NEW YORK (AP) - Two cool gizmos are better than one, unless you have to carry them both around, in which case it might be better to have one mobile device that can do two cool things.

The problem, of course, is that it's never been easy to cram two devices into one, even if it doesn't have to be portable.

For that reason alone, Samsung and Sprint PCS have pulled off a pretty neat trick with the Uproar, a new mobile phone that doubles as a digital music player.

Naturally, as with most first-of-a-kind products, there are shortcomings, mostly on the audio side and mostly consistent with the complaints one might lob at any digital music player.

But the key accomplishment here is size, because the Uproar packs a lot into a sleek little package.

It's about as slim and light as most new cell phones and similarly equipped with basic address book, calendar and Web browsing functions.

Yet it also stores as much audio as the latest portable music players based on the MP3 digital format.

At $399, the uproar is pricey, but not outrageous compared with the combined costs of a new cell phone and portable music player.

Even without the size constraints of a handheld device, electronics manufacturers have always had a hard time striking a balance between size, power, quality and price.

That's probably why most people still don't buy TVs with built-in VCRs or why audiophiles still shy away from all-in-one stereos.

The choice isn't quite as simple with portable gadgets. Now that cell phones and handheld computers are graduating to must-have-at-all-times status, some people find themselves walking around with three separate devices.

Device makers have clearly struggled in coming to the rescue.

One of the first full-blown attempts at a multipurpose device, the PDQ SmartPhone from Qualcomm, a combined cell phone and Palm organiser, has been sent back to the shop for an overhaul after proving too bulky and too expensive for many tastes.

A thinner, less expensive attempt at the handset-PDA combination was introduced in early November by LG InfoComm through Sprint PCS, though not without some technical difficulties that delayed the launch by five months.

Meanwhile, the Web browsing and information management tools on most cell phones remain sparse, and generally don't integrate very well with the phone's calling features.

But for those who like to carry both a cell phone and a portable digital audio player, the Uproar offers an intriguing alternative.

Music is downloaded to the Uproar from a computer through a USB cable that comes with the phone.

The process is fairly quick and easy, though the Music Match software that accompanies the phone can be a little confusing.

On their desktop PCs, some may prefer the more familiar RealJukebox audio programme that Sprint chose for the MyMusic service it launched in tandem with the phone.

The Uproar's earphones can be used for music or calls. The wires are equipped with a mouthpiece and a small clip-on remote control for basic functions like fast-forward and rewind, or to pause the music and answer an incoming call without having to pull out the phone.

The battery on the Uproar can play up to 10 hours of music per recharge, depending on how much the cell phone is used.

Unfortunately, the device can hold only 64 megabytes of music, which translates into up to an hour and twenty minutes of play time - up to eight hours if the content is simple voice, such as audio books.

While that's a relatively standard amount of memory in the world of portable MP3 players, some devices come with removable storage cards so a person can bring along multiple recordings.

For now, Samsung has no set plans to upgrade the Uproar with more capacity or removable storage in the near future.

Another drawback, though hardly unique to the Uproar, is that using a digital music player requires the patience and presence of mind to update the device with different music before rushing out the door.

That means remembering to boot up the computer and choosing which music to bring, a far more cumbersome process than grabbing a few CDs.

As a nice touch, the Uproar was designed with a slightly retro look that conjures up the image of an old-fashioned transistor radio.

But with 10 hours of power to play just one hour of audio, it's too bad you can't actually switch on the radio after the music runs out.