Entered CNET Catalog: 05/17/2004
SKU: 0036725600638
Manufacturer: Samsung
Manufacturer description
The YP-60 offers a heart rate monitor, calorie counter and stop watch for the athlete in the family. Yepp Flash Digital Players are ideal for digital music lovers who want to enjoy their favorite music everywhere and anytime with great performance and fashionable design.Product summary
The good: Light, compact MP3 player; rugged design; easy to use; capable of FM and line-in recording (no PC needed).
The bad: Heart-rate monitor and calorie counter can't be taken seriously; bundled headphones are very uncomfortable.
The bottom line: This sporty player includes a heart-rate monitor that's too unsophisticated and unreliable, so we have to say nope to the otherwise fine Yepp.
Editors' review
- Editors' Choice: No
- Reviewed on: 08/05/2004
Instead, the YP-60V also tries to be a heart monitor and a calorie counter. But for these functions, it's like weekend jogger trying to compete in the Boston Marathon--an amateur among serious athletes. The YP-60V costs roughly $45 more than the average 256MB player, presumably because you are paying extra for these two unreliable and unsophisticated features. The top-rated Rio Cali--another 256MB flash player for athletes--is available for significantly less. For this reason, our bottom line for the Yepp Sport YP line comes down to one word: Nope.
Samsung's designers whipped the YP-60V into just the right shape for a workout. At 1.6 ounces and sized a little larger than a pack of gum, it comes in a rugged, slip-resistant, black-matte case that is comfortable to grip, even with sweaty hands. Even better, its centralized, four-way rocker control and Play/Pause key are easy to use and provide quick access to a well-organized interface. To make it even more accommodating to rough-and-tumble exercise, the YP-60 comes packaged with two notable accessories that clip onto the device:
- an arm band, which keeps it out of the way while still being readily accessible; and
- a finger clip, which keeps it anchored securely in your palm.
Although the YP-60V isn't a device with removable storage--something we've come to expect from flash players--it isn't lacking for other features, including:
- an MP3 player capable of supporting MP3, WMA, and Ogg Vorbis files;
- an FM radio;
- an onboard encoder, which allows you to encode directly from your old portable CD player, or to capture your favorite radio broadcast for on-demand listening; and
- a stopwatch.
Samsung sets the YP-60V apart from other MP3 players by equipping it with several other sports functions, including:
- a heart rate monitor (via a sensor located on the top edge of the player);
- a calorie counter (dependent on the heart rate monitor's data); and
- a PC-based fitness software program.
The calorie counter is also questionable--it presumes to calculate how many calories you burn during a workout by recording your heart rate at the outset and again at the conclusion, and measuring the elapsed time in between. But because it fails to account for variations in your heart rate during your workout--say you're running hills--it can seriously underestimate your burn rate.
As an MP3 player and FM radio, the YP-60V works well enough. With a signal-to-noise ratio of 80dB, it sounds decent, although the ill-fitting headphones tend to let in an undue amount of extraneous gym noise. In our CNET Labs tests, we were able to get 14.9 hours of continuous play from the YP-60V's rechargeable lithium-ion battery. While this was just a tad under the 15 hours promised by the specifications, it's still good compared to other rechargeable, flash-based MP3 players. Transfer rates, however, were relatively slow at 0.30MB per second.
User opinions
Select a User Opinion to view: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11out of 11 user reviews
Difficult to use
Pros: Flash memory based meaning more shock resistant and light weight
Cons: Difficult to navigate, can't control FM preset
I want to use the FM radio because my gym puts all TV audio on different FM frequencies. This junk automatically selects the first 20 FM stations that it finds, regardless of whether you like the station or not. It is also difficult to manually select an FM station since holding down the scroll key will enable station search. If I already know the station, I have to keep pressing the scroll key. If I want to go from FM88.5 (default station) to say FM103.5, I'd have to press the scroll key 50 times.
I can understand why Samsung discontinued this line.
out of 11 user reviews
It does the job it was designed for
Pros: Enough memory to have a ridiculously long workout to. Battery life is good (15hrs), but would like it to be better (just like every product ever made that uses a battery though!) Arm strap is good and the stopwatch is useful for when am running. Basicall
Cons: Navigation thru the menu system takes a bit of getting used to, but its ok. Calorie Counter: Good feature that you will use for the first month or so and then you will forget all about it because you can't be bothered uploading your data and analysing it
out of 11 user reviews
Headphone jack is jacked
Pros: Rechargeable, lightweight, stores enough music for a workout.
Cons: After a few months only started getting sound out of one headphone. Tried several different headphones, same problem
out of 11 user reviews
If your unit does not turn on try this
Pros: Question yp 60 does not turn on Attached File Answer When the battery on this unit has been completely exhausted, it must be reset before it will turn back on. Please follow these steps to reset the unit. 1. Press and hold the Menu button for ab
Cons:
out of 11 user reviews
There is a trick to turning it on...
Pros: I think this mp3 player is great, once I got mine turned on. There is a trick to getting it to turn on if the battery is dead. Check out Samsungs website.
Cons: The supplied headphones are very uncomfortable and the heart rate monitor was a pretty big dissapointment.
out of 11 user reviews
Would not accept any MP3 downloads.
Pros: Great features, if they work.
Cons: I struggled for hours and this unit would not play MP3s. I traded it for a Rio Forge Sport which was remarkably easy to use with similar features and $30 less.
out of 11 user reviews
WILL NOT CHARGE OR TURN ON
Pros: No idea, I cannot get the damn thing to work.
Cons: I made a mistake and bought from a duty-free outlet at an International airport. Machine will not hold a charge, I have tried rebooting using a pin etc. Very difficult to exchange for another unit.
out of 11 user reviews
not as friendly as it seems
Pros: Well, I sort of liked the many features it supposedly offered. I liked the built-in battery although it adds just one more item to your stuff - namely the charger. (I don't like to carry extras if I don't have to.) If you stop it within an mp3 file it wi
Cons: The longish shape I didn't mind but the button gets pushed accidently a lot in your pocket. And it gets confused a lot with the volume up and down and fast forward-rewind function. I find the huge square shape of the main button unfortunate. It doesn't ta
out of 11 user reviews
Nice MP3 player, but heart monitor not accessible while working out.
Pros: Small and solid design fits nicely on arm when running.
Cons: Headphones horrible, why bother shipping headphones people wont use. Poor button design. When running and player on your arm it is almost impossible to get to monitor screen without stopping and navigating through the menu to get to monitor function.
out of 11 user reviews
Does not turn on
Pros: I have not been able to use it it does not turn on
Cons: I bought one, did not turn on. I returned it, they sent me another. Would you believe the replacement does not turn on either!!!!!!!!
out of 11 user reviews
This is truly a sports MP3 player
Pros: When I think of the Rio Cali (an plastic MP3 player with rubber wrappeed around it), this player makes is like wearing loafers in the iron man competition. This player actually checks your heart rate and I love the stop watch. I wore in the NYC Aids Wal
Cons: The user manual is so so. And I had to download a new MS driver.
