Peas in a pod

Apple8217;s rivals have had plenty of time to study the iPod, figure out what makes it such a hit and offer reasonable competition. However...

Apple8217;s rivals have had plenty of time to study the iPod, figure out what makes it such a hit and offer reasonable competition. However, that hasn8217;t happened. Of every 100 people walking by in their little music isolation bubbles, 78 seem to have telltale white iPod earbuds. The iPod8217;s market share drifts upward, leaving its rivals to fight over the scraps.

Last week, Samsung was the latest company claiming to have cracked the iPod formula. Its new Z5 player has the same-size sleek facade as the iPod Nano 3.5 by 1.6 inches, comes in a similar choice of colors silver or black, is offered in two of the same capacities 2 or 4 gigabytes and even costs the same 200 and 250.

Is the Z5, then, the fabled iPod Killer? Let8217;s review the checklist.

Looks Not quite. It8217;s sleek and nice-looking, but thicker than the Nano. The metal case conceals fingerprints, unlike the mirrored chrome of the Nano. But it doesn8217;t look as classy and doesn8217;t feel as nice in your palm.

SCROLL WHEEL No. The Z58217;s controls are thoughtfully designed. But the touch scroller is finicky; perhaps to screen out accidental taps, it registers a tap only if your finger sits on the surface longer than a quarter-second but less than half a second after which fast scrolling begins. You need the reflexes of a frog8217;s tongue. Worse, you can8217;t control the speed of the scrolling; you can8217;t slow down as you approach one part of the alphabet. How could Samsung have missed this one?

SOFTWARE MENU Ultrasimple. Samsung nailed this aspect.

SYNCHRONISATION Mostly effortless. But in the case of the iPod, Apple designed the music store, the player and the jukebox software on the computer; no wonder it all works so smoothly. When you use the Z5, you get some jarring reminders that three different cooks were at work.

MUSIC STORE INTEGRATION No. I tested the Z5 with Rhapsody8217;s store, which is available directly from the copy of Windows Media Player provided by the Z58217;s installer. After banging my head on the keyboard for an hour, unable to get it to work, a Rhapsody rep finally let me know that, in fact, Rhapsody8217;s subscription store doesn8217;t work in Media Player 8212; only with Rhapsody8217;s own software jukebox.

Story continues below this ad

ACCESSORIES You can buy generic adapters for the car and your home stereo. There will soon be a carrying case, and Samsung will sell its own speakers. But there8217;s no remote control of any kind, and the overall accessory situation looks pretty grim 8212; a drawback of any non-iPod player.

The Z5, then, will not cause any discernible dip in iPod market share. It does, however, deserve to be a hit for Samsung. For someone who wants a Nano that8217;s not a Nano, it8217;s a close enough match in looks, sleekness, capacity and crystal-clear software design. In fact, if iPod didn8217;t loom over every conversation as the screamingly obvious point of comparison, the Z5 could be the next little thing.

The New York Times