First android phone and using android as a media player

[Member354414]

First off thanks for all responses, I started this thread to get general opinions so all are welcome .

Currently I have an iPhone 3G 8GB whilst also carrying my iPod around as well. What I really want to be able to do is combine them into one. Whilst I realise the iPhone will do this 8GB is just not enough, I don't need loads more just a bit.

I've also had enough of iTunes I just want to be able to move music quickly and easily without having to sync a devise each time, hence android.

So I guess the main question is how good is android as a media player? Primarily music but if I have more space available with a decent screen films/tv series also become an option.

Second question is simply what device to choose? With android handsets being released to frequently it seems impossible to keep up with hardware. Software seems to be the most important. So I was really interested in the Nexus S. I am living in the UK so things like 4G don't come into it.

Thanks

Crashed

 

[marefin]

I have all my music on my SD card and anytime I want to add anything to it I just put the SD card into my laptop and just transfer the music that way. It's quick and fast. From my personal view (and coming from an iPhone too) the Android media player isn't the best in the world, BUT there are SO many other options that you can find in the Market that blows the iPhone/iPod media player out of the water. I currently use one called Power Amp and it's just freaking awesome. The way it organizes the files without me having to do anything is pretty nice and it comes with widgets for the home screen and the lock screen that work very well.

Even if you don't want to take the SD card route, you can easily just plug your phone into your computer via USB and transfer the files directly to your phone without having to use any other software (i.e. iTunes). However, if you do have most of your music on iTunes then there is a method to transfer the music from iTunes to a non-Apple product as well (I'll try to find the link and post it soon).

The one issue with the Nexus S is that there's no external SD card slot. So if you feel the 16gb won't be enough for you, then don't get that phone (although it sounds like it'd be an awesome phone).

 

[LoyalServant]

Winamp can sync over wifi to a computer with winamp on it.
I have read wonderful things about this particular feature but have not used it personally.

 

[PureLoneWolf]

+1 for PowerAmp. The equaliser is superb and the use of tags is second to none for me. I have about 12gb of music on mine currently and love it. My girlfriend isn't too happy as I no longer carry around the iPod she got me for my birthday...but the convenience is so much better.

 

[Member354414]

Thanks for the responses.

So poweramp is an app that acts as a media player is it solely for music? So it organises and allows you to adjust the levels? Finally is it free or a one off fee?

As far as handsets go I don't think I'll need more than 16GB to be honest and I regularly cycle what I listen to anyway. I think I am firmly decided on the Nexus S to be honest just as much as its not the leap people wanted it to be it's still a massive step up from what I'm using. Plus software seems to matter more with android than hardware does.

Bit of a random question does anyone know the costs of bringing a phone back from the states? Just as the Nexus S is

 

[PureLoneWolf]

PowerAmp is solely for music, it is free for a limited trial, but you can pay a one-off fee to get it permanently unlocked - $4.99 IIRC

If you want video too, consider Rockplayer (free with ads or pay to remove ads) for Video...it's my personal fave, but I am sure that others have opinions

The stock video client is ok, but only supports limited formats.

 

[Member354414]

What file types does android support? I heard android can generally read pretty much any file type.

 

[snapper.fishes]

What file types does android support? I heard android can generally read pretty much any file type.

This depends on which phone you have.

 

[PureLoneWolf]

What file types does android support? I heard android can generally read pretty much any file type.

Android is the OS, so supports every file type. You need an application to take advantage of them in the same way as your home computer.

Rockplayer handles a massive range of formats. This with PowerAmp will pretty much cover most things you would want to play.

Cheers

 

[PureLoneWolf]

My Desire came with an FM Radio, a Music App (which is ok, but not spectacular) and Videos (which, if you are happy converting...is ok).

Android offers you the opportunity to find better apps for what you want. PowerAmp offers great music management and an equaliser. Rockplayer stops the need for converting videos (unless you want to).

Choice FTW

 

[hellcatt]

I have all my music on my SD card and anytime I want to add anything to it I just put the SD card into my laptop and just transfer the music that way. It's quick and fast. From my personal view (and coming from an iPhone too) the Android media player isn't the best in the world, BUT there are SO many other options that you can find in the Market that blows the iPhone/iPod media player out of the water. I currently use one called Power Amp and it's just freaking awesome. The way it organizes the files without me having to do anything is pretty nice and it comes with widgets for the home screen and the lock screen that work very well.

Even if you don't want to take the SD card route, you can easily just plug your phone into your computer via USB and transfer the files directly to your phone without having to use any other software (i.e. iTunes). However, if you do have most of your music on iTunes then there is a method to transfer the music from iTunes to a non-Apple product as well (I'll try to find the link and post it soon).

The one issue with the Nexus S is that there's no external SD card slot. So if you feel the 16gb won't be enough for you, then don't get that phone (although it sounds like it'd be an awesome phone).

dont bother with all that
Awesome Drop (File Sync) - Android app on AppBrain

 

[dan330]

hi and welcome to AF...

you have an iphone and carry an ipod.... why?

is it because of the 8gb mem on iphone is now enough?
or
because of the sound that you like from the ipod?? (should be same as iphone).

if size of mem.... with nexus s, you just boxed yourself in again. the 16 mem is fixed and no sdcard slots! You might look at the Galaxy S versions if you really like the Nexus S. or my fav is HTC Desire HD.

if sound is your thing... you will still need to carry your ipod around with an android phone. I love my android and use it for music in all situations... but I have heard that picky music lovers do not think it can match ipod sound reproduction.

later

 

[marefin]

dont bother with all that
Awesome Drop (File Sync) - Android app on AppBrain

Never even thought of doing it that way. Gonna try it as soon as I get home today

 

[marefin]

Thanks for the responses.

