Playing WMA Files on N70

space does matter; and when it comes to mobile phones, space is critical. since the introduction of phones that can play mp3s, there were loads of mp3 playable software introduced to the market. but, only a few mp3 players deliver near satisfactory results.

usually a 128kbps, joint-stereo, mode 1 mp3 gives almost similar good sounds equivalent to a 44khz, pcm wave file. wma files are good since they are even smaller than mp3s, but the only issue i've faced is that you need a special device or software to get the best out of it.

wma files encoded at 64kbps, gives similar sound quality to a 128kbps mp3 on my "creative tx-fm" mp3 player, but doesn't sound that good on my n70. but still it is worth experimenting wma files on a nokia n70.

well, first i tried downloading several so called "wma players for n70," but all were just some crappy software that almost ruined my phone. i had to re-install the firemwire twice thanks to these crappy wma players.

but there are two alternative methods to play wma files on an n70.

method 1:

1. install the wma codec for symbian 60. (you can download this by searching the internet.)
2. rename the .wma files to .mp3.
3. now you should be able to play the files using the default player that comes with the phone.

note: most other (all that i tried) mp3 players that support symbian 60, will not play the renamed wma files, and may freeze your phone. if this happens, restart your phone.

method 2:

1. install the wma codec for symbian 60.
2. instead of renaming the .wma files to .mp3, create a .m3u (winamp playlist) file.
3. open the playlist file and it should play all the wma tracks on the list, using the default nokia music player. (ogg player will not play these playlists; some websites say that it does, but every time i tried, it failed.)

note: you can use a text editor or winamp on your pc to create the playlist. if using winamp, open the playlist once it is created, using notepad and search and replace the pc path with the phone path (i.e., "d:\program files\..." with "d:\songs\...").

here are some sample playlists...

sample playlist 1:

#EXTM3U

Track 1.wma

Track 2.wma

Track 3.wma

sample playlist 2:

#EXTM3U

Songs\Track 1.wma

Songs\Track 2.wma

Songs\Track 3.wma

note: instead of using relative paths to create the plalist, it is better to use absolute paths; as a result you can put the playlist anywhere on your phone and play the files from any location.

hope these hints were helpful. send in your comments.

have fun with the "wma"s :)

cheers,

neo.