The K5 (the full name is the YP-K5) has a few things going for it, but the foremost is an integrated set of speakers. That’s right, built-in speakers in a Nano-sized player. None of your friend’s are going to care about the 1.8″ OLED display, FM tuner, or the 4GB capacity when you take out the K5, put in on your desk, and flip those speakers open.

The K5 is a 3.86″ x 1.87″ x .71″ unit that is a little bit wider/longer than the original Pod Nano and roughly three times as thick. The player has a bit of heft to it, due to its metal construction and the fact that it has speakers in one of its two halves. On five sides there is a smooth magnesium finish, while the face is a glassy plastic that reveals nine touch-sensitive buttons when it is powered up. When holding the player and sliding the face to the left the K5 opens and the speakers are revealed. This is done using a spring-loaded closure that does a good job of keeping the player closed until enough pressure is applied and it is pushed open. Once it is in the open position it cannot be closed until the two halves are pushed down and made to be parallel to one another, after which they can be slid together.

The chance of the two pieces sliding apart by themselves seems relatively slight, but it would have been nice if some sort of lock could be integrated so as to prevent any accidental changes because the player is at its most fragile while opened. The motion works on two rails on the back of the front piece. The connection has some play but is relatively sturdy so it should be able to stand up to repeated openings and closings.