Subscribe
About

Dynamite in a small package

The Samsung YP5 yepp MP3 player, featuring a built-in microphone and FM radio, promises to make heads turn wherever it goes.
By Iwan Pienaar, Group editor, Intelligence Publishing
Johannesburg, 27 Oct 2004

The mobile MP3 player market has seen a plethora of devices emerge in recent months. With each one promising a multitude of features, the user is faced with a difficult decision when selecting one that best meets his/her requirements.

The Samsung YP5 yepp MP3 player is another new addition to an already cluttered market. However, its small form-factor (it is the size of a cigarette lighter) and sexy appearance set it aside from many of its competitors.

Its features are part and parcel of what a top MP3 player is supposed to contain. The player doubles as a 128MB Flash memory storage device and features a built-in microphone, FM radio and a colour liquid crystal display (LCD). It requires one AAA battery to operate which gave me around 10 hours of operating time.

Audio can be encoded directly into MP3 format using the microphone or the supplied line-in cable. The microphone is surprisingly sensitive and is a wonderful tool for interviews or to record notes.

The quality of the MP3 playback is what one would expect from such a device. The colour LCD screen is a boon as it makes selecting a song from a big library so much quicker. While the FM radio comes across as a bit gimmicky, it performed adequately during testing, only losing the signal every now and again.

All told, the YP5 is a well thought-out player that provides the user with useful features that are easily accessible. Unfortunately, it is a bit expensive at nearly R1 000, considering that rival offerings are somewhat cheaper. However, if you are looking for style without wanting to compromise on quality, then the YP5 is the MP3 player for you.

Share