How good is the Samsung YP-Z5?

Hot off the i-Pod Nano clone bandwagon comes the YP-Z5, Samsung's own ultra slim, shiny, flash-based music player that seems to have a balance of hits and misses. It looks quite slick with the black glossy surface with a shiny metal border, but it just loses its shine when placed next to the i-Pod Nano's signature metal rear.

The YP-Z5 plays back MP3 and WMA audio formats. It employs Samsung's Digital Natural Sound engine (DNSe) which supposedly gives you more accurate and natural sound. The bigger display works better for the user interface, which mimics the i-Pod user interface.

It sorts all the music by artists, albums, genres, composers and playlists, and also lets you view a simple list of filenames, in case you haven't got information to the player. And guess what, you can only transfer music only through a Windows Media Player 10

The

player also charges via USB, so no additional adapter is required. The Samsung YP-Z5 2GB costs Rs 10,990 at MRP, which would probably mean around Rs 8,500-9,000 off the street. The 2GB iPod Nano sells for around the same price off the street, making the YP-Z5 a little better an option, when comparing the features.

But its confusing button scheme and the fact that it just doesn't look as shiny, glossy and cool as a Nano, might make the Samsung YP-Z5 miss the target.

Pros: Slim, capacious (2GB), great sound quality, large display, drag-and-drop transfer Windows Media Player 9 and lower).

Cons: Confusing control buttons, no drag-and-drop after installing Windows Media Player 10.

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