Customer Reviews

Samsung T10 4 GB Slim Portable Media Player with Bluetooth (Black)

5 star:		(45)
4 star:		(26)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(8)
1 star:		(7)

 

 

I have had this player for about 1 month now. Have only used it for music so far. Had issue getting one computer to recognize the player while a different computer had no issues. Level I tech support was not very helpful (wanted the player sent back for repair even though it was a Windows problem), and level II support quite knowledgeable (make sure you have the .net updates installed - they ask you to install all optional Windows updates). It was nice to actually have a real person answer the tech support phone # with very short wait.

I had wanted to get a Sansa, but could not understand why players purchased in the USA have no Asian language support, but if you buy a Sansa in say Hong Kong then you can buy it with Asian language support. They also refuse to provide that option through firmware upgrade. The T10 automatically displayed correctly the song names in my music library that were in Chinese.

Pros:

Great music quality great, and even better battery life (3 day car trip without recharging). The player is stylish, small, and very lightweight.

Many ways to sync - using included software, Windows Media Player, or drag and drop from Explorer.

Cons:

No easy way to manage playlists. If you create playlists in the included software, all songs in the playlist are transferred to the same folder. Say you created 3 folders in the T10 to manage music, and a song happens to be in 2 playlists -> this song would be copied twice to the 2 folders. Of course, this eats up memory fast. Why use folders? Because I like to organize my music, and also to avoid filename conflicts from older CD's which have ripped songs with filenames like 'track 1', etc.

Another feature that would be nice is to be able to play all songs in a genre or master folder, instead of having to drill down to the album and only playing that album. For a long car trip, I would prefer that the T10 plays multiple albums without need of user intervention.

Miss the feature in iTunes where I could set up sync profiles to sync different set of songs to the iPOD depending on what portion of my library I wanted to take.

Recommendation:

Definitely a good player worth buying.

Other reviews (including a great review by Mariofrancis1 on youtube.com) have provided very useful information on this player. The elements on which I found it more difficult to find information were the voice - audio elements of players. So, after testing the T10, here's how it performs on that score:

(i) fm radio - T10 finds stations automatically or manually with ease, but the autosearch is not as quick as that of the Zune. Many stations are crystal clear, but others are a little scratchy. Another player with fm radio is Sony, whose player also works well.

(ii) podcasts - No problems here. These can be set up via subscription so that the latest podcasts are downloaded automatically as soon as the player is connected to the laptop - at lightning speed - deleting the earlier casts, but not other files. The number of downloads per podcast can be individualized for each podcast for the last 2, 5, 10 (etc) feeds.

(iii) Playback of secure/protected WMA - I considered this element essential so that I could borrow free eAudiobooks from my local library (via Netlibrary) rather than pay to download them from commercial websites. Here the T10 performed well, although you do have to route your downloaded eAudiobook through Windows Media Player before transferring it to the T10. If you don't, the files remain locked and cannot be transferred to the player. The T10 also has a bookmarking function (not available on all WMA-compatible players), which means you can bookmark your Audiobook, go off to play some music and come back to the exact place on your Audiobook where you left off.

(iv) Long battery life - at 30-35 hours playback time, it should survive most intercontinental plane trips.


PS Note regarding netlibrary compatibility: iPod and Zune do not support the protected WMA. Sony sales reps (online and phone) provide conflicting advice re their A818 on this score. See this link for more on WMA- and bookmarking-compatible devices and how to use netlibrary.
http://www.oclc.org/audiobooks/techspecs/devices.htm.

I have owned almost 10 iPods, and afterall, they are iPods; you really can't beat them in terms of their user-interface, design and ease of use. On top of that, I barely have any complaint over the iPhone, it's the Jesus phone, for Christ's sake! (pun intended)

But then on my recent trip to HK, I picked up a Samsung T10 to hold some new music that I have ripped from my old CD collection. Because if you sync your iPhone with another computer, all the songs residing on the iPhone will be erased, so basically I just couldn't add new music to my iPhone and I wanted to get a budget MP3 player.

Anyway, I was overwhelmed by the features and qualities of the T10, besides the so so UI (Apple is better on this). First of all, the sound quality blows, really blows. The clarity is so much better than all the iPods I have ever owned. That said, I am using the same crappy Apple headphones. The bass is deep and vibrant. The T10 has an FM radio with auto presets, voice recording, Bluetooth connection to my BT stereo headphones which enables me to listen to music wirelessly. The best of all, is that you can record FM radio broadcast and the T10 instantly turns it into an MP3.

I am so giving up listening to my music on the iPods/iPhone for this little wonder.

Unlike the Sansa piece of junk we bought in October, this Samsung mp3 player is a solid item, with many more capabilities, and built-in durability.

