A slew of new touch screen players from Sony, Samsung and iriver were unveiled at CES 2009. Check out our hands-on impressions.
Sony Walkman NWZ-X1000
 At their booth at CES 2009 in Las Vegas, Sony had the new Sony Walkman NWZ-X1000 on display, though unfortunately all of the available units were sealed under plastic domes. Sony says this is because the device is still few in number, and they want to keep a close eye on them, so we should still expect that the version we saw today was close to the release version. In any case, even behind the plastic bubble, it was easy to see how bright and clear the OLED screen was. This technology is making an appearance on a few spotlight products here at CES, including the new OQO Model II+ UMPC, and we've been impressed with the display tech every time we've laid eyes on it. It provides a nice contrast ratio, and also draws less power than other display types. We're curious to see if this makes a difference on a Wi-Fi device.
Samsung YP-P3
 Samsung's high-end portable media players have always zigged where other have zagged. While other flagship all-touch players are focusing on Wi-Fi and internet capabilities, like the Sony Walkman NWZ-X1000 above, the Samsung YP-P3, like the YP-P2 before it, focuses more on some acrobatic feats of Bluetooth. The touch screen player can pair with your phone, and then the music will pause when you receive a call. Further, you can even take the phone call using your headphones and a built-in microphone on the Samsung YP-P3. Full preview...
iriver P7
 For the DivX-on-the-go enthusiasts, the iriver P7 might be an interesting choice when being released in the U.S. in the second half of 2009. It's no secret that iriver's video players tend to impress in the audio department, and the iriver P7 will feature SRS WOW HD technology and an equalizer with seven presets for audio management. The player will be sold in 4, 8 and 16GB variants, and will also come with a microSD memory slot. Sharp lines define the iriver P7 when it comes to both exterior and interface design. What makes this a really interesting player though, is its 4.3-inch LCD screen optimized for 480 x 272 handheld videos. As an added bonus, the screen is touch-sensitive, though not of the most finger-friendly, capacitive kind. We would have liked to see OLED screen technology here too, like a few other iriver P Series models offer, but the iriver P7 will still be an interesting player at around $200.
Philip Berne, Mike Perlman and Sindre Lia contributed to this CES 2009 story.
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