Samsung Galaxy Player 5.0 Hands-on

TX WJ

Intelligent Donkey
Oct 15, 2008
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[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rP4MkrJBZSk]Samsung Galaxy Player 5.0 Hands-on[/ame]

[ame=http://www.amazon.com/Samsung-Galaxy-5-0-Android-Player/dp/B005P1VNDW/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1319293114&sr=8-1] Nice MP3 player for $270[/ame] might bet my son one for Christmas and he will leave my phone alone.
 

Vargas

Molon Labe!
Oct 16, 2008
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This is a nice player. Just like an Ipod touch without the phone portion--full access to the Android Marketplace.

Pretty sweet.
 

DAB

Mod Emeritus
Oct 9, 2008
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It would depend on the music setup, which has always been one of the weakest areas on Android devices. That thing looks thick and wide too, I can't imagine having that hanging on my neck with a lanyard or in my pocket, but the video could be deceiving too.

Certainly work checking out and good news to see Apple at last getting some competition in the iPod Touch market.
 

DAB

Mod Emeritus
Oct 9, 2008
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Okay, I did a check of several places with reviews and the reviews look really good on this. Considering that I was a bit disappointed in that Apple didn't update the iPod Touch this time around. I decided to go ahead and order one of these. This will give me a great opportunity to play around with and learn Android. The few video reviews show it side by side with the iPod and it is larger, but not as vastly as you might think.

Tell you another key reason is that it doesn't appear that Google is going to release or perhaps doesn't feel that Apple would approve an iOS music player for there Music Service. Since there is already an Android app for the Google Music service this is really where my curiosity lies. I have my whole iTunes library already uploaded to the Google Music Service.

I think I've made it pretty clear I am not real impressed with Apple's iTunes Match service in its current coronation. I do think it will get better overtime though.

Looking forward to this and if push comes to shove the good news with Amazon is I can always return it. I suspect with that nice big screen this will be a keeper. Besides I think I'd rather my music player be Android than my phone at least for now.

By the way I just did an online chat with a Samsung support person and of course initially he had no clue about this MP3 Player. He did some checking because my question to him was will Samsung offer and upgrade to the next Android OS Ice Cream Sandwich. According to him and he supposedly checked with a supervisor, Samsung will offer an upgrade to Ice Cream Sandwich at some point. Again, take this with a grain of salt as I am, but at least there is a possibility.

PS: The video that TX posted in this thread has a lot of misinformation in it too. You may want to look at several other hands on that are already on YouTube that does a much better job. Just looking at the first look info provided in this video didn't convince me nearly as much as the real hand on with end users actually using it. Not just some floor display that they played with for 10 minutes.
 

DAB

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Okay I got this thing in, but I am already dumbfounded. You Android guys, it has about 5GB free, which I'd like to use for the apps of course, but I see no way to tell it to use the 32gb external microSD for storing my music files from Rdio and Slacker. What am I missing? 5GB isn't going to cut it and if the micrSD card is just for loading up with your own music and pictures that isn't going to do me any good.

Just a mini review; the display though not as nice as the iPod it is certainly nice, because of the size. The device is fast even though it doesn't have a dual-core process, neither does my iPod or iPhone 4.

I got several apps loaded, but here is one for you. Sirius XM App won't install. It says it isn't supported, which means that Sirius XM has not updated there app to support Gingerbread - Android 2.3.5. Everything else I installed seems to be working fine.

I do have the issue with Slacker not letting me cache, because of course my account is tied to my iPod Touch, so I have to wait 3 days for that Premium service to end. Which I have scheduled to not renew. I am going back to the Plus only sub

Rdio works GREAT, just wish I could get the music date files stored over on the microSD. Because if I download all the music in my collection and playlist my Samsung Galaxy Music Player will be full.

One issue I have detected, though it has not really impacted anything. The wifi range is very poor and thus far even sitting in the room with the wifi router, it sometimes only shows 1 bar.

Anyway if anyone knows how to get Android 2.3.5 to use the microSD card, please let me know how to do it as I am stumped!
 

memebag

Top Brass, ADVP
Oct 11, 2008
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The issue isn't getting Android to use the SD card, but the apps. Check the settings for those apps.

