When crafting MP3 players, Samsung always combines sleek looks with excellent graphics and easy navigation—and the YP-T10 is a perfect example of this design strategy. But due to anemic file support and lack of a tied-in service such as Rhapsody (like, say, the Haier Ibiza Rhapsody offers), this attractive player is akin to a ship that's able to dock only at Port Windows Media Player.

Simply to confuse you, Samsung's YP-T10 (referred to as the T10) is clearly not an update of 2006's T9. In fact, it's an update to the K3. Maintaining the K3's second-generation nano-esque dimensions, the T10 has a larger screen and video functions, the same touch-sensitive control pad, and an equally well designed user interface. The T10 is offered in two flavors, 4GB ($129) and 8GB ($200), and has some of the enhanced features Samsung introduced last year with the P2—particularly stereo Bluetooth support. The P2, Samsung's answer to the iPod touch, has a Rhapsody tie-in but doesn't truly put Rhapsody in your pocket like the Haier Ibiza does. The T10 forgoes any Rhapsody tie-in whatsoever, offering only MP3 and WMA file support.

The 1.5-ounce T10 measures 3.8 by 1.6 by 0.3 inches, 1.5 ounces (HWD) and comes in five colors—my review unit was Mystic Purple—and flaunts a 2-inch screen that displays video and most photos horizontally. The screen resolution is 240 by 320 pixels (QVGA), and I generally found that photos and video appeared sharp and bright. Too bad only JPEG, WMV9, and MPEG-4 files are invited to the party—again, file support is not Samsung's strong suit. The included earbuds should be replaced, as is my suggestion with most digital music players. The included cable connects the proprietary port on the T10 to a USB port on your PC. Samsung also bundles its Media Studio software, but Windows Media Player is a much simpler and more reliable option for loading the player (or you can just drag and drop files onto the device).

The strength of the T10, like all Samsung players, is its exciting interface. The default menu system features an animated dog named Sammy (get it?) on every page and seems clearly geared toward the younger set and the Hello Kitty crowd. The rest of us will want to change the theme in the settings menu to one of the other more subdued ones. The player offers cool animation when a song is playing, and you can even choose color schemes within a specific theme. Navigation is a breeze, with only two exceptions. The touch-sensitive controls are not always sensitive enough—often requiring multiple taps on each button for the desired result—and the black-and-white Yes or No buttons in certain screens could be better highlighted.

The user EQ options and the DNSe presets on the T10 are nothing new; I suggest leaving them off. Surprisingly, the 7-band EQ didn't seem to have a tremendous effect on audio output when I fiddled with it. If you need more oomph from your player, again, an earphone upgrade is the answer. Of course, being an MP3-and-WMA-only device, this player certainly isn't an audiophile's dream to begin with.

Pairing the T10 with a stereo Bluetooth headset is a piece of cake, but wirelessly linking it (also over Bluetooth) with a cell phone for answering calls via the player's built-in mic proved impossible. Samsung claims this functionality will come soon in a firmware update. This product was announced in fall 2007, so it's unfortunate that it has taken this long. Bluetooth file transfer, however, is available as a firmware upgrade now on Samsung's Web site.

The extra features that Samsung provides as standard in most of its players are always welcome. The voice recorder function works like a charm and deposits your recorded files into a folder under the music menu. There's an FM radio, too, and the digital tuner is easy to use and assign presets for—sorry, no FM recording, though. Users can also view text files loaded onto the player (via the included Samsung software).

Samsung claims a solid battery life of 30 hours for audio and 4 hours for video. I got 18 hours 26 min out of it on my audio battery rundown test, which is still a pretty good result.

The T10 is a solid PMP, but aside from the Bluetooth capabilities, it's not really bringing anything new to the table. In addition, you may feel restricted by the limited number of file types you'll be able to play. And the exclusion of any integrated music service only makes the T10's file support limitations all the more frustrating. For those folks with strictly MP3 and WMA audio collections, the T10 is an attractive player with an FM radio and a fair share of extra features. But compared with the identically priced iPod nano, it feels a few steps behind.

Samsung offers a one-year warranty on parts and labor. For product support, visit samsung.com

Compare the MP3 players mentioned above side by side.