Some newbee Questions ...

[r0b456]

OK.

I got my NX80V yesterday and got it all charged up while at work. I was able to use it a little bit at the end of the work day -- setting up the initial setup, setting audio preferences, etc. I got home and installed the Palm destop software on my laptop while the unit charged some more. I then started adding the add-on applications that came on the included CD. It added them to RAM -- took me a while to figure out that I needed to manually transfer them to the Launcer folder under my Memory stick. I then read through the "online" manuals on the CD, found out how to set up a transfer within Audio Player to transfer music directly to my Memory Stick from my computer.


I currently have only a few questions so far.

1.) In both the standard Palm launcher and the Clie launcher, the programs that I moved to my memory stick only show up in the category labeled by a memory card icon. Once in the memory card category, all my applications show up. It does not appear that I can add them to the existing categories in either launcher. However, is there any way to assign categories within the Storage Card category? IE: can I be in the storage card in either launcher and then have folders for Utilities, Games, etc?

Not really critical or crucial, but I'm a pretty organized person. I would like to be able to keep most of my applications on my MS so I don't use up my system RAM. But I would also like to keep things organized.


2.) Is anyone aware of any Audio converters? I have a bunch of audio files that were encoded in WMA format, as they were created using Windows Media Player. I never had a problem with this before because I usually only used these songs on my laptop, to burn mixed CD's, and to play on my Pocket PC. The PPC had no problems with WMA's as it's a Microsoft product. However, now I can no longer play those WMA's -- just the few MP3's that I have. I know that there are a bunch of utilities (Plus! for example) that convert MP3's to WMA. Has anyone seen any that do the opposite? I know that Music Match Jukebox used to do it, a long time ago. However, I downloaded their latest version and it didn't have an conversion options.

3.) Somewhat related to 2 -- one of the utilities that came on the Clie CD was an audio utility to convert music from MP3 and WMA to ATRAC. However, ATRAC is only possible on Magic Gate memory sticks. I have a 256mb Memory Stick Pro from Sony. However, it says Magic Gate on it. The little guide says that ATRAC files support Magic Gate memory sticks, but not Memory Stick Pro. Mine says both ... ? If my card could support ATRAC tracks, then I wouldn't have to worry about converting to MP3 ...




Thanks for any help or tips anyone can provide.


-Rob

[breakfastchef]

If this is your first PDA, congratualtions! If this is your first Clie, congtratulations! If you are an old hand at the Palm OS, congratulations, anyway.

I will give this a shot and then let the experts correct me.

1. Almost all launchers allow you to put your apps onto the MS and will display the app icon in the All category waiting for you to assign each one to a category of your choice. I do not use the default Clie Launcher. The day I got my NX80 I installed ZLauncher into RAM and off I went. Surely the manuals must say how to categorize, but on this I cannot assist you with Clie Launcher specific questions.

2. I use Music Match Jukebox Plus, and, I believe it does have this functionality. It is not free, but it is convenient to have. Perhaps others know of free ripping and converting software available.

3. I use the regular old blue memory sticks. They are cheaper and do the job just fine. I am seriously considering moving to a CF card which is much cheaper than memory sticks and can store and play audio files from it using Mini's patch. I look forward to experimenting with this setup.

Now the knowledgeable folks will give you the straight dope.

Larry

[r0b456]

Thanks Larry.

This is my first Clie -- my first Palm since a IIIc, which I only had briefly. My only real experience was with a IIIxe, which didn't have audio and didn't use expansion memory. I have been using Pocket PC's ever since the Casio E-105, so it has been a long while since I have used any Palm device.



How certain are you that MMJB Plus can convert from WMA to MP3?




Thanks,

Rob

[kp*]

Breakfastchef beat me to the first response, but I will submit my answers anyway, and hopefully elaborate for you.

