Having read the reviews, mainly the 1 and 2 star reviews,  I was little hesitant about getting this player. I was also considering the Cowon J3 player. Screen size and the Android OS swayed me to the Samsung. I chose the 4.0 instead of the 3.6 and 5.0 because of screen size. The 3.6 was too small for viewing and the 5.0 to big for portability. I chose the 4.0 over the 4.2 because of the better camera with the 4.0.

I had doubts about the 4.0 because of complaints about the sound quality and sound level with the player. My main use for this unit was as a music player. There were complaints about a hissing sound and also that the sound volume was not high enough. I found the sound quality superior to my previous 3 portable MP4 players and  both my portable CD players as well as my non-portable CD/DVD players. As for volume, even though I have been told by my ear doctor I am in need of a hearing aid, there is more than enough volume to satisfy me. I have been using the Sony MDR-W08 headphones on all my players. As for using the external speakers, the sound quality and volume are not so good compared to using headphones.

I have had my Samsung Galaxy S 4.0 YP-G1CWY digital media player for less than a week. I am still learning much about it. Their User Manual which you can get at their site on the internet does not really explain completely what a beginner needs to know in using this player. I discovered on the Samsung site the "Galaxy S User Guide" (http://www.samsung.com/global/microsite/galaxys/userguide/index.html). It was much more informative in how use the unit.

I have tried only a few times to take photos and videos. The quality of the images are decent and the options for using them are simple but adequate. Any editing I wish to do is with a dedicated photo or video program on my PC. My only complaint is that when using the camera outdoors in full sunlight, the images on the screen are almost impossible to see. Magnification(zooming in) is done using the volume control which I discovered is found only in the User Guide and not in the User Manual.

My main complaint is with the radio function. I wish it had FM-out which I had with my Teclast M55 Chinese MP4 player. I am waiting to receive an FM transmiiter/car charger to fill that gap in the player's functionality. The other grip is with adding radio stations. Except for being able to add only up to 4 'favorite' stations, the only way to add them is by using the built in scanning function.  My Teclast player allowed adding stations both by scanning and manually.

As for typing on the keyboard screen, even with my big fingers I have had not problems. There are several options with the mode and style of keyboard functionality.

I have not tried voice rcording, so I cannot comment on that.

I have not used the Android, Blue tooth nor wifi functions yet. I really have not need nor desire to do so at this point. I think most people would  find them very desireable and useful. Skype would be the only thing I might wish to use.

I like that it has Gorilla Glass. Viewing angles and clarity are excellent. I also like that the player has volume buttons as well as a home button. They are more useable than having that done by tapping the screen. The battery life seems to be excellent so far. The battery is replaceable and the memory can be increased up to a total of 40 GB making them pluses for buying this unit. I added a 32 GB Micro SD 10 card which works fine with the player. In transferring files, I prefer the drag -&-drop method. No matter where the files are stored, they are seamless added together for viewing and playing.

My player indicates it is uisng Froyo and not Gingerbread. However, when checking for updates using 'Samsung Kies", the player indicates that I have the latest firmware version( 2.2.2). Having read some problems with bugs in 2.3.5(Gingerbread), I guess I am ok with Froyo since everything runs fine. Ice Cream Sandwich and higher firmware versions are not available for this unit according to Samsung.

 Over all, I like this Samsung Galaxy S YP-G1CWY digital media player in terms of its functions and functionality.  I would highly recommend it to someone who wants all the functionally and portability of a smartphone without the cellphone function and price commitment of a 2 year contract with a cellphone company.

Recommended: Yes