RealNetworks will bring out player for Pocket PC

[marlof]

<a href="http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/nm/20020219/tc_nm/tech_realnetworks_mobile_dc_2&cid=581">http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/nm/20020219/tc_nm/tech_realnetworks_mobile_dc_2&cid=581</a><br /><br />One of the recurring questions in the Pocket PC newsgroup is where to find a player for Real streaming media for the Pocket PC. Until now, the answer was that there was none. But the linked news story brings good news to those looking for such a player: "Real, best known for its RealOne software for playing music or video on a personal computer, is also preparing to launch a version of RealOne for Pocket PC handheld computers based on Microsoft Corp.'s Windows operating system." <br /><br />Source: Jonathan Blackwell

[JohnnyFlash]

About time too! I can't understand why they hadn't brought one out earlier!

[Ed Hansberry]

Lets hope that when you install it it doesn't take over all file associations associated with audio and video like its evil desktop brother does. :evil:

[Marc Zimmermann]

The desktop version only does it if you allow it to. You need to step through its setup carefully to avoid this assimilation of all media formats, but it doesn't touch associations if you tell it not to do so.

[Rirath]

You need to step through its setup carefully to avoid this assimilation of all media formats, but it doesn't touch associations if you tell it not to do so.

Heh, that's how it -should- work. Real likes to take over the associations no matter what, it apparently thinks it knows best. :? If I remember correctly from the last time I installed Realone, I kept getting an insanely annoying message box popping up every few days screaming at me because it couldn't get associated with a few file types.

Oh well, anyway. The latest real player, Realone, seems quite a step up from the previous players. It's quite nice actually and seems much more stable and polished. Here's hoping the Pocket PC version will follow it's lead and not be a step back again. (I.E. buggy, crashes often, poor performance, etc.)

[Ed Hansberry]

Oh well, anyway. The latest real player, Realone, seems quite a step up from the previous players. It's quite nice actually and seems much more stable and polished. Here's hoping the Pocket PC version will follow it's lead and not be a step back again. (I.E. buggy, crashes often, poor performance, etc.)

RealOne is the worst. You cannot just install that app and use it when you want. It wants to take over your desktop with alerts and whatnot. I hate it. It was on my wife's PC, but I just reformatted and put XP on it and will not put RealAnything on it unless I have to. I use the old realplayer on my PC and it works fine for the 30 minutes a month I use it. All other times I prefer Windows Media.

[Sven Johannsen]

Oh, goody. Now I can be annoyed by pop-up ads on my Pocket PC. Real-one stayed on my desktop about two days. I carefully installed it refusing to allow it file associations but it insisted on bugging me with messages it was sure I wanted to know about right away. If content is only available in realmedia, I don't need it.

[JMountford]

I have to agree with the Masses here!! No real anything for me. Too much crud goes along with it, the pop ups, adds, requests to upgrade, bla bla bla. And yes I know that some of these things are probably only for the freeware of real like player, but that to me is just not going to get me to buy an app. I am familiar with the association problems and yeah you can chose not to associate file types but as stated before Real just gets mad about it later and starts yelling at you.

If software truly matters I would just like to see Media Player perfected. One thing I would like to see is a Skinning app that will work on any Windows OS.

[Daniel]

Yep, put me in the "resistance is not futile group", we don't need another app from real trying to screw up our systems.

daniel

[Dave Conger]

I hope that Real just keeps everything simple and doesn't try and make things "to complicated" like their desktop software. It isn't that it is hard to use, just that there are a lot of little buttons all around that most people never use (most of them being ads). I say leave that kind of stuff for the desktop and make the Pocket PC client actually simple and decent.

[spg]

Well I would say that it is about time, but I hate real on the desktop. Like most of the other people in this post, I hate all the pop-up ads, the extra installs, the associations grabing. You almost have to hack the program to get it to install like you want it! I have it on my desktop, but only so I can listen to sports that are only broadcast in real player format. But it was like pulling teeth to get it like I want it. They could have a great product, but they haven't figured out that users don't like that type of stuff yet.

[JonnoB]

The worst part about downloading Real is the downloader they use. The downloader then tries to be the downloader of all internet content. Maybe that would not be so bad since the PocketPC can only download one file at a time right now.

[spg]

The worst part about downloading Real is the downloader they use. The downloader then tries to be the downloader of all internet content. Maybe that would not be so bad since the PocketPC can only download one file at a time right now.


