How would a WP8 device work as a dedicated mp3 player?

[Strk]

To make a long story short, my work is a black hole of signals. However, I like to listen to my mp3 player (Zune HD) while I'm there. It usually works well, but it is getting a bit old and sometimes has issues with playback.

With that said, how would a WP8 device, in airplane mode, work as an mp3 player? I noticed you can get a Lumia 521 for 30 and a Lumia 635 for 56, which is pretty cheap. Do you actually have to activate them on the carrier? Would they last 12+ hours in airplane mode playing music (through headphones)?

 

[poofyhairguy]

Yup. When I broke my phone my Lumia 521 was my mp3 player. Threw in a Micro SD and it works great.

 

[Belegost]

I don't know how long they would last for playback, though I would be willing to try it out (I have an extra 520 sitting around)

As for other things, I setup the 520 through wifi with no sim in it, didn't have any problems. The music player could be better (and everyone complains about not having gapless playback, but it's something I've never had a need for) but it's decent enough to make a good PMP, and of course there's a million 3rd party players you can get.

 

[VashHT]

It works but the music player on WP8 is not as nice as the zune player imo. Also the synching software for music on WP was much worse than the zune software the last time I tried it.

 

[cronos]

I use my Lumia 635 with Spotify (99c for 3-month Premium subscription promo).

Downloaded different stuff to listen while commuting. It's been awesome.

 

[AnitaPeterson]

One-word answer:

Awesome.

 

[Crono]

It works very well. No, you don't have to activate, and almost all Windows Phones will last 12+ hours in airplane mode.

The Zune HD was still better as a standalone device (at least it was the best mp3 player for many years, haven't owned or used one lately), but an inexpensive WP device like the Lumia 520/521 is the next best thing.

 

[Deeko]

I use my old Lumia 920 as my in car navigator and media player, it works great. I will say that SmartDJ on the Zune HD produced much better mixes for me than the radio feature on the new Xbox music app, but all in all, for that price, you won't find a better media device.

 

[Crono]

Also, the battery is replaceable for the 520. I bought 5 OEM batteries for my 521 for cheap. Easy enough to pop off the back and put a fresh one in when you run out of juice.

 

[Strk]

Thanks for all of the replies! It sounds like this will work perfectly for me. I wish MS put out an updated Zune HD, but they killed that thing off far too quickly

 

[bassoprofundo]

Quick tip... If you're wanting to primarily play local content from the SD card, you might pick up a program like OneMusic. MSFT has finally gotten the built-in app back to "workable" condition, but it's still slower than I'd like.

I've been using a 635 (and a 520 before) for this exact purpose, and they've been excellent.

 

[sphenodont]

Track down a WP7 device instead, so you can continue to use the Zune software. WP8 forces you to use Xbox Music, which is only slightly preferable to masturbating with a cheese grater.

 

[Crono]

Track down a WP7 device instead, so you can continue to use the Zune software. WP8 forces you to use Xbox Music, which is only slightly preferable to masturbating with a cheese grater.

For just sync, you don't have to use Xbox Music. There's the Windows Phone app for desktop, or you can just use drag and drop if the files are regular DRM-free files. You only need to use Xbox Music if you have an Xbox Music subscription... and if you do, it's easy enough to sync from the cloud on the device itself.

 

[sphenodont]

For basic sync, sure, but if the OP is already used to the Zune software and uses it for more than just transferring songs, the alternatives for WP8 are a major regression.

 

[biostud]

You can also use Windows media player for sync.

 

[Strk]

For just sync, you don't have to use Xbox Music. There's the Windows Phone app for desktop, or you can just use drag and drop if the files are regular DRM-free files. You only need to use Xbox Music if you have an Xbox Music subscription... and if you do, it's easy enough to sync from the cloud on the device itself.

Yeah, that's what I figured out. At first, it kept complaining that the DRM was messed up, but that's because automatic date/time was apparently messed up (it was setting up the wrong year), so I just switched it to manual and it worked perfectly.

As for the UI, it's ok. I don't get why MS changed it from the Zune-style. Anyone who ever used my Zune was able to navigate perfectly in less than a minute. Xbox music is just unnecessarily cumbersome. Thankfully, you can just drag and drop stuff onto the phone or right-click and just hit 'send to Windows Phone.'

I got the 635 since I wasn't sure about the battery life and it was only a little more than the 521. However, that concern was unnecessary. After 9 hours, it only went down to 82% battery, which is pretty impressive.