Palm OS sound API better than Sony?

[NJL!2016]

Is the Palm OS sound API better than Sony's? Like, in terms of sound quality?

[duraace]

well...their Tungsten C has mono MP3. How would you like that?

[NJL!2016]

Mono=Bad.
Decision=Stupid

[rzanerutledge]

Yes, the UX50 has sound done the *right* way. It means you have more channels of ADPCM streaming sound available, and higher frequency than the limited 8kHz Yamaha chip in pre-UX50 Sonys. And basically it means programmers can write sound for one API and it'll work, rather than the total MESS of having to do one kind for Palms, and one kind for Clies.

Ogg players like Aeroplayer should also work on your UX50, as they do not on the earlier OS5 Clies. (Or they should be able to, anyway.) Basically, it took half a dozen devices, but finally Sony did the right thing and supported the API PalmSource established with OS5 from the get-go.

(Note that the Yamaha chip in those Sonys is still pretty cool, it just wasn't the best thing to take advantage of the standard that Palm established with its API, which Sony chose to simply ignore (or at least to not support).)

[rzanerutledge]

You asked about the API, not the actual specs. The Palm API is good; I think it is the hardware on the Tungsten that is limited to mono, not the API spec or anything in it.

I do not know what the hardware on the UX50 is. Anyone? Stereo? Or also mono? (Surely not.)

[Unregistered]

Palm is going the Pocket PC way...
Different APIs for Sound and now different APIs for virtual silk screen...(NX/UX/T3) this is insane...what's next? different builds for different CPUs? oh wait a tick...it's already here...

[c0mm0n]

Have'nt found any clear info on that from sony but zdnet mentions the stereo outpur in their preview

http://reviews-zdnet.com.com/Sony_CLIE_PEG_UX50/4505-3128_16-30460776.html

Searching google with "ux50 stereo" also confirm the device has a stereo output and mono speaker

[neogin]

wait .. ux has 300 mhz cpu ?

i thought 100 something ..

[Unregistered]

Palm's sound API is fine. And yes, Sony finally dropped their proprietary crap and adopted Palmsource's standard sound API.

[Hakaida]

Palm can learn much about hardware design from Sony, though. Nice to see Palm join the 21st century and finally do a VG area.

[n2ifp]

Originally posted by neogin
wait .. ux has 300 mhz cpu ?

i thought 100 something ..

Sorry, no 300MHz cpu. It was a typo, darn it...:(

[CliePet]

> Is the Palm OS sound API better than Sony's?

In general yes, but from a programmer and program availability point of view.

> Like, in terms of sound quality?

No - they are the same.

-----
If you can get your CLIE to play back normal PCM audio (NOT crappy 4kHz or 8kHz ADPCM) they will sound the same whether played back using the Palm OS 5.2 API (UX) or the undocumented Sony sound API (NX/NZ etc)

The undocumented Sony sound API is very limited [sync playback only, as discussed on the cliedeveloper.com BBS BTW]

BTW: There is a documented Sony ADPCM API (Pa1Lib), but it is not a viable solution for most applications.

[Exception]

I think using the standard Palm sound API can only be a good thing becos more developer will be able to make good use of the Sony hardware.

As far as the sound quality it should depend on the hardware, not API.

[MikeD]

But my alarm sounds from my TG-50 don't sound right on the UX-50. and my cat loves (alarm 2).

Mike

[Unregistered]

Originally posted by n2ifp
Sorry, no 300MHz cpu. It was a typo, darn it...

so what's the real frequancy of it?

[NJL!2016]

The processor speed goes from 8MHz to 123MHz