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The use of Flash Memory allows for not only a smaller form factor design but brings a welcome lower power consumption level when compared to tape or CD players. The Samsung Yepp YP-35H is powered from a single AAA/LR03 size Alkaline 1.5V battery which has been incorporated into the right hand vertical side of the player and takes the bulk of the unit's overall thickness. A small door conceals the battery, which is capable of up to 15 hours of playback. The battery included is a rather generic "Super Rocket" brand. To the right of the battery compartment resides the necessary USB 1.1 cable connection port for use when transferring songs from your PC to the Samsung Yepp YP-35H. I was surprised not to see USB 2.0 support yet this may be achievable with a firmware upgrade of the player.

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Yepp YP-35H volume buttons

Towards the other side of The Samsung Yepp YP-35H resides a headphone jack along with a small microphone, which can be used to record any sound or verbal message into the Flash Memory. A total of 256 minutes of ADPCM voice can be recorded with a playback bit rate of 32Kbps. An orange SRS button and neck hook strap is located just below. The bottom of the Samsung Yepp YP-35H features a printed Samsung logo and model number along with the Hold button. Once in place, the Hold button locks all controls and prevents any accidental pushing of buttons. The two main control buttons are located alongside the unit and provide options for Play/Pause/Stop/Forward/Backward and Menu/Loop Repeating/Mode and volume.

Yepp YP-35H earphones

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The included headphones take on a simple ear bud design and are branded with the Yepp name along the side. One interesting feature the ear buds presented was a different length of wire for each side, while there is a purpose behind this design there is no option to adjust the lengths. I found this to be quite annoying and have since replaced the ear buds with Sony MDR G72 headphones. In order to copy music to the internal flash memory of the Samsung Yepp YP-35H, users are first required to install the USB driver from the included CD. Also included on the CD is a program called CD Ripper, which is designed to rip songs from a CD into a MP3 or WMA file with your choice of bit rate. The interface is extremely straightforward and easy to navigate, as a test, I encoded all 12 tracks from "The Weakerthans - Left and Leaving" album into 320 Kbps MP3 files which took approximately 18 minutes. Naturally, the lower the bit rate level the less quality and file size the song will hold. The Samsung Yepp YP-35H is capable of 64 minutes of playback at 128Kbps and 90 minutes of MP3 playback at 96Kbps. Once encoded, the MP3 files are ready to be transferred to the Samsung Yepp YP-35H. The transferring of files is extremely straightforward and once the Samsung Yepp YP-35H has been properly connected and powered, it will be identified and appear as a removable storage drive. Using Windows Explorer, simply drag and drop your desired files onto the removable storage drive until full. The process of the transfer will be displayed on the LCD screen of the Samsung Yepp YP-35H with a small-animated graphic and the words "working". Once done, properly de-activate the removable storage drive and the transfer is complete.

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One of the key features of the Samsung Yepp YP-35H is the blue backlit LCD display that is responsible for providing current information at a glance. Upon powering of the unit, users will be greeted with a small-animated Yepp splash screen after which the current amount of free memory will be displayed followed by the default play screen. The backlit feature lasts approximately 5 seconds after which it’s turned off until a button is pressed. The main play screen displays several indicators such as Equalizer, Play mode, Title and Artist, Play Time, Battery Power, Volume and Loop Repeating. The menu screen brings a few different options in regards to Play mode, Equalizer, File, and Settings, all of which branch off into their own respective areas related to them. Some of the more interesting options include the ability to set the default volume, adjust the scroll speed and backlit contrast. The SRS (sound retrieval system) brings the options of 4 sound altering effects to your music. When SRS is selected, you will hear 3D stereo sound. Trubass is a bass boost, which adds to the fullness of the sound. WOW is a feature, which allows you to combine SRS and Trubass simultaneously. Lastly, the EQ option will play the last equalizer settings from either custom set, Rock, Jazz, Classical or Normal modes. The enhanced audio effects come down to personal preference and results will vary depending on volume and music type.

Conclusion:
The Samsung Yepp YP-35H MP3 Player is a well constructed, versatile and efficient portable media solution. The small form factor allows for easy travel and to be put just about anywhere including a belt and around the neck thanks to the included accessories. The MP3 and WMA formats combined with the Flash Media and similar storage technologies are rapidly growing and the Samsung Yepp YP-35H is a welcome contender. The overall ease of use is excellent requiring a simple drag and drop to transfer music. The Blue backlit LCD is ideal for low-lit environments and displays a wealth of information on a single screen. There were a very few negative aspects I encountered when testing the Samsung Yepp YP-35H. I would have liked to seen some extra protection on the front facia of the unit to prevent scratches as well as a quality battery included. While the headphones are a nice addition, the handicap of being unable to adjust the wires in-between ear buds may annoy some users. Aside from a few minor issues, I’m rating the Samsung Yepp YP-35H MP3 a 9 out of 10. If you have any questions regarding this review be sure to visit the Samsung Canada website for more information or discuss them in our forums.

Pros:

Size
Price
128MB Flash Memory
Backlit LCD
SRS
Cons:

Scratches on the front of the unit
No USB 2.0 support
Unable to adjust length between ear buds.