The unit also has the added advantage of being Linux compatible, as it recognizes all unix-based sound codecs.

For a 4 gigabyte unit, with a one-year manufacturer warranty (not only 90 days), turn to this fine Samsung unit.

We did, and I only wish we'd saved ourselves the aggravation, and bought the Samsung model the first time.

Samsung T10 4 GB Slim Portable Media Player (Black)

I've just had "Sammy" a couple of days but I'm hooked. I purchased it solely for music but may play with some of the other features eventually.

It's not quite perfect:
* I haven't yet found a case for it (but a small $10 Case Logic case for a digital camera works fine for now);
* FM radio is a bit scratchy but I can live with it;
* There's a lanyard strap hole but no lanyard (what would it cost them? 4 cents?);
* It will only charge via the proprietary USB cable (but I'm not likely to spend 30 hours in the woods with it so it's no problem to recharge it).

But darn close:
* Great design, seemingly sturdy, fun to just poke and discover all the features;
* Intuitive - I'm no gear head and this is my first mp3 player but I managed to organize and load songs without consulting the online manual;
* Easy navigation - folks complained that the screen on the T9 was too sensitive but I haven't had any problems with the T10 and find it easy to move around the menus;
* Great sound, includes both preset and custom EQ settings. I don't care for ear buds but several different headphones sound sweet;
* The sample videos that it came with look great;
* Nice price.

It's exactly what I wanted and more. Very much recommended.

After my Sansa e260 started malfunctioning right at the tail end of its warranty coverage (a tale of woe by itself,) I was confronted, however briefly, by the terrifying specter of having no digital music player. Unwilling to pay the "Apple tax" on their overpriced players, I bought this one instead. Samsung, who are leaders in the manufacture of flat-panel displays, also makes very good small devices like the T10.

Now, having checked out the equivalent Apple players, I reached the conclusion that this one is qualitively equivalent to Apple's stuff and actually superior in sound quality. It also has a pretty decent FM radio that can automatically assign presets, and of course a voice recorder, which is not as easy to use as the Sansa players, but will do in a pinch. The touch controls can be a little fickle, that is balanced by the advantage of not having a protruding scroll wheel, like on the Sandisk players, which eliminates a major point of mechanical failure.

The user interface is clear and easy to understand, but not as elegant or responsive as the Apple players--with the T10, there is no whizzing effortlessly and intuitively through hundreds of tracks to the exact song you want to hear. Nevertheless, I consider the overall value to be worth having an inferior interface. Firmware updates, which should add some functionality in the coming months, are downloaded automatically through the Samsung Media Studio software when the device is attached to the computer.

Which brings up another point--the Samsung Media Studio software. It isn't very good at all. Not only is it a huge resource-hog compared to the svelte Winamp and Windows Media Player, it also presents your music collection (generally located in the "My Music" folder if you're like most people) as a huge, chaotic mishmash. Mind you, Winamp isn't perfect, but it does do a fairly good job of allowing one to navigate through one's list of artists, songs, and albums. With Winamp, if you want to drag-and-drop a certain album from your computer to the player, you can. But, if you're relying on the Samsung software to do this operation, it appears, thus far, that you must move albums track-by-track. Since I generally just treat music players like generic removable storage instead of relying upon media software to move files around, it's not that big a deal that Samsung's software is junk.

Or, at least it *shouldn't* be. Here's where Samsung kind of dropped the ball: you need the damned software in order to do firmware updates, because, at least in my experience, you can't update the firmware manually. I really tried, too, following the manual firmware update instructions to the letter, but the new firmware didn't "take" on the player. So, if I can't do it, there are a lot of less-technical people who will also be relying upon the dreadful Samsung Media Studio software to do it for them, probably trying to use it to move files from their computer to the player, and hating every minute of it. Therefore, Samsung would do well to fix that software as fast as they can, especially if they intend to go toe-to-toe with Apple and Microsoft; their respective media software, iTunes and Windows Media Player, are stable and easy to use. In the meantime, people can just deal with having the Samsung junk installed on their machines for the firmware update, and employ superior pre-existing means to keep their T10's fed with music. That's it for the bad stuff.

Other than the bad software, this is a really neat device that easily rivals the best players out there in this price range. Oh yeah, one more thing--it's got Bluetooth, so wired headphones are optional.

**EDIT**
Three months have passed since I posted this review, and the headphone jack has failed. I haven't decided whether or not to send it to their warranty repair shop or to attempt to use the device with Bluetooth headphones instead. I am leaning towards the latter, given the abysmal reputation this company seems to have with customer service, which is another fact I learned after purchasing this (Ripoffreport.com has the scoop if you're curious.)

