Samsung P2 Media Player - Design
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Samsung has designed the P2 to be relatively sturdy and durable. The front of the device is mostly comprised of the plastic face used for the touch-screen, while the back of the device is a hard metal with matte black paint, which will hold up well to scratches. The touch-screen is a fingerprint magnet, but that's nothing new in devices like this one.
The P2 is a tad smaller in size than the iPod Touch. The P2 measures 3.8" by 2" by 0.4" , and it weighs just 3 ounces. The P2 comes in 3 different colors: white, red, and black.
The front of the P2 is dominated by the 3" LCD display, which features 480 by 272 resolution. The display is a touch-screen and most of the functions are accomplished by using the touch-screen interface. The screen displays videos in landscape mode, and they look beautiful. The P2 is one of the better Flash video players on the market right now.
The only other controls on this device are the dedicated volume controls on the side, which is also where you will find the hold switches. It is very important to have a hold switch with a touch-screen display, so that you don't accidentally push a button when it's in your pocket. There is also a dedicated power button. The P2 features a small microphone on the front, a status LED on the front, headphone jack, and proprietary dock connection.
User Interface
The GUI is very eye-pleasing and functional at the same time. There are actually three different ways to display the menu icons with the P2. There is a My skin setting, which displays any photo as a wallpaper on the device. There is also a Matrix interface; this is a lot like the iPod Touch's interface, which displays the menu icons in a grid pattern.
The most interesting display is the “Cosmos” setting. It displays the menu icons in a way that reacts to circular motions on the touch-screen with your finger. The “Cosmos” setting rotates through the menu icons as you move your finger around the screen, and creates an effect of the icons coming at you through outer space.
For the most part, the touch-screen display is fast and intuitive, but it isn't always very responsive. Often, you will need to press the on-screen icons multiple times because the P2 doesn't “read” the touch. CNet agrees, saying that “our one point of contention is that the touch screen is not always precise and responsive, so it sometimes takes a couple tries to get the desired reaction.”
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