iPod – Not working the way you need? – Forget throwing it away
Instead, get the functionality and playtime you want from a mobile device.
Have you lost your cool after paying $300 for an Apple iPod MP3 player, only to later realize it’s a one-function device? The Apple iPod you purchased plays MP3 files and stores images. You wanted me to do more, your wife too. Beads of sweat form on your forehead when you see the Visa bill. Yes, you paid for this frustration. Fortunately, these pressure-filled situations can be avoided when you switch to a Windows mobile device.
What Windows mobile device?
This article explores how to get the most out of your portable mobile device. Did you know that any Pocket PC running the Windows Mobile Suite will let you do much more than listen to MP3 songs on an Apple iPod? With your Pocket PC you can enjoy Internet satellite radio, streaming Internet radio, streaming TV, streaming podcasts, FM radio, tracking stocks and mutual funds, viewing short weather reports, and much more.
Uninterrupted satellite radio access
Courtesy of Sirius and XM Satellite, two providers of satellite radio content, you can listen to commercial-free music, popular talk shows, current news and entertainment on your Pocket PC. This is so much easier, more convenient, and less overwhelming than downloading 10,000 high-melody songs onto your iPod. Not to mention the cost factor involved with tall tunes. If you have a limited music selection, you will have to pay a dollar for each MP3 file/song and tunes. 10,000 MP3 songs would cost you $10,000. If spending $10,000 isn’t a problem for you, what about the time involved? Do you have extra time sitting in front of your Apple computer to drag and drop 10,000 MP3 files onto your iPod?
For just $12.95 a month you can access unlimited music from 130 channels of Xm and Sirius radio. You don’t have to download anything other than a software program called Pocket XM radio pro ebook software. To get the Pocket PC version, you can go to pocket gear.com. The version for smartphones can be found at http://www.smartphone.net. Pocket XM radio pro is a software application that will allow you to listen to radio programs and music from Sirius and XM Satellite. I found that the smartphone gave excellent reception on a WiFi network rather than a cellular network.
After installing Pocket XM Radio Pro on your Pocket PC, you will be satisfied with the reception on Sirius and XM Satellite Radio. What I love about listening to satellite radio music stations is that it is commercial free.
There is a free software application to enjoy satellite radio on a Pocket PC at http://www.emulamer.com. Browse for the CAB file and download it to your Pocket PC. Do not think that if it is free, it must be of poor quality. It is quite the opposite. I found that there are no buffering delays at all. Your account with XM and Sirius allows you to listen to satellite radio on your desktop computer. Unlike buying a satellite radio receiver from Xm and Sirius; with your Pocket PC or smartphone you will need to have a live internet connection online.
High speed internet radio streaming
Are you an avid book reader? If the answer is yes, you can listen to audiobooks on your Apple iPod. At audible.com, you can access free software that allows you to transfer these audiobook, magazine, and newspaper options to your mobile media player.
Here are some high quality live radio streaming websites I found on the internet for my Pocket PC:
· Resco Pocket Radio at http://www.resco.net. This program will support: wav, MP3, speex, OGG Vorbis and raf formats. Starting at $19.95, you can get an audio recorder to record yourself singing and speaking.
· Pocket Player at http://www.conduits.com. To listen to live radio broadcasts from a big website like shoutcast.com, you’ll need to purchase the pocket player for $19.95. The Pocket PC supports the following formats: MP3, wma, flac, and wav files. Pocket Player also supports: customizable screens, audiobooks, bookmarks, playlists, screen plugins, Bluetooth remote control, and headphones.
Browse music from your Wi-Fi enabled Pocket PC
It is unrealistic to think that you will have access to the Internet 24/7. But you will still not listen to music on your Pocket PC. For this to work, you’ll need a WiFi-enabled Pocket PC to connect to a WiFi-enabled desktop PC. You will need to visit this website: http://www.rudeo.com. The rudeo play & control program is $19.95. The good thing about downloading music directly to your Pocket PC is that your songs stay on your Pocket PC. If you have good battery life, you can listen to your songs on your Pocket PC without having to be connected to the Internet. First, you will need to go to http://www.wmcplayer.com and download Microsoft Windows Media Connect. This will allow you to connect a Wi-Fi enabled Pocket PC to your Wi-Fi enabled Desktop PC.
