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A First Look at the Samsung YP-U3
comment: 24 | Monday, May 07 (2007) 03:55PM | Posted by Michael
Samsung was one of the first companies to make a legitimate competitor to the iPod shuffle with the release of the YP-U1, and the U2. Like the shuffle, these players had a built-in USB plug and were similarly sized. The U-series did set itself apart by having a display, and adding more features (FM tuner, Voice recorder, etc..). Although Apple has revamped the design of their Shuffle, the upcoming YP-U3 has not followed suit. The player is merely an upgrade to the U2, adding a 4GB capacity, and an RDS-capable FM tuner.

  • Capacity: 1, 2, and 4GB
  • 1" OLED display
  • Audio: MP3, WMA, and Ogg
  • RDS Tuner
  • 15 hours of battery life
  • Dimensions: 25.4 x 80 x 11mm


As you'll notice, they decided to keep the blue lighting atop the player. That was one "feature" that I found to be pretty useless in the previous generation. A retractable USB-plug returns to the series however, after taking a generation off. In general, I'm not a big fan of the current design. It doesn't seem to fit all that well with the other Samsung players that were recently released. As far as I know, this player has not been formerly announced, so there's no info on pricing or release date.

LINK

Thanks, designfabulous
Comments

CZroe

Comments: 10
 		May 07 (2007) 04:26PM  

Idiot! You missed the most important thing: The ONLY reason why I didn't buy the U2 was the missing retracting USB port. I assumed that it was mired in a patent dispute, because it was absolutely dumb to take a step backwards and call it the successor.

The ONLY reason I didn't buy the U1 was the lack of subscription music support. When I heard that the U2 had it, my wallet was open... until I noted the return to the dumb cap + lanyard design (honestly, would you rather lose the cap, or the player? STOP ATTACHING TO THE CAPS!). Then again, every manufacturer makes the lanyard mistake, even the new Sansa Express. Don't shoot yourself in the foot this time Samsung!

Because the Sansa express has expandable memory and everything the U3 has except the retracting USB port, I think I'm going to hold out longer until Samsung follows suit with the U4.

Besides, I just bought an Insignia NS-DVB4G as my primary player, which reminds me: The U5 better have A2DP Bluetooth!

I know, I'm really getting ahead of myself here.
[ edited May 07 (2007) 04:31PM ]



Saijin_Naib
Location: Warren, NJ
Comments: 881
 		May 07 (2007) 05:14PM  

RDS capable FM tuner is really sweet! I think thats a DAP first.



Utew
Location: Oregon USA
Comments: 351
 		May 07 (2007) 05:55PM  

RDS on the Zune...

Nice to see RDS on this and hope it's a trend on all players offering FM.. other than that there really isn't anything special about this one.

Depending on price it might.. or might not be a competitor in it's capacity range.



Michael
Location: New York City
Comments: 2772
 		May 07 (2007) 05:59PM  

Hopefully the RDS makes it to the US too. I got that info from a Czech Republic PDF file and Samsung is known to have different features for each of their regions. You could probably flash it with a foreign firmware if anything though.
[ edited May 07 (2007) 06:00PM ]



CZroe

Comments: 10
 		May 07 (2007) 06:04PM  

The Wikipedia link above lists a few RDS and RBDS DAPs.



KiretoX

Comments: 5
 		May 07 (2007) 06:39PM  

U2R (U2 European version with Radio) has RDS too. I bought one in Bulgaria and it definitely has RDS so it's nothing new except that it's dumb Samsung to not offer the radio version in the USA. It's even dumber to offer non-radio version at all.
[ edited May 07 (2007) 06:40PM ]



DaHarder

Comments: 498
 		May 07 (2007) 06:42PM  

Ok...

It supports OGG, so that alone makes it pretty cool.

and MAN! that's a lot of information on that little screen... LOL!



Design Fabulous

Comments: 1038
 		May 07 (2007) 06:52PM  

CZroe, the U3 does have a retractable USB plug.

I really don't see why some companies still make these basic players but I have to admit, the baby blue one looks really pretty.



Dominic
Location: Ireland.
Comments: 2393
 		May 07 (2007) 06:55PM  

I dunno, i think I'll stick with the first incarnation.

