January 7th, 2009
CES 2009: Meet Samsung's iPod killer, the touchscreen P3 [day 2]
The last of the Samsung press conference: their P3 touchscreen MP3 player.
The P3, a widescreen portable multimedia player, has an “EmoTure” interface with true haptic feedback. It’s a CES Innovations 2009 Design and Engineering Award honoree. The 8GB player boasts a 3-inch WQVGA TFT-LCD touch screen for photos and video at 16:9 aspect ratio without letterboxing.
As for the “EmoTure” touch interface with haptic feedback. the company says the following: “With every command gesture, from swiping a finger across the screen, to switching audio tracks, to holding down a digital button for fast-forwarding video, the P3 reacts with a variety of physical sensations for a more intimate user experience versus other media players.” It’s also got a Music Hot Touch Key, located just below the touch screen, as a shortcut to music features and selections.
As for the audio, the P3 has Samsung’s updated DNSe 3.0 sound enhancement tech, but we’ll see when we hear it.
The unit is just 0.39 inches thin, and can be paired with a Bluetooth-enabled phone, allowing users to use the built-in microphone to answer calls directly through the player.
It’s got a reinforced die-cast metal casing in either matte black or matte silver. Why? “The player’s housing is built to combat the fingerprints and scratching, which typically mar today’s portable electronic devices.” Sorry, iPod touch.
The P3 will be available in the first half of 2009 in 4GB, 8GB, 16GB and 32 GB storage capacities. Note about being an iPod touch-killer: I didn’t see anything about Wi-Fi in there!
Andrew J. Nusca is an associate editor for ZDNet and SmartPlanet.
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