Samsung YP-K5 (4GB)

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Features
The YP-K5 supports ID3 tags and this shows in its content management. Music is arranged by Artists, Albums, Playlists and Song Tracks. We also like the visual presentation. A bouncing sphere hops to indicate the highlighted item and category selections in the main menu are jazzed up with animated blue dots that rearrange themselves into different icons.

	MP3 idol? Click for larger image

As you shuttle through the options, the dots morph into the next image. It's just a little visual effect, but it adds a certain flair to the K5 and makes it fun to use. We also like the fact that when we switch over from speaker to earphone mode, the YP-K5 automatically readjusts to medium loudness to suit earphone volumes.

Another cool feature is that the interface automatically rotates when the speakers are pushed out. And we're totally smitten with the K5's interface in general. The playback screen is dominated by a large EQ graphic, below which song information scrolls (you also get a battery meter and a time-elapsed counter on this screen). When you don't touch the controls for a while, this display fades to a screensaver of your choosing (analog clock, various animation graphics, photos).

	How Samsung classify your music Click for larger image

It's a pity the YP-K5 does not include video playback. Like the YP-Z5, the screen work well for pictures and it's too bad support is not extended to videos. Besides picture viewing, the YP-K5 also doubles as an alarm clock, but there's no actual snooze button to bang on in the morning. So users who have a violent reaction to their slumber being disrupted should take care.

The new Media Studio software that's packaged with the YP-K5 is frankly gorgeous. Most of the flab from the earlier versions have been ironed out. In version five, the Media Studio has undergone a few aesthetic improvements, notably a clean spaced-out feel, elegant graphics user interface and tab browsing to access different features.

In a nod to the music sommelier feature found in Panasonic's music management software, which analyses songs by their acoustic characteristics, the Media Studio has a scaled-down version called My Music Style. Clicking the My Style button will have the software analyzing all songs in the active window and classifying them according to four styles: Passionate, cheerful, sweet and quiet.

	Auto albums vs smart playlists? Click for larger image

In our test of the software, it was spot on, sometimes. Beverly Craven's Promise Me was classified as "sweet", while Garbage's Why Do You Love Me was seen as "passionate". Pretty much what we expected. However, the Media Studio did manage to surprise us when it classified Garbage's Boys Wanna Fight as "cheerful". We think it's a lack of categories that's limiting the software. After all, fighting can be considered a cheerful activity in a violent sort of way, depending on who's on the receiving end.

Besides being able to burn CDs, rip music and edit ID3 tags, the Media Studio also has a song rating feature, though it's not available on the YP-K5. Like the smart playlist feature in iTunes, Samsung's own is called auto albums. It allows users to input multiple rule filters such as song ratings, play count and artist name, and import the playlist into the YP-K5.

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