Bluetooth-Capable MP3 Player Comparison

If you're not a fan of wires or the small ear bud headphones that come with 99% of the MP3 players out there, the best option available right now is Bluetooth. Not every player comes with it, and the ones that do vary in how well it is implemented. Bluetooth support is actually pretty rare among the wide array of players available. Yet if you've got a player that does include it, your music experience can spread beyond your ears. With some players you'll also get the ability to transmit files back and forth to other MP3 players or your PC if it has Bluetooth capability.

Definitions: Bluetooth is an industry specification that describes how Bluetooth-compliant stereo headsets, mobile phones, and external devices can easily interconnect with each other using a short (10 meter) wireless connection. There are several different uses for Bluetooth. Your PC may support Bluetooth keyboards, mouses, speakers, network sharing, headsets, headphones, and file transfer. The best of the pocket media players supports Bluetooth headsets, speakers, file transfer, cell phone pairing, and even game play over Bluetooth. Some acronyms we've been talking about include: (EDR)Enhanced Data Rate, (OPP) Object Push Profile, (A2DP) Advanced Audio Distribution Profile, (AVRCP) Audio Video Remote Control Profile, and (HFP) Hands Free Profile.


Players and the profiles they support:
- Samsung YP-P2: Bluetooth 2.0+EDR. A2DP, AVRCP, OPP, HFP
- Samsung YP-T10: Bluetooth 2.0+EDR. A2DP, AVRCP, OPP, HFP
- Cowon S9: Bluetooth 2.0 + EDR. A2DP, AVRCP Profiles
- Iriver SPINN: Bluetooth 2.0 + EDR. A2DP, AVRCP Profiles
- Insignia Pilot: Bluetooth 2.0 + EDR. A2DP, AVRCP Profiles
- Philips SA5245BT: Bluetooth 2.0+EDR. A2DP, AVRCP, OPP Profiles
- Sony NWZ-A828KBLK : Bluetooth 2.0+EDR. A2DP, AVRCP Profiles
- Haier Ibiza H1A030BK: Bluetooth 2.0+EDR. A2DP, AVRCP Profiles

I've had a chance to try out the bluetooth on both Samsungs, the Philips, Insignia, Cowon, and Iriver. The Iriver SPINN and Cowon S9 are both relatively new, and when using bluetooth on both I've run into a few problems with the devices running slow or choppy, or causing the music to skip or breakup. They also have difficulty seeing standalone bluetooth speakers. Each has gotten better with recent firmware updates, and I have faith they'll both get the bugs worked out eventually. The Philips is reliable, and even sends FM radio over bluetooth which is something no other player seems capable of handling. The Philips also adds the ability to send files to other devices once connected. I've tested this with the Samsung P2, and was able to send a music file from the Philips to it, as well as send a file back to the Philips from the Samsung. Bluetooth file transfer is not terribly fast, but will get the job done. The Philips also worked with the Samsung T10 and my Samsung Instinct phone.

All of the players I've tried sound great when their audio is sent over bluetooth to a decent receiver. There are several over-ear headsets out there in the $50 to $100 range. With relatively small driver, you'll miss the lower frequencies and this may contribute to Bluetooth's poor reputation for stereo audio transmission. With better quality bluetooth headphones my experience matches that of wired connections to good headphones.

Some headsets to consider are: The Sony DR-BT50, The JBL Reference Series 610, and Motorola S805. With most Bluetooth headphones/headsets you can also pair with with a cell phone and use hands-free for sending and receiving calls. The Samsung P2 and T10 can also be paired with bluetooth cell phones and be used to send and receive calls, pausing their music automatically when a call come in.

The Insignia Pilot appears to be out of production, but it represents a great value if you can find one. Bluetooth works great on it, and it pairs easily with all compatible products I've tested.

Summary: If you're tired of the wires, Bluetooth has matured into a great way to get rid of them. The Samsung Players lead the pack, with Cell phone pairing, file transfer, and even device-to-device game play over bluetooth. Philips comes in second. Philips also makes several other great Bluetooth accessories, and appear to be aggressively working to put bluetooth in even more. The Insignia does a great job, but limits it to stereo audio. The same is true of the Cowon and Iriver players, but I'll reserve final judgement on them until their firmwares evolve some more.

I've mentioned Bluetooth in several posts. For me it's a killer application, making portable media players with bluetooth profoundly more user friendly, versatile, and enjoyable than what came before.

