commute to work (although I use dynamic playlists too). If you're just looking to have some playlists of tracks from here and there to peruse, 16gb will go a lot further.

[EddieE]

I don't really understand the issue with the S9 not turning off if music is running… that would be incredibly annoying to me if I was actually listening and it turned off because it decided it was idle when I was getting into some extended listening.

It's not a complicated procedure to turn it off after you've finished listening, and you'll be a lot more environmentally sound if you do. I'd never take my headphones off without at least pausing it first anyway and you can set it to turn off automatically after how ever long you want when paused or not playing any media, which makes sense.

With CLAW UI auto resume on it'll start playing exactly where you left off automatically when you fire it up again. You can even set the number of seconds fade in you want, or just have it start fresh. When you set fade it finishes fading where you left off, rather than fading in from that point so you don't lose any of the track.

Yeah if you fall asleep with it on it'll use current. Same goes for pretty much any electrical device. But I prefer that to the alternative of it turning off without asking me first.

Also - the S9 battery does not need draining before charging. It's not that sort. It can take lots of little charges here and there and will not affect the battery life. In fact I've read it's worse for the battery to allow it to run out completely - you should always charge it before then.

I really don't share the huge problem some seem to have with the icons on the S9. I learnt them in half an hour and haven't forgotten them since.

Word Weaver,

I'm confused with wallpapers; can you use your own wallpapers from your picture file? Like I design an image the same size as the S9 then set it as the wallpaper for a menu? Like on a desktop. Because I was confused as to if you had to use stock wallpapers etc.

The S9 comes with a few wallpapers, none of which you'll probably want to use. You can use your own images yeah. With stock UI you can have one wallpaper on all screens, on CLAW UI you can have a different one for every screen if you like. This is one of the biggest causes of lag with CLAW UI though, so that's worth considering.

- Cases. Yes, many people talk about this. Should I get a case for it? And how do you all often carry it around, just in your pocket? And will an S9 fit into a ipod touch case, because they're nearly the same size?

The S9 is smaller than the ipod touch. I use the Cowon official leather case, it fits very snug and you never need to take it out, as said above (except to clean away dust gathering). All the buttons and the outputs are accessible with it on and it even has a hole in for the mic and reset button. I think it's worth getting. The screen is scratch resistant but it's not scratch proof. Why take the risk? With the leather case and no screen protector my S9 is completely scratch-free and I've had it for a good while now. It looks nice too I just carry it around in my jacket pocket, but it's a compact device and will be fine in a trouser pocket, top shirt pocket, whatever.

- I've found someone else to get the 16Gb for $378 BUT also the 32GB is $464 or something, which is cheaper than what I originally thought of the 16GB. Whatever shall I get? More to be safe, cause in the future or enough for now and can always change stuff on it etc.?

Not one anyone can advise on really as it's down to preference. If you think 16gb is enough for you save the money. If you think you might need more splash out as you can't upgrade memory on the S9, your decision will be final.

I personally didn’t consider a 16gb but as I said above, I like to have complete albums to listen to rather than folders full of random tracks. I just prefer the option of putting a full album on during my commute to work (although I use dynamic playlists too). If you're just looking to have some playlists of tracks from here and there to peruse, 16gb will go a lot further.

[scowl]

Originally Posted by EddieE

I don't really understand the issue with the S9 not turning off if music is running… that would be incredibly annoying to me if I was actually listening and it turned off because it decided it was idle when I was getting into some extended listening.

That's not the problem. The problem is that unless you have the screen on all the time, an S9 that is draining the battery looks exactly like an S9 that's not draining the battery. And since you must drain the battery to listen to music with the S9, that is an issue.

It's not a complicated procedure to turn it off after you've finished listening, and you'll be a lot more environmentally sound if you do. I'd never take my headphones off without at least pausing it first anyway and you can set it to turn off automatically after how ever long you want when paused or not playing any media, which makes sense.

But it's a less complicated procedure to not turn it off and let it run continuously forever like I did with my Creative Zen. I had that sucker running for months continuously and I never came back to work to find it dead because I was in a rush to leave work. I'm not aware of any detrimental effects on the environment by doing this.

The fact is that the S9's poor design forces me to constantly worry about it silently draining its battery. It gives me no other option but to leave the screen on all the time.

With CLAW UI auto resume on it'll start playing exactly where you left off automatically when you fire it up again. You can even set the number of seconds fade in you want, or just have it start fresh. When you set fade it finishes fading where you left off, rather than fading in from that point so you don't lose any of the track.

You know what's even faster? Leaving it on all the time. Zero start up time. The Zen is much quicker starting up than the S9 since it had a true suspend mode which instantly put exactly where it was when it turned off yet I didn't even have to do that.

With the amount of running around I do all day at work, I would be starting and stopping the S9 at least seven times every day. I doubt the buttons would last a year if I turned it on and off all day.

Yeah if you fall asleep with it on it'll use current. Same goes for pretty much any electrical device. But I prefer that to the alternative of it turning off without asking me first.

No, only with electrical devices that must run from batteries. The only things I own that fall into that category are an electric drill, a flashlight, and the S9.

And I never requested that it turn itself off automatically, only that it give some visual indication that it's draining the battery.

[nena]

Originally Posted by scowl

That's not the problem. The problem is that unless you have the screen on all the time, an S9 that is draining the battery looks exactly like an S9 that's not draining the battery. And since you must drain the battery to listen to music with the S9, that is an issue.


But it's a less complicated procedure to not turn it off and let it run continuously forever like I did with my Creative Zen. I had that sucker running for months continuously and I never came back to work to find it dead because I was in a rush to leave work. I'm not aware of any detrimental effects on the environment by doing this.

The fact is that the S9's poor design forces me to constantly worry about it silently draining its battery. It gives me no other option but to leave the screen on all the time.


You know what's even faster? Leaving it on all the time. Zero start up time. The Zen is much quicker starting up than the S9 since it had a true suspend mode which instantly put exactly where it was when it turned off yet I didn't even have to do that.

With the amount of running around I do all day at work, I would be starting and stopping the S9 at least seven times every day. I doubt the buttons would last a year if I turned it on and off all day.


No, only with electrical devices that must run from batteries. The only things I own that fall into that category are an electric drill, a flashlight, and the S9.

And I never requested that it turn itself off automatically, only that it give some visual indication that it's draining the battery.

Wait.. you don't see how leaving an electrical device playing for no reason 24/7 would be harmful to the environment? That is a thinker... lol

I very much doubt turning it on and off 7 times a day will wear out the buttons. Leaving it plugged in and playing 24/7 may however have a detrimental effect on the battery itself if the device heats up.

Are you using headphones? Do you take those off every time you stop listening? Adding a quick press of the pause button at that point would become second nature after a while.

[gebal]

Mine probably gets turned off nearly 7 times a day as well. It'll last fine, as I really doubt cowon would make their flagship that unreliable. If you want faster startup, turn it from power off mode to sleep mode on the setting menu