Cowon Systems iAudio U3

The Cowon Systems iAudio U3 adheres to standards. Some devices (e.g. iPod) do everything they can to lock you into their software and accessories. I really appreciate that Cowon did not go that route. They created a highly functional audio player/recorder without any intent to hook you into anything else. Ah, how refreshing! This device is basically a USB thumbdrive with an operating system dedicated to playing and recording files. If that's greek to you, just go by what I said above: If you know how to browse for your music files on your computer, you'll know how to work this. In a time when every big company wants to find ways to lock you in, Cowon has walked the straight and narrow path of quality and integrity. I hope to see them around for a long time to come.I've owned this recorder for probably a year and a half. Unfortunately a "friend" of mine just stole it from me. I'm about to buy a new one - the white one, just in case I ever see my black one again.