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Samsung P3
A while back Samsung had launched their YP-P2 PMP with its touch screen capabilities and Bluetooth functionality. While it wasn’t much of a comparison to the iPod Touch, the additional features both players employed like Wi-Fi and Bluetooth was what made me a personal fan. Not particularly of either device, but of devices in general that offer something a little more than just video and music playback. Samsung’s latest, the P3 is also equipped with Bluetooth and tries to offer a more iTouch-like interface. Here’s how it fares as a standalone device though.
Form Factor
It’s an eye-catcher, no doubt. Its sleek and slender lines with a metallic finish also gives it a little bit of a classy feel. It’s light weight, so portability is one of the few things you won’t have to worry about. The 3-inch TFT touchscreen display has a 480 x 272 pixel resolution and also supports very intuitive haptics. A touch sensitive quick access bar to the currently playing music and skip keys is located just under the display.
A hold/power key along with volume control keys and a tiny speaker are located on the top of the device. Samsung’s proprietary connectivity port is located at the bottom near the 3.5mm earphone socket.
While I do like the overall design, the speaker is negligible. Some of the cheaper mobile handsets provide louder and better quality sound.
Features and Performance
Interface
The P3 comes loaded with features. First off is the display characteristic and touchscreen functionality. Like the P2 before it, Samsung hasn’t managed to fix the sometimes awkward touchscreen. It tends to be a little too responsive at times and sometimes annoyingly non-responsive. I do like the interface though. It's vibrant and colorful, depending on the theme you choose and can be spread across more than one screen, just like in the iTouch.
Trying to keep pace with Samsung’s Omnia and F480 mobile handsets, the P3 also has a Widgets section that can be accessed by simply pressing the screen at any place. The widgets themselves are very animated and serve a variety of purposes. Some are useful, like the dimmer for the display, clock, notes, access to the photo album and calendar. Some don’t seem to serve any purpose at all like the flower or the butterfly and some other odd animated characters. Other than some inane provision for entertainment in those moments of sheer boredom, they don’t do much else. You can also adjust the layout by moving the icons around just like you would in the... wait for it... iTouch.
Audio
With audio settings coming out the whazoo, the Samsung P3 doesn’t disappoint when it comes to overall sound quality, although the earphones are something you might want to replace with a better set. A master EQ setting is available to keep things consistent. From the music playback menu you can select Samsung’s DNSe sound engine with presets and a customizable graphic EQ or their Street Mode that helps filter out a little of the background sound. A ‘Vibewoofer’ option will give constant feedback and pretty much denotes exactly what the name implies. Other than running down the battery, it is again a rather redundant option.
It doesn’t end there, Samsung has also included an Audio Upscaler that doesn’t really do too much for the quality of audio and only someone with an extremely keen sense of sound definition would be able to tell the difference with the setting on or off. The DNSe engine allows for full customization. It features - an 8 band graphic EQ, that’s very difficult to adjust due to the touchscreen functionality, 3D surround and Bass, a concert hall adjustment and a separate adjustment for clarity. Personally I think it’s a little overwhelming. This could be a product for a serious-as-a-heart-attack audiophile who’s overtly and obscenely particular about his music quality. I’m all for a customizable setting and I am a bit particular about how my music should sound, but to be brutally honest, this is ridiculous. The P3 supports MP3, WMA, AAC, Ogg Vorbis and FLAC file formats.
The FM radio has great pick up and tuned into all available stations at the click of a button. In under 10 seconds it stored and preset all the channels. There’s also an FM record feature available as well as a standalone voice recorder that has decent range and clarity.
Bluetooth
The P2 also had the same Bluetooth functionality as this device. The P3 will allow users to pair their mobile handset with the device and actually dial numbers from the player, redial last called and answer incoming calls. You won’t need to actually touch the handset for any of this as you can use the player’s built-in mic for speaking. The voice quality is often associated with plenty of echo and feedback so I don’t recommend using this option too often. Although you can hear quite well, the echo in the tone makes it quite annoying. And as far as I could tell, files could only be sent FROM the device and not TO it. Multiple files can also be selected for transfer.
