A Road Trip with Tunes in Our Pockets

My family had been invited to the wedding of a favorite nephew. The wedding was 350 miles away.

We boarded our dogs and loaded the car with our luggage. My husband and I were not looking forward to being in close quarters with two high energy teenagers for 5-6 hours.

Rain was pouring down, visibility was low, so our attempt at a game of Interstate Bingo was a flop.

We decided to read the books that we each brought with us. It didn't take long for the old nemesis of car sickness to raise it's ugly head. So much for reading.

We tried listening to the radio. We spent the next few hours flipping past static-filled radio stations with seemingly endless commercials.

Finally it occurred to us that we could have been listening to our favorite songs, listening to Internet Radio or even listening to an Audio Book with Pocket Tunes.

We opted to listen to music that we could all enjoy. The kind of songs that everyone knows the words to.

We spent the next few hours singing and laughing together. We were singing Our Grand Finale, "We Are Family" as we arrived at our destination.

Pocket Tunes took what could have been a long, miserable trip and turned it into a party!

Karen, Latest addition to the NormSoft team

Podcasts from iTunes on Windows Mobile

Would you like to use Pocket Tunes on your Windows Mobile phone for listening to podcasts from your iTunes library?

Well you can.

Pocket Tunes for Windows Mobile comes complete with an application that lets you copy playlists from iTunes to your Windows Mobile device. Although this functionality is most commonly used for copying music playlists, it can also be used to automatically copy podcasts as well.

You can do it in two easy steps:
1. Create a new smart playlist in iTunes for selecting the podcasts that you want to copy.
2. Using the Pocket Tunes Sync application, select your newly created playlist for synchronization.

Here is a quick example:
1. Create a new smart playlist in iTunes for selecting the podcasts that you want to copy.
* Within iTunes select "New Smart Playlist…" from the "File" menu.
* In the "Smart Playlist" dialog that appears, create the following three filters: "Podcast is true", "Play Count is 0", and "Date Added is in the last 3 weeks." This will automatically add recent podcasts that you haven’t yet heard.



2. Using the Pocket Tunes Sync application, select your newly created playlist for synchronization.
* Run the Pocket Tunes Sync application on your Windows PC
* Select the smart playlist that you just created from the displayed list
* Select "Synchronize Now"



And there you have it! Now your most recently downloaded podcasts will be copied to your Windows Mobile phone.

For more information on the Pocket Tunes Sync for iTunes application see:
http://www.pocket-tunes.com/userguide/en-win/#InstallAudioThirdParty

Enjoy!

Mark Belliveau

VP, Marketing and Business Development

NormSoft, Inc.

A Streaming Musical Sundae.

I listen to Internet radio with Pocket Tunes a LOT. Sometimes as much as 10 hours in a day. What can I say, it's my job, I HAVE to do it. :-D

I have a particular station that I really enjoy. It's Radio Paradise (http://www.radioparadise.com). To me it's like a musical sundae. Why? Glad you asked.

To call this station eclectic is not really a fair label. It has the substance of some really cool, current tracks (the ice cream). But over that is a fantastic layer of fudge sauce classics. No this is not station that will be playing any candy floss hair band 80's stuff. Nope, they play 'the good stuff'. From classic Neil Young, Bob Dylan etc., to more obscure stuff that you might not have heard before but is totally cool (Vieux Farka Toure doing a version of U2's Bullet The Blue Sky).

Like any sundae there are a few tasty bonuses sprinkled on top. I don't know many stations where you can go from a post-punk, country, Latin, kitchen sink sounds of Alejandro Escovedo, to a trip hop adventure with Portishead, to a masterful Miles Davis track...in seven minutes or less!

And the cherry on top? The artists you may never have heard of but are making GREAT music. Calexico, Yoshida Brothers, Vieux Farka Toure...I could go on.

