Does your pocket pc need an audio companion?

[The Yaz]

I have used pocket pc's for three years now. I started with a Casio E125 and moved onto an Audiovox Maestro this Christmas when the price dropped to $100.

I use my Maestro for everything, but primarily it is my personal entertainment system. My daily commute goes by quickly when I am able to read an e-book, play a video or game, and of course listen to music.

Unfortunately it is not perfect. I have two problems,

One, there is no am/fm radio modulator in any pocket pc. I do not understand this, especially in the new models that already include a Bluetooth transmitter/receiver. There are two companies that I know of that offer fm service through a compact flash port

http://www.ibizcorp.com/pocketradio.html

and

http://www.pdashop.nl/product/1843

but neither includes the am band.

Two, because the pocket pc can multitask, I will usually listen to music and play a game at the same time. While the processor is up to the task most of the time, the battery is not. The battery life of my Maestro is roughly 2-2.5 hours per charge with normal usage. If I multitask on the train, I barely get an hour.

Due to these factors, I've been considering an mp3 player if I could find one with an am/fm radio. I've found only two on the market

http://www.pogoproducts.com/radio_yourway.html

and

http://store.yahoo.com/usb-shop/fr12usbfldrm1.html

So what do you folks think? Is their an advantage in moving the music off of the pocket pc to save storage space and battery life. I haven't been able to decide yet.

Steve 8)

[Crystal Eitle]

I say go for it, if the extra device is small enough. I have a Casio EX-M2 camera, which is a combined camera and MP3 player. I used to use my PPC for music, but now I use the camera, because the battery life is just insane. I can listen to music for hours on my camera, and save the battery on my PPC.

[Kevin C. Tofel]

Although it doesn't have a radio in it, I purchased a Creative Labs MUVO to complement my PDA. The MUVO comes in two "flavors", 64Mg and 128Mg. I can store over 3 hours of great quality WMA's or about 1.5 hours of MP3's. It is VERY small and runs for about 10 hours on a single AAA battery.

An additional benefit is that it has a built in USB interface. You just plug it in to a USB port and it appears as a removable drive....this provides an easy way to drop and drag your music files. Not only that, but it can be used as a flash memory device for ANY files. Based on the multipurpose usage for portable storage and music, I highly recommend it.

Good luck!

KCT