Cowon A3 for photo backup?

[rigel]

Does anyone here have the Cowon A3 PMP, and if so, do you use it to backup your digital photos?

I'm no pro, so getting the Epson P series is out of the question. And all other brands (Wolverine, Vosonic, Hyperdrive, etc) aren't readily accessible for me right now. I'm also in the market for a PMP anyway, so I'm thinking of hitting the proverbial 2 birds...

The A3 has a USB host feature that'll allow a direct connection from any USB device (thumb drives, mp3 players, digicams...), PLUS, it has support for RAW (i.e., it can view them on the gorgeous 4-inch screen). So I was thinking of going this route. I plan to use this as a backup for trips and holidays, where bringing along my laptop would be too much of a hassle.

I was actually considering something with a direct memory card slot like the Creative Vision W, but the specs of the A3 (and online reviews) seem much better. Besides, with the USB host function, the need for a card slot is moot. I don't need to be backing up photos on the fly (like I said, I'm no pro). I could just plug in my SLR at the end of the day (not to mention my videocam).

Any thoughts on this?

[SmartWombat]

It seems a pretty impressive device, and it has real controls too - not a touch screen.
I have problem with greasy fingermarks on touch screens.
The USB host function is interesting.
I'd like it to have external Mic input as well as built in for audio recording.

I don't want to use up my cameras' batteries transferring photos. And using USB2 from a card reader is way faster than using the camera itself. But with USB host I think you could even use a card reader powered by the PMP, that would be neat.


I'm not a pro either, but I like the security of immediate backup.
I far prefer to just plug in and back up.
But I have no need for viewing.
I rate my Vosonic higher than the Hyperdrive, in all respects except battery life.

[rigel]

It seems a pretty impressive device, and it has real controls too - not a touch screen.
I have problem with greasy fingermarks on touch screens.

I'm not a fan of touch screens either. I wish Cowon would release an upgrade to the A3 that's not touchscreen (they're new models are touch screen ). I'm a bit wary of the bad reviews regarding the A3's joystick control.

The USB host function is interesting.

Exactly :thumbsup:

I don't want to use up my cameras' batteries transferring photos.

Good point.

And using USB2 from a card reader is way faster than using the camera itself.

Another good point.

But with USB host I think you could even use a card reader powered by the PMP, that would be neat.

Yes, this is theoretically possible. But I don't want to have to carry around yet another piece of equipment. Although to be fair, a card reader is quite compact anyway. And the argument for faster download speeds outweighs this.

I rate my Vosonic higher than the Hyperdrive, in all respects except battery life.

Which Vosonic do you have? I actually like the VP8860, but cannot find info on it apart from the Vosonic website. How's the product's reliability? What about product support? Considering Vosonic isn't exactly a well-known brand...

[SmartWombat]

I have the VP2160
Dead simple - two buttons
On/Off and Copy
That's it.

Reliability 100%, never needed bardware support, software updates still produced even for old model.
My only problem is the battery life, won't last much more than 20GB
So I carry a pack of AA cells with a plug that fits the DC IN connector.