Hey folks, Valkor here. And it really feels great to be a part of everything that’s TOV. There’s so much going on and so much to look forward to that it makes my head spin. First our new Logo, which is looking spiffy (Thanks John), and also getting into E3, which I'll definitely be attending. And now Samsung was gracious enough to grace the Val-Cave with their latest portable Media device aka the P3.
This little device competes directly with the iTouch, as it kinda looks like a slim touch phone… but isn’t. The P3 is thinner than the Samsung Blackjack, but not as wide. On the bottom you have your USB, mic and headphones port, and at the top you have your power/hold, volume controls (You can also control the volume on the touch screen as well), and a speaker. It’s just a small mono speaker, unlike the K5, which has a sweet stereo speaker, but it’s loud, even in wide open spaces. The front screen is 3” 16x9 widescreen, which is perfect for watching your films that are meant to be in widescreen, because the device will take the film and stretch it so it fits the entire screen, no black bars. And of course, it’s a touch screen; using the Emoture 2.0 touch UI, so everything can be controlled from the screen of the device, much like how you can control your itouch. You use your finger and slide it across the face of the P3 to change screen, switch images, change songs or fast forward/rewind video.
Once you turn on the P3, you’re greeted by a screen of widgets, which you use to access various features of the device such as music, video, pictures, FM radio, recorder, games and more. It’s very sleek and very user friendly. Once you’re in, you’ll maneuver about with the quickness. And now on with the review.
The Bang:
First off the size of P3 is perfect; very slim, and very portable. It’s a bit heavy for a slim device, which means you won’t forget it’s in your top pocket. As an MP3 player, the P3 is damn good and sounds great! The DNSe 3.0 means you’ll get the most out of your music. You can play around with the different sound options such as rock, jazz, classical, studio or ballad. As a video player, again very good, the quality is excellent and the fact that it’s a widescreen, able to show video in 16x9, means you won’t have to strain your eyes. I also like the widgets idea, and it looks as though you can add more in the future - just like the apps on the itouch (I’ll look into that). The picture viewer is pretty sweet as well; it’s nothing special, but a nice feature to have, allowing you to take your photos on the go. Visually the package overall is impressive, everything is crystal clear, and words, even in small print are legible. There’s an option for Bluetooth, so if you have Bluetooth headsets, you’re good to go in that department. Lastly the battery life kicks ass. Finally I love the widget apps; they show promise in expanding the unit above just being a media player. For instance I love the subway map and especially the flash player. If you know how to capture flash video, then you’ll be in for a real treat.
The Slack:
The touch screen is the first snag. Now don’t get me wrong, when it works it works great; it's very responsive, but there are times, especially during gaming, that the touch screen is a bit off or doesn’t respond at all. For instance, during Bubblesmiles, when you try to highlight three bubbles, either none highlight or if you’re mid-screen, the screen reads as though you’re at the top. Also you sometimes have to double tap some selections such as switching to music, or fast forwarding video, even the widgets you might to double tap at times. It’s not a total nuisance, more like an annoyance.
Overall I gotta give mad props to Samsung for coming out with such a sleek player. Even with the slight snags, it’s still a well rounded player and definitely should fit into your options when looking for a new portable media device. Out of 5 stars I’m giving the P3 4 stars. And it’s been Valkor tested and TOV approved.
Valkor out!
