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My Thoughts on the Samsung Galaxy Player

blackdog709

Well-Known Member
Dec 19, 2011
125
25
Well it's an honor to be able to make my first post as THE first post in this forum!

I have been researching the Samsung Galaxy Players for some time. I'm very old school. I hate cell phone contracts, fees and data caps. And since I am on a PC all day, I don't need the constant connectivity of a smart phone. I like having my dumb Razr on GSM (AT&T) for $50 a month. Battery lasts forever and it is always ready and get's a good signal. No contract. Flip a SIM whenever I want or when I travel.

That being said, there are times when I want connectivity and can make use of free wifi. I hate Apple and the stranglehold that they put on their customer base. I liked the idea of the Galaxy tabs but they were too large to carry around conveniently. I thought of a used smart phone with broken cell radio, and then for a while toyed with the idea of the Archos 43 as a "pocketable" micro-tablet. Then I discovered the Samsung Galaxy Players and knew this was where I was headed.

These things are just amazingly awesome. I've had mine for over a week now and am very, very pleased with it. It just totally rocks! I'm on wifi at work and at home. So convenient to have this in my pocket or on the nightstand and check email, watch netflix, etc.

This is a very well-designed device. On board apps are well-integrated. All market apps that I have loaded are performing flawlessly. Wifi connectivity is great. YouTube and Netflix stream perfectly. The screen is just awesome. I know there have been unfavorable comparisons to the iPod Touch; I have not made the side-by-side comparison, but for me, the applePharm is not an option. I examined the 4.0 and the 5.0 player side by side and found that they both have great screens. I know the resolution is the same on both and that technically the 5.0 should not be looking as sharp. But it does. If you set the brightness on both devices to the same level, they both look fantastic. For me, the larger screen size just makes the unit SO much more usable and viewable.

Also, the battery on the 5.0 is twice the capacity (2500 mAh) of the 4.0 (1250 mAh) and is really lasting a long time!!! Very impressive. Even with wifi and GPS on. I've heard so many reviews of smartphones with significant complaints of poor battery performance. I'm really happy with how this is working out. Stereo speakers are great for watching netflix, etc, but not great if you really want to LISTEN to music. Sound quality through good earbuds is very good, although sense of spaciousness and detail is not as good as my old Sansa Fuze mp3 player. Plays all formats including FLAC and vorbis.

8 gB of internal memory not so great, but of course we ahve the ability to add capacity and flexibility with microSD card (on the 5.0, you do not have to remove the back cover to gain access).

It's a speedy little unit despite it's 1gHz Hummingbird single-core processor. I think dual-core is not really required. All apps are running very well without delays or glitches.

The only gripes that I might bring up are:
- The battery is not user-replaceable. Bummer!
- The speakers, while good for tiny stereo speakers, are located on the flat bottom of the unit so when it is laid down on desk or table, the sound is muffled.
- Needs a kickstand of some sort for netflix and video watching. Especially because of speaker placement noted above
- On-board sound recorder (many students tend to use this for recording lectures) only outputs an amr file. Should have the option of wav and mp3. Download Tape Machine on the android market. Well worth it.
- Woulds be getting close to perfect if this had HDMI cable output. Samsung TVs will stream data from this device and there's AllShare on board, for sharing files between DLNA-enabled devices. But that's not going to do most of us much good. Even the Archos 43 has HDMI output.
- for such a contemporary device, the 8 gB internal memory is a bit lackluster, especially since many apps cannot be run off the microSD card. And the 512 mB of RAM is also not stellar. but so far has not presented any issues.
- Not a lot of options for protective cases yet. Riot Outfitters (at Best Buy), and pDair (check amazon) are the best options out there.
- Camera is clunky and slow. Typical for all smartphones.

Pre-Loaded Apps:
GoogleMaps: Works well.
Skype: Have not enabled yet. Front and real cameras make Skype a good app for this unit.
Netflix on board pre-loaded. Works flawlessly. Same for YouTube
I'm in process of checking out MicroSoft ThinkFree Office suite. Create and read pseudo-Word, pseudoExcel and pseudo-PowerPoint with storage in the cloud.
AirShare: for DLNA-enabled devices. Not very helpful for me.
Task Manager: Works great.
Email and Gmail: Working great.
Stock browser: Runs well
Kindle: Works great.
Android Market: Works great
FM Radio: Great!
Music Player: I like it. Some don't. Seems fine.

