Pocket Tunes Deluxe Updated

NormSoft has updated its Pocket Tunes Deluxe audio player to v3.1.3. The main new update is the addition of Windows Media PlaysForSure DRM support for the Treo 600, Tungsten E, and Zire 71. This fully featured digital audio player makes many Palm OS devices compatible with online music stores such as Rhapsody, Napster To Go and Yahoo! Music Unlimited.

PocketTunes for Palm OSPocket Tunes turns your device into a portable audio player. Play music and audio books from your collection, or subscribe to an online music service to gain access to millions of unique songs. With Pocket Tunes Deluxe, you can even listen to Internet radio anywhere that you have wireless Internet access. It supports playback of MP3, WMA, Ogg Vorbis, and PCM WAV formats as well as certain wireless streaming media.

With subscription services like Rhapsody To Go, Napster To Go and Yahoo! Music Unlimited, users have access to over a million songs that they can take with them on their portable Palm device at no extra charge using Pocket Tunes Deluxe. Subscribers can load and reload their Palm portable device as often as they like with new songs. In addition, Pocket Tunes Deluxe also enables Palm customers to play and enjoy permanent music downloads purchased from online music stores.

Pocket Tunes Deluxe is available for $34.95, a basic version without DRM support is available for $14.95. A free trial is available as well.

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Still no AAC support?

Billav @ 1/6/2006 5:27:27 PM # Q
Then I'm still using my iPod.

RE: Still no AAC support?
freakout @ 1/6/2006 6:22:15 PM # Q
Sucker.

Tim Carroll
Your friendly customer service robot
(and big Treo fan)
RE: Still no AAC support?
joad @ 1/6/2006 6:25:58 PM # Q
I bought the full version of Pockettunes, but find it nearly useless as a media player except for playing mp3 ringtones and occasionally (rarely) playing over the speaker.

Not necessarily Pockettunes that's the problem - it's basically the terrible hardware configuration that Handspring cooked up and Palm has kept on the Treos: 2.5mm jack located on the BOTTOM of the device. In order to use this as an everyday player you need a 2.5mm-3.5mm adapter (or special "Treo" headset), hook that into your headset, and then carefully hold the whole mishmash hoping nothing comes loose. A separate 3.5mm jack near the top would have saved the day, but probably added $4.00 and hence kill that idea.

That's why you still need a separate piece of hardware to really enjoy mobile audio. No matter how well the software works, the hardware isn't really designed for that "Zen" simplicity. Try jogging while holding all you need to use the Treo (or even a huge PDA) as an mp3 player and the advantages of proper ergonomics are all too apparent.

RE: Still no AAC support?
freakout @ 1/6/2006 8:44:42 PM # Q
^^ Occasionally, I help out in the warehouse picking orders at work when things are quiet. It's a good opportunity to listen to some music, so I use my Treo. The best solution I've found is using a belt clip that swivels - just turn the Treo 180 degrees and the headphone jack is now on the top! This also works quite nicely because when you look down to adjust the controls, the screen is oriented properly. Not sure whether that would work too well for jogging though.

In regards to having the use a headphone adapter - why not just get a pair of 2.5mm headphones?

Also, the jack being on the bottom is actually a good thing for in-car usage - the cable goes straight down from the Treo to the stereo when in a cradle. It'd look silly if it stuck out the top.


Tim Carroll
Your friendly customer service robot
(and big Treo fan)

RE: Still no AAC support?
hkklife @ 1/6/2006 9:47:42 PM # Q
The Treo lacking a 'standard' headphone jack up top is akin to the TX/T5 lacking a charging LED & a voice recorder mic.

The RAZR has banished its headphone/headset jack outright...perhaps the next Treos will eliminate the 2.5mm on the bottom (since most people would theoretically use a BT phone headset anyway) but add a 3.5mm port for audio up top or on the side.

To date the best "mp3 player replacement + PDA" is the Zire 31. It's smallish, light, cheap, and has a decently positioned jack. Too bad it doesn't support SD cards larger than 1gb.

Pilot 1000-->Pilot 5000-->PalmPilot Pro-->IIIe-->Vx-->m505-->T|T-->T|T2-->T|C-->T|T3-->T|T5-->TX

RE: Still no AAC support?
freakout @ 1/6/2006 11:18:49 PM # Q
^^ The Treo is a phone. The standard jack size for all phone accessories is 2.5mm, so the Treo has a 2.5mm jack. (that's the explanation the guy who writes Treonauts was given when he asked about it)

Palm also probably doesn't mind the money they make from adapters either...

Tim Carroll
Your friendly customer service robot
(and big Treo fan)

RE: Still no AAC support?
Galley_SimRacer @ 1/7/2006 7:48:59 AM # Q
PocketTunes is a great piece of software, but without AAC support, it is worthless to me. I use Kinoma Player 3 EX instead.

Galley's Music Scene
A different music topic every weekday
http://www.galleysmusicscene.com/
RE: Still no AAC support?
joad @ 1/8/2006 3:50:37 PM # Q
^^ The jack on the bottom was obviously placed there so that all the connectors were in one location for car cradles, etc. I do find it great having the jack at the bottom when I put it in my jury-rigged car holster. But the downside (600 and 650) of this arrangement is that using a corded headset (for cell use or Pocket Tunes use) with the device elsewhere is an awkward proposition - the cable keeps getting yanked hard or twisted around because it goes to the lowest location on the device. This also prevents practical use of a corded headset as the device is in a vertical case (the vast majority of cases). Holding the thing upside-down isn't a happy option - most people prefer their displays to be readable right-side up.

I'm not completely sold on bluetooth either - it seems that the pairing on the 650 to the Palm headset likes to require re-pairing at randomly inconvenient times. Nothing like placing a very important phone call and discovering that the headset has chosen this time to unpair and your customer is saying "hello? Hello?" in to the earpiece while you are wondering where the sound is on your bluetooth headset...

My preference would be for Palm to recognize the major negatives of having the jack at the bottom, and either move it to the top, or add an additional 2.5mm to the top (this way the convertors won't be such a rugged pain to use). Saying that, I'm not holding my breath for this to be addressed by Palm.

I already own the Palm 2.5mm headset,and although you lose some of that extra piping at the bottom - it's still on the bottom, with the inherent problems with that layout noted above... Plus, you are stuck with the one cheap-o version they make, rather than the ability to use the headset of your choice (a feature my iPod supports).

RE: Still no AAC support?
freakout @ 1/9/2006 7:47:22 AM # Q
^^ Huh? There are tons of non-Palm 2.5mm headsets available at pretty much... anywhere.

Point taken about the cable getting twisted, though.

Tim Carroll
Your friendly customer service robot
(and big Treo fan)

RE: Still no AAC support?
LiveFaith @ 1/9/2006 11:41:10 AM # Q
BT 1.2 with headset support! Man, I can't believe someone hasn't pushed like crazy to bring this to the masses? Nothing like this has been done since the Sony Walkman rocked the world in the late 70s.

The wire itself is one of the biggest pain to mobile music for me. Try to wash a car or work around the house or or or and that wire is certain to get hung soon.

Pat Horne; www.churchoflivingfaith.com

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