Samsung Napster YH-920 review

PC Pro would like to make it clear that the Samsung Napster YH-920 is not yet compatible with the Napster To Go service. For a full list of devices that are, click here.

Due to its lack of integration with the Napster To Go service, PC Pro is removing the Recommended award we gave the device in our original review.

Before iPod, iTunes and even the whole MP3 player explosion, there was Napster. Not surprisingly, though, the idea of music being freely disseminated across the planet was frowned upon by the record industry, and it went away. Then the record companies finally realised the power of the Internet and now it's back again, and this time it's got hardware.

Samsung makes Napster's branded player, and the partnership looks to have paid off. The player itself doesn't quite have the designer styling of its Apple counterpart, but it's far from ugly and offers a few extra features over the iPod, such as an integrated voice recorder, line-in port and radio.

Controlling the player from the front is simple, with a large joystick giving intuitive access to all settings and tracks. Finding what you want isn't quite as fast as Apple's trackpad, but you can quickly nudge the volume in your pocket if you're not using the bulky remote. The music library is practically identical - in terms of look and layout - to the iPod, though, with tracks organised by ID3 tag.

Putting the machine on a randomly shuffled playlist gave us about eight hours' continuous use - a lot less than current-generation iPods (see opposite), and nowhere near the 20 hours of Rio's Carbon 5GB (see issue 124, p78). So, it's likely to leave you occasionally music-less.

However, it's the Napster software that truly enhances the player. Available for free download, recent tweaks allow it to easily rival iTunes. The layout is similar, although live and updated content replaces the 'couture' Apple skin. As we were going to press, song prices dropped to 79p inc VAT, while albums fell to £7.95 inc VAT. A monthly subscription lets you listen to unlimited streamed tracks from the million-song library. You can also listen to pre-programmed radio selections, friends' playlists or create your own. Whenever you want to keep a track, just right-click and select Pay.

Even more innovative is Napster To Go. This song-rental service lets you download and listen to whatever you want for as long as you subscribe. At £15 per month, it's pricey, but considering the immense flexibility this offers it's hard to criticise. The only iTunes feature missing is the ability to share music libraries over a network with the free client.

The software works with other DRM10-enabled WMA players too. But if you want to buy into the Napster system, it makes sense to have the player that was specifically designed to work with it, especially as it also repairs and updates software as required. While the player isn't anything particularly special, it's elevated to greatness by the rest of the system.

Author: Nick Ross