@DF, because there is a market there.
[ edited May 07 (2007) 06:56PM ]



thundat00th
Location: Louisville
Comments: 73
 		May 07 (2007) 07:33PM  

yes, everyone should be making RDS capable DAPs

maybe one day we will see an HD Radio capable DAP.......


bilzebub

Comments: 1
 		May 07 (2007) 08:58PM  

I was both impressed and not-so with the U2. It has a lot going for it: decent ergonomics, the ability to flash it with firmware that will make it Mass Storage Compliant (USB external HDD), decent battery life, charging without a dreaded USB adapter cord. Those are all reasons why I bought it. (To answer a previous poster: companies still make these kinds of players because for some uses, the direct to USB stick format can't be beat.)

And I do want to like it. But, honestly, the sound quality is seriously below par. Nowhere near as good as the various muvos etc from creative that I have owned (and lost, d'oh!) Doesn't even come close to my ETEN M600 WM5 PPC phone. So people who review it and give it a thumbs up for sound quality mystify me (cf. Amazon etc). I'm using it for audiobooks only now. Oh, that and as a flash data drive...

If the U3 improves its DAC, I might think about it. Too bad Creative won't make a MUVO USB stick with a rechargable battery. .. Maybe the sansa stick sounds better?


[ edited May 07 (2007) 09:04PM ]



Design Fabulous

Comments: 1038
 		May 07 (2007) 09:42PM  

^ Samsung has been advancing quickly in sound quality. They used to sound much much worse. Like other recent Samsung players, I am hoping that this will support better sound quality.

I have been thinking of getting a dead simple flash player because it is hard to carry around a HDD device with me all the time. The iriver T60 has been looking good and I might be interested in this one too.
[ edited May 07 (2007) 09:42PM ]



dap_pad

Comments: 519
 		May 07 (2007) 09:57PM  

I actually like the design of these DAPs... even though i agree that they don't match the current Samsung lineup.. they are...modern-looking... i dunno, they just look nice to me.

But i agree with Dominic that there still is a market for dirt cheap DAPs. Perfect example, my Samsung YP-C1, i throw it around and don't care about it because it didn't cost me a thing but still has some feature that many HD pricey DAPs don't have (ie. OGG support, 9 band customizable EQ) and frankly it's perfect for what i need it for. Basic music playback in any environment. My A2 on the other hand is a different story LOL



Lacene
Location: Standing Here, Confused By Your
Comments: 827
 		May 07 (2007) 10:07PM  

interesting how after the iPod Shuffle left the USB thumb drive form factor, all these USB thumb drive DAP's are starting to proliferate......I like these



pecker

Comments: 500
 		May 08 (2007) 10:03AM  

rds n ogg

n design is cool imo

Id have 1 if there cheap enough



CZroe

Comments: 10
 		May 08 (2007) 12:20PM  

designfabulous:
"CZroe, the U3 does have a retractable USB plug."
Right, I know, which is why I was saying that ssjmichael missed that in the blog/news post.

"Like the shuffle, these players had a built-in USB plug and were similarly sized. The U-series did set itself apart by having a display, and adding more features (FM tuner, Voice recorder, etc..)."
The retracting USB port was only on the U1, so it was not a "series" improvement over the original Shuffles, so it's understandable that it isn't mentioned here, though it was a very big distinction.

"Although Apple has revamped the design of their Shuffle, the upcoming YP-U3 has not followed suit."
Of course, this is referencing the newer Shuffles no longer having USB ports, but it implies that Samsung has not improved their design beyond their other improvements on the original Shuffle design.

"The player is merely an upgrade to the U2, adding a 4GB capacity, and an RDS-capable FM tuner"
Wow. Totally oblivious. The first thing I thought of when I saw "U3" was "Does it have a retracting USB port like the U1 with the features of the U2?!" I didn't need a translation of the source material to confirm that, yes, it does. I'm not saying that I expect him to be intimately familier with the Ux-series. I'm just supplimenting with important missing details.