:twisted: Uggh, I hate real downloader! Down with real downloader, down with real downloader. :x

[Dave Conger]

The worst part about downloading Real is the downloader they use. The downloader then tries to be the downloader of all internet content. Maybe that would not be so bad since the PocketPC can only download one file at a time right now.


The worst part for me isn't the Real downloader catching my normal downloads, but something with CNET makes all their downloads go to Real downloader. If I could go without Real, I would just because of all the extras that come with it that i really don't want to have install wben they aren't suppose to.

[Dave Conger]

Oh, also, I do wonder about content. It will be great to have Real with wireless, but Real has never been that great of a non streaming format (in my opinion). I feel like even though I would have Real to stream, I would have to keep WMP for static content on my PDA or a Divx/MPEG player for MPEG playback. This is getting a litle hairy for me. Give me one program that plays it all.

[JonnoB]

Oh, also, I do wonder about content. It will be great to have Real with wireless, but Real has never been that great of a non streaming format (in my opinion). I feel like even though I would have Real to stream, I would have to keep WMP for static content on my PDA or a Divx/MPEG player for MPEG playback. This is getting a litle hairy for me. Give me one program that plays it all.


I doubt we will ever see that. MS and Real are competing in that space and they aren't too friendly. At one time, MS had a RealAudio decoder in the WMP for the desktop, but that went away when MS introduced all of it's streaming formats.

I kinda hope that Real does a better job than WMP only because it will force MS to do a much better job... one that we all know they can do.

[[Cruzer]]

Hey I don't really like REAL as well but I'm glad that they are making a Real Player for the PocketPC. Now we have more options. And more options are better then none.

Just my thoughts.

RC

[JonnoB]

]
Hey I don't really like REAL as well but I'm glad that they are making a Real Player for the PocketPC. Now we have more options. And more options are better then none.


More options are always better. If nothing else than to continue to make MS innovate.

[adamz]

This would've been useful back when the eVoice service used to send RA based voicemail messages through email after consolidating them from home/cell phone calls.
It would've been so cool to be able to listen to voicemail on a wireless Pocket PC.

I guess I'll just get a Pocket PC Phone Edition device now.

[JonnoB]

It would've been so cool to be able to listen to voicemail on a wireless Pocket PC.



I am working on a client for that application exactly to a computer based voice messaging system that can be used by carriers or corporations. Even possible to have such access to home voicemail with the application. Designed for PocketPC Phone Edition, but useable by any PocketPC.

[Dave Conger]

I doubt we will ever see that. MS and Real are competing in that space and they aren't too friendly. At one time, MS had a RealAudio decoder in the WMP for the desktop, but that went away when MS introduced all of it's streaming formats.


No we probably won't. It is to bad a thrid-party couldn't create some software using both decoders as well as the Divx decoders. Right now I only load on Pocket Divx when I need it, and will probably do the same with Real. Since there are some things that I (and many other people) don't like about WMP, it would be nice to see a third-party app...though I fear MS would never left anyone else use their WMV and WMA decoders in a Pocket PC program.

[JonnoB]

Right now I only load on Pocket Divx when I need it, and will probably do the same with Real. Since there are some things that I (and many other people) don't like about WMP, it would be nice to see a third-party app...though I fear MS would never left anyone else use their WMV and WMA decoders in a Pocket PC program.


Let's see, right now, I have WMP, PocketTV, PocketDiVX, a MIDI player and a MOD player. I wouldn't mind seperate video/audio players, but I would like to narrow it down to two. An improved WMP or WinAmp would be perfect for audio and a vastly improved WMP or WMP with plug-in capability would be perfect. Heck, WMP with plug-in capability for everything would be more perfect... then developers can just create components to make WMP better. Microsoft, are you listening?

[kagayaki1]

Wow, great to see Real looking towards the handheld market. I really agree with Dave and others: we should have kind of a more "all in one" option. Not to say Real is the solution (I agree about the complicated thing), but some support for DivX codecs, MIDI files, etc. in one program would be nice.

[Brian]

When is this coming out for public download :?: Where is more details :?: I have been hoping that they would release a player for PocketPC, and I thought Microsoft would have to pay them just like Symbian. I guess they made it for free. I can't wait until I can try it. I wish it could play RealMedia clips, stream RealMedia clips, and maybe MPEG video & MP3 audio. That may be asking too much though. The windows media player for Windows CE.NET & Windows CE 4.0 will play MPEG, MP3, WMA, and WAV file formats, and I believe will have downloadable codecs. This is what I want Real to do. Downloadable Codecs. I guess I will just have to wait and see.