So poweramp is an app that acts as a media player is it solely for music? So it organises and allows you to adjust the levels? Finally is it free or a one off fee?......

It's well worth the money that you pay for it. But take advantage of the free trial and see how you like it. The free trial gives you access to all the options so you can get a full feel of how it works. I can't remember exactly how long the trial lasts for, but it seemed to last for awhile before it prompted me to upgrade.

 

[LoyalServant]

I can't remember exactly how long the trial lasts for, but it seemed to last for awhile before it prompted me to upgrade.

I believe it's 30 days.
I tried it out myself but I am not a big music fan.
The most I do is stream NPR.... I got a player way back in the beginning of time called DroidLive and they changed the name to XiiaLive, I did buy it because it was the best streaming app at the time.

Power Amp does have a load of features and I did like it.

 

[Member354414]

hi and welcome to AF...

you have an iphone and carry an ipod.... why?

is it because of the 8gb mem on iphone is now enough?
or
because of the sound that you like from the ipod?? (should be same as iphone).

if size of mem.... with nexus s, you just boxed yourself in again. the 16 mem is fixed and no sdcard slots! You might look at the Galaxy S versions if you really like the Nexus S. or my fav is HTC Desire HD.

if sound is your thing... you will still need to carry your ipod around with an android phone. I love my android and use it for music in all situations... but I have heard that picky music lovers do not think it can match ipod sound reproduction.

later

I don't mind having no sd card slot as I don't have a massive music amount of music but it is more than is available to me on my iPhone, 16GB is enough. I thought about simply going for the iPhone 4 but I have had enough of iPhones. I have one which regularly just does little things it shouldn't and working in a phone shop we see loads of them coming back faulty.

I am fairly picky but not sure I would be able to tell the difference, guess I'll try and do a search for a comparison.

The reason I was drawn to the nexus s was the fact it is samsung hardware, I don't mind the plastic back, with google supported software. Touchwiz sucks balls.

 

[roadkizzle]

hi and welcome to AF...

you have an iphone and carry an ipod.... why?

is it because of the 8gb mem on iphone is now enough?
or
because of the sound that you like from the ipod?? (should be same as iphone).

if size of mem.... with nexus s, you just boxed yourself in again. the 16 mem is fixed and no sdcard slots! You might look at the Galaxy S versions if you really like the Nexus S. or my fav is HTC Desire HD.

if sound is your thing... you will still need to carry your ipod around with an android phone. I love my android and use it for music in all situations... but I have heard that picky music lovers do not think it can match ipod sound reproduction.

later

I will also say that I have both an iPhone and an iPod. I listen to music on my iPod, and use the iPhone and everything else.

My reason is very simple, the battery life on my iPhone 3G lasts just a day if I have it asleep and just make a few calls/texts to send out information.

If I want to listen to music during the day, which I can do easily for 8+ hours, then my battery on my phone would die within 2-3. Without a replaceable battery that would make me wait tethered to a power outlet for it to charge enough to make important phone calls. If I run out of power on my iPod (which is much older than my phone, yet battery lasts close to 12 hours still playing nonstop) then it's no big loss, I can't listen to music for a while.

In addition to that, when I'm waiting for something and I want to listen to music, there's a good chance that I will need to be doing other things at the same time, such as sending emails/texts/playing with apps/checking out phandroid, and without having multitasking on my phone, I can't do anything but listen to music.

If anyone is wondering, my phone is 2.5 years old or so, but after I graduated, and started my job in January, I had to get my own phone plan, which restarted my contract, and I wasn't yet enlightened to getting any better phone. I will be getting either the Motorola Olympus if it is indeed coming out sometime January, or the Bravo if there isn't anything better around when I can upgrade on January 16.

 

[dan330]

^^^ good point about the battery... and another con for iphone.

 

[takeshi]

So I guess the main question is how good is android as a media player?

In my experience that depends a lot on the app(s) you use. It's like asking how good a PC is at doing something. The software makes a significant difference.

Second question is simply what device to choose? With android handsets being released to frequently it seems impossible to keep up with hardware. Software seems to be the most important.

As always: Start with your needs/wants. Look at the features/specs of what's out there. Your carrier will also narrow down the selection. Assess your preferences for physical characteristics (check out options in person where possible) and how the options fit in with your preferences. It's really like shopping for anything else.

Don't look at everything and think that you need to review each option out there. As a rough analogy, when shopping for a car do you just start from scratch and consider every possible make and model out there? Most people have some idea of what they're looking for with criteria like:

• Fuel efficiency
• Type of vehicle: sedan, coupe, convertible, pickup truck, SUV, CUV, hatchback, wagon, etc
• A specific brand (if you're the brand loyal type)
• Specific functional requirement: haul kids, haul 4' x 8' plywood, etc
• Colors
• Specific type of driving experience: soft and comfortable, straight line acceleration, handling on twisty roads, etc
• Etc etc...

Establish your criteria first and the options will narrow themselves. Otherwise, yes, it's overwhelming.

What file types does android support? I heard android can generally read pretty much any file type.

This depends on which phone you have.

...and what app(s) you use. I mean, RockPlayer supports formats and codecs that my Droid doesn't natively support.

I love my android and use it for music in all situations... but I have heard that picky music lovers do not think it can match ipod sound reproduction.

Sounds like the type of people that need to buy special, expensive cables. I'd like to see the results of a double blind test with these people. IIRC there was a blind test performed with audiophiles who ended up selecting speakers wired with coathangers instead of their normally preferred expensive speaker wire.