X3i as MP3/WMA player

[bobfrank]

Hi All

I'd like to hear other people's experiences using the X3(i) as a "walkman". Ignoring battery life which I think is a separate issue my concerns are:

Too quiet, even max volume isn't enough to be audible over traffic if I walk down the street

Volume control in media player is very coarse at the quiet end and almost useless at high end. 1st 10% of movement goes from 0 to 50% volume. This seems worse with MP3s.

Any suggestions on headphones would be welcome.

Can I map the jog wheel to volume/skip?

Any suggestions on alternative players to the MS one?

cheers
bob

i have found the volume to be fine on my X3i. i use jensen headphones.

try adjusting both the system volume and the volume in media player. that will give you some more control over the level you want.

you can map all the buttons in media player. i mapped the jog wheel for volume and the action button on the jog wheel to pause/play. just go into Tools> Settings> Buttons, and you will be able to select what buttons do what function.

[bobfrank]

Ah - that was the bit I was missing - I had the system volume very low.
I'm a Palm user for many years so it is all new to me.
Thanks!

It is very MSwindows that you can map some of the buttons centrally in one place and some in the applications themselves.

Thanks again
bob

[pittbull]

I use my X3 basic for a walkman. I listen to it every day on the bus. I have a 256 MB SD Card. I suggest Sony Sports Headphones - the foldable ones.

The volume is fine, the media player is touchy with the volume but you can probably download a more full-featured mp3 player for the axim.

Also, the button mapping, I don't know but would like to find out.

The screen can be turned off which saves you lots on the battery life.

[Stixy]

I use mine with my treadmill in the basement. WIFI connection to an Internet Radio station - GREEAAAT

[InTheLamb.com]

I'm currently test driving 2 media players. Pocket Music (www.pocketmind.com) looks like WinAmp and has both a free version and a $20 version. Pocket Player (www.conduits.com) is $20.

[bobfrank]

I've learnt a lot :)

The button mapping is sorted

Volume I'll play with some more

I've been putting MP3s on the SD card by copying them through the explore function in active sync. This seems very slow as they are converted to WMA format. Do you guys use a card reader or is there a better way?

inthelamb do the players sound any different or is it a question of features/interface? And which one do you recommend?

[Deam]

It is pretty loud. Using sony earbud headphones, I have to keep the MP volume at near minimal if the system volume is high, or I will go deaf.

I think it also depends on the volume of the MP3 as it was recorded.

[InTheLamb.com]

Originally posted by bobfrank
inthelamb do the players sound any different or is it a question of features/interface? And which one do you recommend?

I've decided I like Pocket Music from www.pocketmind.com the best of the 3 for playing MP3s. The interface if familiar (WinAmp). Although the controls are small, they are easy to understand. It is well worth taking a moment to map the buttons. The play list functionality is very good and easy to use. When you drag the thingy that shows you how far you are through the MP3, it shows you the minutes you are skipping to. Windows Media Player and Pocket Player does not do this. You can hide the equalizer to see more of the play list. You can drag and drop to organize the play list. All of this is with the free version.

The $20 adds bookmarks and the ability to skip forward or back 10 seconds, wimamp skins, a special large button view for using in the car and many other features. I'll probably get the pay version although I think $10 would be an appropriate price. I listen to sermons and books and these features are really handy for me.

Randy

[bobfrank]

I have to agree that $20 is a bit steep - I really want WMA support as they sound better than MP3 at half the size but I might just be too mean to pay for that one feature ;)

And yep - it is loud enough even for my music-damaged ears

[Angultra]

I just got an x3i and I'm finding the headphone jack is Waaay too amplified for listening in quiet conditions, especially with earbud headphones. In the library, I just want to listen to some music at a quiet-to-moderate volume, and (with the system volume at the lowest setting), I adjust the volume a millimetre, and Windows Media Player goes from zero to HERO with NOTHING in between! I will be looking for a new MP3 player now, so I can use it in quiet settings, but trust me, you won't want to listen to the X3 while going to bed, or in the library, it just can't go quiet enough.

The main gripe is that this volume doesn't translate when using the external speaker. So you may be using the external speaker at a moderate volume, and when you plug in the headphones, it blows your head off! The Axim X5 was more balanced around this issue, and if you turned the system volume up, the MP3s went as loud as anyone would want. The X3 seems very imbalanced, I never even use the system volume above the first 2 levels when using headphones, which makes no sense why Dell pumped up the amplification of the headphones but not of the external speaker respectively. The speaker on the X3 also seems more tinny than the X5, just to note.

I was able to button map ANY button to any function (including jog wheel), FYI, windows media player has a "buttons" option that makes this easy.

UPDATE: I recently got a (freeware) MP3 player called "PocketPlayer", and found that if you adjust the "preamp" to -20dB, it can now go soft enough to listen in the library. A very good player, that uses the Winamp interface...

Originally posted by bobfrank
I've been putting MP3s on the SD card by copying them through the explore function in active sync. This seems very slow as they are converted to WMA format.

do you mean that AS automatically converts mp3s to WMA when it transfers them over (because that should not happen) or do you think they take a long time because they are WMAs?

the only reason a WMA file would take longer to transfer is if it was bigger than the same mp3 file. AS is slow for everything. I never use it except to install programs.

Originally posted by bobfrank
Do you guys use a card reader or is there a better way?

IMO, card readers are the best way to transfer large amounts of data to and from the Axim. get a keychain card reader and you can interface with any computer with an OS higher than win98.

Originally posted by bobfrank
do the players sound any different or is it a question of features/interface? And which one do you recommend?

I cannot tell any difference in the sound quality of different players. hell, I can't even tell the difference between 128kbps mp3s and 64kbps WMAs.

Originally posted by bobfrank
I really want WMA support as they sound better than MP3 at half the size but I might just be too mean to pay for that one feature ;)

um, the WMP9 that comes installed on your axim plays WMA files.

[bobfrank]

Ajsave tha same volume problem at the low end - I bought a pair of headphones with an inline volume slider - a bit clumsy but it works
Yep they convert to WMA from MP3.
I got my card reader working and it does seem to be quicker - that helps
I reckon a 64 WMA sounds better than a 128 MP3 so no complaints from me :)
I know WMP9 plays WMA I was wondering if any of the other players did so.

[sheepy]

hmmm, I've no such problems with the volume... if you want more fine-grained control over the volume, set the system volume lower and then the WMP volume control gives you a more sensible range of operation...

Alternatively, IcBar includes a much more finely adjustable volume control than the built in WM2003 one...

The axim works fine for music...it is kinda weird how the headphone jack is on the side though