Touch Screen MP3 Players

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All About Touch Screen MP3 Players

Touch screen MP3 players are just emerging on the market. These sleek devices offer both audio and video entertainment, wireless connectivity, and more.

On this page we'll tell you a bit more about touchscreen devices, ideas on choosing one, talk about the future, and show you some of the best touch screen MP3 players on the market right now. We'll even provide some video reviews and demonstrations to help you along.

Contents at a Glance

What's Great About a Touch Screen Device?
Choosing Your Touch Screen MP3 Player
Samsung YP-P2 16GB

New in 2009: Samsung YP-P3 Touch Screen MP3 Player
More Touch Screen MP3 Players from 2009
iRiver P7 and Sony Walkman NWZ Reviews

more...

What's Great About a Touch Screen Device?

With touch screen MP3 players emerging you may wonder why they would be preferred over other models. One reason for many consumers of course is just the look of the device. It's very sleek and modern. No buttons, knobs or wheels protruding. There's nothing clunky about a touch screen.

In addition, the navigation for some people is simply eaiser. With increasing miniaturization, buttons and so forth continue to get tinier and tinier. Being able to use the larger display on an MP3 or MP4 player allows users to have more area to dedicated to navigation. In addition of course, some of these devices allow for a variety of movements for control. Some may find swiping to be more intuitive than pushing buttons.

Now of course for some this may not be the case. For instance, for those with significant visual impairment or blindness many touch screens create a problem due to their lack of tactile feedback and difficulty in finding the right hand position. Technology however, should continue to advance in this area. You can read more about this in our section on the future of touch screens.

Choosing Your Touch Screen MP3 Player

If you're in the market for a touch screen MP3 player there are just a few things to consider:

Make sure the device will support the types of files you'll want to download.

Know how you want to connect. Would you rather have Bluetooth connectivity with other devices such as your cell phone or a Wi-Fi connection? Nearly all of these touch screen MP3 players should offer USB 2.0 connection with your computer when needed.

If you'll view alot of photos or videos, be sure you get the size screen that will satisfy you. Watching it in action before buying is best too so that you can be sure the brightness, resolution, and so forth are satisfactory. Optimally, you can watch it both indoors and out to assure that it performs well in all lighting environments.

Audio quality. Listening before buying is good as well. Stereo speakers are better than a single built in speaker. At a minimum, there should be a headphone jack to allow you to listen in a crowded environment. If the quality of the earphones is poor, you may need to consider buying better earphones.

Capacity and battery life. Clearly 160GB storage will allow you to carry around far more music and videos than 8GB but how much you need as an individual isn't so defined. Decide how much you need and how much you're willing to pay for it. Also think about how often you're willing to stop and charge up your player. For some people the number of hours they can enjoy their player before charging is critical, for other's it really isn't.

Consider the other features you want. For instance, some of these touchscreen MP3 players offer the ability to play recorded programming from your set top box, to enjoy video from the web, or to enjoy FM radio while others don't.

Size. None of these devices are very large but some are smaller than others. The Archos 605 is a full fledge multi-media device while the iPod Touch is more about miniaturization. Decide which better suits your needs. If you want to jog with your MP3 player obviously the Touch is a better choice but if you will prize the ability to watch movies while you're out on the road the Archos 605 would better meet your needs.

Samsung YP-P2 16GB

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Samsung P2 16 GB Video MP3 Player with Bluetooth 2.0 (Black)

Amazon Price: (as of 12/18/2009)

The Samsung P2 is one of the best touch screen MP3 players on the market. It offers a widescreen 16x9 WQVGA touchscreen with slide control for functions such as fast forward and rewind. With it's 16GB flash memory you can store up to 4,000 songs in either MP3, WMA, OGG or subscription WMA audio formats and you can enjoy up to 30 hours of audio per charge.

Of course you can also enjoy video; MPEG4,SVI, and WMV9 video formats are supported. You can also view your JPG images and view and delete TXT files. Enjoy up to 5 hours of video per battery charge.This device also features Bluetooth allowing you to pair it with other Bluetooth devices such as Bluetooth 2.0 headphhones or speaker systems for an outstanding listening experience. You can even pair it with a Bluetooth compatible cell phone and make and receive calls from your MP3 player.

This touchscreen MP3 player also features an FM tuner, alarm clock, world clock, calendar, voice recorder, and subway maps for 24 cities. It comes with earphones, player stand, and manual.

