Software Review - AudioPlayer 3.5 by Audible.com

In the car or on my bike, this software makes my “downtime” more productive and entertaining!

This one has been a mainstay in my software library for almost 2 years! (I used the old and very limited AudiblePlayer hardware before I ever had my Pocket PC!)

If you’re like me, you’ve become tired of the same music and drive-time talk going to and from work every day. And with my busy schedule I never get a chance to read a good book anymore. Looking to make better use of my downtime, my solution to both these problems has been Audible.com’s audio content using the free AudiblePlayer software the site provides for my Pocket PC.

What Is Audible?

Audible digitally delivers a broad range of audio programming over the Internet to entertain and inform you, anywhere, anytime. Through audible.com, you can choose from over 4,500 audiobooks and 14,000 other audio programs, download your selections, and listen to them immediately, or whenever you want. Audible programs can make your commute, your workout, or any time, a more entertaining, informative, and productive experience. You can even set up automatic subscriptions to certain types of content, like newspapers and magazines, so that your Pocket PC always provides you with fresh audio content.

Easy Layout and Simple Controls

Although Microsoft Reader can play Audible audio content, it lacks the controls, larger buttons (a bonus when riding on my bike or fumbling in the car) and simple layout found on AudiblePlayer. To listen to audio programs you will need to download and install both the AudibleManager to your PC to manage your listening library and the AudiblePlayer for your particular brand of Pocket PC. Both setup with simple wizards. The setup, download, and transfer are all done in just a few clicks. AudiblePlayer is easy to use. Its controls look just like those on any cassette or portable CD player. Having used several of the previous versions, the new 3.5 version is a great improvement with nearly flawless performance. In addition, the new AudibleManager now lets your rip your downloaded content to your CD burner.

You can also reach all your audio programs from the File menu. The Controls menu provides quick access to functionality such as Fast Forward/Rewind (10 seconds, 1 minute, 10 minutes, or 1 hour). Also, many audio programs are divided up into sections, as an ordinary book is divided into chapters. AudiblePlayer provides controls to skip to the Next/Previous section.

Content

The selection is outstanding; the cost is far less than purchasing old-fashioned books on tape and if you find your going through 2 or 3 programs a month then sign up for this digital library pronto. From Steven King and an exclusive series by Robin Williams to The Motley Fool and the Wall Street Journal; your bound to find plenty to fill your available listening hours.

While the Pocket PC client has been flawless, I have had some minor issues with the Audible Manager on my PC properly reading storage capacity and syncing. Saying that it is much improved over the previous Version 2.x versions that had many glitches and compatibility issues. Productive, useful and entertaining this program gets "Squadron Leader" status with a 3 out of 4.

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