Features
Shayne on the CV:W – It think it’s a great idea to have a PMP that also has options for just sitting back and listening to the radio. The pick up was great even while traveling so that's definitely a plus point in my book. Apart from that, the Vision:W also has a voice recorder option that allows you to take voice memos and record conversations. Albeit, it's bit large to be used by a reporter as a dictaphone, but it does come in handy if you’re just making random notes or memos. The pick up of the mic is good and also has a pretty decent range on it.
Most PMPs, and the W is no exception to this, have AV outs so if you’re at home you can easily hook it up to your TV if you’d prefer a larger viewing area. The quality isn’t fantastic but it’s pretty darn good. You can even view your images on the TV as well. The good thing is that the player’s display automatically shuts off and that helps save the battery life as well.
The bundled Creative Media Explorer software makes it extremely easy to transfer and or convert your media files for the player so issues here. One problem was that the Vision:W doesn’t let you view files that are on a Compact Flash Card when inserted into the slot. The files need to be copied to the player first and then viewed. Other features include syncing the W with your Outlook or Outlook Express on your PC so you can back up your data, contacts, schedules and tasks. The Organizer option in the player is where you can access all this information. This particular feature is extremely handy if you’re traveling and don’t have your laptop or cell phone on you. You can access telephone numbers and email address when needed.
Laiq on the A2 – One of the best things about the A2 would be the freedom to change video settings while watching a movie, so you don’t have to exit while making the desirable changes. Things like aspect ratio, EQ settings etc can be adjusted very conveniently. Other fun features include one of my favorites - the Pan & Scan feature. It allows you to zoom in to the movie up to 300 percent its size.
Leading the innovation in this space, the A2 features a very useful function - the TV record function. Apart from having the TV out option, the player also allows recording video through a TV, or any other external AV device. Also (and this something I haven’t seen in any other PMP yet) you can transfer data from any other USB device using the USB host cable (provided with the A2). This way you can dump pictures from your camera or just transfer songs from your friend's music player.
Battery
Shayne on the CV:W – The battery life of the Vision:W, I’m afraid, wasn’t too impressive although being able to watch nothing more than 2 and a quarter movies is quite good. But with regards to just audio, 13.5 hours and change was great.
Laiq on the A2 – If not for this, the guys at Cowon know that the product would have been just another PMP in the market. The battery life (according to the user manual) is supposed to be 10 hours, but I managed much less. However, with approximately 7 hours of movie runtime, at a stretch, this player still is the best in the market. This, according to the company, is one of the specialties of the product.
I have used both A2 and Vision W (also Archos 604). A2 beats all hands down. Audio quality is superb with all the special features such as BBE, Mp3Bass etc. Video plays better than all and colors are very crisp in comparison to very dull colors in vision W. If you can afford little more bucks, in my opinion, A2 is the best PMP in the market. 
