Credit: Cowon America

(First Look) - Cowon is back with yet another MP3 player. Instead of introducing a full-fledged hard drive player, the company is hoping to target Apple’s iPod Nano with a version of its own, iAudio U2. The iAudio U2 comes in three striking colors including red (256MB), blue (512MB), black (1GB) and white (2GB).

According to Cowon, the iAudio U2 is based on a slim design, offers USB 2.0 for fast transfer speeds, is easy to use, has a wide LCD screen, a rechargeable lithium-ion battery with an average lifespan of 20 hours and an option to personalize your iAudio U2 with a logo of your choice. Moreover, the iAudio U2 is packed with dynamic bass and JetEffect audio enhancing technologies.

In addition to standard support for multiple audio formats (Cowon is working to support OGG with a firmware upgrade), it also has voice recording capabilities, direct MP3 encoding, tuner recording, an overall friendly navigation function and a plethora of other features that makes this player a desirable choice from all angles, at least theoretically.

The MSRP of iAudio U2 Mini MP3 player ranges from $99 for the 256MB version to $249 for the 2GB version.

Initial Thoughts: Cowon indeed has a solid offering that could very well take on Apple’s iPod Nano in terms integrated features. The thing with today’s MP3 players, unless they are from Apple, is that they all have more or less the same features. Therefore, the final recommendation boils down to quality, exterior looks, and the price of the unit, which we must admit is rather attractive. Initially, we aren’t too impressed by the battery life, as we have seen MP3 players from Samsung and others pull in 40+ hours, but as we pointed out in our MobiBLU DAH-1500i review, manufacturers are limited with battery lifespan when they start minimizing their portable audio players. Assuming the quality is good, Cowon’s iAudio U2 could very well be the iPod Nano killer that all players strive to be.