1. No, the category for the memory stick is separate from the RAM categories and can't be subdivided. Stupid, huh? Sounds like you need a third-party launcher. I would recommend ZLauncher (as would an overwhelming majority of users here), but some others are LauncherX, YiShow, MegaLauncher, SilverScreen and CRSLauncher (which I believe is the only free one around these days). Each has its own advantages and disadvantages, and it's really a matter of personal preference, so you should give yourself a chance to try each one for a while to figure out which suits your style.

2. Can't think of any offhand, audio conversion is such a pain. I also primarily use a Mac, so it might not be much help.

3. Yeah, the MagicGate logo on the MSPro apparently has nothing to do with the ATRAC format. It's really confusing because the original MagicGate sticks were linked with that audio technology, and now the name doesn't seem to mean anything. But AFAIK, the MSPro is not compatible with ATRAC.

[jmg_NX21]

1) If you use the LAUNCHER it is NO GOOD when installing apps to your memory stick (MS) you have NON FLEXIBILITY when it comes to categories.

If you use the STANDARD View your apps by categories BUT not change those on you MS.

I HIGHLY recommend you go to the LAUNCHER forum... you will find some AWESOME launchers that will fit your needs for CUSTOMIZATION and organizing your apps.

I am a zlauncher fanatic.

3) MS pro DOES NOT support ATRAC tracks, very odd considering that THIS is Sony's proprietary format for audio. I use other programs to convert my audio files *yep another MAC user* to mp3's, NOTE: variable RATE mp3's are NOT supported by the audio player.

*someone BEAT me to my posts*

[r0b456]

Thanks KP.

So far, it's no big deal. Most of my music (surprisingly) is music I ripped myself from CD's I own. So I will simply delete my WMA's and re-record all my music into MP3 using the free version of MusicMatch. I figure Converting probably takes just as long as the original recording, so I might as well just re-record if I can.

I will have to check out zLauncher. I have been browsing these boards for a while, waiting for my NX80. I have heard about zLauncher and read up on it. I think my need for a more powerful launcher will grow as I continue to install new programs and apps.

[r0b456]

Thanks to everyone for answering these questions.


I have one more, slightly related.

Is there a certain way that I should be transfering applications to the memory stick? Like, is there a special app or utility for this? Basically, I've just been going into Clie files and selecting the actual program and selecting Move, then moving it to the Launcher folder. However, this only moves the selected file and not the entire library of files used by an application.



Thanks,

Rob

[n2ifp]

Yes, they are zLauncher and PowerRun. They both move the apps, update, sometimes sync, back and forth from RAM to the memory stick.

zLauncher is 3 USA dollars cheaper and has a ton of extra features to boot!!! :)

Some good tips here and there is also a ClieSource tips forum!

http://www.cliesource.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=18812

Enjoy your new Clie!!!

[kp*]

Originally posted by r0b456
Is there a certain way that I should be transfering applications to the memory stick?
If you mean moving apps you've downloaded from your computer directly to the MS, yes, there's an easier way to do it than putting them in RAM. When you select to install them, and you're looking at the window that shows what files you have waiting to be installed, there should be a button on that window that allows you to select whether they're installed to RAM or the external card (on the NX80 you get the option of CF card or MS). On the Mac, this button is called "change destination," can't remember if it's exactly the same on the PC, but it should suggest something similar. When you hotsync something to your MS, it will always be put in the Palm/launcher folder, which is the only one that the standard launcher looks in to see your apps. More advanced launchers can read apps from any folder, if you desire to keep things organized differently.

The other option you have for installing to the MS is using Data Import. This mounts your MS on your desktop as though it were a small hard drive, and you can drag-and-drop files into its file structure like any other drive. I believe you have to use this method for installing MP3s and JPEGs and possibly all non-Palm-format files.

As for the MS not holding all the data files for an app, that's the way the OS deals with stuff on the card. The app itself goes on the card, but the database files stay in RAM because they have to be updated. There are programs which get around this by keeping the DBs on the card, copying them to RAM when in use, and then moving them back to the card. ZLauncher can do this itself, and there are standalone apps that can add this function if you're using another launcher.