![]() The hi-hats in David Bowie's "Fame" and Tears for Fears' "Sowing the Seeds of Love" were crisp and sparkly, and the synth guitar in The Police's "De Do Do Do, De Da Da Da" was warm and encompassing. We enjoyed a mini marathon of new wave music and were in heaven. Swap in some high-end earphones (the Shure SE310, for example) and you're really in for stellar sound. Even through the included earbuds, which has a design that provides a more secure and comfortable fit, the S5 sounds very good. Still, the inclusion of multiple sound enhancement options-Bass Boost, 3D Surround, multiple EQ presets/sound effects, and a nine-band user EQ-make it easy to fine-tune audio to your exact specifications. If we could say only one thing about the Samsung S5, it's that the device is clearly an audio enthusiast's MP3 player, although we lament that lack of support for any lossless codecs. The player supports stereo Bluetooth, so you can pair it with wireless headphones and a Bluetooth-capable cell phone. ![]() There's also a built-in mic, which can be used to make voice recordings but also comes in handy when you pair the S5 with a Bluetooth headset. If you get tired of your content, you can switch over to the FM radio, which has an autoscan function, 30 preset slots, as well as a recording feature. On the audio side, the S5 can play MP3, AAC, and WMA, including on-the-go subscription tracks from services such as Rhapsody. On the plus side, JPEG pictures look bright and crisp, and you can view them while listening to music. Plus, the S5 only supports Samsung's proprietary SVI format for video. The built-in alarm clock further augments its usefulness: leave the speaker open, and you can be awake to a song of your choice.Īdditional features include photo and video support, although the 1.8-inch screen is really too small for enjoy watching videos on. The speaker is silver and decked out in circular dots, and it props the player up at a handy angle. Let's face it: it's just more fun to share tunes from something that actually looks like a portable speaker, rather than an MP3 player with two tiny ports on the back. The Samsung S5 has just about every other feature in the book, including the super nifty slide-out speaker. ![]() ![]() Sadly, there is no integrated podcast support. (You may also choose to browse by folder.) Samsung also offers a completely separate menu for Datacasts, which are your automatically updated RSS feeds. Once you delve down into the music submenu, tracks are navigable by artist, album, playlist, and so on. Alternatively, you can choose a more standard interface with a photo of your choosing as the wallpaper. Like the K5, the top menu of this player features morphing dot icons representing the functions (headphones for music, an old school radio for FM tuner, and so on). Once you get used to the lack of tactile controls, navigating the S5 is a breeze, and the graphically intense interface makes it fun as well. There are four directional arrows surrounding a central play/pause/select dot as well as contextual menu and back keys. The controls don't become apparent until you turn the player on, which is when six "keys" light up. In the standard MP3 player position, the overall design of the S5 is boxy (it measures 3.8 inches by 1.8 inches by 0.6 inch), though the shiny face and lack of real buttons gives it a sleek look. Samsung offers both black and white versions of the player on its site, but black was the only color we could find for sale elsewhere. The 2GB version lists for $119.99, while the 4GB model sells for $159.99 (by comparison, the 4GB Creative Zen goes lists at $129.99). Of course, you're going to have to shell out just a bit more for the S5 than you would for its competitors.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |