Rambling: Dedicated music player vs PDA

[bkbroil]

I just finished reading a rambling on Jenneth.info about using a dedicated music player vs a PDA.
Jenneth brings up the notion that it's better to have a device whose sole porpose is to play music because of the battery life. I wanted to weigh in on this because I've been using my Toshiba e805 quite a bit lately as a music player when riding my Cannondale R400 road bike. My Cannondale is almost 10 years old and I used to ride every day to and from work, but life got in the way.....marriage, kids etc....

I've always kept the bike in great condition, I just haven't been riding it...Until recently (3 weeks ago)...I realized that I've been working from home and --Hey!-- I have all this time that I could be doing something healthy..and besides...there is something about being able to go 40+ mph on a super lite road bike when your in completely aerodynamic with aero bars on the front. I get this endorphin injection that keeps me going all day and I sleep so well because of it.
So I purchased a Camelbak water hydration system (which they didn't have 10 years ago...or I couldn't afford them ) and got my bike gear all ready to start riding again...This time, I realized that I could listen to music when I rode...whereas 10 years ago...I had never heard of MP3s or music players...except for a portable CD player which I tried.... but it kept skipping!
Well to make a long story short....My Toshiba e805 works great as a music player while riding and to get over the battery drain hump...I use ScreenOff to totally shut down the device except for pumping out my tunes...I typically ride for 1.5 hours and the battery drain has been about 3% of my battery....hardly noticeable.
Does anyone else use their PPC for playing music? How about while excercising? Any motivational stories about excercising to keep an old man like me going, would be great!

[bkbroil]

Hey all this talk about riding...I just had to load up my e805 with new music and I'm off to go riding....Later!

[JongJungBu]

I use to take my pocket pc with me when heading into the laboratory to work. And I would have it's CF card full of MP3s, turn up the volume to max, load playlist, set it down somewhere and shut the screen off. I'd let it play until the batteries ran down. It was quite handy. It'd last a few hours anyway, and I had an extra battery at the time. I even got requests heheh.
Nowadays I don't do that because I have an mp3 player who's batteries last like 20 hours. But, I still have a few mp3s on my PocketPC anyway, for when I don't have the mp3 player with me. (I always have my PPC with me, whereas the mp3 player has become more of a long-trip device.)
JJB

[Brad Isaac]

I use my PPC for tunes all the time. Listening to music on the PPC negates my desire to purchase an iPOD or some other MP3 player. I just can't justify the expense of an additional MP3 player when I have one with me just about 24/7
What I'd like to get is some sort of arm strap for my new dell so that I can go work out at the Gym with it. putting it in my pocket leaves too much of the headphone wires exposed, leading to tangling in the weights and gears.
I love those "Camelback" water dispensers by the way! Some will hold your PPC too.

[bkbroil]

I know Body Glove sells arm bands for mp3/ pads
and yeah...I have the camelbak that holds my Toshiba...it's great!

[jkendrick]

Hey, the arm band link says "this item is unavailable from the manufacturer". And I already told my wife I found the armband she's been wanting for her iPod. Oh well, I'll go tell her the news now. I'll miss you guys......

[jkendrick]

Seriously, I love my 40 gb iPod and wouldn't trade it for the world. The music sounds much better to me but the real reason I carry it- I back up my laptop to the hard drive. Ghosted image that I can use to rebuild in case of a disaster. It saved my bacon once already. I heart my iPod.

[bkbroil]

So, do you use it more for the music or backup device? And the music really sounds that much better on an iPod?

[jkendrick]

I got it for both uses. I had a 20gb 2nd gen version iPod that was full so I got the 40 gb 3rd gen for Xmas. I was a VERY good boy last year.
I find a distinct quality difference with the ipod over the Toshiba. Not much but a little better. The iPod is much better than the sound replay on the Sony. Go figure that!
The iPod is also good when travelling as I take the inMotion speakers with it and have great music in the hotel room.

[Brad Isaac]

you can actually find the body gloves on ebay, but here's My Problem. ...the Axim is too Big!
as far as the ipod, I AM afraid I would never use it
(Posted via Pocket PC )

[bkbroil]

the Axim is too Big

That reminds me...somewhere you posted about how suprised you were at the weight and size of the Axim....My younger brother bought an Axim X30i also and when I went to look at it....I was taken back.....It is extremely light (it doesn't feel cheap....just really light)....
His just sits in his room.. :? I keep telling him to check this site out or something...but he doesn't realize how many people would give their left arm for one of those...
Youth....it's wasted on the young!

[jkendrick]

In that case you're legally entitled to just take it from him. It's held up in court before.

[JongJungBu]

LOL.
I'm willing to testify in court.
JJB

[noolly]

My girlfriend has an iPOD mini 4G. It has three features that make it better than my iPAQ 4150 for listening to music:
(1) The sound is better
(2) It is more robust
(3) It is easier to use
The iPOD has also been marketed extremely well in Australia.

[sracer]

Add me to the list of people who use a dedicated music device. I used to use my PPC. But the issues of battery life, size, and durability caused me to rethink that strategy and go with a cheapo solid-state player.
I seriously can't believe that people would use their Pocket PC to listen to music while they're washing the car, pulling weeds in the garden, vacuuming the pool, grilling at the BBQ, etc. The probability of it getting damaged is too great (Even with an aluminum rhinoskin case), and the size is too cumbersome.
I hear of quite a few people stating that they listen to music on their PPC for hours and witness only a few percentage points of battery drain. I've never been able to duplicate that feat...not even close... regardless of the device, player, settings...
I don't doubt these people, I just want to know how I can attain those same results.
So bkbroil, how are YOU doing it? What music player? What audio format? What method are you using to measure battery life?

[Brad Isaac]

sracer,
I am one of the people who does this quite frequently and although I only queue up an album or two for any particular job, I mow the lawn, dig in the garden, turn my compost piles, clean my office, all sorts of tasks with the Pocket PC as my music device. I slip it into the back pocket of my pants because it just seems I don't fall on my backside all that much
As far as battery life, I turn off the screen while listening, most often with WMP or the Sync n go player by Microsoft. I don't think I've ever gone below 50% battery life while listening to music in this manner -- even on road trips when I play 5 albums loaded on the SD card.

[JongJungBu]

I dunno how bkbroil is doing it as I never went beyond "hours" doing it. And to get that long I had to setup a playlist and turn the screen off while I listened. Also, if applicable, setting the cpu performance to Auto.
But then, I haven't tried out any high capacity batteries yet. I ordered a couple 1800mAh batteries recently so I'm going to see how big an impact that has on playing mp3s versus 950mAh. You would think double, eh? But I'm no battery consumption expert so not sure if lasting 3-4 hours means 6-8 with the high capacity. At least swapping them would mean an extra 3-4 if I take em both with me.
JJB

[bkbroil]

So bkbroil, how are YOU doing it? What music player? What audio format? What method are you using to measure battery life?

I am using Plus Sync N Go ...so everything is in .WMV format. I am looking at the power bar in the system settings before I listen to music and then I look at the power bar when I'm finished...
I use Screen Off so that I can turn off the screen light while using Plus Sync N Go...and like I was mentioning up above....I'll use it for 1.5 hours and typically see a ver small percentage of battery drain....
Also -- I am using a 2000mah battery by Mugen instead of the 1350mah(??) battery that came with the device.

[knelson]

I do not listen to much in the way of music, but use my PPC for audio books, news via Plus Digital Media Edition. I do use it at the gym with My Sports Training and also as a player. I carry it in my pocket or in a pack, but I sure wish it had a nice arm band case.

[Brad Isaac]

Originally Posted by knelson

I do not listen to much in the way of music, but use my PPC for audio books, news via Plus Digital Media Edition. I do use it at the gym with My Sports Training and also as a player. I carry it in my pocket or in a pack, but I sure wish it had a nice arm band case.

you and I are looking for the same thing. An Arm band case would make my day!

[knelson]

OK I have to be honest, I use a fanny pack and my kids say they are just for dorks... went out of style years ago.

[JongJungBu]

I would have to agree with your kids there.

[Brad Isaac]

someone gave me some good advice, that I might try. The Axim X30 comes with a pretty decent case with a belt clip. I wasn't really going to use it, but maybe I could mod it into a arm band case.
P.S. Conceal carry license holders in my state sometimes use fanny packs for pistols and ammo. So you probably wouldn't be called a dork around these parts.

[knelson]

I do have the fanny packs in a variety of colors and styles.