The Samsung IceTouch with a transparent AMOLED display and the fitness-focused Samsung MyFit lead Samsung's new music player releases.
Samsung announced a pair of new MP3 players, both dramatically different in their unique features and target audience. The Samsung IceTouch YP-H1 is a high-end audio device with the first transparent AMOLED display we've seen on a commercially shipping product. The Samsung MyFit YP-W1 is a fitness guru with fat and stress sensors on the top of the player.
You can see the Samsung IceTouch from the other side
 Because Samsung manufactures some of the best (and few) AMOLED screens on the market, they've also cornered the industry by using the high-contrast, lower power display technology on more of their devices. But the Samsung IceTouch marks the first time we've seen a transparent AMOLED display on a retail device. The Sony Ericsson Xperia Pureness also uses a transparent screen, but it's monochrome in design, and not full color like the Samsung IceTouch.
In fact, the 2-inch transparent AMOLED display on the Samsung IceTouch is capable of showing your photos and even playing DVD-quality video. The screen is crafted with a dual injection molding process, and the tempered glass display is durable and scratch proof, according to Samsung. The company says the Samsung IceTouch is driven by a high performance processor, and besides the high quality video the player is also capable of 5.1-channel sound enhancement technology, so it could make quite a portable video device.
The real name of the game, though, is music, and Samsung doesn't slouch when it comes to music playback features on the Samsung IceTouch. The player can handle a wide range of formats sure to please even the most die hard audiophiles. Besides the basics like MP3, WMA, AAC and M4A files, the IceTouch can play OGG, FLAC and MP3HD files as well. We've always been impressed with Samsung's audio quality, and our chief complaint has been the lack of codec support to really set the players apart. We're happy to find Samsung has answered that complaint. Besides the audio format support, the IceTouch will also be able to play MPEG4, WMV, H.264 and even DiVX and Xvid movies. Too bad that screen isn't bigger, then.
The Samsung IceTouch will use Samsung's TouchWiz Sweep interface. Similar to the TouchWiz interface on Samsung's cell phones, like the Samsung Omnia II, the new TouchWiz Sweep interface provides a comfortable grip and new options for interacting with the player. The IceTouch also includes an FM radio.
The Samsung MyFit wants you to put down that cigarette and start jogging
 We've seen plenty of MP3 players that purport to be fitness devices. Even the Apple iPod Touch has the Nike+ features built in. But Samsung goes a step further with the Samsung MyFit. The MyFit actually features built-in sensors on top of the device to monitor your body fat level and your stress level. The Samsung MyFit can help monitor your stress level, fat thickness, calorie intake and burn, and the effectiveness of your exercise routine.
The built-in accelerometer on the Samsung MyFit automatically tracks calories burned while you're jogging. There's an included food calorie database on board so you can record what you've eaten to monitor calories in and calories burned through exercise. To stay healthy, there's even a water intake manager, presumably to help you remember to drink 8 glasses, and even a smoking cessation utility. We wonder if Samsung couldn't have added a smoking sensor as well to yell at quitting smokers as they light up.
The Samsung MyFit also plays music, but even the music features are on a health kick. Samsung seems focused on helping you jog more, so the Samsung MyFit features a unique jogging playlist and a simple Tapping Control Jogging mode that makes it easy to change to the next song. The MyFit also features customized workout guides. The music player can play MP3, WMA, OGG and AAC files, and there's even some simple video support for MPEG4 and WMV formats. An FM radio is built in to listen to local stations instead of your preloaded tracks.
Both the Samsung MyFit and the Samsung IceTouch will be available in the first half of 2010. The MyFit will ship with 8GB of storage, while the IceTouch will use 16GB of internal memory. Pricing for these devices has yet to be announced.
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