Samsung media player 4.2

First of all, the camera is slow —- an issue we experienced in the Galaxy Player 4. Secondly, the camera struggles in anything other than the optimum conditions. Photos on a cloudy day? Forget it. Trying to shoot a moving target? Good luck.

In short, forget about the camera, unless you really need to grab a shot of something and this is your only option. The same goes for video. It's good for grabbing those candid moments, where quality isn't an issue, but it's unlikely that the results will find their way beyond the device itself, for watching later. It's fair to say that the addition of cameras here is merely to round out the spec sheet. In fact, the 2-megapixel camera is technically a downgrade from the Galaxy Player 4.

Gingerbread, Gingerbread, Gingerbread. Repeat that word over and over in your mind. If you do it for long enough, the word might start to lose the sense of disappointment that somehow lingers around it. Okay, so it's hidden under TouchWiz 4. But by now you'd hope that Android 4. Otherwise, the main differentiator between this device and its siblings is largely the display size. Everything we threw at it ran fine, games were responsive enough, and Google Maps, for example, was perfectly functional.

Still, as you flick around the screens, you get the sense that while it's not lagging, it's not far off. The software that comes bundled with the player is a bit of a mix. There's a stash of games included, which the product landing page on Samsung's global site is very keen to show off. There are also some Samsung utilities, such as the Music and Video apps which take center stage inasmuch as they're on the home screen. There's not a lot to talk about here other than they do what's asked of them without getting in the way.

If you have a Samsung TV, then there is an app that lets you use it as a remote control, which is cool in a sort of novelty way. It works well, but unless you've lost your remote, or want to annoy your partner, you likely won't be needing it much. There's also the AllShare app, which lets you stream the media on the device to a compatible TV easily.

This works well, and is a quick and easy solution, especially if you're not generally familiar with DLNA. As we're dealing with Android here, you can obviously enjoy a whole world of different apps from the Play store, and this is likely what will really help you set the Galaxy Player 4. It's worth noting that if you are running Windows, you can use the Emodio software to manage and sync your media library, but you're out of luck if you are using Mac OS X.

In this case, you will have to either use another solution like DoubleTwist or, of course, plug it in and manually drag media over in mass storage mode. By now, you have probably gathered that while there isn't much wrong with the Galaxy Player 4. As we've noted throughout this review, percent of the functionality of this device is available in any recent smartphone. Therefore, for this device to shine, it really should smack its core features. It doesn't.

If the music player had been exceptional, or the screen wonderfully crisp, then we could see how this might stand alone as a media player. But Samsung chose not to do any of those things, and instead turned out something that sadly feels like the spare parts left over from various phones.

Given that the 8GB model stands shoulder-to-shoulder with the iPod touch price-wise the latter being older, granted , you'd have thought there would be a few features to swing any decision in its favor.

As it happens, it really comes down to whether you prefer Android, want GPS, and the option to expand the memory. Unlike dedicated music players, even those offering basic video playback, the Galaxy Player has two thorns in its side. Firstly, smartphones will make this a superfluous purchase for most, and secondly, there's the competition.

Not only from Apple, but companies like Cowon, who have the advantage of specializing in this area. But perhaps the most frustrating thing of all is that it's not even terrible.

It does everything just fine —- certainly for a mainstream user —- and that's almost worse than if it was just plain bad. Enough time and effort went into making it perform to this level.

If only Samsung could have tweaked something, or thrown in a killer feature, then it could have a corner of the market to call its own. As it stands, however, it'll blend in with its Galaxy Player colleagues, doing very well at not offending you. We suggested earlier that this device was heir to Samsung's PMP throne, but the truth is the market has become more of a democratic republic than a monarchy. Photos are also disappointing, as the 2-megapixel camera doesn't have touch-to-focus, macro focus, or a flash.

Battery and system performance Samsung rates the Galaxy Player 4. In terms of system performance, Samsung is using a single-core 1GHz processor to get the job done, which isn't quite up to the standards Samsung has set with its dual-core smartphones.

It works, though, and makes the Player 4. Onboard storage is listed as 8GB, but the storage available to the user is closer to 5GB. Expect to invest in a microSD card if you want to load up a substantial music and video collection.

Final thoughts So far, the Galaxy Player 4. Its street price is sure to drop below that of the iPod Touch which is as it should be. Its audio quality and hardware features will please those looking for a surefooted media player. The Android experience isn't hobbled or twisted, even if it is a little dated.

If you can look beyond the disappointing camera and camcorder quality, I believe that this is the iPod Touch alternative that Android fans have been waiting for. It probably won't make iPod fans envious, but this Galaxy Player can finally hold its own. Donald Bell. Both the software and the processor are relatively old by smartphone standards. Parents should know there are no safeguards included to restrict access to age-inappropriate content.

Score Breakdown Design 7 Features 7 Performance 6. Therefore, for this device to shine, it really should smack its core features. It doesn't. PC Mag. PC World. The Galaxy Player 4. If I had to choose one Galaxy Player from the whole lineup released or announced thus far to work with, this would be it For those squarely in the niche, the Samsung Galaxy Player 4. Samsung Galaxy S Wi-Fi 4. Furthermore, the device fails to offer users any reason to opt for it instead of saving pocket space and a not inconsiderable sum of money and simply utilise the music player features on their latest high-end smartphone.

We definitely appreciate the larger display and better build quality of the Galaxy Player 4. Samsung Galaxy S WiFi 4. It has better speakers than most phones, an attractive design, great audio and video support plus access to plenty of Google goodies. These days you can get an Android phone with similar specs for the same money and its video skills are held back a bit by the single-core 1GHz processor. Engadget Reader. April 2, There's a lot to like about this in spite of a few flaws.

December 3, I love the fact that the Galaxy Player 4. It doesn't have the strongest processor in the world, but it does what it needs and does it without failing. If want something that's mainly used only for playing audio files and don't want to pay the price of a iPod Touch, then this is the device is for you.