The player does work quite well with a Stereo Bluetooth headset so that’s a plus point in this category. Oddly though, all of these same issues came up with the previous model and Samsung doesn’t seem to have fixed them.
Video
Watching videos was no issue at all. The simple copy paste playback is brilliant. For better quality though, I do recommend using the Samsung media center or any normal converter to scale down a video file. This ensures a little better performance. You can also access the 2 DNSe sound settings from the video player – Drama and Action. The Vibewoofer is also available during video playback. It can read WMV9, MPEG-4 and H.264 for playback.
Misc Features
This PMP, like I said, is quite loaded. The additional features it’s equipped with include Flash support for games (.swf) that can be downloaded off the net. Some of these apps will play with no issues and some won’t play at all. A calculator and address book option are also available along with an alarm clock and a dictionary for which you’ll have to download the files off the net - www.yepp.co.kr. To type in text messages an alphanumeric keypad is what is made available.
You can also download Data casts for playback on the P3 and if you happen to be a frequent traveler to countries that have Subways, the P3 also has a list of preloaded Subway maps. You can zoom into the screen by double clicking on an area. I’m not entirely sure how handy this would be.
Battery
The battery was by far the oddest things I came across while testing the P3 and from this review I’m sure you’ve noticed there were plenty of others. With audio playback, without the Vibewoofer or Bluetooth settings active, the battery drained in a little over five hours. Naturally this is some major issue with this particular piece. The strangest part is that it I was still able to watch a full length movie for two hours and about 10 minutes without the player dying on me. The company claims five hours for video and 30 hours for audio. Hopefully I will be able to update this article as I’m in the process of trying to have Samsung send me another piece.
The Bottom Line
No matter the price, the P3 seems to be a truly great product with one too many oddities and bugs - from the unnecessary widgets to the quirky touch sensitivity of the screen and the overwhelming audio settings (which could be great for some). Even the Bluetooth didn’t work as well as I’d hoped. For the Price of Rs. 10, 990 for 8GB and Rs. 13, 990 for 16GB, I have to say the P3 had tremendous potential to do really well compared to some of the other devices out there, but it falls drastically short in many ways.
Form Factor
It’s an eye-catcher, no doubt. Its sleek and slender lines with a metallic finish also gives it a little bit of a classy feel. It’s light weight, so portability is one of the few things you won’t have to worry about. The 3-inch TFT touchscreen display has a 480 x 272 pixel resolution and also supports very intuitive haptics. A touch sensitive quick access bar to the currently playing music and skip keys is located just under the display.
A hold/power key along with volume control keys and a tiny speaker are located on the top of the device. Samsung’s proprietary connectivity port is located at the bottom near the 3.5mm earphone socket.
While I do like the overall design, the speaker is negligible. Some of the cheaper mobile handsets provide louder and better quality sound.
Features and Performance
Interface
The P3 comes loaded with features. First off is the display characteristic and touchscreen functionality. Like the P2 before it, Samsung hasn’t managed to fix the sometimes awkward touchscreen. It tends to be a little too responsive at times and sometimes annoyingly non-responsive. I do like the interface though. It's vibrant and colorful, depending on the theme you choose and can be spread across more than one screen, just like in the iTouch.
Trying to keep pace with Samsung’s Omnia and F480 mobile handsets, the P3 also has a Widgets section that can be accessed by simply pressing the screen at any place. The widgets themselves are very animated and serve a variety of purposes. Some are useful, like the dimmer for the display, clock, notes, access to the photo album and calendar. Some don’t seem to serve any purpose at all like the flower or the butterfly and some other odd animated characters. Other than some inane provision for entertainment in those moments of sheer boredom, they don’t do much else. You can also adjust the layout by moving the icons around just like you would in the... wait for it... iTouch.