Michael
Location: New York City
Comments: 2772
 		May 08 (2007) 01:14PM  

Maybe not everyone is as obsessed with the retractable USB as you are? It's a deal breaker for you, but since most people haven't said this over the past years for players, it's safe to say that it isn't that big of a deal. This is indeed just a slight upgrade to the U-Series and yes it's a series even if one had a retractable plug and the other did not.

You can have your opinion that the U-series in general wasn't an improvement over the shuffle simply because one didn't have a retractable USB, but I definitely disagree with that. The U-series having a display already makes it an improvement over the original shuffle. Add extra features, custom EQ/DNSE, more color choices, higher capacities, and a nicer design and it's a no brainer.

By revamped design, I wasn't talking about the built-in USB specifically, but the total shrinkage of the second generation Shuffle. Since Samsung put out a first gen shuffle competitor, my statement was to say they didn't follow suit with a second gen shuffle competitor (like Creative has done with the Stone).

I'll be honest and say I didn't notice the retractable plug on first glance, but I don't think it was the most obvious thing either considering the blue lighting was found by the removable cap last time and now the lighting is just at the top and the plug at the bottom. I have corrected that in my newspost. Again, I don't think it's the most significant thing either, especially the way you're going on about it like a chicken w/o a head.

I suggest you relax a bit more about these things in the future

[ edited May 08 (2007) 01:34PM ]



CZroe

Comments: 10
 		May 08 (2007) 01:42PM  

"since most people haven't said this over the past years for players, it's safe to say that it isn't that big of a deal"

I wasn't pretending it was and I already touched on that when I said "I'm not saying that I expect him to be intimately famili[a]r with the Ux-series. I'm just supplimenting with important missing details."

I was just filling in the missing detail while pretending that it was more important than it was (note the winking smiley).

And it's not really the retracting feature that I care about. Any method that avoids the possibility of losing the cap (like the swivel Imation USB flash drives) is all I care about. In fact, I almost consider it a necessity for this type of player.

The unforgivable aspect of all "cap players" I know of is that they attach the neckstrap/lanyard to the cap, as if that is what you want to avoid losing. Even the Sansa Express is guilty of it. Yes, I know you want to be able to remove it from your neck and put it into the PC easily, but this can easily be acheived with a two-piece lanyard. Even so, is it worth losing your DAP over? This design flaw is always overlooked in reviews. You could really distinguish your reviews from the others if you start to consider it too!

Oh, and please hurry with your Insignia NS-DVB4G review. I can't wait! Thanks.

EDIT:

"You can have your opinion that the U-series in general wasn't an improvement over the shuffle simply because one didn't have a retractable USB, but I definitely disagree with that."
No, I never said that. In fact, I said that the retracting USB port on the original WAS a big distinction to go along with your statement where you said "The U-series did set itself apart by having a display, and adding more features (FM tuner, Voice recorder, etc..)." I said you were justified for not including it in that list because it was only in one payer and was not a "series" improvement.

"By revamped design, I wasn't talking about the built-in USB specifically, but the total shrinkage of the second generation Shuffle." Right, and I made it clear that I knew that when I responded to that specific statement with "Of course, this is referencing the newer [smaller] Shuffles no longer having USB ports."

Oh, and I know how to spell "familiar." Just a freak typo!
[ edited May 08 (2007) 01:50PM ]



Michael
Location: New York City
Comments: 2772
 		May 08 (2007) 01:49PM  

I have a lot of experience with both, and from that I know the USB cap on the U2 is quite tight. I imagine one of the only ways you'd lose it is when you're transferring files and I can see it being misplaced easily in such a situation. Even if you never use the player w/ lanyard, it's not going to come off easily.

I've always found the U1's retractable USB to be a bit weak. The folding part feels like it can be easily broken if you put too much pressure on it. On the other hand, the U2's USB is quite strong since it's built-in. I've noticed flimsy retractable USB's on other players too including those from M-Cody.

[ edited May 08 (2007) 01:52PM ]



CZroe

Comments: 10
 		May 08 (2007) 01:50PM  

I accidentally posted before I was done, so please read below the "EDIT" line.

Thanks for the breakdown, because I've only handled them in-store myself.

