nüvifone™. The navigation phone.
CNET editors' review
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CNET editors' rating:
stars
Very good
Detailed editors' rating
- Reviewed on: 04/28/2006
- Updated on: 11/14/2008
- Released on: 05/25/2006
Editors' Note: As of November 2008, this product has been replaced by the Pioneer XMP3.
Following closely on the heels of Pioneer's similar Inno, Samsung's $400 Helix YX-M1 is small and light, has a powerful XM receiver to tap into XM Radio's 170 channels of programming, and can play all your MP3/WMA digital music files. So far, competitor Sirius lacks a similar option. The bad news for the Helix is that, as with the Inno, its battery goes dead all too quickly, it requires a Windows PC to transfer music, and it has only 1GB of capacity. Still, these nearly identical twins deliver audio entertainment practically anywhere, regardless of whether it's from the New Pornographers or XM's NASCAR channel.
Barely the size of a cassette tape, the Samsung Helix YX-M1 matches the Inno inch for inch at 0.6 by 2.2 by 4.4 inches, although we like the Helix's subdued black and brushed-aluminum look better than the Inno's darker, bolder design. Both weighing 4.5 ounces, the Helix and the Inno are the lightest XM radios around, as well as easily half the size and 3 ounces lighter than Delphi's MyFi receiver. While the two players use the same electronics, we like the Helix's earbuds and small button bar, as opposed to the Inno's bulky switches for Mode, Play, and Display, along with its in-ear phones. The layout is similar, with both having a four-way control at the bottom for tuning the radio, selecting tracks, and navigating through the machine's menus. While it is backlit for nighttime maneuvers, we prefer the MyFi's combination of numeric pad and scroll dial for quick channel changes.
With 1GB of storage space, the Samsung Helix YX-M1 has room for about 50 hours of stored content in XM's native AAC Plus format. This is far from ideal, and we hope that larger versions or those that can use flash-memory cards are on the way. Out of the box, the storage is partitioned for 100 percent XM recording, and we suggest adjusting it to 50/50 before you do anything else so that you can dedicate space for MP3s or WMAs. Its audio is typical fare for a pocket portable, with just enough midrange and treble to deliver near-CD quality.
The center of attention is the 1.7-inch-diagonal color screen that is slightly larger than the display on Apple's iPod Nano. It displays the most interesting information, from the channel or the track that's playing to XM's satellite signal strength or how much storage space remains; it always shows the time in the upper right. Info junkies, rejoice--because it can even scroll stock prices or sports scores across the bottom. Although the player is meant to be held vertically in the hand as soon as you snap it into the horizontal desk cradle, the screen and the switches automatically change orientation, although the Samsung Helix YX-M1's markings still point in the wrong direction. With plugs for power, line-out, and antenna, the desk dock requires that you plug the USB cable into the device directly, making for an awkward setup.
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