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Samsung YP-Z5

	Samsung YP-Z5

The product: From the looks of Samsung's YP-Z5, an ultrathin, 4GB flash MP3 player, it seems that taking down the Apple iPod nano could be the name of the game at CES 2006. The YP-Z5 measures 88.9 by 40.64 by 10.16mm (the nano, by comparison, measures 89 x 40 x 7mm) and features a 1.8-inch LCD capable of displaying photos and album art. Below the screen is a square touch pad--an interface that's quickly becoming not so unique--surrounded by a square, clickable ring that features a menu button, fast-forward and rewind controls, and a play/pause key.

The player comes in attractive silver, black and champagne. And the casing is made out of aluminum that's supposed to prevent scratching and smudging--a good thing, for sure. In addition to MP3, WMA, and JPEG files, this MP3 player supports OGG audio files and is Janus compatible, so it'll work with on-the-go subscription services such as Napster To Go. The rechargeable battery is rated for 24 hours, which is good but not jaw-dropping. Features such as an FM tuner and a voice recorder are absent.


Samsung YP-D1

	Samsung YP-D1

The product: At first glance, the Samsung YP-D1 looks strikingly like a cell phone. This is both unsurprising--the company makes plenty of mobiles, though I'm not much a fan of mine--and a little misleading since making phone calls is one of the few things this flash-based MP3 player can't do. What the YP-D1 can do is take still pictures with its built-in 2-megapixel camera, which happens to have a 4x zoom lens--not too shabby for an MP3 player.

It also acts as a USB host, meaning you can use another (probably superior) camera and offload images directly to the YP-D1. Plus, there's a built-in speaker so that you can share your tunes with a couple of friends. The player supports MP3, WMA (including Janus), TXT, JPEG, and even MPEG-4 files, and it can be hooked up via USB directly to a TV for viewing applicable content on a larger screen. Other features include an FM radio, a voice recorder, and a rated 20-hour battery life. The Samsung YP-D1, which will be available in 1GB and 2GB capacities, is due out in February.

Read our in-depth first take here.


Samsung YM-P1

	Samsung YM-P1

The product: While we weren't too impressed with the battery life of Samsung's first portable video player, the YEPP YH-999 PMC, we were taken with its striking and stylish design. The opposite is true of the company's latest PVP--which is not a Portable Media Center--the YM-P1. Its rated battery life of 6 hours for video (15 for audio) is impressive, but the design isn't particularly inspiring. It's not ugly, though, and it has a nice, wide screen (4 inches diagonally) on which video looks great, probably due to the 16 million-color display capability. The control layout is also straightforward and intuitive with a four-way joystick; a play/pause key; and Menu, Back, and Tool buttons all on the right side (front) of the player.

On the left side (front) of the player is a single speaker, which gets surprisingly loud and actually doesn't sound horrible. Like all PVPs, the YM-P1 plays back music, photos, and video. Supported audio formats include MP3, WMA (Janus included), OGG, and AC3. Compatible video formats are MPEG-4, DivX, XviD, AVI, and WMV. JPEG and BMP images and TXT files are also viewable on the device. The YM-P1 works as a video recorder as well, so you can record directly from your TV and unprotected DVDs. And you can connect the player to a TV to view stored content with VGA resolution. Additional features include an FM tuner, a voice recorder, and USB host capability that lets you connect a camera for photo off-loading. An SD card slot allows for memory expansion.

SK C&C