Review: Samsung YP-K3 mp3 player

Samsung has seemingly taken a leaf out of Henry Ford’s book. Unlike Apple’s rainbow of iPod Nanos, the YP-K3 PMP is liveried in black, although with an attractive chrome trim.

Switched off, you can’t see the front-panel controls, while the screen, a 1.8in organic display (OLED) is barely visible.

A flip of the dual-mode power/latch slider and its touch-sensitive icons spring to light giving access to a slick navigation system. The supplied Samsung Media Studio 5 is Windows (including Vista) only, but does an efficient job of ripping CDs to mp3 at rates of up to 320Kbps (WMA is also supported). There's also a tab that’ll bring up Samsung’s UK online music store.

USB2 connectivity makes for speedy upload of files, while navigating your portable library and customising device settings is a breeze thanks to well-thought-out menus and navigation buttons. Of course, the downside to the K3’s high-gloss finish is that finger smudges are quick to accumulate, so expect much polishing.

The supplied EP370 earphones deliver a sweet response and you can further tweak playback tone with one of five effects settings, including a handy bass boost for those lacking ear-canal phones, and an unusable over-ambient Concert Hall mode.

A built-in FM radio enables you to create a list of favourite stations, quality of reception depending on your location, while the OLED offers a passable view of stored Jpegs - the screen isn’t high-res enough for quality viewing.

Those with a penchant for slinky black gadgets will find the YP-K3 a tempting alternative to a Nano. With a suggested price that’s a fraction less, it’s a mite tastier than the Apple, but doesn’t have such extensive file support.