Mp3 Samsung Yepp Views

• General Goods

Samsung(’s Yepp series MP3 players have always been hot sellers due to their large memory capacity and unique features. However with MP3 jukeboxes slowly gaining in market share and dropping in price, Samsung has an even larger challenge ahead if they are going to offer a Flash memory based MP3 player. The Samsung Yepp YP55V offers larger-than-average storage capacity of 256 MB compared to other MP3 players, yet is still much more affordable than going the MP3 jukebox route. With features like an integrated FM tuner and USB hard drive capabilities, the YP55V stays true to the Yepp roots.

The Samsung Yepp YP-Z5 is part of the opening salvo from the non-Apple high-capacity flash player camp. This is no iPod nano-killer, but it does have some advantages, including better battery life, a bigger screen, and better photo-viewing capabilities. It is also the first PlaysForSure-compatible 4GB flash player on the market=—-a plus for some and a minus for others. One of the most exciting things about this MP3 player is its 30-hour battery life, which blows away the iPod nano's 14 hours. Its chunky body (nearly twice as thick as the nano) and somewhat finicky controls are probably what will keep this otherwise satisfying player out of the limelight, but techies will love nice touches like Ogg Vorbis support. The Z5 is available in black or silver, and pricing is along the lines of the iPod nano, with the 4GB model at $249.99 (list) and the 2GB version at $199.99.

Samsung has had reasonable success with its Yepp line of portable audio players and has recently tried its hand at making larger capacity hard disk-based MP3 players. Not surprisingly these new units resemble the iPod to a certain degree... we've had good experiences with Samsung's MP3 players in the past, so it's time to see if the company can best Apple's strongest product.

The device in question is of course the Samsung Yepp YH-925GS hard disk MP3 player/photo viewer. This device is the high-end model in Samsung's lineup of hard disk-based players and retails for about $300CDN ($250USD). The Yepp YH-925GS contains a 20GB hard drive and sports a nice bright 1.8 inch, 260K colour LCD screen with a resolution of 160x128 pixels.