The K5 works by holding the power switch to the left and then, once the product is on, navigating through the menus. The options on the top level are Music, FM Radio, Photo, Alarm, and Settings, which do a good job of laying out what the K5 can do. As you scroll through the modes a Flash-like animation plays on the display showing what is happening and after a few moments of inactivity, no matter what mode you are in, the navigation buttons lose their illumination and disappear.
Once you choose a mode the navigation is relatively easy- the center button acts as enter, the return button on the top left is escape, and the four arrow keys move accordingly. The up and down arrows mainly control the volume and on the top right (or bottom right depending on orientation) there is a pause key.
When the K5 is opened the music immediately begins playing from the speakers, so the transition from one mode to the other is completely seamless. In fact, when speakers are exposed the display automatically reorients itself from portrait to landscape mode so that even though you are holding the player sideways, the navigation is the same. The navigation is extremely slick and despite the lack of tactile buttons it is easy to get around the system and do what you want to.
Along with the K5 the user will get all the normal instructions, plus a software CD, a transfer cable, and a set of earphones. The K5 uses a proprietary USB cable that is unlike that found on most other USB devices and is more like the connection found on a cell phone. This is definitely an issue when it comes to interoperability because if you lose the cable the chance that you will have a replacement cable from another device is relatively slim. This will also limited the number of accessories and docking stations (etc.) that are compatible with the K5, but since it has its own speakers, this is not a big issue.
One of the most interesting points of the K5 are the included ear phones. Rather than being the typical ones that any demanding user would just throw out, these are reminiscent of a high-end earbud that fits in your ear canal. The effect is something like a Shure where is stays securely in your ear and blocks almost all of the ambient noise, the end result being great sound and an unexpectedly full range.
Before using the K5 player you will probably want to install the included software. Rather than use Itunes or Windows Media Player the K5 comes with Samsung Media Studio, a program that is effectively the same as all the rest. Using the Media Studio it is possible, and even easy, to organize your music collection as well as add to it, burn CDs, create playlists, and all the rest. The application is still no Itunes, but it does the job well and makes quick work of syncing and other tasks.
