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        Korean PMP has GPS, too

        Jonathan Angel | Date: Feb 27, 2009 | Comments: 1


        Cowon announced a new Windows CE device that's both a PMP (personal media player) and PND (personal navigation device). The "L3" includes a seven-inch 800 x 480 touchscreen display, 4GB of storage, GPS, an FM transmitter, and a DMB (digital multimedia broadcasting) TV receiver, says Cowon.



        (Click here for a larger view of Cowon's L3)


        Cowon's Q5W
        (Click image for further information)
        The new L3 is the latest in a line of Windows PMPs from Cowon that began when the Korean company released the Q5W, seen at right, in 2007. (Prior to that, the company used Linux for its PMPs, for example in the A2.) Last July, Cowon introduced the P5, which combined Windows CE 5.0 with a 700MHz RMI Alchemy Au1250 processor and 40, 60GB, or 80GB HDDs (hard disk drives).

        Using 4GB of flash storage in place of an HDD, the L3 sticks with the CE 5.0 core operating system, adding a custom user interface apparently devised by Cowon. The device's processor, however, is something of a mystery. Cowon sites only a "dual-core 480MHz + 480MHz" CPU, which we're guessing refers to the presence of both an ARM core and a DSP. (Earlier this month, another Korean company, ASPI, announced its M-480 PMP, using TI's OMAP2530, which fits the general description, if not the claimed clock speed.)

        As noted, Cowon has added GPS to this PMP's feature set, though again, the chipset used is unspecified. The device offers 2D and 3D navigation around South Korea via bundled Atlan Wiz maps (right), the company says.

        Cowon says the L3 comes with a 7-inch touchscreen display, offering 800 x 480 resolution, and 128MB of RAM. As pictured below, the device includes an SD expansion slot, a USB port, headphone jack, and a power jack that accepts DC power ranging from 12V to 24V.


        Cowon's L3 has an SD expansion slot
        (Click to enlarge)

        The L3's entertainment-oriented wireless capabilities include a receiver for Korean's DMB television broadcasts, plus an FM transmitter that can send audio to a car's radio.

        Features and specifications listed by Cowon for the L3 include:
        • Processor -- Unspecified dual core (480MHz + 480MHz) CPU
        • Memory -- 128MB of SDRAM, and 4GB of flash storage
        • Storage -- SD expansion slot
        • Display -- 7-inch WVGA (800 x 480) touchscreen display
        • Audio codecs include MPEG 1/2/2.5 Layer 3, WMA, Ogg Vorbis, Wave, FLAC, APE, MusePack
        • Video codecs include DivX, XviD, MPEG4, WMV7/8/9
        • Wireless interfaces:
          • GPS
          • FM transmitter
          • DMB television receiver
        • Other I/O:
          • USB 2.0 device port
          • Headphone jack
          • DC input
        • Dimensions -- 4.4 x 4.26 x 0.72 inches (112.2 x 108.4 x 18.3mm)
        • Weight -- 11.2 ounces (318g)
        Availability

        While the Cowon L3 appears to be available now, the company did not release pricing or availability information. More information may be found on the company's website, here.


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