Want to get more out of multimedia programs?
Your iPod MP3 player won’t let you track stocks, mutual funds, and TV financial reports. Also, streaming TV shows, audio files, and video files are being lost.
pocket shares
Pocket Stocks are just $14.95 at http://www.handango.com. With this amazing app you can keep track of your stocks and mutual fund portfolio. You can also view financial quotes and charts. If you want to watch your wealth grow, you can easily do it on your Pocket PC.
pda pro tuner
PDA tuner pro allows you to watch a live TV show and listen to live music and radio from all over the world. For more information, visit both websites at: http://www.handango.com and pdatuner.com. The PDA tuner pro will sell you a registration key for $12 that gives you access to your website from your Pocket PC or smart phone through mobile Internet Explorer. You can pay a one-time registration fee to access PDA tuner.com from a portable device. The only drawback is that when you’re watching live TV on your PDA Pro it’s like watching a choppy slideshow.
X Play Studio
X-Play Studio is just $26.96 at http://www.xronox.com. With Pocket PC Windows media player, you can watch live TV shows in high quality and record audio and video files. Watch your favorite comedy or sitcom. Have you considered tuning in to the man in blue collar on your Pocket PC? People around you will wonder if you just inhaled some laughing gas as you’ll be laughing out loud!
Audio and video streaming, pod streaming from your Pocket PC
If you own a camera-equipped Windows Mobile 5.0 Pocket PC; you can take a photo and immediately post it to a personal blogger blog. Unleash the amateur photographer in you.
You couldn’t take photos, type a title and description for the photo on your Apple iPod player. You can do this with your camera-enabled Windows Mobile 5.0 device. Start sharing your opinions, photos and thoughts on the Internet.
welcome blog
Splash Blog is a software application that allows Windows Mobile 5.0 users to take photos and post their thoughts on the splash blog website. You just need to sign up for a complete photo blog account online / free personal blog and download free software from [http://www.splashblog.com] to start photoblogging. The following devices: Symbian UIQ, Palm OS, Pocket PC, smartphone and Nokia 60 series allow you to instantly post photos to the slideshow blog. Your free account allows you to post up to 500 photos of any size to the online photo album. If you have more forms to share, you can always upgrade to the professional version at $29.95 where you can post an unlimited number of photos to the online photo album.
How do you share your photos?
Use the Windows Mobile 5.0 Image Selection API to select image thumbnails, which are stored on your Pocket PC’s storage card or internal drive, then click the image you want to add to your photo blog. Splash blog is such a popular application that it eliminates many unnecessary steps to download a photo from your Pocket PC to your personal weblog. Share the photos you’ve taken on your Pocket PC camera device with the world. If you’d like, feel free to add a short title and text description to describe your photo.
FM Radio
If you like to listen to FM radio without running to a free WiFi hotspot, you can buy an FM stereo tuner with a cf or sd card interface from [http://www.ibizcorp.com/main.html], gomogear.com and c-guys.com. At C-guys.com, the FM plugin comes with a stereo headset and software to install on your Windows Mobile 2003 device. Unfortunately, if you have a new Windows Mobile 5.0 device, the FM radio tuners will not work on your device. Compare prices and make sure your Pocket PC or smartphone is compatible with the FM radio plug-in.
Resume:
The designers behind the classic iPod and the iPod 90 are very talented in designing the cool single function device. If you can enjoy all the other types of media mentioned above in my article, why would you watch a movie on a 2.5-inch iPod screen instead of the larger screens on most Pocket PCs or smartphones? You can do it for the same price you’d pay for an Apple iPod. Finally, Pocket PCs and smartphones have many more fun and convenient functions and features than you would ever be able to access on an Apple iPod.