Some previous posts relating to Bluetooth. Enjoy!

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Noreve Case for the Samsung T10. My Review.

NoreveUSA.com does an excellent job of providing high quality cases for all sorts of devices. A great example is this case for the little Samsung T10 media player. With a snap closure and optional belt clip, the Noreve case for the Samsung T10 matches the classy look of the T10 and provides a padded and secure hold. When open you have an unobstructed view of the screen and easy access to the touch sensitive buttons on the T10. There is a cutout on the right side for the power/hold switch. You'll also find easy access to the headphone jack on the bottom. The data port is covered when the case is snapped shut, but readily accessed with the case open. Excellent stitching joins the leather exterior to the fabric interior of this case. The cover has some padding in between, and there is a stiff panel in the back plane to which the belt clip post and closure snap are mounted. Fit is perfect. The T10 is tightly held, and there is no slop in the cover or closure tab. There's not much more to it. Noreve cases are expensive, but well worth it in my opinion. This case for the Samsung T10 is a great example.

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5 Great Reasons to Pass on the New Nano.

The Apple iPod Nano 4th generation may have your attention. Let it go!

1. It is not the best value for the money.
2. iTunes.
3. No Radio.
4. Not available in White or Black.
5. Non expandable Memory

Value. Simple math. What features do you get for your money? What is each feature worth? One place to compare is between the new Nano and the Zune. Each sells for $149.99 in an 8gb version. The players are nearly the same size. For that money the Zune includes wifi and an FM radio with RDS. The Nano's only unique function is the accelerometer, which has some owners wishing it could be disabled. The Samsung T10 also has a Radio, and adds Bluetooth wireless headphone(s), Phone pairing, File sharing, and gameplay between players.

iTunes. Ok, iTunes itself isn't that bad. I have it. I like some of the features. What is bad is that it is my only choice with the Nano. My Samsung P2 or T10 can use their equivalent Emodio software, or Windows Media Player, or Media Monkey, etc. I can simply drag and drop media onto either within Windows Explorer. iTunes needs to pay attention to the competition. Have you seen the new ZUNE software? It is quickly becoming my favorite with MixView and the optional music subscription plan.

Radio. Apple seems to be afraid of putting a radio receiver in their iPods. Yet EVERY OTHER player I own has one built-in. With the Zune you can "Buy from FM". With my Samsung players I can record songs from the radio. A Radio in your pocket media player will keep you connected to the outside world. Those white ipod earbuds lock you in, shut you out.

Colors. This year's Nano comes in 9 colors. No white. No true black. Not a bad choice, but there's the trouble. Those nine colors are so great looking it becomes hard to pick just one. That is Apple's evil plan. You're SUPPOSED to want more than one, turning them into fashion accessories. Buy one to match each outfit or mood. Coordinate with your shoes. Buy MORE. The Zune comes in a few colors, but they are such that you're lucky if you like one of them. There is always the safe black though, except in a Nano. "Wait!", You proclaim. "The Nano comes in Black!" I thought so too until I bought one. The Nano's black is a pretender, easily spotted in lighter contrast to the truly black click-wheel.

Memory expansion. This is only a minor infraction given the new lower price of the 8gb and 16gb Nanos. Yet with an SDHC slot my 8gb Insignia Pilot has been expanded to 24gb. That 16gb SDHC card cost me $40.99, and with the $99 price of the Pilot leaves me with an amazing 24gb player for less than $150. The Pilot also has FM radio with recording, a microphone with voice recording, Bluetooth for wireless headphones, and more.

Sure, all your friends will have an iPod. What is also true is that they spent more money than they needed to for the few features they got.


Style, you say? Yes. Apple goes out of the way to make their players sexy and desirable. The new candy colors even appeal to your taste buds. They have to, since on a feature-by-feature comparison they don't compete well. The Samsung T10 oozes with style, and you can customize the interface to be unique to you.
You get the same size screen as the Nano, with an optional and entertaining animated interface. The controls are touch sensitive and disappear into the sleek smooth face of the T10. Even the 8gb Zune has some sex appeal. The touchpad is more efficient than the Nano's click wheel. The brushed aluminum back is a nice contrast to the conservative front. The Zune's 1.8" screen is a little smaller than the Nano's, but the Zune interface is easier to read (IMO).


