06-27-2003, 01:00 PM
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Contributing Editor Emeritus
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 8,228
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Getting Audible To Work On Your Pocket PC 2003
http://www.audible.com
I have been an Audible user since 1999. They have fantastic content, but their software is the absolute pits. In getting 3 new PCs in that time and probably a dozen Pocket PCs, I have never been able to just dock my device, activate it and use content. There is always a problem. Not to mention their Audible Player on the device is just about the worst piece of software I've ever used. It keeps launching when I dock my device. I don't know, I guess it assumes I want to listen some more while I synchronze my email. :roll:
Well, this week was no exception with my new iPAQ 2215. If you have a new 2003 device and use Audible content with MS Reader, read on.
� First, you are going to have to install Audible Manager 4.0 on your desktop, so if you don't have that, uninstall 3.x then upgrade to 4.0. That's right, Audible can't "upgrade" like normal software. You must uninstall losing all of your preferences.
� Now, install the Audible Player for the iPAQ 2002 device.
� Activate your device
� Transfer over something and verify that Audible Player 3.5 can see it and play it. If so, you have successfully activated your device. If not, scream, then call Audible to find out why it won't activate with their player.
� Now soft reset your device, uninstall Audible Player and soft reset again.
� Manually delete the following files from the Windows folder, because I'm not sure what their uninstaller removes except Audible from the list of installed applications:
aud_file.dll
ce_player_dll.dll
utils.dll
d_aud1.dll
cefaccess.dll
� Soft reset again, and find and remove any *.pls files that look like Audible files. Also remove any .FLS and .AA files.
� Dock your device and try transferring over content. Launch Reader. It should play.
It boggles my mind why, when the Pocket PC has a good player built into ROM, MS Reader, they insist on not playing well with it and spending resources on Audible Player.
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06-27-2003, 02:06 PM
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Sage
Join Date: Aug 2004
Posts: 718
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On PPC 2002, I used to only need to install Audible Player and activate it. Microsoft Reader would then just work for Audible content and I wouldn't need to use Audible Player (though I kept it installed anyways just in case).
With PPC 2003, using the same procedure, I would get a weird error number (x800000 or something like that) if I used Microsft Reader to listen to Audible content. The exact same problem would happen with PPC 2000 because the security format of Audible files wasn't compatible with the old Microsft Reader on PPC 2000.
So, this procedure should work? It would seem strange that removing Audible Player would allow Microsoft Reader to work.
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06-27-2003, 02:40 PM
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Thinker
Join Date: Jul 2002
Posts: 342
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That is strange, on PPC 2002 I have olny played audible through ms reader. Infact I never installed audibles player on my machine. did you try playing it with out audible being installed through ms reader. I use audible all the time and want to upgrade to 2003 once HP gets there act together. I also like the fact with ms reader you don't have to sync to get it to show up in you libray, I just drop and drag with my wifi connection the desktop verson and it plays fine with out the conversion.
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06-27-2003, 02:49 PM
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Pupil
Join Date: Jan 2003
Posts: 21
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Audible
I too find Audible very cumbersome to use, and as a result, have used it seldom.
The only reason to use it rather that MS Reader is/was that the highest fidelity Audible format can/could only be played back with the Audible player. I do not know if that has changed. I wish they would make content available in a friendlier format such as MP3.
Dave
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06-27-2003, 03:18 PM
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Contributing Editor Emeritus
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 8,228
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Quote:
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Originally Posted by CoreyJF
That is strange, on PPC 2002 I have olny played audible through ms reader. Infact I never installed audibles player on my machine. did you try playing it with out audible being installed through ms reader.
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Of course. This is a 2003 device and Audible Manager is unable to properly activate the 2003 MS Reader, so you have to do this back door method.
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06-27-2003, 03:29 PM
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Pupil
Join Date: Mar 2003
Posts: 27
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It's been a wee while since I listened to Audible audiobooks, but was "reading" them heavily at one point. This following technique (as alluded to by CoreyJF) made the whole experience more enjoyable:
When you download Audible programs into AudibleManager they are stored on your computer as individual files. I cannot recall the default location but I will check and post when I get to my home PC.
If you want partial content you have to use the AudibleManager to select the portion you want copied and sync your device. It's painfully slow, but the only way.
However, if you want the full program on your device you can just copy the whole file onto My Documents on a flash card and it will be available in Reader. If you are using a USB flash writer it will be blazingly fast compared to the AudibleManager / ActiveSync solution.
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06-27-2003, 03:31 PM
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Ponderer
Join Date: Sep 2007
Posts: 62
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I had VERY bad experiences with Audible. Great concept, good marketing, BAD tech support. I kept sending emails, as their work hours are the same as mine. It wasn't until I called to cancel that they really wanted to help me out. They 'conviniently' were unable to find any reacord of any of my numerous emails. One of the stupidiest things was that even though I was calling to cancel, I was never given the free book I was offerred, and the the data was unable to download to the device the guy kept telling me that he was still going to 'give me' the free book. They have audible problems (as in they don't hear you).
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06-27-2003, 04:04 PM
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Pupil
Join Date: Feb 2002
Posts: 24
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Ed--thanks for writing about this topic! I have enjoyed Audible for a few years, and embarrasingly did not realize I could use Microsoft Reader to listen until I read your article!
I'll use Microsoft Reader--it doesn't continually give me error messages when my T-Mobile wakes up (this happens EVERY time I pause Audible and the T-Mobile goes to sleep because of inactivity).
With the activation of new devices (laptops & PDA's), I have contacted Audible twice. Unlike others experiences, I received an appropriate response immediately.
If one reading this hasn't tried Audible, I think they have free books to try. It might open up even more uses for your PDA!
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06-27-2003, 06:23 PM
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Thinker
Join Date: Feb 2002
Posts: 384
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READER ... Read my books!!!!!
It would have been nicer for Microsoft to add the "robotic" voice reading to Pocket Reader like the desktop version has.
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06-28-2003, 01:35 AM
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Pupil
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 30
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I agree that Audible Reader on the PPC sucks, but I continue to use it for one reason: MS Reader doesn't automatically remember where I stopped listening in an audiobook. Am I missing something?
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Linear Mode
