NEC 900C, Unfortunate Design Decisions

One of the main purposes I bought a 900C for was to be able to play MP3 files of lectures up to 1 1/2 hours long without being tied to a desktop. With long files, it is essential to have something like the Windows Media Player progress bar so that a previous stopping point can be returned to and that the whole file can be accessed at random.

Since the 900C has Windows Media Player 9, it should serve this purpose nicely.

There turn out to be two problems, not fatal, but annoying.

First, the progress bar only extends over a small portion of the screen, destroying any pretense of accuracy in accessing a starting point with a clumsy stylus. If a fine adjustment could be done by keystrokes, this would be much less of a problem, but I have no evidence that any such feature exists on any WMP version on any computer.

Secondly, playing of files cannot be continued across a suspension without file access errors. Worse, the 900C cannot be configured to not time out and suspend for any post activity time period greater than 5 minutes. This timeout cannot be disabled.

One aspect of the problem is that playing a file is not considered activity, not preventing the timeout.

All of this discussion involves battery power, as getting away from the desktop ideally involves getting away from AC linecords as well.

One thing that would be useful is an activity utility that runs in the background and keeps the timeout counter from counting out.

I don't know what, if anything, software can do to keep the timer from counting out without human intervention.

Regards, Don






Edited by DonL0001 2007-03-31 12:40 AM

Use the recorder. It is better to used that has I record my classes and they play on both the recording WMP formats. Recorder is better on the HPC 2000 and Jornada 720 /728 is the best one.

I use my 900c for recording also and listen to stuff .

S/F,
CEYA!

That's a good point... I always thought there was something wrong with windows media player on the 900c.... the progress bar taking up only a small part of the screen, instead of utilizing the full width, is indeed a major drawback. Is there any way to better this? Is there a better mp3 player out there for ce.net?

I seem to recall a program somewhere that simulates a keystroke every couple of minutes to keep the device on - but I don't recall the name, nor where I saw it.

Forget Windows Media Player: install another player (there are plenty of those, freeware or payware). I recommend TCPMP or my customized HPC Media Player (based on TCPMP) to play Windows Media Files ( video and audio)...

it can. again, with smalltweak seriously, install this great little app (it will install an icon in control panel - in case you can't find it) and you can set/change some great things in it. including this.

cmonex,

OK, I give up!!

Question 1 : Where can I find Smalltweak?

Question 2 : In this alternate universe, a zip file is apparently not what I am used to. I have found some programs in zip files that need to be executed and can be, and others that cannot be. (all on my XP). In particular some non-program zips on your site that winzip barks at and doesn't allow me to do anything else with either. ( for example part 1.2.3 of a machine comparison) What simple thing am I missing?

Thanks, Don

download zip file, right click the zip file and select extract all. once that it is done open extracted folder and proceed with business.

S/F,
CEYA!

Winzip still doesn't think it's a valid archive. There is no extract choice without using winzip.

Regards, Don

Don't use WinZip. Just go download the zip file and right click it.

S/F,
CEYA!

That's exactly what I did.

XP has sold winzip a perpetual contract right to profit from every file that ends with .zip.

Thanks, Don

Send it to me and I will uninstall it for you.

S/F,
CEYA!

Thanks, but I don't have a specific problem, but a general one.

Could it be that that the executable zips are not being made to be executed by an X86 processor, but rather by one of the handhelds?

Do you know where smalltweak is?

Thanks, Don

I hate winzip. Use winace! There are many programs that will extract zip files, but winace is the best.

SmallTweak: http://www.tillanosoft.com