My Point? More than eighty percent of the people who buy MP3 players buy an Apple product. I'm sure most never considered an alternative. We can't all be swayed by style over substance. Be a smarter shopper. Get your money's worth. Do NOT buy an iPod Nano.


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MP3 Player Sales Observations.

I've reviewed many players in this blog. I have my favorites. America has it's own. Curious about what people are actually buying I've stumbled across some interesting sites, and here are my observations:

CNET Shopper lists the 100 best selling players as far as it knows. It is not surprising to see the new iPod Nano appear 4 times in the top 8, with positions 1 (Silver 8gb), 5 (Silver 16gb), 6 (pink 16gb), and 8 (orange 8gb). The iPod Touch takes 2nd, 4th, and 10th with it's 8gb, 16gb, and 32gb variations.

A pleasant surprise is that the hard-drive based Zune models take 3rd (120gb), 9th (80gb), and 21st (30gb) position from the top 25 while the new ipod Classic 120gb model is 20th.

The Samsung T10 is 7th, and the top selling 4gb flash based player. The Samsung P2 8gb is 13th, and the second best touchscreen player behind the iPod Touch. It is the only other touchscreen player in the top 25.
For clip-on players, it does not surprise me to see Sansa Clips at 15th (red 2gb) and 24th (black 1gb), with no iPod Shuffle in the top 50.

Amazon.com's best seller list is nearly the same, except that it is updated hourly. In any given hour the new iPods will show up on top, with the new Zunes and Archos being in the runners up as hard drive based models, and the Samsung P2 sneaking in there in various colors and capacities as the runner-up touchscreen flash model.

Rather than compare sales, it is more interesting to compare players by ratings. In almost every case, the new iPods will not appear anywhere near the top of a "ratings" list. I'll agree that this phenomenon may be due to their popularity, with a higher number sold creating a large pool of reviews, and a greater likelihood that dissenting buyers will feel the need to review. Still, with several players getting 5-out-of-five stars, and the iPods always getting less, it points out that buyers don't buy iPods based on the reviews.

For flash memory based Touchscreens there appears to be only two major players. Amazon rates the year-old Samsung P2 second only to the new iPod Touch. Samsung's S3, a sexy little player that only has a touch sensitive control pad, ranks third among bestselling touchscreen players in the same poll.

There is no science expressed here. The lists/polls I've linked to will change over time. What sells and what is "best" are often different things. I am impressed that the rarely-advertised Samsung players appear so high so often. Owning both a P2 and a T10 I can see their value and compare them directly to my iPods and Zunes and other players. I can also understand why the Zune does well, particularly with it's latest 3.0 firmware update. The Zune software is great, and the players are more efficient to get around on than any iPod except the Touch.

What does it all mean? There are great alternatives to the Apple products. Some people get it. Fortunately for Apple most people don't.

What do YOU think? Leave me a comment.

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Samsung YP-T10 Review. Amazing Value for Your Money!

The Samsung T10 is the little brother of the Samsung P2. While not a touchscreen player, the T10 did inherit many of the P2's functions and features. I picked mine up through Amazon.com for $99.77 with no tax or shipping. It arrived via DHL within 4 days of my order, in great shape and brand new. On a quick check it looks like the T10 is even cheaper since I ordered mine. T10s are available in Black, Purple, Red, Line-yellow, and White. Expect to pay a little more for any non-black T10.

On hooking it up to my PC, the same software (Emodio.exe) I use with my Samsung P2 player loaded up and promptly informed me of an available firmware update. If you've never installed another Samsung player before, the package includes a small CD with software you should install before plugging in the T10 for the first time.

Also included was a charging cable, earbuds, earbud covers, and three pieces of paper. There was a Quick Start Guide, a Registration notice, and a warning about actual memory space on the T10.

The body of the P2 is as clean as one could be. The only external mechanical switch is the Hold/Power slider on the right side. The bottom edge is where you'll find the charging cable port, the headphone jack, a small microphone, and a wrist strap connection point. There is a tiny reset hole on the back.

The front face is split with a 320 x 240 pixel 2" LCD on the top half, and the lower half occupied by a touch sensitive control area. There are dedicated spots for Menu, Back, up/down volume, left/right file browsing, and a center Play/Pause/Select button. All are backlit. The YP-T10 is 3.78" long by 1.63" wide and only .31" thick. It's about the same length and width as the iPod Nano and small Zune. It's smaller and thinner than the Samsung P2.

