PocketMac Releases ppcTunes

[marlof]

<div class='os_post_top_link'><a href='http://www.pocketmac.net/products/ppctunes/index.html' target='_blank'>http://www.pocketmac.net/products/p...unes/index.html</a><br /><br /></div>PocketMac, best known for their Mac sync solutions, released a new product called ppcTunes. This application can copy an iTunes for Windows playlist to your Pocket PC or Smartphone, even when you want them to reside on a storage card. Next to that, you can have your files automatically converted to 64 kbps WMA files. I've tested the application out, and found it works as advertised. Around 200 MB of my MP3 files were converted to 100 MB of WMA files, and placed on the storage card of my device. As I have concert damaged ears I can not vouch for the quality of the WMA files, but to me they sounded good enough for the occasional listening. And since I personally never rip in the WMA format, I finally got to choose one of them as a ringtone on my Smartphone. So thank to ppcTunes I now have Follow You Follow Me sounding aloud when my wife calls me. (I know, I know: this dates me, and my taste in music sucks. But hey, that's me!)<br /><br />As always, there's a downside: ppcTunes isn't a true sync application. This means that if you select "sync on Pocket PC connect" every file is again copied (and converted if necessary) to your Pocket PC. And that can take a very long time, depending on the amount of files you're copying. Next to that, if you change your playlist (delete some files, add some others), only the new ones will be added to your device, the ones you deleted from the playlist will not be removed from your device. So the way I use it is the following: wipe the existing files from the My Music directory I have in the My Documents directory on my Storage Card. Build a nice new playlist in iTunes, my favorite jukebox app. Have ppcTunes to copy this playlist over (autoconverting the files into WMA files) to my device, and I'm done. When I want to change this playlist, I start over. Since I have all of my digital music in iTunes, this really helps me (otherwise I'd have to fire up a different app to do the conversion, and manually copy those WMA files over). What do you think? Is this an application you would buy for $9.95?<br /><br /><img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/web/2003/marlof-20041103-ppctunes.jpg" />

[ChristopherTD]

It has some interesting features, but I would be unlikely to use it for the same reason I listen to music on my iPod rather than my iPaq. I don't like to decide in advance what I might listen to. Therefore the iPod works for me because it is all already there.

Also, the USB sync to my iPaq is unbearably slow and WiFi sync too unreliable. So I don't sync large files or AvantGo anymore. Big files are copied by SD Card Reader, which isn't always connected. So there are physical barriers to me syncing music to the iPaq. If it was fast and easy to get it there I might give music a try on the iPaq.

A typical iPod sync takes seconds, even with a new album to upload.

[dhpss]

The new free WMP10 allows you to sync your Digital Media Library with your PocketPC too, unless you are already iTunes user on your PC..I think WMP10 can do the job.
WMP10 review here: http://www.winsupersite.com/reviews/wmp10.asp
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[hamishmacdonald]

Nah, I wouldn't buy this. WMP 10 is so close to be able to do this for free, and much more smoothly. Also, iTunes doesn't have shell integration, which I like for sending a song immediately for synchronisation to my device with a right-click.

BTW, I think it's important to point out that you can only use WMP 10 to synchronise your playlists if you have one of the small number of specific devices that come with WMP 10 installed or will be given an upgrade (GRR!).

What I did instead was buy a multi-format storage card reader. Stupidly, this device that cost me nine quid will now let auto-sync, where my four hundred pound Pocket PC can't. Yeah, auto-sync works with any reader and any storage card, but not with Microsoft's own Windows Mobile OS.

Go figure.

Another option is Zerama ToGo, which allows you to synchronise playlists you create on the PC or the Pocket PC (an important distinction). It took me a bit to get it working smoothly, and it, like ppcTunes still looks a bit too "programmer-y" in its interface and runs obviously in the foreground, but it does the job.

Zerama ToGo:
http://www.zerama.net/ZeramaToGoSummary.aspx

~

A bit off-topic, but I find that for auto-sync to work, I have to convert all my MP3s to WMA format first using Plus! MP3 Converter LE (from the Windows Media Bonus Pack), or else conversion hangs on synchronisation -- something that didn't happen when converting to the Pocket PC. (Unfortunately, I can't really test this at the moment, as I'm still waiting on my Pocket PC to come back from repairs.)

Anyone have any insight into why this might be happening?

[marlof]

@ChristopherTD: I hear you. My iPod simply rocks! But I've experienced that there are times when I don't have my iPod, but I always have at least my Smartphone with me. So with this, my Smartphone has a nice subset of my songs.

@dhpps: Yeah, WMP 10 is pretty cool in sync functionality, but as a jukebox I much prefer iTunes for Windows, so I'm happy to see some improvement in the sync functionality of that great app.

[Kati Compton]

So thank to ppcTunes I now have Follow You Follow Me sounding aloud when my wife calls me. (I know, I know: this dates me, and my taste in music sucks. But hey, that's me!)
I will... fol-low you, will you... fol-low me...

I love that song. I don't care if it's a sell-out album. ;)
Goin' to see Jethro Tull tonight...

Sorry for the OT. :P

[Silencer]

No need for that thing.

[marlof]

Goin' to see Jethro Tull tonight...

Wow! How were they? When I was younger, I stumbled across the Thick as a Brick record (which was released before I developed my own taste in music), and it still is one of my favorites. And how can something be Off Topic, if it is in direct response to the orginal topic? ;)

[adbosch]

It seems to copy and (if required) convert mp3's. It seems not to woirk for protected (bought) songs. But how about m4a songs (unprotected, self-ripped cd songs in the preferred ipod format)? Does anyone know if these are also converted to wmp-format or just copied and therefor unusable?