Product: Samsung Yepp YH-1030 and YH-999 Price: Not available Pros: Large hard drive, looks cool, good sound and attractive design Cons: We don't know how well the new Microsoft PMC platform will work as we have not tested it yet. In comparison, Archos just released its third version of the ArcDisk, which we know works well
Korea's answer to Sony, Samsung Electronics showed off two new multimedia devices at the recent Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas that make the hype around the iPod mini look like what it is - hot air.
Like the iPod, the new Samsung Yepp YH-1030 is an MP3 player that enables users to save music to its 30-gigabyte hard drive. The product supports digital audio and video formats, including MP3, WMA and OGG. The rechargeable lithium ion battery gives it 15 hours of playback and a customisable equaliser. Measuring 110mm by 75mm by 5mm, it is smaller and slimmer than the original iPod and looks cool too.
The second Yepp is Samsung's first hybrid MP3 and digital viewer. The YH-999 is the first to adopt the Microsoft Portable Media Centre (PMC) platform, which supports Windows Media Video, Windows Media Audio, Windows Media Image, MP3, JPEG and TIFF files with an integrated 3.5-inch colour LCD screen. Like similar hard drive-based products from Archos, the YH-999 is an all-in-one entertainment centre that allows you to watch video clips on the go. It has 20 gigabytes of hard drive in a 1.8-inch case and uses USB 2.0 to interface with the PC. The rechargeable lithium ion battery lasts for about nine hours of intensive use.
Samsung did not say when the products would be available in Hong Kong or what they would cost. They might take six months or more to hit the stores.