Do You Really Listen To Music On Your BlackBerry?

Alan
#1. July 24th, 2008, at 9:31 AM.

Yes. I listen to my music on my BlackBerry. Regardless of the BlackBerry Media Sync, there are actually people out there who have hundred of CD’s backed up in MP3/WMA/AAC format that use the very capable BlackBerry.

I am one of those. I love the fact that the BlackBerry supports more CODECS than the iPhone/iPod can ever wish for. I love the fact that I do not need to convert videos to MP4 format to play them on my BlackBerry.

Not everyone has succumbed to the monopoly that is the Apple iTunes store. Don’t get me wrong, they have a very easy setup, and excellent money making machine in the form of iTunes, BUT not everyone does.

I have my music on a central repository, I use Mass Storage Mode on the BlackBerry, and just copy the albums I feel I will be listening in for the week.

Maybe it’s just because I love my music, that’s why I don’t like iTunes getting anywhere near it.

So your question, do I ever listen to music on my BlackBerry?

I do. And it’s the only device I really need.

Anyone who says the iPhone/iPod is better is either a) Already tied to iTunes or b) an Apple fanboy (nothing wrong with that).

Cheers!

Robert G
#2. July 24th, 2008, at 9:42 AM.

I use my BB at my desk at work to listen to music. I do that becase I don’t want to deal with an additional device (iPod). It’s much easier to have everything I need in one device.

infoghost
#3. July 24th, 2008, at 9:45 AM.

I keep a few albums on mine. It’s no replacement for my IPOD, but if I am stuck somewhere, or don’t feel like carrying the ipod around, it works. I’d never need a sync program, however. Drag and drop works for me.

Neil
#4. July 24th, 2008, at 10:06 AM.

I love using my phone for music. I’m definitely of the type who prefers using one device rather than needing to carry around separate ones. But, I copy my own music manually, I don’t need a sync program.

The Bold will be great for me in this respect given the larger media card size (than my device currently supports) and video will actually be decent given the screen size (useful while traveling).

Johnnyheff
#5. July 24th, 2008, at 10:08 AM.

…i put music on my SD card in my BB b/c it is more convenient. I take a train into the office, so the less things i need to lug around, the better for me…

JW
#6. July 24th, 2008, at 10:30 AM.

Hiya Robb, thanks for the Media Sync heads up. I actually do use my Pearl to listen to music sometimes. It’s been gradually replacing my iPod Nano, and the fact that it plays video (and my old Nano doesn’t) is speeding that process along. So for my part, the BBMS release is a good thing.

But the BB has a fatal flaw as a music player: battery life. Yeah, it’s got a decent life for a phone, but it just doesn’t compare to the iPod — and if you’re listening to music on it a lot, you run the risk of it not having a charge when you need to, say, make a call. The worst outcome of running out of charge on my iPod is that my life goes soundtrack-free until I can get it back to the dock…

Richard Lewis
#7. July 24th, 2008, at 10:31 AM.

I work in radio, and this isa great way to take promotional ads or commercials on the road to play for co-workers or clients. No, I wont listen to music, but it wil help me with my job!

Paul
#8. July 24th, 2008, at 10:55 AM.

I listen to music, radio and podcasts on my blackberry. I even watch movies and tv shows. I’d say I use it more than my ipod but I have felt it a pain in the neck to have to copy the files over myself. This looks like a good idea for the ultimatly lazy bb listener.

KeNNethX
#9. July 24th, 2008, at 11:19 AM.

Yes I do and but I will never use Media Sync.

#1 I don’t have an iPod and I don’t plan on buying one anytime
soon. My wife has a small 8GB Creative player…why? No #$@!
iTunes that I have to install…yay…and the battery is
removable…imagine that!

#2 I have hundreds of my own CDs that I have ripped to
mp3 and I am not one to pay to download songs. Call me old…
But I still like CDs and LPs for that matter…as long as I can buy
them and rip them I will.

#3 Steve Jobs has enough money…I love my BB and support RIM.

#4 I love to listen to my tunes via my stereo Bluetooth headset!
Take that Apple! (see a trend here?)

#5 as for media sync…I create playlists in winamp and save
them to my BB…no sweat!

#6 Expandability. I have a 4GB card now…I plan to go to 8 or
or 16 when cheap enough.

Mike Will
#10. July 24th, 2008, at 11:19 AM.

I don’t like Itunes taking over any PC and doing auto syncs. I just favor the plain old ‘drag and drop’ method. On the road, I use my BB only. At home, I sometimes use a Sandisk MP3 player…another drag and drop device with no Itunes requirements.

infoghost
#12. July 24th, 2008, at 11:32 AM.

