Before I start with the preview, let me tell you one thing: This Samsung Mp3 Player may not be the revolution we might be looking for nor will it be able to shake on Apple’s thrown, but the R1 is definitely a player worth the look, especially for the money. Every summer manufacturers of portable audio devices throw their latest inventions into the market with the sole-propose to provide end-customers with “the perfect MP3 player for the summer”.
Mostly they make up their products, with promotional catch-phrases, which basically promise you the best device for the lowest prices. Fair then, but unfortunately those devices never keep their promises. Anyways, one of the products, which is going to hit the market this summer, is the Samsung YP-R1. A full-touch PMP, equipped with Samsung’s exclusive sound-engine technology: DNSE 3.0. Actually, the first thing which crossed my mind at first sight was: “Oh this one looks handy”. Smaller than usual credit-cards (45.5mmx85mmx8.9mm) and with a weight of 50g, it’s definitely not a device which will affect the fortitude of your jeans. Furthermore, according to the map, it seems that Samsung will release the R1 in 3 different colors; black, silver and pink.
The small 2.6’ inch display is protected by tempered glass, and covered by real metal, making it resistant to all kind of scratches. Furthermore, the Samsung YP-R1 features hardware buttons below the actual screen, for volume control. And basically that’s it. No external speakers or other cheeky transforming buttons. A usual credit card is even bigger than the Samsung YP-R1 Technically, Samsung focused on their classical specifications. Meaning: - Haptic-UI (User-interface with individual vibration-feedback) - Supporting wide-range of media codec’s (without conversion) including DivX, XVID, H.264, WMV, RMVB (for video) and AAC, FLAC, WAV, Vorbis OGG (for audio). Additionally, the R1 supports iPod, Podcast, PSP-compatible formats and Flash. - 8 GB (optional 16GB) storage capacity - Bluetooth 2.0+EDR - A FM Radio and recording function - DNSe 3.0, TV Out, Text/Image Viewer, PIMS and Multi-tasking Performance-wise, the Samsung YP-R1 is a pure rollercoaster. Moving from “AMAZING!” to “YAK!”... The audio quality remained on the same high-level, we were used to, whereas the quality of videos got worse, probably a result of the smaller screen. As mentioned in the specifications, the Samsung YP-R1’s biggest strength is its format-compatibility and transfer-speed. You want to a song on your player? Just move it, and that’s it basically. Especially in summer, when you’re busier leaving the house, than vice versa, a device such as the R1 provides you with a special edge. Another great feature Samsung has equipped the Samsung YP-R1 with, is the BeatDJ function. Although this feature looks not still in development, it gives you a tool to “DJ” your songs. Definitely a great tool I’m looking forward to. Anyhow, and most importantly, the R1-version I got is still very slow when it comes to interface response.
This is a well-known issue, since the Samsung YP-P3 was suffering under identical issues and they were able to fix this problem via firmware, however, without a faster interface, it might be hard for Samsung to convince customers to buy their device. So does this mean that the Samsung YP-R1 is a bust? No, but let me carefully put it this way: If they don’t make the interface faster, the Samsung YP-R1 will face difficulties to establish among this summer’s “Recommendable MP3-Players”. But I’m personally pretty confident that Samsung will be able to fix those problems, and if so, you can expect a great product from the Korean powerhouse to hit the consumer market this summer.
