Music/Media player questions regarding Android

[Vance]

One the primary functions I want from the Droid will be the media player. I want to be able to ditch my iPod Touch and just have one device. So, a couple of questions:

How much of a hassle is it to move music on and off the phone compared to iPhone/Touch?

Podcasts are a top priority: if I use Google's Listen, does it actually subscribe and download the podcasts when there are new ones, or does it just stream them on demand? If they don't have the podcast I want can I add the rss in like I can in iTunes? How does it handle video podcasts (another must-have)?

I want to be able to pause/play while the phone is tucked away in a pocket. I do this currently using headphones with an inline remote. Will these headphones work with the Droid? Will the built-in mic work as well for phone calls?

Does it pause the music that is playing when a call comes in and then restart at the same place after the call?

Thanks for any help with these questions!

 

[cwrig]

I think android is much better than" Iwhatever" in syncing music because you can use any music management app you want; not be tied to Itunes.

On the PC side you can use something as simple as Windows Media Player to manage music files and sync them with your android phone.

Or; a more robust music management app is MediaMonkey which is designed to manage larrge volumes of files and has lots of bells and whistles. It can sync music, playlists, and podcasts to your phone if you like.

Re podcasts; you can sync them via a pc app as described above, or you can add an rss reader app to the phone and have it sync directly over the air via the rss feed.

Yes; the music will pause when you phone rings. Even when the phone is locked (at least on hero) it displays the songs being played.

 

[Vance]

Oh, that is good news! I will check out that MediaMonkey, I didn't know that Android could sync, I thought everything was side-loaded. If that is the case, I have heard good things about DoubleTwist as well.

That is also good about the pausing the music when a call comes in. Does anyone know whether my headphones with inline remote will work?

 

[cwrig]

Yea; the phone just looks like a external drive to the PC App and MediaMonkey keeps a database of what is synced to the device already. So, it only transfers changes when you connect.

There are other music management apps as well; I just landed with Media Monkey.

Tip: Download "Ringdroid" from the market (free app) and it allows you to select and choose 30 seconds from any mp3 on your phone to use as ringtone or notification. No need to edit ringtones on the PC or MAC.

 

[Vance]

Thanks for that tip, I was listening to Led Zeppelin's Kashmir and was thinking that intro would make a great ringtone!

I really would like a desktop app that works like iTunes, seeing the phone and allowing drag and drop into the phone, and delete from the phone, etc. I think DoubleTwist does this, and I will check out MediaMonkey and some others as well. I have a full week to decide how I will go! :0)

 

[cwrig]

Sure; you can drag and drop to/from the phone. You can even use Explorer or file manager to do that.

 

[Vance]

Sorry, what I meant was drag-and-drop within that app, like iTunes, although the hard drive aspect is a nice feature as well. DoubleTwist seems to do what I want, but I checked out MediaMonkey and that looks awesome! I will try a few, but I think that is probably what I will go with. Thanks for the recommendation!

 

[Slickness]

In response to using an "inline remote", is there any android app that best utilizies an inline remote's functions? As of now, Meridian player works fairly good but it doesn't seek within a music track well. Tunewiki completely lacks seeking.

Any other suggestions for music players?

 

[ndoren]

Don't ignore Motorola's own "Media Link" Windows software as a viable PC/Android media Sync and management tool. I haven't tried it but I've read reviews and they have been outstanding. It's a Motorola software product, specifically to support the Motorola Droid.

Motorola Media Link - Motorola USA
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[alostpacket]

Winamp syncs as well, also Microsoft SyncToy 2 is a pretty fun tool (worth trying even if you dont use it for droid)



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