**EDIT #2**
I bought a Motorola Bluetooth headset that works perfectly with the player.

If you're into the subscription music model (for better or for worse, I use Rhapsody), this is a fantastic player and I strongly recommend it.

Having owned 2 iPods and a SanDisk Sansa saying this is a fantastic player carries a lot of weight for the little Samsung T10.

I've used this player with a bluetooth headset and with external bluetooth speakers and it worked great. Going wireless is awesome.

I've used this player with music (obviously), but have also easily loaded some Digital Camera movies and some TED.com MP4s without a problem.


** Important ** things to keep in mind:
- Although it has Rhapsody DNA, Rhapsody Channel support is *only* available with model YP-T10JABY. I bought one from a major retailer and returned it as it supported Rhapsody, but not the channels. Check the model number before buying if you care about this.

*** The PROS (All *MAJOR*) ***

- Design & Interface. This thing turns heads - it looks great, feels great, and is intuitive. Comes with 3 skins (2 which are simple and replace the silly dog).
- Size. It's small and it's light.
- Features. Music, Radio, Bluetooth, Video, Voice-recorder, and more - it's got a lot.
- Anti-Scratch Layer. Don't need to buy your own, unless it comes off later.
- Price. For what you're getting, this is a steal, IMO.

*** The CONS (All Minor) ***

- Only available in 4GB model in US.
- Touch sensitive controls are great - but lack of physical volume (or buttons) means can't operate in pocket.
- Proprietary USB cable
- Rhapsody Channel support only available with model YP-T10JABY
- Only 3 skins (although 2 of them let you get rid of the childish dog flash stuff)
- Photo browser works, but could be improved.

Other Cons:
- Going back in shuffle takes you to random song (not last song)
- Can't rate Artist or Albums (only songs) - same with Sansa
- Can't see song rating in default play view
- Can't scroll fast through song list
- Can't use radio with bluetooth
- Can't add Rhapsody channel songs to device playlist
- Can't add device on the go playlist to Rhapsody
- Last played date/time doesn't load from device (didn't with Sansa either)

This MP3 player is absolutely perfect. I've tried Sony and Coby MP3 player/recorders, and they cannot even hold a candle to this one. Easy album and song transfers. Great voice recording - ideal for lecture hall recording. No games i.e. Samsung T9.

The T10 offers a wealth of features at a very competitive cost.

Pros (in order of preference):
1. Ability to play WMA/WMV's, and a no-hassle file transfer. No AAC support though, which thankfully was not an issue for me.
2. Bluetooth 2.0 compatibility. In addition to being able to listen through a wireless headset, you can transfer files from your computer (or any other compatible Bluetooth device) wirelessly with an updated firmware.
3. FM tuner and a voice recorder. Both the mike and the FM tuner's quality was above average.
4. Good battery life. 24-35 hrs audio (remarkable!), 4-5.5 hrs video.

Others:
1. Sound quality: Nothing terrible; a good balance and an adequate bass. I really couldn't tell much difference between the T10 and the 3G iPod nano, although there seems to be some debate in this area.
2. Video quality: Seems smooth enough. There are video comparisons to the iPod available on youTube, among others, if you are concerned.

Cons (in order of discontent):
1. UI: Coming from an iPod, I was decidedly disappointed with the imprecise controls, a hard-to-navigate GUI, and perhaps the most annoying, lack of a ClickWheel or a suitable replacement that would have served the same function - as it is, it's hard to navigate through a big list as quickly, easily and precisely as I would have had with the iPod. ClickWheel >> D-pad :(
2. Now something pretty subjective: IMO, its form factor now looks a little dated, thanks to the 3G iPod nano.
3. Lack of compatibility with iPod docks and chargers (gotta love the proprietary formats) might be an issue for converters.

In general, I saw a lot of room for improvement in this product, but due to its wealth of features and great value (being priced well below the 3G iPod nano), I decided to give it 5 stars.

The T10 supports audio in MP3, WMV, and also OGG formats. Audio quality is excellent. Video support is limited to WMV, I think. I haven't tried to convert a video yet, so I don't have anything to say about that. The T10's interface is simple and intuitive, much better than the Ipod's (however, I've never been a fan of the Ipod's interface: too easy to scroll past what you're looking for, takes forever to find a particular song, ugly). The T10's controls respond well, and are pretty cool-looking. The Samsung software is much easier than iTunes to use to organize your music collection, and does not hog your computer's resources. The downsides: In the U.S., you have to use Rhapsody buy music online, (no access to the iTunes store, obviously). I don't know what kind of Apple/MacOS support exists, if any, although I doubt an Apple user would consider anything other than an iPod anyway. If you use a PC, and are considering a super-slim, high-quality MP3 player, consider the Samsung T10 as an alternative to the overhyped iPods.