Question regarding Media Player (or other app) control while using other program

[normanjwilson]

Here's the scenario. I have my Axim x50v on the dash of my car, with GPS Dash running (or pocket streets). I'm also using the Axim as my front end for my audio system. So... a song changes, and I have to up the volume or down the volume using Media Player controls. Or I get a phone call and would like to pause the player, not just mute the stereo.

Presently, to do any of these things means switching control back to Media Player, make my adjustments, and then switch back to GPS Dash or Pocket Streets (whichever I am using at the moment).

Anyone have an idea of a procedure or app that would let me use hard control buttons (the center control pad is ideal) WHILE I'm not actually looking at the Media Player screen???

Your ideas are Most appreciated. Developers, if you make this work I'll be first to test... and one of the first to buy. This would make my world almost perfect. At least while I was driving.

Thanks!

[Darius Wey]

In Media Player 9, you could map hardware buttons to specific functions (Tools > Settings > Buttons. Note that in Media Player 10, it is Options > Buttons) and have them still mapped during background play (Untick the "Unmap buttons during background play" box). I'm not sure if the latter function is still available in Media Player 10 (since I don't have it), but I don't recall seeing it the last time I played around with it (it may still be there though, but just as a hidden function). So with that active, you can use your mapped hardware buttons to control media playback and volume.

But with regard to the mapping of buttons during background play, I'll let someone who has Media Player 10 to clarify that point.

[Sven Johannsen]

.But with regard to the mapping of buttons during background play, I'll let someone who has Media Player 10 to clarify that point.

It is no longer a feature in WMP10. You can't even remap anything but the d-pad now. Apparently the guy who coded the feature for WMP9, allowing you to map any of the buttons while in media player and decide whether you wanted them to stay that way when in other programs, has left the company. Either that or it was decided that we didn't want or need all that flexibility. I hate it when capabilities disappear.

My only suggestion might be to get a program that acts like alt-tab and map it to a hardware button. That way you could use a hardware button to switch to media player and then the mapped controls would work.

You could look at Vito Button Mapper http://vitotechnology.com/products/buttonmapper.html
My thought here is to map Media Player to a push and hold, so you can get back to it fairly rapidly, without losing any of the functionality you have now. Not sure if you could map push and hold to media player mute, if something else is running. You could try.

[normanjwilson]

Thanks for the tips so far. I've already got the D pad mapped for Volume up/down, back and next, and of course play/pause. The idea of an alt/tab type solution is already kind of the same as I am doing now.

Still looking for the perfect solution... but many thanks for the feedback so far!

[Radimus]

have you tried Voice Command

[normanjwilson]

No, I have not tried voice command (yet). Which product is best for this application, and how well does it adapt to variable noise environments? And... can I use my bluetooth headset for voice commands, while not using it for the headset audio?

(I know... all I seem to do is come up with more questions!)

:?

This is heading in an interesting direction for me, as I have been considering testing some of the voice command apps out there.

Thanks again!