+Android Market Apps and Widgets:
+Tape Machine: GREAT sound recorder and editor!
+Weatherbug Widget: Running well
+Dolphin Browser: comparing this to stock browser. I like it. May make this default. Like the bookmarks menu as a left-side-swipe menu.
+Real Calc scientific calculater: Great. Has RPN too!
+Wifi Analyser: Great too to see various wifi networks in your local zone and displays strength and placement on the channel spectrum, and displays open/unsecured hotspots. Very cool.
+Over Drive: for getting free Kindle books from libraries. Very good. A bit complicated to set up since you also need to have a library on-line account and you need to get an Adobe account to make OverDrive work. But ultimately you get Kindle books on your 5" screen for free. Awesome.
+Bar Code Reader: Works great.
+SoundHound: Works surprisingly well!
+Autodesk's Sketchbook Mobile: Awesome app for drawing and using photos. Photoshop "Lite".
+ Flashlight. Very cool. Works well on the 5.0 (4.0 does not have LED flash)
+ GoogleEarth: Fantastic!

Alright, well there's my little wrap-up. Look forward to hearing from other SMP owners! Happy Holidays!
 
Good to see a few folks here!
Keep posting back with issues, comments and suggestions.
I got Kindle running and I got OverDrive running for getting free "kindle" library books from my local library.
Really awesome device for not a great deal of money.

Now that I'm used to the 5" screen, and operate fine with one hand, a 3 1/2" iPhone/ipod touch looks absolutely tiny and almost unusable!
After Christmas I'm going to upgrade to the 32 GB microSD card.

You have probably noticed the lack of accessories for these. I ordered a pDair leather case that clips to belt from Amazon. However after I ordered it, I found out that it ships from HongKong and can take almost two months to arrive! I put in an email to Ottercase recommending that they manufacture cases for these and got a stock replay that they have not made any decision to manufacture these. Oh well.
 
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They'll start making them if they start getting big. I think this is one of the few MP3 players with Android running on it, so I can see it picking up big time.

My biggest concern with this player is that I don't know if I should root or not. Haha.

I will be ordering a new pair of headphones that do this thing justice. I read that the SGP5.0 has one of the best sound drivers and I feel their stock earbuds aren't worth anything so I'll be looking around for some nice IEM's or over-the-head headphones.

If you wanna do the same, there's a website dedicated to this stuff. It's head-fi.org.

Lemme know how yours is playing out.

Also, any suggested apps? :D
 
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They'll start making them if they start getting big. I think this is one of the few MP3 players with Android running on it, so I can see it picking up big time.

My biggest concern with this player is that I don't know if I should root or not. Haha.

I will be ordering a new pair of headphones that do this thing justice. I read that the SGP5.0 has one of the best sound drivers and I feel their stock earbuds aren't worth anything so I'll be looking around for some nice IEM's or over-the-head headphones.

If you wanna do the same, there's a website dedicated to this stuff. It's head-fi.org.

Lemme know how yours is playing out.

Also, any suggested apps? :D

@Deserve
To me, there's a HUGE faux-pas in Samsung's marketing. They market this as simply an mp3 player. In fact, it's a tablet...a micro-tablet. Or a large-screen smartphone without the phone/contracts/data fees. I wanted this initially to replace an aging Sansa Fuze mp3 player. But this is so much more that I think it's unfair to put it in this category. It's a competitor of the ipodTouch- but WAY better IMO. It SHOULD be big- especially at this price.

Apps: I listed some above that I have found useful. Sketchbook Mobile is very cool. Tape Machine is a great mp3 and wav recorder and editor. There are a lot out there! Troll the various sites and hit up the market.
 
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I purchased the Galaxy Player 5 from Best Buy about 2 weeks ago. I absolutely love it. I researched tablets and mp3 players for about a year and came to the conclusion this player was a good idea. I am an "old school" person who doesn't want to follow the iPad/iPod/iPhone masses- I made the right decision. I agree with another post here that Samsung really has a tablet-light with this product and may be missing sales opportunities by not marketing it as such.
 
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Bought this for my daughter for christmas. Has anyone used google voice on it yet? Shes still a bit young for an actual cell phone but Im considering setting her up with a google voice number for texting and learning phone use with mom/dad/family.

Interested in why you think if she's not old enough for a cell phone, that she's old enough for gps/wifi/email/full internet device? Not only is there much more complication in google voice as opposed to a simple cell phone but there's more risk for young kids with internet access etc.

BTW, I have not actually used google voice...it looks too complicated for me! I use a simple dumb cell phone.
 