[JMountford]

Hey I do not normally advocate deviant behavior, :wink: but what would be so hard for someone to make an all iin one app? Make it play all Media formats that are out there. Quicktime, Real, MP1-4, MPGs, DIVX, WAVs, MIDIs, ETC. Whatever else I forgot. Make it automatically resize oversize movies. Make it easily skinnable. Make the button layout both Image Buttons and hardware buttons customizable. ANd find someone to distribute it as totally free. If you need money maybe take "Donations".

[JonnoB]

Hey I do not normally advocate deviant behavior, :wink: but what would be so hard for someone to make an all iin one app? Make it play all Media formats that are out there. Quicktime, Real, MP1-4, MPGs, DIVX, WAVs, MIDIs, ETC. Whatever else I forgot. Make it automatically resize oversize movies. Make it easily skinnable. Make the button layout both Image Buttons and hardware buttons customizable. ANd find someone to distribute it as totally free. If you need money maybe take "Donations".


The proprietary and competitive nature of the various formats make this unlikely.

[JMountford]

I have faith. I know someone, some bright, motivated person can do it.

[Daniel]

what would be so hard for someone to make an all iin one app?

You could certainly get a player for all the open standards though. That means you need separate players for WM*, R* and Quicktime. THat's not too bad. I wish that WinAmp had a PPC version...

daniel

[spg]

what would be so hard for someone to make an all iin one app?

You could certainly get a player for all the open standards though. That means you need separate players for WM*, R* and Quicktime. THat's not too bad. I wish that WinAmp had a PPC version...


WinAmp would be a great app to have on the PocketPC. I think they could really get a lot of people to use it. They have done a great thing with the PC version.

[JonnoB]

You could certainly get a player for all the open standards though. That means you need separate p
WinAmp would be a great app to have on the PocketPC. I think they could really get a lot of people to use it. They have done a great thing with the PC version.


I think the general consensus is that WinAmp on PocketPC would be great. I would even go so far as to say on behalf of most users, many would even be willing to fork over some $ for such software.

[spg]

I think the general consensus is that WinAmp on PocketPC would be great. I would even go so far as to say on behalf of most users, many would even be willing to fork over some $ for such software.


I would say most definitely some $$ in there. Maybe I should try to get with them a program it :wink:. Ok, maybe not but good thought anyway. :)

[Jason Dunn]

I emailed the Winamp guys about it, but zero reply. Oh well, I tried. :-)

[Dave Conger]

I emailed the Winamp guys about it, but zero reply. Oh well, I tried. :-)


Hmmm...phpBB supports polls....

http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=2710

Maybe a little bit of raw data will perk their interest. I feel like there is more then a few people that would like to see WinAMP for Pocket PC!

[Daniel]

I think the general consensus is that WinAmp on PocketPC would be great. I would even go so far as to say on behalf of most users, many would even be willing to fork over some $ for such software.

Indeed!

I emailed the Winamp guys about it, but zero reply. Oh well, I tried. :-)

A shame really, lets get them to pdadave's poll shall we?

Hmmm...phpBB supports polls....

http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=2710

Maybe a little bit of raw data will perk their interest. I feel like there is more then a few people that would like to see WinAMP for Pocket PC!

100% Yes after I was there! :D
We should wait spam WinAmp with it! NullSoft writes winamp right? Who pulls their strings?

daniel

[JMountford]

I would love to see Winamp hit PPCs. I would even pay a few bucks for it. I would say that a Pocket PC friendly interface would need to be emplemented though. The current one not to touch screen friendly.

[garay]

I am happy to hear RealPlayer/RealOne finally making it to the PocketPC. It's about time! :D

Besides music, there is a lot of useful content: RealAudio presentation (and conference) archives, RealVideo educational and computer tarining content (see the itlTV homepage at http://www.accc.uic.edu/itl/itltv.html and the CREN TechTalks at http://www.cren.net).

When is it shipping?

Btw, can Pocket IE 2002 be configured to automatically launch Acrobat Reader, Macromedia Flash Player and Pocket RealOne as needed? I haven't upgraded my iPAQ to PocketPC 2002 yet (and I will be buying another iPAQ 3850 as soon as I have some time. :lol:

Thanks,

[JonnoB]

Btw, can Pocket IE 2002 be configured to automatically launch Acrobat Reader, Macromedia Flash Player and Pocket RealOne as needed?


You can set each download to auto-open after complete. With a .ram file or whatever Real uses these days would be associated with the application and then launch. No embedded real browser plug-ins though.