Samsung YP-P2 Review

AMP3 TV Samsung YP-P2 Review

AMP3 TV's review of the superb Samsung YP-P2

4.62069

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Other Samsung YP-P2 Models

Samsung P2 8 GB Touchscreen Bluetooth Portable Media Player (Black)

Amazon Price: $214.48 (as of 12/18/2009)

Samsung YP-P2JAB P2 Widescreen Touch Screen MP3 and Video Player

Amazon Price: (as of 12/18/2009)

Samsung YP-P2JAR P2 4 GB Slim Portable Media Player (Burgundy)

Amazon Price: $167.99 (as of 12/18/2009)

Samsung YP-P2JAW P2 Widescreen Touch Screen MP3 and Video Player

Amazon Price: $166.99 (as of 12/18/2009)

New in 2009: Samsung YP-P3 Touch Screen MP3 Player

Samsung YPP3JCB 8 GB MP3 player

Amazon Price: $189.99 (as of 12/18/2009)

The Samsung P3: See It In Action

Samsung P3 Review Pt.1 - Design (Hi-Res)

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Samsung P3 Review Pt.2 - Function (Hi-Res)

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Samsung P3 Review Pt.3 (Hi-Res)

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More Touch Screen MP3 Players from 2009

iriver P7 16 GB Multimedia Player (Silver)

This device has a 4.3" touch screen with 480x270 resolution. It has 8/16GB internal memory and a microSD card slot for expansion. It also includes an FM radio as well as FM and voice recording. It supports MP3, WMA, OGG, ASF, FLAC, APE, WAV, AC-3, AAC audio files and a variety of video files.

Amazon Price: (as of 12/18/2009)

Sony Walkman X Series 16 GB Video MP3 Player w/ OLED Display

This device has 16GB storage and a 3" OLED touchscreen display with 432x240 resolution. It supports MP3, WMA, AAC, and L-PCM audio formats as well as a variety of video formats.

Amazon Price: $254.86 (as of 12/18/2009)

iRiver P7 and Sony Walkman NWZ Reviews

Sony Walkman X-Series - hands on and review

4.565445

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iRiver P7 portable media player CES 2009 Review

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Archos 605

Click on image for details or to buy

Archos 605 Wi-Fi Portable Media Player (160 GB)

Amazon Price: $269.99 (as of 12/18/2009)

This touch screen MP3 player is a full functioning portable media player. The Archos 605 is a light weight (9.7 ounce) device for maximum portability and operates with Wi-Fi (or USB) to make it a great player for travel. With 160GB of built in memory you have plenty of space to store your favorite downloaded movies, music, photos, TV shows, pictures, e-books and more.

This touchscreen MP3 player supports MP3, CBR, WMA, VBR, protected WMA, and WAV audio files as well as MPEG4, WMV, and AVI video files. You can also enjoy JPG, BMP, and PNG files, and pull up PDF's with no problem. The full Opera browser plug in provides Adobe Flash support and allows you to enjoy video websites such as YouTube any time and anywhere you want. It also features a Dish Network plug in to allow you to transfer any programming you've recorded with your Dish Network 622 or 722 set-top box. The Archos Content Portal allows you to download movies and music and you can stream content from your PC or internet connected TV.

This player features a large 4.3" touchscreen with 800x480 resolution to give you a great veiwing experience. It also includes a 3.5 millimeter headphone jack to let you enjoy your entertainment even in crowded, noisy areas. The Li-Poly battery lets you enjoy listening to music for up to 17 hours or watching 5 and half hours of video per charge. The Archos 605 also provides widgets for a calculator, currency converter and unit converter, news, weather, note writer, and data vault.

Archos 605 Review

AMp3 TV Archos 605 Review

AMP3 TV's review of the Archos 605 Wifi.

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Other Archos 605 Models

Archos 605 Wi-Fi Portable Media Player (80 GB)

Amazon Price: $399.99 (as of 12/18/2009)

Archos 605 Wi-Fi Portable Media Player (30 GB)

Amazon Price: $139.99 (as of 12/18/2009)

Apple iPod Touch

Click on image for details or to buy

Probably the most well known touch screen MP3 player, the iPod Touch is sleek and tiny; weighing just over 4 ounces. It has a polished stainless steel shell, and attractive 3.5" display offering multi-touch control and touch QWERTY keypad. You can download music, movies, TV shows, and games, browse the web with Safari, check your e-mail, and more.