Anyway, cap tightness has never been a guarantee for anything in the long run. For instance, I had serval of the old Sandisk Cruzer Mini USB thumb drives. They included multi-color replacement caps, and they were needed too. As the caps were used, tiny cracks in the clear plastic (bearing an uncanny and scary resemblance to the U2 when plugged into the light-up end of the drive) would develop where they attach and the tight fit would get so loose that they would inevitably be lost.

My Linksys USB2.0 RJ45 Network adapter included an extremely tight cap that had a key ring and a pocket clip on it. Within a week, it wouldn't stay on when you simply held it upside-down. You can't put too much comfort in the "tightness factor."

There's a reason aftermarket caps were such a big market for the original Shuffle, and it's one inferior aspect that is easy to target and improve on, so it was a missed opportunity with the U2 and Sansa Express.

Oh, and no matter how tight and durable the cap is, the convenience of having an internal USB port vs. a cable is somewhat lessened when you have to find a place for the cap while you charge, just like you have to find a place for the cable while you travel with the non-integrated USB port players. I can't tell you how many times I brushed the cap off of my USB thumbdrives.

When I lost all the caps from two sets of Sandisk Cruzer Minis, I had to carry it around cap-less. I'm sure this directly led to a lost final project in my technical communications class last quarter when the USB drive inexplicably quit working, so of course I consider it more important than most. The need has been demonstrated to me.


[ edited May 08 (2007) 02:03PM ]



Mike631

Comments: 43
 		May 08 (2007) 03:44PM  

What does the RDS do?



Michael
Location: New York City
Comments: 2772
 		May 08 (2007) 03:51PM  

It allows you to see info like artist, and song title from songs playing on the radio. RDS signals aren't found in too many locations in the US, but it is in Europe. Check out the wiki link for more info: [Linky]



Mike631

Comments: 43
 		May 08 (2007) 05:56PM  

Thanks for the info.



Chipper

Comments: 1
 		Nov 04 (2007) 07:46AM  

Hi all. Quite the newbie here, getting my first, yes, first MP3 player. I bought the YP-U3 and it's quite cute, but my real reason for getting it was the FM RDS capability, which I've seen in a car and like a lot. I'm listening to an FM station that displays RDS information in the car, but it doesn't show up on my device. Furthermore, the documentation doesn't mention that I can see RDS. Do I have to tell the player that I'm not in the US (yes, I know that the European standard is a little different)? Is there some other setting that I have to change? Thanks for any help.



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bloodycape
For me its down to the Eris(for is Android & price) and the Omnia II(specs and 8gb + microsd card slot).

bloodycape
Yeah I hear the VZW version get that swype tech for the on-screen keyboard. But, I am reading people saying that the phone is kind of slow and you need to wait for a custom rom to fix the speed a little and touchwiz is a big of a hog.

TheDarkSide
PS: I'm considering the Omnia II (WinMo 6.5/Dec 2nd) as it's a well thought out phone, does video well, has Samsung's Dnse sound enhancements, and is packin' a 3.7" screen. And, fwiw, I discovered I hate a hardware keyboard (or was it that the Droid's was so poorly implemented???), and the onscreen keyboard will win me over nowadays. I only used the onscreen on the Droid, and the Omnia II is said to have a fantastic on screen keyboard.

TheDarkSide
Samsung Omnia II: [Linky]

I'm returning the Droid, as it's just not ready yet. The battery life, for me, was disappointing. Plus the hard time getting the vids to play back full screen is a deal breaker for me. Even my BB Storm & the iPhone use the entire screen. Also, the ease of itunes (IMO of course) is another selling point. Hook it up, sync, I'se done!!!

Oh well, the darkside it really will be for me.

bloodycape
From the people who used the Euro Omnia II how did you like it, and how as the SQ on it?

bloodycape
Could the Sony X10 come to AT&T? [Linky]

lewislink
The price has been updated: [Linky]

BBD
Band of Skulls.... FTW... That is all....


TheDarkSide
It's nice Lewis, but we'll never see it released in the US. Still, there's an English language option in the menu, so it's worth importing (music only, so it's a purists dap).

lewislink
Would definitely like to see these show up in the USA: [Linky]


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