The rest of it's specifications can be found at Samsung.com. I'll warn you that as the T10 has been updated, the specs I've linked you to are not 100% accurate any more. One example is that the T10 does allow game play, yet the specs claim it doesn't.

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The Functions include Music, FM Radio, Datacast (podcast) and Video play, Photo and Text view, and Games. There is also an Address Book which you can fill via bluetooth from your cell phone. While I'm on the topic of phones, the T10 can be paired with most Bluetooth enabled phones, and serve as a wireless headset for them. You can receive and initiate calls from the T10 once it's paired with a phone. The built-in microphone serves well here, and will also allow you to record voice messages or a class lecture if you desire. You can record from FM radio as well. Both functions create MP3 files which can be played back the same as any music file. If you've got a sibling or friend with a T10 or a P2, you can send any file to them via bluetooth. File transfer also works between T10 and a PC, so long as the PC also has Bluetooth. Many Apple Mac PCs do.

The User Interface (UI) is well thought out. Left and right taps on the touchpad get you through the main menu items. There are three menu styles to choose from. The touchpad is just the right degree of sensitive. It knew what I wanted on the first tap, and responded quickly. It's not as efficient as the P2's touchscreen interface, but it serves easily as well as the Zune or Nano UIs do.

Music. You can sort music by Artist, Album, Songs, Genres, Playlists, Recorded files (off FM or from the microphone), or using the music browser. Sound Effects include Street Mode or Clarity. Samsung's DNSe has 10 predefined settings including Normal, Studio, Rock, Classical, Jazz, Ballad, Club, Rhythm & Blues, Dance, Concert Hall, and at least one User Defined setting. There are four play modes including Normal, Repeat, Repeat One, and Shuffle. There are also four music play screen options. Should you be listening to a podcast or ebook, you can change the play speed from o.7x to 1.3x in .1 increments. You can tell the T10 to connect to bluetooth headphones from the Music menu rather than having to go back into the bluetooth settings.

Video. The T10 will play WMV or MPEG4 video files at 30 frames per second and 320 x 240 resolution. Other formats can be converted using the PC software included. They display horizontally on the screen. You've got 3 DNSe (audio) settings for video including Normal, Drama, and Action. You can add bookmarks to video. You can also adjust the screen brightness from the video menu. Very handy. There are three sample videos included. Video looks excellent on the 2" screen, although it's not quite a theater experience.

Pictures. You can play music while looking at photos. You can zoom 200% to 400%, and rotate in 90 degree steps. Slide shows can be timed slow, fast, or normal. Lastly you can select a photo to serve as your menu background image. Pictures look as good as you can expect at 320 x 240 resolution. Standard for players with the same size screen.

FM Radio. The Radio application is fairly straightforward. Headphones must be plugged in as they serve as the antenna. You can autotune stations or manually select. You can adjust the reception sensitivity and region. Lastly you can record from the radio. There doesn't appear to be any RDS.

Datacasts. Datacasts can be either audio or video, differ from music or video files in that they are periodicals. You can bookmark within them, and they will always resume where you left off the last time they were played.

Prime Pack. Prime Pack is where you'll find the Text viewer, Voice recorder, Games, and the Address Book. I don't have any games on my T10 yet, but will do a quick review when I get them.

File Browser. Using the file browser you can peruse every file on the T10, and optionally delete it. Any media file selected will begin playing in the related app.

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I chose the T10 as one of the best MP3 players you could buy for your kids. The voice recorder and bluetooth allow siblings or friends to record messages and then send them wirelessly to each other. The T10 is a better value than the iPod Nano. Same size screen, but far more features. Sound quality is better than any iPod. You won't find an FM radio on any iPod, and the T10 even allows you to record off FM. You can use the included earbuds, or choose from a vaste assortment of wired and wireless headphones. Bluetooth is the stand-out application on the T10. Once you go wireless you won't go back.

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Conclusion? The Samsung YP-T10 is an amazing player. At less than $100 its value is not matched by anything else out there. They are a little hard to find, but well worth the trouble.

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The Best MP3 Players To Buy Your Kids This Christmas!