The Touch supports WAV, AAC, MP3, MP3 VBR, Apple Lossless, AIFI, and Audible flies. You also get a clock and photo viewer with this touchscreen MP3 player. It features built in speakers as well as wireless support. The ambient light sensor automatically adjust brightness to assure you always get the best view and conserve power. The Touch's accelerometer will even adjust the view on it's display from portrait to landscape depending on how you hold the device. It comes with a rechargeable Li-Ion battery.

An 8GB model is also available.

2nd Generation iPod Touch Review

New iPod Touch 2nd Gen. Internal Speaker Review

My New Channel: TheiPodKid http://www.youtube.com/theipodkid SWAGBUCKS! FREE STUFF! http://swagbucks.com/refer/TheiPodKid

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3rd Generation iPod Touch

Apple iPod touch 64 GB (3rd Generation) NEWEST MODEL

Amazon Price: $359.99 (as of 12/18/2009)

Cowon S9

Cowon S9 16 GB Video MP3 Player with Touchscreen (Silver/Black)

Amazon Price: $199.99 (as of 12/18/2009)

The Cowon S9 is a very attractive touch screen MP3 player. It has a great looking 3.3" ,16 million color AMOLED display with an anti-scratch surface for viewing TV shows, movies, or your photos. The AMOLED 16:9 widescreen display provides the widest viewing angle and is easy to see whether you're in bright sunlight or in a darkened room. The S9 offers 16GB of storage and will play 55 hours of audio or 11 hours of video on a single charge.

This touch screen MP3 player supports MP3, WMA, FLAC, OGG, WAV, and APE audio files, AVI and WMV video files as well as JPEG images. It also features Bluetooth support for wireless devices, a voice recorder with a built-in microphone, awesome sound, and a FM radio/recorder.

Cowon S9 Review

Cowon S9 Review HD [1of3] Main & Music UI

This part of the S9 series shows the main navigation as well as the music UI. Keep in mind that this is firmware version 2.05 and things may change in future firmwares. To stay up to date on the latest visit the Cowon forums on abi. http://www.anythingbutipod.com/forum/forumdisplay.php?f=184

4.3209877

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Creative Labs Zen X-Fi2 Touch Screen MP3 Player

Creative Labs Zen X-Fi 2 32 GB MP3 and Video Player with Touchscreen and Built-In Speaker (Black and Silver)

Amazon Price: $201.97 (as of 12/18/2009)

This Zen touch screen MP3 player gives you easy navigation and a great 3-inch screen to experience pictures and movies. It has built-in X-Fi technology which provides excellent audio and features a built in speaker. It also includes a micro SD card slot for memory expansion and a 4 pole 3.5 mm jack to support earphones and AV cable. This player supports MP3, AAC,WMA, WMA-DRM9, WAV, Audible, FLAC(Lossless) audio formats and WMV9, MPEG 1/2/4-SP (Simple Profile), MJPEG, Photo: JPEG, BMP, TIFF, GIF , PNG (conversion to jpeg by s/w) video formats.

Zen X-Fi2 Demonstration

ZEN X-Fi2 Feature Demo

A short flash demo on the key features of the ZEN X-Fi2.

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Zune HD

Zune HD 32 GB Video MP3 Player (Platinum)

Amazon Price: Too low to display (as of 12/18/2009)

Zune HD sports a 3.3" 16:9 OLED touchscreen giving you great viewing and easy navigation. It has a 32GB capacity for storing up to 8,000 songs or 48 hours standard definition/10 hour high definition video. Not only can you view 720p movies, shows, and video but you can listen to HD radio too. With it's WiFi connectivity you can stream music, download games, or just browse the web and pick up e-mail too.

Zune HD Review

Microsoft Zune HD

Hands-on with the Microsoft Zune HD

4.7211537

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The Future of Touch Screen MP3 Players

Just as with cell phones, touch screen MP3 players will likely begin taking over the market as the hottest and most coveted devices.Touch screen technology is expected to overtake more than the world of cell phones and MP3 players. It's anticipated that computers will also benefit from it's evolution giving users much greater control. You can learn more about this in an article from The Economist.

Of course for many people improving the touch screen by way of better tactile feedback is also critical. Haptic technology is helping in this regard. You can learn more about these somewhat recent advancement in this Technology Review article.

Of course, for the blind and visually impaired current touch screens are particularly problematic. Just finding the right placement on a touch screen is nearly impossible. However, there are developers out there who are paying attention. This StarNewsOnline article talks about some of the work which may help to remedy this problem.