First Impressions
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| The Yepp E64 Boxshot |
Unsurprisingly, with the surge of MP3 players on the market, Samsung has entered the portable player market with its high-end Yepp-64 player. Featuring a multi-line LCD display, a cool 64MB of built-in memory and the facility to upgrade with SmartMedia cards this player is a match for the popular Rio500 and the Nomad II in basic features and functionality.
This is not the first incarnation of the Yepp player; indeed the debut product was the 32MB version, which for all intents and purposes seems to be the identical product with less RAM. The newer Yepp player still uses the same Parallel port interface as its elder brother, but it is by no means a dated product and shines with its features and tech appeal. From the very beginning, the impression that this player gives is one of quality, and technical elegance. This is no small statement either, because the Yepp player is very well designed and is even more visually exciting than either the Rio500 or the Nomad II, with a design that elicits a bigger wow response and with materials that are reminiscent of high-tech Japanese and Korean electronics. Lets face it... when it comes to a tech toy like a portable MP3 player, functionality and features arent the only factors that draw attention, and the styling of a player is almost intrinsic to its cool factor. The Samsung Yepp has plenty of styling to spare, and it doesnt shirk on its features and performance either.
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| The Yepp E64 & Earbuds |
The Yepp player is similar in size to the Rio 500, with a slightly bulkier case made from more metallic materials. In saying metallic I mean that they are materials that have the feel, texture and visual properties of true metal, and yet retain the lightweight benefits of plastics. The buttons themselves are metal and have a distinct feel. On the front face of the unit are the primary buttons including the large thumb control that gives you access to the play/pause, stop, fast-forward and rewind functions. The other buttons on the front face, miniscule little round buttons, give you access to the play mode, erase, and record functions. The hold, repeat, EQ/3D, and volume settings are on the side. It is worth noting that the buttons tended to border on the ludicrously small side... I had no problems with them but I imagine they could be irksome to use for those with larger hands or those who dont want to fumble with diminutive buttons. The large thumb control button is a pleasure to use, with its smoothly textured metallic
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| The Underside of the Yepp |
finish and a perfect shape that cups your thumb in a central and comfortable resting position. Sliding your thumb to each portion of this d-pad is easy and gives a very tactile sort of control over your player. The smaller buttons are less user-friendly, and require a certain amount of attention to actually get working. The player comes with a removable belt clip that screws onto the back plate. The belt clip is a welcome addition, but I felt the absence of any sort of carrying pouch or other accessories made the overall package seem less polished.
