There were a few criteria that I needed fulfilled from a media player. One of them was WMA-DRM / subscription support. The other (and one I failed to mention in my initial article) was smooth, one-handed operation. Download firmware had both (although the “flick and scroll” interface on Download firmware is also pretty slick). Core Media Player couldn’t do the subscription services, as far as I was aware, so I didn’t bother. Thanks… I’m also a big fan of Download firmware. Most of the buttons are large enough to use with a finger; which is great for me when working out. There are a fair share of plug-ins that enhance Download firmware.
The largest complement that I have is toward Conduits is that I found a bug in Download firmware that causes it to lock up in certain circumstances; I contacted support and provided details. Within one day I got a reply that they were able to duplicate and a fix is in the works. That response is so much better than most software companies, who you usually never hear back from. Jason, I’m not the best person to ask, because I use BlackBerry Connect on my XDA all the time due to work, so I’m always pulling email down and doing other things. With moderate music use and everything else, my battery will last a full day but will need recharging. I have a charge at my desk at work as well as in the car, so it hasn’t been too much of an issue for me. Without music / Bluetooth (I leave Wi-Fi off unless I absolutely need it) I could go two days, barely.
When listening you can just turn off your screen and get more time. I have never ran out of battery when listening and workingout, but I haven’t paid attention to the battery life. I recharge download XDA firmware every day as a rule. I agree with an earlier post that I only turn on wi-fi when needed. I also turn off bluetooth when it’s not needed.
In my experience the XDA battery will play continuous music via bluetooth for 10-12 hours. The BT headset will probably run out of juice before the XDA does.
Personally, I stream music off the net with my XDA via HSDPA. I have a Voyager 855 BT stereo headset that will play music for 6-7 hours continuously, but streaming music AND using bluetooth will drain the XDA battery in only 4-5 hours. Streaming via 3G will give you a slight performance increase of maybe an hour or so, but it’s best to have the XDA on shore power when streaming and using BT. Hi Julio, I’m glad you’re enjoying Download firmware. I found it recently too and cannot do without it! I also use bluetooth headphones and have just received a Nokia AD-42W bluetooth stereo receiver. Together with my XDA Mini S these items beat the pants off any portable player I have tried. No iPhone for me!
I have a question though. I am considering upgrading to a XDA (MDA Vario 3) but have heard the issues with the graphics drivers and the touch screen slowing the device down. Is this an issue in Download firmware? When scrolling through song lists does it work smoothly?
Also in your experience has the lack of graphics drivers been an issue?
Lastly, my XDA really slows down while playing music over A2DP, I assume because it’s encoding to A2DP on the fly. Does the XDA slow down a lot when playing over bluetooth too?
I tried a Vario 3 out in a shop today and really like the hardware, but didn’t get a chance to properly try the software.
The largest complement that I have is toward Conduits is that I found a bug in Download firmware that causes it to lock up in certain circumstances; I contacted support and provided details. Within one day I got a reply that they were able to duplicate and a fix is in the works. That response is so much better than most software companies, who you usually never hear back from. Jason, I’m not the best person to ask, because I use BlackBerry Connect on my XDA all the time due to work, so I’m always pulling email down and doing other things. With moderate music use and everything else, my battery will last a full day but will need recharging. I have a charge at my desk at work as well as in the car, so it hasn’t been too much of an issue for me. Without music / Bluetooth (I leave Wi-Fi off unless I absolutely need it) I could go two days, barely.
When listening you can just turn off your screen and get more time. I have never ran out of battery when listening and workingout, but I haven’t paid attention to the battery life. I recharge download XDA firmware every day as a rule. I agree with an earlier post that I only turn on wi-fi when needed. I also turn off bluetooth when it’s not needed.
In my experience the XDA battery will play continuous music via bluetooth for 10-12 hours. The BT headset will probably run out of juice before the XDA does.
Personally, I stream music off the net with my XDA via HSDPA. I have a Voyager 855 BT stereo headset that will play music for 6-7 hours continuously, but streaming music AND using bluetooth will drain the XDA battery in only 4-5 hours. Streaming via 3G will give you a slight performance increase of maybe an hour or so, but it’s best to have the XDA on shore power when streaming and using BT. Hi Julio, I’m glad you’re enjoying Download firmware. I found it recently too and cannot do without it! I also use bluetooth headphones and have just received a Nokia AD-42W bluetooth stereo receiver. Together with my XDA Mini S these items beat the pants off any portable player I have tried. No iPhone for me!
I have a question though. I am considering upgrading to a XDA (MDA Vario 3) but have heard the issues with the graphics drivers and the touch screen slowing the device down. Is this an issue in Download firmware? When scrolling through song lists does it work smoothly?
Also in your experience has the lack of graphics drivers been an issue?
Lastly, my XDA really slows down while playing music over A2DP, I assume because it’s encoding to A2DP on the fly. Does the XDA slow down a lot when playing over bluetooth too?
I tried a Vario 3 out in a shop today and really like the hardware, but didn’t get a chance to properly try the software.