When I can store 80 gigs of music on my Blackberry, maybe I’ll take some of these anti-ipod posts seriously. The BB is fine for a few albums or songs. My entire music collection lives on my ipod.

Matthew
#13. July 24th, 2008, at 12:32 PM.

I have one playlist synced to my BlackBerry, and it is only for emergencies. Say the battery on my iPod dies, or I forget my iPod at home. Having a little bit of music on hand is a handy lifesaver. However, I rarely forget my iPod.

prlf
#14. July 24th, 2008, at 1:03 PM.

I also listen to music on my BB, and read books, and whatever else I can do to lighten the load of what I carry. And since I have to carry my phone when I jog or walk the dog, I absolutely use my BB to do so (again, one less thing to carry). Weird thing is I’m no techie and I’ve had my itunes music on my BB all along. How did I ever get it there without whatever it is you’re talking about? Now, I’d love to have stereo bluetooth headphones with a microphone so that I can listen and/or answer calls without doing anything else.

I enjoy reading your updates. thank you!

Johnnyheff
#15. July 24th, 2008, at 2:10 PM.

…dont get me wrong. i only use my BB for music while commuting to / from work. its soley a space saving thing.

i use my ipod shuffle for working out; cant beat the ability to store 250 - 300+ songs in a unit that is capable of cliping to my waistband. viola… hands free!

and i use my trusty ipod classic for storage of any and all media (music, video, etc.)

MDS
#16. July 24th, 2008, at 3:13 PM.

I am loving this app. I don’t have or use an iPod, and have no plans to purchase one. I have enough stuff to carry around with me already! I have a portable stereo that I can plug my Blackberry into and am going to install a bluetooth radio/phone for the car so I can play the tunes there. There is the battery drain issue, but I can have my BB charging in either case.

The synch app was easy to install, and really easy to use, so it will be one that I can recommend to my BB Buddies.

Brian Herskovitz
#17. July 24th, 2008, at 5:05 PM.

I have found the music quality on my Curve 8330 is lower than my iPod Video. The bundled headphones are very poor but when I plug in standard iPod headphones and compare the two, I can hear the superiority of the iPod clearly.

I do use the Curve to listen to podcasts through my bluetooth headset (mono), it is super convenient for the car and the audio quality is not an issue in a spoken-work format.

However, I do have 2.5GB of music on my Curve’s 4GB card that I occasionally listen to at work. I use a Mac at home, using Missing Sync I can link it to iTunes and sync any music I like (everything I have is non-DRM).

Brian

bluehorseshoe
#18. July 25th, 2008, at 1:13 AM.

I use my iPod for music. Holds more, and not too drastic in size to toss in the bag for trips, car rides, etc. If I did listen to music on my BB, I’d have to swap out batteries based on my usage for tethering, browsing, phone use, etc. However, if the cards held 30GB or more down ther road, and the BB came up with a great interface, I’d consider it. But if I ever lost my phone…

Aaron
#19. July 25th, 2008, at 2:19 AM.

I have a 2GB card in my Pearl, and I use the A2DP and media player function to listen to music almost every day, it serves as my main music played when I’m on the road.

I don’t see the need to carry multiple devices even if the ipod is so vaunted.

runam0k
#20. July 25th, 2008, at 8:12 AM.

I use MonkeyMedia (soooooo much better than iTunes) to sync both my iPod and my Blackberry.

For the commute to work, it’s great to have everything in one place i.e. in my Blackberry.

erik
#21. July 25th, 2008, at 10:01 AM.

I prefer my BB to my wife’s Ipod because the external speaker is already built in and I don’t need to carry yet another device to hear music. Also, as a lazy dad, I can get my young children entertained in a moment’s notice by giving them my (keyboard locked, of course) BB to run around with while listingin to kids music.

I may be in the minority here, but I use Windoes media player to sync my music to my BB. All the mp3 metadata (including album covers) syncs right over.

Also, on the way to and from work, I plug my BB into the old-school tape-player converter setup in my car and can listen to music and podcasts.

I’m especially excited about viigo’s upcoming rss/podcaster catcher to catch even more audio

Black Beauty
#22. July 25th, 2008, at 10:24 AM.

I have never used my BB to listen to music. I like my iPod too much!

jason
#23. July 25th, 2008, at 1:08 PM.

I do use my BB for music. I’m a musician it is very convenient to carry demos with me, grab mp3s, and share tunes with my band mates.

One problem: I hear a short crackle/pop sound when my BB player advances to the next track (auto or manual). Anybody else hear this? Any fixes?

Pablo
#24. July 25th, 2008, at 9:09 PM.

I do listen to music on my Blackberry, I have an 8100 and an 8300 both with 4 gigs Micro SD and the same music and videos. I used to use an MP3 player, not anymore.