On the top-side of the YP700H we find the "Hold" button which prevents any of the function keys (play/pause, stop, etc.) from turning on the system if they are bumped.

When buttons are pressed, a little 'hold icon' pops up on the screen and the back light also comes on for a split second. So if you're fiddling around in the dark trying to get the player to work, you won't get very frustrated.

Next to this small switch are the headphone/remote jack, and the small hole for the mic.

The YP-700H can be switched from MP3 playback with the "Mode" key into a decent quality digital voice recorder.

On the fly voice recording is based on the .WAV format, and with the unit connected via the USB cable to a PC/MAC the recorded voice files can be downloaded to the computer just as you might transfer a file to the player.

On the base of the YP-700H we find two more areas of interest. The first is the cover for the battery, and the second is the very thin slot for the SmartMedia flash memory.

All this so far in a portable MP3 player that measures little wider than a credit card, and about as thick as a AAA battery. Except, instead of running through AAA batteries, the YP-700H uses a more advanced 1.2V 1400mAh Nickel Metal Hydride rechargeable battery.

The Nickel Metal Hydride battery lasts for quite a few hours, and after having used the AAA-based Yepp YP-30S for some time now, it's really nice just to be able to pop the battery into a charger. Charging usually takes less than 4 hours for a full session.

The 1400mAh "Twicell" comes with its own charger that it simply clips into. When charging is complete, a little green light comes on to let you know. In addition to this source of electricity, the YP-700H can also accepts an auxiliary AAA battery back pack. This small aluminum tube holds exactly one AAA battery, and can run the entire player when necessary.