Kids. Plural. More than one. Twins maybe? Parents with more than one child who are looking for "equal" gifts to get each of your children are the target of this post. There are a few hundred MP3 players to choose from out there. These are the ones you should consider for siblings. Why? Each of the players mentioned in this post have a sharing feature. When these players are in close proximity they can share files including music and photos, and the Samsung P2 or T10 can play games one-to-one wirelessly between devices! All these players do a fine job of playing music, podcasts, FM radio and videos, and displaying photos. The two Samsung models can even display text files including ebooks in the .TXT format. The players I recommend are:

Samsung YP-T10 4GB

Samsung YP-P2 8GB

Microsoft Zune 8GB or 16GB or 120GB

The Samsung YP-T10 is the only one of the bunch that I haven't personally played with. It's the little brother of the Samsung P2, yet has most of it's features and a few tricks of its own. Generally available for around $100, this 4gb player features Bluetooth 2.0 for use with wireless headphones, file transfer, and potential* pairing with your Bluetooth enabled cell phone. The built-in microphone allows voice recording, and for two friendly siblings this means easy sending of recorded messages to each other via Bluetooth. The kids can even be in separate rooms, so long as they are within about 30ft of each other. The FM radio included allows recording of songs heard playing on your favorite local channels. Should one child capture a great song he/she thinks the other should know about, it can be sent wirelessly to the other T10 using Bluetooth again. The T10 comes in at least three colors.

The Samsung P2 is my personal favorite. It's a touchscreen player with a 3" 480 x 272 pixel widescreen. Available now at BestBuy for $179.99, it is exceptional for video playback. Large enough to make reading text files easy. Both the P2 and the T10 feature Samsung's DNSe 2.0 audio enhancement feature for optimizing the sound of music you're listening to through headphones. The P2 has a touchscreen interface which is user customizable. Clever use of touch, tap, double taps, arcs, and swipes on the screen allow very efficient access to all your media. It's Bluetooth allows simultaneous listening with two bluetooth headsets at once. You can pair the P2 with your bluetooth capable cell phone and use the P2 to receive or initiate phone calls. Transfer your cell phone's contact list to the P2 using bluetooth. Transfer any file on the P2 between it and your computer (assuming it has bluetooth), any other P2 or a T10. I use my P2 as a wireless headset for Skype phone calls on my iMac. The P2 includes 5 games, and two of them can be played one-to-one with another P2 or eventually* the T10 using bluetooth! Your children can be in separate rooms, or front and back seats of your crossover, so long as they are within 30 feet playing games against each other on their P2s. The P2 comes in Black, White, and a Burgundy Red.

Last there is Microsoft's Zune. You can get an 8gb model for $149.99, a 16gb model for $199.99, and a 120gb (larger) model for $249.99. All feature WiFi wireless networking. What I love about the Zune is the ability to "squirt" files wirelessly using wifi to other Zunes. Kids can send photos or music files to each other. The music files can be played on the other Zune for three days before they will self-delete. The Zune's wifi can also be used to synchronise media files on your PC with itself. You can access the online Zune marketplace for music purchase from the Zune, and download songs you purchase directly to the Zune. If the built-in FM radio plays a song you would like to own, you can mark it for subsequent purchase using info (RDS) the radio station has broadcast along with the song.

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All three players can play MP3 music files purchased or made from your own CDs. For kids just starting a music collection, all players work with subscription music services so an unlimited number of songs can be downloaded for a flat fee per month. The Samsungs work with Rhapsody, and Zunes work directly with the Zune Marketplace. It is not required to subscribe to these services, but they are a great legal way for kids to grow their personal music collections. Both brands have great PC-Based software to organize your media collection. You can download and try them out for free at:

Zune.NET

Samsung's Emodio

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Yes, your kids may have asked for iPods. While the iPods come in a rainbow of colors, and are seen being worn by 70%+ of the U.S. population, they are NOT the best sounding or most feature packed players out there. iTunes does not offer a subscription model for buying music. No iPod has an FM radio, which in addition to music would give your kids access to local news, weather, and event reports. No kid can follow the local radio broadcast of the high school football game on their iPod.

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IF you've got more than one child, and you treat them equally at Christmas and other gift-giving times, then you owe them the smartest MP3 players out there. With a Samsung T10 or P2, or the Microsoft Zune, they will be unique among their friends and the envy of all of them.

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* The Samsung T10 is expecting a firmware update to enable gameplay between devices as well as "maybe" cell phone pairing with it's Bluetooth feature.