Unlike a regular sundae, Radio Paradise changes it's flavor all the time. They tend to theme a set of tracks. Sometimes it is an obvious theme, other times not so much. But it's always interesting, often unpredictable and always pays off with some great music. Definitely a taste sensation!

You can check out Radio Paradise in the Top Stations category of the Internet Radio area in Pocket Tunes 4 Deluxe. The trial version of Pocket Tunes allows you to try out this and other great station in the Internet Radio catalog. So if you don't have Pocket Tunes Deluxe yet, you can give the trial a try and check out some great music!

- Dave, Director of Quality Assurance and Customer Support

Enjoy the ocean while listening to Pocket Tunes.

Well folks, Matthew here once again with yet another gadget to use in conjunction with Pocket Tunes. As a support technician with Normsoft, I routinely work with customers and Pocket Tunes. I have come to realize that our customers really rely on Pocket Tunes and their music to guide them through their busy work days and lifestyles.

I, myself, use Pocket Tunes quite often to listen to an audio book before bed, while driving in the car or during business travels. While having one of my late night insomniac moments I realized, "Hey! Wouldn't it be great to have visual representation to go with my audio.", so I started doing research. Before I go any further I want to take you back to the late 1980's. Remember the fad that grew across the nation with audio/visual relaxation tapes? Laying down in the evening and popping in your favorite scenic nature video complete with birds, running water and the occasional cricket.

My apologies everyone, I guess that memory took me back a bit further then it should have. Moving on. When I found this new gadget it really was the only comparison that I could think of. Takara Tomy has invented a projector that they call a "Healing Theater Umine" or Umine for short.

This product basically is a projector that accepts an audio input source (perfect for our Pocket Tunes users). In a dark environment generally used in someone's bedroom, the projector actually places visual effects on the ceiling while playing whatever audio is fed to it.

The device has a few modes to it, one being a beautiful rolling water effect that includes waves. The colors are brilliant and well, who doesn't want an ocean on their ceiling while relaxing at night with image quality that looks like it was pulled directly from the Virgin Islands. Umine also offers other scapes like nature and forest scenes.

This is the first device of it's kind to my knowledge and it is really neat. Now, I realize that with a price tag of $89.00 USD or 8,400 Yen, this device might not be for everyone but, I am hoping that we will see more devices like this in the future. I really do think that visualization for mobile devices complete with audio is a very cool idea. Plus for the price, and the possibility to add a bit more R&R to our lives, how can you go wrong.

For more information on the Umine please follow the link below:

http://www.himeyashop.com/product_info.php/products_id/7765

Also you can check out a youtube video of the device in action at this link:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2hsMsO7rY0Q

- Matthew C , Customer Support Specialist/Audiophile/Gamer/Gadget Geek, NormSoft Inc.

Pocket Tunes Deluxe 4.1.1 for Windows Mobile

NormSoft has just released Pocket Tunes Deluxe 4.1.1 for Windows Mobile. This patch release fixes a number of known bugs and is available for free to anyone who purchased Pocket Tunes Deluxe 4.1 for Windows Mobile. If you are new to Pocket Tunes Deluxe 4.1 for Windows Mobile, a 15-day trial can also be downloaded for free.

You can download the update or free trial from:

http://www.pocket-tunes.com/?page=new_win

OR

Even easier, you can update directly from Pocket Tunes!

1. Open Pocket Tunes
2. Go to the Menu and select "Help"
3. Then select "Check for Updates"

Pocket Tunes will then check to see if there is a newer version available and download it directly to your device and start the installer once downloaded.

To purchase a copy of Pocket Tunes Deluxe 4.1.1 for Windows Mobile please go to:

http://www.pocket-tunes.com/?page=purchase_win


What's new?

* New menu item linking to download page for available skins

* The VGA skin is now included by default with the product download

* The 320x320 skin for devices like the Treo 800w is now included by default with the product download

* User's can now turn off the screen on pro devices while WM DRM tracks are playing

See the complete list of bug fixes at http://www.pocket-tunes.com/?page=history .