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Interested in why you think if she's not old enough for a cell phone, that she's old enough for gps/wifi/email/full internet device? Not only is there much more complication in google voice as opposed to a simple cell phone but there's more risk for young kids with internet access etc.

BTW, I have not actually used google voice...it looks too complicated for me! I use a simple dumb cell phone.

Good points. I really just want her to demonstrate she can be responsible with such a device (keep charged, not lose, not be a distraction in school, etc) before I jump into a cell contract/purchase. With google voice, I can monitor call traffic/messages/contacts giving me a tad more control over cellular options. I believe I can even record the calls.

I plan on removing email and internet initially. Buying a reloadable visa card to put her allowance on. She can use that to purchase games/kids apps in the market. Not a whole lot I can control on market content (unless someone knows a way to limit access to kids stuff??) so Ill just have to pick the thing up and look it over every so often.

Opened the box today and started the google voice setup. Using Groove IP for a dialer/control. Works pretty well. Call quality is meh and theres a bit of a lag on dialer but certainly passable for this endeavor.
 
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Bought this for my daughter for christmas. Has anyone used google voice on it yet? Shes still a bit young for an actual cell phone but Im considering setting her up with a google voice number for texting and learning phone use with mom/dad/family.

Interested in why you think if she's not old enough for a cell phone, that she's old enough for gps/wifi/email/full internet device? Not only is there much more complication in google voice as opposed to a simple cell phone but there's more risk for young kids with internet access etc.

BTW, I have not actually used google voice...it looks too complicated for me! I use a simple dumb cell phone.

We bought one for our daughter for the same reason. She is 10 and has no need for a cell phone. We monitor everything our kids do on the Internet, so that is no issue. We do not feel that a 10 yo needs a cell phone that leaves the house all the time after all the stories of lost/stolen phones we have heard over the years (this is our youngest). This thing will stay at home unless she is with us. You just cannot expect a kid that age to comprehend the financial responsibility of a phone. They do not really understand that a lost phone can cost a lot to replace.
 
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Keeping the player at home doesn't really protect the thing from damages or things of that nature.

Honestly, this is the last step in responsibility, before a phone, imo. I'd get her a cheap Sansa Clip+ and see if she can keep track of it. (It's a tiny player. Could easily get lost). Slowly moving up through the years to a decent smartplayer, or a phone.

The only reason to really have an mp3 player of this kind of measure is if you don't have a smart phone and don't want to pay the contract for one, but are constantly within wifi range (College students) or you just have money to blow.
 
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Keeping the player at home doesn't really protect the thing from damages or things of that nature.

Honestly, this is the last step in responsibility, before a phone, imo. I'd get her a cheap Sansa Clip+ and see if she can keep track of it. (It's a tiny player. Could easily get lost). Slowly moving up through the years to a decent smartplayer, or a phone.

The only reason to really have an mp3 player of this kind of measure is if you don't have a smart phone and don't want to pay the contract for one, but are constantly within wifi range (College students) or you just have money to blow.

Could be wrong, but it sounds like you do not have children in school. The amount of damage potential from passing it around to others to see in class, on the bus, at sports practices, etc is MUCH larger than anything that can happen at home. I speak from experience with three children from 18 to 10. Their own experiences of MP3 players broken, a stolen ipod, rain damaged phones... (the list goes on!) proves to me that an electronic device kept at home will live a much longer life. Numerous friends with similar age children have had very similar experiences of damage and theft.

This is our 10 yo daughter's fourth MP3 player and all the other three still work. We learned from the other two kids to not let them go out of our sight. Sorry, but your take on this is just incorrect. My daughter is thrilled with her player BTW. She doesn't want a larger tab (her older sister got a Fire and she is not jealous at all) and she doesn't want a phone either. We asked her a couple weeks ago since we had the chance to add one to our plan for a $5 savings per month with unlimited everything. She did not want it and our other daughter changed her number so we could take advantage of the deal and we now save $25 per month! :D
 
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Could be wrong, but it sounds like you do not have children in school. The amount of damage potential from passing it around to others to see in class, on the bus, at sports practices, etc is MUCH larger than anything that can happen at home. I speak from experience with three children from 18 to 10. Their own experiences of MP3 players broken, a stolen ipod, rain damaged phones... (the list goes on!) proves to me that an electronic device kept at home will live a much longer life. Numerous friends with similar age children have had very similar experiences of damage and theft.

