Samsung YP-U3

The Good: * Supports playlists * Easy to move songs/playlists from just about any media player * No changing batteries - Just stick it into a USB port to charge it up * USB connector clicks out - no cover… to take on and off The Bad: * No buttons - sure, they're trying to copy Apple, but without buttons, instead you have to slide this little hold button on the bottom so brushing against the face of the device doesn't inadvertently change things. I'd rather just have buttons, thank you. * Strange, but I actually think it's too small. It's hard to hold and manipulate with one hand. The Ugly: * For heavens sake, why the flashing light on the end of this thing. Sure, you can turn it off, but what purpose does it serve? Other Observations: * Decent battery life - several hours per charge * Charges Quickly * Sound is good, but not great * Of course you'll want different earbuds then what comes with it * Twice in a year, when the battery has run low the device has froze up - charging it fixed the problem. * The little flick-out USB connector has proved amazingly durable. * Menu is a little bit funky, but you get used to it. Overall it's been a great buy.

expand

collapse

I only paid ~$45 for this while it was on sale over the holidays so I can't complain too much. However, it is for the most part a pretty bad design. I love the size so it's not really fair to complain… about tiny buttons. I mean, the thing itself is very tiny so of course the buttons will be tiny. Also, can't complain about the touch pads being "too sensitive" because that's what they do! You don't like it, then put the hold button on. However, there's something seriously wrong with the software here. I don't recall ever getting a "low battery" warning of any sort. However, I will sometimes go to play a song and the thing will lock up. After a few seconds it will say "system error" and then power off. I can't prove it but I think what happens is if the power gets too low and you're in the middle of something it just hoses the software or file system some how. My old Iriver MP3 player was smart enough to SHUT ITSELF OFF when the battery was too low to operate. The only cure is to hook it up to your PC and erase those files. One time it wouldn't let me erase a folder and then another day it let me erase it no problem. If you go to Samsumg support site they'll tell you that the key to fixing these sorts of issues is to format the drive and then reload your files. Is it just me, or is that just stupid? So every once in a while I have to format the thing in order to keep it working? Give me a break. Sounds just like Windows. I guess I know the "tricks" to keeping the thing running for now, but I wouldn't recommend it to anybody and I'll definitely think twice before purchasing any other Samsung brand MP3 player. For anybody unfortunate enough to have bought one, if you're having these crazy software issues, and even if it doesn't seem to want to connect to your PC, just let it sit for a few hours and then retry. I know it sounds crazy but this actually worked for me a few times.

expand

collapse