Enjoy!

Mark Belliveau

VP, Marketing and Business Development

NormSoft, Inc.

New Palm and Windows Mobile skins

Hello everyone,

We have added some new skins for Pocket Tunes
http://www.pocket-tunes.com/skins/index.html .

On Palm:

We have added a very very cool skin called "iTunes 7 with Coverflow". The really cool thing about this skin is that it shows the album art for the current track AND the previous and next track. Similar to the view you get in iTunes showing the 3 tracks album art. Some brilliant work by Bernhard Lee Strobl the skin's author.

Take a look at the "iTunes 7 with Coverflow" skin here:
http://www.pocket-tunes.com/skins/index.php?os=PalmOS&id=153

On Windows Mobile:

We have added to skins on Windows Mobile. Both are winners of the skin contest we had at 99 Designs (www.99designs.com).

Pcok Green - This is a cool graphic skin with a very nice display.

Lean - A deceptively simple skin with some nice added features like a pop up volume bar.

See both Windows Mobile skins plus the Cool Black skin and VGA skins here, http://www.pocket-tunes.com/skins/index.php?os=WinMo .

Take care,
Dave
NormSoft, Inc

NormSoft Introduces Pocket Tunes Music and Radio Player for Windows Mobile Smartphones

Today NormSoft announced the availability of its award-winning audio player Pocket Tunes&trade Deluxe for Windows Mobile® 5 and 6 devices. With the addition of Windows Mobile, Pocket Tunes now supports Palm, Inc.'s entire family of handhelds and smartphones in addition to many Windows Mobile handhelds and smartphones from other manufacturers.

Read today's complete press release at:
http://normsoft.com/press/2008-06-02.html

Mark Belliveau - VP, Marketing and Business Development

Pocket Tunes &trade - Your phone. Your music. &trade

Advanced Internet Radio Not So Advanced !

As many of our users already know Pocket Tunes Deluxe features Internet radio streaming. Internet radio can be a pleasant change from the everyday music that we all have on our devices. Many times I find myself browsing through the Internet radio catalog looking for new bands or anything else that strikes my interest.

However, Did you know that you are not just limited to the music catalog that we offer? Many of your favorite local stations are also now available online. This can be wonderful especially when your stuck on a business trip out of town. For instance if you visit radio-locator.com you can do a search by zip code, region or address and instantly you will get results of local stations offered in that area. Plus websites like Shoutcast.com and live365.com offer literally thousands of stations for your listening pleasure. All you have to do is navigate to these sites via Blazer or your browser of choice on your device, select the Internet radio station you want to listen to and Pocket Tunes will play it.

Now you might be wondering what if I find a station I really like and I do not want to lose it. Well all stations that you have previously listened to are filed in your Choose songs screen under unfiled. You can even make playlists of your favorite Internet radio stations directly in Pocket Tunes Deluxe which can really save time when trying to track down a station.

Now let's talk a little bit about the frills! While working in support daily I find one of the most common questions being "How do I use a Bluetooth headset/speakers or Bluetooth in my car with Pocket Tunes Deluxe?" Well now Normsoft has that answer. We have teamed up with Softick to become a reseller of their award winning software called "Softick Audio Gateway". SAG gives Palm OS based devices functionality for Bluetooth devices.

What does this do for me you ask? Well now you can use your favorite Bluetooth headset or speakers to listen to Pocket Tunes wherever you go. Imagine you have a data plan on your cell phone and already enjoy Internet radio. Why not use that in conjunction with Softick Audio Gateway and listen in your car or while your out doing the morning jog, via wireless!

For more information on Softick Audio Gateway click here.

Pocket Tunes links that might be of interest to you:

Information on creating Internet radio playlists
Manually adding internet radio streams to Pocket Tunes
Playing Live365 stations in Pocket Tunes

Links of interest from this article:
Radio-Locator
Live365
Shoutcast


- Matthew C , Customer Support Specialist/Audiophile/Gamer/Sleep Deprived, NormSoft Inc.