This is our 10 yo daughter's fourth MP3 player and all the other three still work. We learned from the other two kids to not let them go out of our sight. Sorry, but your take on this is just incorrect. My daughter is thrilled with her player BTW. She doesn't want a larger tab (her older sister got a Fire and she is not jealous at all) and she doesn't want a phone either. We asked her a couple weeks ago since we had the chance to add one to our plan for a $5 savings per month with unlimited everything. She did not want it and our other daughter changed her number so we could take advantage of the deal and we now save $25 per month! :D


I'm glad. You're correct. I'm a college student myself. Only thing I have to go on was my sister's inability to keep anything where it belongs. She lost a mp3 player she was supposed to keep at home, too. Huh. Didn't find it when we recently moved either.

I wasn't trying to tell you how to parent, and I apologize if it came off that way. I'm glad she enjoys her new toy. I love mine too.

Now we just need a custom ROM and we'll be good to go. Haha.
 
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Keeping the player at home doesn't really protect the thing from damages or things of that nature.

Honestly, this is the last step in responsibility, before a phone, imo. I'd get her a cheap Sansa Clip+ and see if she can keep track of it. (It's a tiny player. Could easily get lost). Slowly moving up through the years to a decent smartplayer, or a phone.

The only reason to really have an mp3 player of this kind of measure is if you don't have a smart phone and don't want to pay the contract for one, but are constantly within wifi range (College students) or you just have money to blow.

I would add this purchase was also in lieu of a Nintendo DS or other portable gaming system (which so many of her same age friends have). Ill take Android's $1.00 games over buying cartridges, etc.

And completely agree CatFan.. This baby does not travel to school.
 
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Why root? Just curious. Seems great the way it is.
instinct I guess, I felt like I had to lol :D I actually dont find any bloatware, or anything that annoys me to want to remove, so I gave up on it. The battery life is awesome. On all the android phones I've had in the past, I'd be below 50% halfway thru the day. I just got home and it was at 85%. This is after taking it off the charger lastnite and playing with it before bed. Of course I didnt really do anything with it all that (the phone would just sit there and the battery would drain). Tonite I will be loading my music library and tweaking the layout a bit.
 
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Agree. Battery life is proving awesome. Typical weekend day: Watch netfilx for 2 hours, wifi always on, play with maps/navigation with GPS on, occasionally check email, our of so of browsing, browse around in the market for a half hour, read ebook for hour or two...Never seem to run into battery issues with reasonable use.
Couldn't be more pleased.
 
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hey all,
i am not a techy and feel like a fish out of water with this thing. I don't understand the lingo and I am not sure what to look under for info - is it a mp3, a notebook, a tablet, a phone?? I got a 5.0 for xmas with the hopes of watching movies on it - especially on the go - only to find out the few Disney titles i have that have a digital copy, I can't download to my 5.0 cause of the DRM (dmr??). Can anyone give me some education on watching movies. The user manual suggests DivX and then having to go through another company to get movies. Read about Zune, briefly, they want me to download silverlight but i dont know about system requirements and the download didn't work anyway. I don't want to be a slave to wifi, truly want to watch a movie whenever. I have a netflix account but I need to be near wifi. i don't want to start spending money to find out the movie wont play back. (I truly just want to download the disney digital copies i have already purchased - i have 3). HELP!!!
 
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I had been wanting a new phone to replace my year old G2, and was thinking about the Galaxy S II. But after learning about the Galaxy Player, I realized I didn' really need a new "phone" necessarily, just a new device. I barely even use my phone as an actual phone anyway. I'm typing this message from my Galaxy Player right now I must say that this device is everything I wanted in a new smartphone while saving about $60 and an extra 2 years that I would have paid for a GS2. I resisted the notion of getting a tablet for a while because I figured it would be very redundant considering that fact that I already have a smartphone AND a NetBook. But this thing is so convenient because of its size. Clearly, it is a tablet. I don't understand why it is not marketed as so. Galaxy TAB 5.0 would suit it better. But the fact that its only 5 inches makes it the only POCKETABLE tablet on the market (to my knowledge). The fact that I also happen to own a T-Mobile wifi Hotspot means that I can literally go anywhere and never be without wifi access. Its the perfect combination!
I opted for the 5.0 because I felt the 4.0 was too close to the size of my G2 and with the same size battery (1300 mah). I wanted something bigger. The screen is perfect for watching videos and I honestly can't see myself even using my phone for media anymore. Its too small now! Lol
 
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