Pretty pebble: As far as actual technology goes, all flash-memory MP3 players are pretty much the same. If you're thinking about the iPod Touch as an exception, think again, since the Touch is an actual computer, complete with a central processor, RAM and an operating system. But side by side, most solid-state MP3 players are identical, give or take a luxury function or two.
Until recently, their evolution centered around creating more data storage on increasingly smaller chips, but still controlled by the same protocols and the same five to seven buttons. The next phase will no doubt take advantage of organic LED in improving display screens, with elegance of design again largely relegated to the back seat.
So it's a wonder to see Samsung Electronics, which has made a fortune on thin-film transistor (TFT) display devices, release a flash-memory audio player June 4 that has no display screen and is thrillingly pretty. (Samsung also released its own touch-screen model, the YP-P2, earlier this year.)