Samsung is challenging the Apple iPod’s dominance of the portable multimedia player market with its new Galaxy Player franchise, which includes the tiny Galaxy Player 50 and the full-size Galaxy Player. The latter resembles Samsung’s Galaxy S smartphone in the same way that Apple’s iPod Touch resembles the iPhone: essentially the same device, capable of playing apps and video and music, but with no 3G connection. The smaller Samsung Galaxy Player 50 runs Android 2.1 on a 3.2-inch screen, while the regular-size Galaxy Player relies on Android 2.2 to power media on its 4-inch screen. After spending a few minutes with each, your first impression is that, yes, this is basically an Android device lacking 3G capability. The second is that the devices are versatile in a way one would expect of an iPod Touch killer: capable of playing music, downloading apps and even (in the case of the Galaxy Player) making a video conferencing call over WiFi. But can Samsung break Apple’s hold on that market? That, of course, remains the question. – …