Pocket Tunes adds support for a classic format

Hello everyone,

NormSoft Inc. is pleased to announce that we have added support for a classic audio format.

So go up to your attics and dust them off, we've added support for 8 track tape!!!

Yes, that big boxed format of the 70's has a new home with Pocket Tunes 8 (yep, we've skipped right to version 8 we are so excited about this addition).

How does it work? Well once you purchase Pocket Tunes 8, we'll ship you a special Bluetooth adapter that will attach to the 8 track and wirelessly send those classics from the 70s to Pocket Tunes. Yes you can leave those 8 tracks right where they are, under the seats of your car, in the trunk, musty box in the basement, anywhere and Pocket Tunes can still play the tracks. Gum, chocolate, cigarette ash stuck to the tape? No problem, Pocket Tunes can digitally remove all imperfections. Casing so faded you don't even know WHAT is inside the case? Piece a cake, Pocket Tunes will figure it out and display the album art....or at least a hand drawn facsimile.

Don't have Bluetooth, don't worry we throw in a wired adapter as well.

Look for an announcement as to availability very soon. We just have some final testing to do after we pry one of the testers Three Dog Night tapes out of our test device.

For more info, please see this Knowledge Base article http://www.normsoft.com/kb/idx/50/248/article/ .

Happy April Fool's Day everyone!!

Take care,
Dave
Director of Quality Control and Customer Support
NormSoft, Inc

Sounds of my City - Seattle Edition

Several months ago I moved back to Seattle, my favorite city. Thanks to internet radio, Pocket Tunes Deluxe users can listen to the radio of any major city. Here are some local Seattle stations with URLs to the streaming audio pages. You can enter these into your Palm web browser to listen with Pocket Tunes Deluxe (or a valid Trial version of Pocket Tunes).

KUOW News and Talk Public Radio
http://www.kuow.org (home page)
http://128.208.34.80:8002/listen.pls (128kbps)
http://128.208.34.80:8000/listen.pls (32kbps)

KEXP - Eclectic Music Mix
Formerly KCMU, this was one of the first stations with a 24 hour, high quality internet stream.
http://kexp.ort (home page)
http://kexp-mp3-128k.cac.washington.edu:8000/listen.pls (128kbps)
http://kexp-mp3-1.cac.washington.edu:8000/listen.pls (32kbps)

KBCS Community Radio - Eclectic Music and Talk
http://kbcs.fm (home page)
http://9810.broadcastmatrix.com:9810/listen.pls (96kbps)
http://9820.broadcastmatrix.com:9820/listen.pls (32kbps)

KPLU 24 Hour Jazz
http://www.kplu.org (home page)
http://sc1.abacast.com:8236/listen.pls (32kbps Jazz 24/7)

KGRG Alternative Rock, Punk, Metal
http://kgrg.com (home page)
http://kgrg.com/streams/kgrg_broadband_aac.m3u (96k AAC+)
http://kgrg.com/streams/kgrg_dialup.m3u (32kbps AAC+)

There are also some great live music venues here in Seattle. One of my favorites is the Tractor Tavern in the Ballard neighborhood. They tend to book alternative country, rockabilly, and Celtic acts. I really wish I could attend the upcoming April performances by Tift Merrit and Southern Culture on the Skids but my schedule will not allow it.

We also have two big music festivals each year. The NW Folklife festival is over Memorial Day weekend and Labor Day weekend brings Bumbershoot. Both are a great way to get outside and enjoy a wide variety of music, art, and festival food in the shadow of the famous Space Needle. If you happen to be in town, check them out! You can stream a wide variety of music from the 2007 Folklife festival here: http://www.nwfolklifeaudio.org/2007festival.html.

Who knows, maybe in future blog entries other NormSoft employees will share their own local sounds.

- Jeff Loomis, Principal Software Engineer, NormSoft, Inc.