I run SiriusXM on Gingerbread (2.3.3), so it sounds like Sirius just doesn't support that device.
 

ProperModulation

Green Type of Tube
Oct 11, 2008
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Cool! Dunno about slacker and caching but I have a few app suggestions for you.

I loaded an app called Playlist Builder which lets you build smart playlists for the music on your phone. This app let me cut completely from itunes for playlists.
Mixzing and PowerAmp are really good players. They are paid aps though. Winamp has a really good free player as well. I love the swiping gestures in mixzing. It lets me easily flick through tunes in the car.

I also have no probs with Sirius xm on gingerbread. Maybe they block that device?

Sent from my DROIDX using Tapatalk
 

DAB

Mod Emeritus
Oct 9, 2008
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The issue isn't getting Android to use the SD card, but the apps. Check the settings for those apps.

I run SiriusXM on Gingerbread (2.3.3), so it sounds like Sirius just doesn't support that device.

Yeah, I don't see any ability to have any of these App's use the SD card.

I was reading on a few forums that it seems that Sirius XM has an issue with anything above 2.3.3.

Why can't they just sell these damn things with 16 or 32gb of built in flash memory.
 

ProperModulation

Green Type of Tube
Oct 11, 2008
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I also recommend ES File Explorer. It will let you browse the file system and see exactly what is on your SD card.

Sent from my DROIDX using Tapatalk
 

DAB

Mod Emeritus
Oct 9, 2008
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Cool! Dunno about slacker and caching but I have a few app suggestions for you.

I loaded an app called Playlist Builder which lets you build smart playlists for the music on your phone. This app let me cut completely from itunes for playlists.
Mixzing and PowerAmp are really good players. They are paid aps though. Winamp has a really good free player as well. I love the swiping gestures in mixzing. It lets me easily flick through tunes in the car.

I also have no probs with Sirius xm on gingerbread. Maybe they block that device?

Sent from my DROIDX using Tapatalk

Thanks for the suggestions I will check those out! My big issue isn't so much with my own music. I really prefer to use a music service that lets me cache what I want. I had to really cut back on what I am caching because of the limited space and inability to make use of the 32gb microSD.

Anyway... I love this player though. It works great!

I can't imagine why Sirius XM would block it, but you could be right or perhaps they just haven't added it to there list of approve devices. I am not sure how all this works.
 

DAB

Mod Emeritus
Oct 9, 2008
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It doesn't matter if the memory is built in or in a removable slot. It's all treated like a disc drive, same as on iOS.

Slacker says it caches stations to the sd card: Find Answers

Rdio makes it sound like it uses the SD card on everything but Galaxy and HTC hardware for some reason: Android Troubleshooting - Rdio Help Center

Unfortunately I am sitting here with a 32gb microSD and I can't get anything on it because apparently Rdio doesn't support using SD, though as you said it appears they do on some. If the flash memory was all internal, I wouldn't be having these issues, so I have to disagree with you that in this case it does seem to matter rather it is internal or external flash memory. I do get your point and you are right it shouldn't matter, but clearly it does.

Slacker likely will work, but I am stuck in a loop with them and there crazy ass premium plan that won't let me cache to another device. I initially set it up, then later added the microSD. Well when I did this it offered me to use the SD card, but when I did, it said that it was already cached to another device. Really? No its the same device, which I had just cached too 5 minutes earlier.

I have submitted a support ticket to Sirius XM, along with Rdio to see if they are planning to support the Sam Galaxy Music Player. I am so use to something either supporting the OS or not, it is foreign to me having to deal with devices running the same OS, but some of them aren't supported. I don't get that at all.
 

dualsub2006

Member
Nov 11, 2008
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It doesn't matter if the memory is built in or in a removable slot. It's all treated like a disc drive, same as on iOS.
It's all treated like a disc, but not one big continuous disc. Apps handle SD card storage very differently from built in storage.

