The Samsung Yepp Hip Hop is easily one of the coolest-looking digital audio players around, and we found ourselves offering it up like an excited kid at show and tell. The player's small size and its groovy translucent blue color never failed to impress coworkers and friends, while its excellent sound also produced raves.
The most outstanding feature of the Yepp Hip Hop is its size--only 3.2 by 2.4 by 0.97 inches and 1.7 ounces. It's the size a deck of cards (and just a bit lighter), and it fits neatly into a plastic pouch for wearing around the neck. We were a little dubious about how comfortable the neck cord would be, but a trip to the laundromat with the Hip Hop went off without a hitch. The player was barely noticeable, and so light it didn't get in the way of fluffing and folding. Yet the controls were easily reached and the great sound made the hours of drudgery fly by. Better yet, it never skipped a beat even when it was inadvertently slammed against a dryer a few times.
Samsung has packed 64 MB of onboard memory into the Hip Hop, enough for 60 minutes of music without fiddling with cards or paying for more memory. But if you want more playback, the player's SmartMedia slot has room for flash memory cards for another 64 MB, enough for another hour of music and an impressive capacity for an MP3 player at this price. Sound quality was very good even with the included cheapo earphones--the dynamic range was crisp and had clean tones at both high and low ends.
To download music to the Hip Hop, use the included USB cable to access the player's flash memory, format it, and transfer songs. You will need a USB port on your PC and Windows 98 or 2000 (Windows 95 and NT are not USB-compatible); it is also compatible with Mac OS 7.0 and above. Follow the directions in the manual for adding a USB driver to your system.
The Yepp Hip Hop comes with RealJukebox software for ripping CDs, which took quite a bit of tinkering to get it to work right. (Make sure to check security and encoding settings.) The Hip Hop's manual didn't help much and unless you log on to the Internet, you won't have access to RealJukebox help. But once the software was all set up, it took us only about 30 seconds to encode a track into MP3 format, and then another minute or two to move it to the Hip Hop. Figure on 45 minutes to fill up the full 64 MB memory.
Controls on the Hip Hop are basic. The buttons are the size of BBs, which were sometimes difficult to operate. The included remote control with backlit LCD adds a few more features, like reverse, hold, and four equalizer settings, but search functions are primitive.
Ultimately, its software and hardware limitations might not make it the best MP3 player deal on the market. But with its cool design, sound quality, and portability, the Yepp Hip Hop more than holds its own as an entry-level MP3 player. --L.E. Klein
Pros:
- Tiny and light--can be worn around the neck
- Good sound quality
- Comes with remote and earphones
Cons:
- Basic search functions
- Software is a pain
Samsung's portable digital audio players deliver uninterrupted, digital quality sound. The Yepp plays MP3 digital music files downloaded from your favorite music websites or transferred from your CD collection through your PC. With its new compact and stylish design, the Yepp is suited for an unconventional young generation that seeks to be distinct.Yepp YP-NEU features a fancy translucent hip-hop design. It offers built-in flash memory and expandable playback time with removable Smart Media card. The backlight LCD on remote controller lets you see the titles of the songs stored on your MP3 player. Because the Yepp has no moving parts, you won't hear any gaps in the music due to the bumps and jitters you would otherwise experience with a CD player.
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