Samsung unveils upgraded MP3 players

virgin.com : A couple of compact music players with enough space for 1000 tracks. Rivals to iPod nano? They sure as hell think so. Samsung has released a pair of spanking new music players, each with 2GB of flash memory, FM tuners and support for a wide range of file formats.

First up is the £120 YP-U1Q, which measures up at around the size of a pack of chewing gum and comes with a flip-out USB connector to keep cable use to an absolute minimum. But this is no iPod Shuffle clone – it has a 4-line LCD screen (thank the Lord) allowing you to select the tracks you actually want to hear. The battery, meanwhile, provides 13 hours of playback per charge.

For those with a little more cash to splash, there’s the YP-T8Q, priced at £190. Not only does this play up to 20 hours of music per charge, it can also display photos and videos on a 1.8-inch TFT screen. Included in the features list is USB Host, enabling you to move files straight off a camera, phone or other USB device – which sounds like a nice way to cut out the kafuffle of shifting content around to us, as you don’t even need to boot up your PC or Mac.

Check the usual outlets for both players, which are available now.