Audio
With audio settings coming out the whazoo, the Samsung P3 doesn’t disappoint when it comes to overall sound quality, although the earphones are something you might want to replace with a better set. A master EQ setting is available to keep things consistent. From the music playback menu you can select Samsung’s DNSe sound engine with presets and a customizable graphic EQ or their Street Mode that helps filter out a little of the background sound. A ‘Vibewoofer’ option will give constant feedback and pretty much denotes exactly what the name implies. Other than running down the battery, it is again a rather redundant option.
It doesn’t end there, Samsung has also included an Audio Upscaler that doesn’t really do too much for the quality of audio and only someone with an extremely keen sense of sound definition would be able to tell the difference with the setting on or off. The DNSe engine allows for full customization. It features - an 8 band graphic EQ, that’s very difficult to adjust due to the touchscreen functionality, 3D surround and Bass, a concert hall adjustment and a separate adjustment for clarity. Personally I think it’s a little overwhelming. This could be a product for a serious-as-a-heart-attack audiophile who’s overtly and obscenely particular about his music quality. I’m all for a customizable setting and I am a bit particular about how my music should sound, but to be brutally honest, this is ridiculous. The P3 supports MP3, WMA, AAC, Ogg Vorbis and FLAC file formats.
The FM radio has great pick up and tuned into all available stations at the click of a button. In under 10 seconds it stored and preset all the channels. There’s also an FM record feature available as well as a standalone voice recorder that has decent range and clarity.
Bluetooth
The P2 also had the same Bluetooth functionality as this device. The P3 will allow users to pair their mobile handset with the device and actually dial numbers from the player, redial last called and answer incoming calls. You won’t need to actually touch the handset for any of this as you can use the player’s built-in mic for speaking. The voice quality is often associated with plenty of echo and feedback so I don’t recommend using this option too often. Although you can hear quite well, the echo in the tone makes it quite annoying. And as far as I could tell, files could only be sent FROM the device and not TO it. Multiple files can also be selected for transfer.
The player does work quite well with a Stereo Bluetooth headset so that’s a plus point in this category. Oddly though, all of these same issues came up with the previous model and Samsung doesn’t seem to have fixed them.
Video
Watching videos was no issue at all. The simple copy paste playback is brilliant. For better quality though, I do recommend using the Samsung media center or any normal converter to scale down a video file. This ensures a little better performance. You can also access the 2 DNSe sound settings from the video player – Drama and Action. The Vibewoofer is also available during video playback. It can read WMV9, MPEG-4 and H.264 for playback.
Misc Features
This PMP, like I said, is quite loaded. The additional features it’s equipped with include Flash support for games (.swf) that can be downloaded off the net. Some of these apps will play with no issues and some won’t play at all. A calculator and address book option are also available along with an alarm clock and a dictionary for which you’ll have to download the files off the net - www.yepp.co.kr. To type in text messages an alphanumeric keypad is what is made available.
You can also download Data casts for playback on the P3 and if you happen to be a frequent traveler to countries that have Subways, the P3 also has a list of preloaded Subway maps. You can zoom into the screen by double clicking on an area. I’m not entirely sure how handy this would be.
Battery
The battery was by far the oddest things I came across while testing the P3 and from this review I’m sure you’ve noticed there were plenty of others. With audio playback, without the Vibewoofer or Bluetooth settings active, the battery drained in a little over five hours. Naturally this is some major issue with this particular piece. The strangest part is that it I was still able to watch a full length movie for two hours and about 10 minutes without the player dying on me. The company claims five hours for video and 30 hours for audio. Hopefully I will be able to update this article as I’m in the process of trying to have Samsung send me another piece.
The Bottom Line
No matter the price, the P3 seems to be a truly great product with one too many oddities and bugs - from the unnecessary widgets to the quirky touch sensitivity of the screen and the overwhelming audio settings (which could be great for some). Even the Bluetooth didn’t work as well as I’d hoped. For the Price of Rs. 10, 990 for 8GB and Rs. 13, 990 for 16GB, I have to say the P3 had tremendous potential to do really well compared to some of the other devices out there, but it falls drastically short in many ways.
