Good small mp3 player recommended for certain people only

I bought this mp3 player after going through several others over the years. I paid $92 at Circuit City in March 2006 (I didn't shop around much since my previous mp3 player broke and I needed a new one). I work out 4-5 times a week (lifting weights, running, biking, etc), so I wanted something small, durable, but could hold enough songs to workout to. I didn't want an iPod like everyone else because they seem too big when I see people wearing them on their arms (especially the people with the 1st generation iPods). I only like listening to a handful of songs (that get me pumped up), so I don't need to be able to store my entire collection of songs, although an iPod with playlist capability would work. I also don't like lanyards, because they flop around everywhere, so I wanted something with a clip.

This Samsung YP-F1 (512mb) is small (about 2.5" x 1.2" x .6") and has a METAL clip which really acts as the main body of the player. The metal clip is the best feature in my opinion and the main reason why I bought it. It is a nice brushed stainless steel, so it won't rust and looks good in my opinion. I've had other mp3 players with plastic clips that lasted a few months before they broke off. The metal clip is also tight so I have no fear of it falling off my shorts when I run.

With 512mb, I have plenty of space to hold songs for an entire workout. Like I said, I only workout to a handful of songs that get me pumped up, so I don't need more space. Right now I only have 32 songs that take up 150mb. I also change out a few songs every week.

The main connection is USB 2.0, and it transfers each file in a few seconds or less. You don't need any special software to transfer songs, because when you plug it in it shows up as a "Removable Disk" that you can just drag-and-drop files to. You can only listen to songs through your computer when you connect the player to the USB (since it only goes into "charging" mode).

The USB cable is the battery charger and plugs into the earphone jack. I think you'd have to order a new cable from Samsung if you lost it, because it's not a common USB cable. I don't like that it has an internal battery, because there have been many times where it will just die in the middle of a workout and I can't just put in a new battery. The claimed battery life is 10 hours per charge, but I've found it to be 5-7 hours, therefore I have to charge it every few days. It also shows 3 bars on the display for battery life, but never gives a true indication (it seems to always show 2 of 3 bars when either fully charged or right before it goes dead).

The buttons are really small, and is difficult to flip through songs. But that's the compromise for having a small mp3 player that I can live with since I don't flip through songs that much. There is a "feature" that shuts the display off after a few seconds while playing, so if I want to move through songs I have to press the button twice (once to bring the display back up, and one more time to move to the next song).

I have not messed with the playlist option or other menus, since I only listen to a handful of songs. There is also a voice recording feature that I haven't messed with since I don't care for that.

The volume control is also a small button, but since the button is at the bottom of the player I find that it's easy to get to. Volume is adequate at best in a noisy gym, and the level goes from 0-30. I have excellent hearing and typically have it turned up between 19 and 23. The player comes with earphones (not headphones), so maybe upgrading to better ones will help. I sweat pretty good, and have not shorted out the earphones yet (I have done this before).

Overall I am pleased with this mp3 player. I would recommend it to anyone looking for a small player with a clip (not a lanyard or arm band) who doesn't mind small buttons and doesn't need special features. There is no special software required, it has fast file transfer, plenty of memory, and METAL clip! I have dropped it a couple times, and it's still working, but I've dropped other players and they still worked too. The price was a little high at the time, and you can probably get a similar mp3 player for half the price now.