DAB - Rdio caches to my HTC Thunderbolt SD card without issue. If you installed Rdio and then installed the SD card, try doing an uninstall of the app. If that's how you set it up Rdio will be locked in on internal storage for cache.




Sent from my Thunderbolt using Tapatalk
 
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DAB

Mod Emeritus
Oct 9, 2008
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It's all treated like a disc, but not one big continuous disc. Apps handle SD card storage very differently from built in storage.

DAB - Rdio caches to my HTC Thunderbolt SD card without issue. If you installed Rdio and then installed the SD card, try doing an uninstall of the app. If that's how you set it up Rdio will be locked in on internal storage for cache.




Sent from my Thunderbolt using Tapatalk

dual thanks, I was thinking I should try this. Getting a bit late tonight, but I am going to give this a shot for sure. I sure hope it works, because everything else about this bad boy is sweet!
 

IdRatherBeSkiing

Sherbet is NOT and NEVER WILL BE ice cream.
Oct 11, 2008
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Okay I got this thing in, but I am already dumbfounded. You Android guys, it has about 5GB free, which I'd like to use for the apps of course, but I see no way to tell it to use the 32gb external microSD for storing my music files from Rdio and Slacker. What am I missing? 5GB isn't going to cut it and if the micrSD card is just for loading up with your own music and pictures that isn't going to do me any good.

Just a mini review; the display though not as nice as the iPod it is certainly nice, because of the size. The device is fast even though it doesn't have a dual-core process, neither does my iPod or iPhone 4.

I got several apps loaded, but here is one for you. Sirius XM App won't install. It says it isn't supported, which means that Sirius XM has not updated there app to support Gingerbread - Android 2.3.5. Everything else I installed seems to be working fine.

I do have the issue with Slacker not letting me cache, because of course my account is tied to my iPod Touch, so I have to wait 3 days for that Premium service to end. Which I have scheduled to not renew. I am going back to the Plus only sub

Rdio works GREAT, just wish I could get the music date files stored over on the microSD. Because if I download all the music in my collection and playlist my Samsung Galaxy Music Player will be full.

One issue I have detected, though it has not really impacted anything. The wifi range is very poor and thus far even sitting in the room with the wifi router, it sometimes only shows 1 bar.

Anyway if anyone knows how to get Android 2.3.5 to use the microSD card, please let me know how to do it as I am stumped!

Slacker does use the microSD card to cache. I remember reading it on their forum. Not sure about app installs.

Are you switching from your iPhone to Android? There are somethings that can be prepared for. This is not one of them. :)
 

TX WJ

Intelligent Donkey
Oct 15, 2008
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Do a google search for Amazon Free Android App of the day.

I got App 2 SD Pro there, it allows you to send most apps to the SD card
 

dualsub2006

Member
Nov 11, 2008
172
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Do a google search for Amazon Free Android App of the day.

I got App 2 SD Pro there, it allows you to send most apps to the SD card

Rdio can't be moved with Apps 2 SD, it's a phone only app. I'm not rooting until Cyanogen has an ICS port for my phone so I'm not sure if the root app movers work or not.

Moving the app to SD likely wouldn't fix this problem if Rdio has already setup its cache on internal storage.

Sent from my Thunderbolt using Tapatalk
 

jmcmahan

Member
Nov 1, 2008
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Hilton Head Island SC
It's my understanding that on android all apps that have the ability to have widgets will only store on internal memory. However, all other apps can be moved to SD. Do I have that right?
 

dualsub2006

Member
Nov 11, 2008
172
5
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It's my understanding that on android all apps that have the ability to have widgets will only store on internal memory. However, all other apps can be moved to SD. Do I have that right?

Not exactly correct, no. Widgets can only be used when an app is installed on internal memory. If you move the app to SD (and lots of apps with widgets can be moved) the widget option goes away.

Developers have the option to either allow their app to be moved to SD, to install on SD as a default or to be phone only. As an example, large games will auto install to SD by default while apps that deal with encrypted content like Rdio tend to be phone only.

Some apps that are marked phone only by the developer can be forced to SD if you are rooted. Doing this breaks some apps and they become unusable.

Does that answer your question?