using X30 for unlimited internet radio

wnyhiker · 03-06-09, 05:53 PM

Last week I bought an X30 off Craig's list for $80. It's the high end model and I'm pretty amazed by all it can do. I'll be leaving my laptop home on most local appoitments now because I can use the X30 for just about all I might need to do while on local appoitments away from my office.

More important to me is the recreational use I can use it for. I was hoping to use it to listen to internet radio but soon learned that many of the stations I like to listen to cannot be heard on Windows Mobile 2003 SE for whatever reason (flash players, etc.) After searching for a week for a solution I read something about using skype and logmein on a mobile phone that gave me a clue as to how to get around this limitation. It is a bit convoluted but I was already using both programs so it didn't take me long to set it up.

In a nutshell, I use skype to call my computer from the Axim X30 and listen to streams being accessed by my main computer. That way I'm not limited to just the streams that my Axim can play. Skype transmits the audio being played on my desktop. I control the selection of stations from my Axim by using logmein. Of course, I still have to be connect to a wifi so this doesn't work in a car or in the middle of the woods.

you can use a free logmein account because you don't need to have sound transfered by logmein (and in any event there is no sound transfer in the mobile version of logmein, gotomypc, or any other remote access mobile software that I know of - if any could transmit sound then the skype step could be skipped.) I have a paid subscription to logmein but I tested this system with a free logmein account on a second computer and it worked fine. You only need to use logmein to get control of your desktop to select the stream you want to be playing.

I also have a paid skyp-in/skype-out with two numbers, but I created two free skype accounts to test this system and the free skype accounts worked fine because you are making a skype-to-skype call. In essence, you set skype on your desktop computer to auto answer calls from your Axim, and set your sound recording device to the Stereo Mixer so that anything playing on your desktop system system is piped through skype.

It may also be possible to set up the same sytem with a video skype call using the video feed from a tv card as the video source for a video skype call, but i haven't played with this yet. Again, if skype will transmit the video then you would use logmein just to change the channles.

hopefully this may give others some new ideas for use of their axims. In essence I've created a portable internet radio more powerful than a logictech squeezebox or duet for less than 1/3 the cost. And unlike the squeezebox, my portable internet radio can run off batteries or ac power, and is not limited to the streams i can play. if it is playable on my desktop then i can listen to it on my axim.

Box · 03-06-09, 06:42 PM

Give www.reciva.com a try, it might save you a few jumps, the stations you want may not work but then again maybe they will.

There are quite a few internet radio sites to choose from and many will work with the X30

Edit: Sorry, I forgot to mention that I think you came up with a great workaround.
Nicely done.

wnyhiker · 03-06-09, 09:32 PM

Thanks for the info on reciva. I gave it a try but I can't get my Axim x30 to play the streams from reciva - in particular the streams from KFI in LA and WBEN in Buffalo. both work on my desktop, but not on the axim.

emeraldgirl08 · 03-06-09, 10:26 PM

You might want to try Resco Radio. It has a 7-day trial but I like it and you can even import stations to it. If you need the link- here it is.

Resco Radio

KimChee · 03-07-09, 12:46 PM

Resco radio is great for streaming radio, I listen to espn radio at night when I can, it comes preloaded with a fair amount of streams, and you can import the streaming .pls yourself if you like. You can find a lot of them on shoutcast. Also, you might want to check out select radio it has 500 stations already loaded into the program, it has the most variety of broadcasts.

Eric12341 · 03-08-09, 09:53 AM

skype for streaming radio isnt that much of a bad idea, but the sound is mono and not stereo

emeraldgirl08 · 03-08-09, 10:50 AM

Originally Posted by KimChee

Resco radio is great for streaming radio, I listen to espn radio at night when I can, it comes preloaded with a fair amount of streams, and you can import the streaming .pls yourself if you like. You can find a lot of them on shoutcast. Also, you might want to check out select radio it has 500 stations already loaded into the program, it has the most variety of broadcasts.

A feature I have not used but may come in handy is the record feature. You can record your music to storage card.

I love Japan-A Radio and Channel X :D

KimChee · 03-09-09, 06:58 AM

Originally Posted by emeraldgirl08

A feature I have not used but may come in handy is the record feature. You can record your music to storage card.

I love Japan-A Radio and Channel X :D

I've got those on my favorites too

EdrickV · 04-07-09, 10:58 PM

FYI, with Orb (MyCast your digital media with Orb 2.0 remote pc access software) and Windows Media Player or (better yet) TCPMP you can access a bunch of internet radio stations. (I think there are 303 by default in Orb and you can add more if you can get a URL. I added one I found on Shoutcast.com.)

And it can do a lot more then that. The downside is that you'd have to run Orb on a PC and have that PC running. But you can access audio/video files on the PC, audio/video on the internet, and a lot more.

Zaniax · 04-08-09, 01:45 PM

I'm using the built in Windows Media Player 10 Mobil on my X50v to listen to internet radios.
It works fine