[7/14/09] - Nitrogen v1.1 (definitely my new mp3 player)

[GoodGets]

Version 1.1 is here!!!! Not only is this my favorite mp3 player hands down, but it's also in my top 3 favorite wm apps. I know that there are a lot of mp3 players out there, but I don't think there are any as good as this one. This thing is awesome: truly finger friendly with very large buttons, built in equalizer, sleep mode to turn off screen, very lightweight, very fast, even plays OGG files, and the list goes on. Many more features were added to version 1.0.0, and the full change log for this newest version (v1.1) is listed below. (Note: The earlier version (v0.3.2) was moved down to post #8 to keep this thread more concise.)

Change Log - v1.1

• Fixed many memory leaks and minor bugs;
• Added multilanguage support;
• Added option to resume playing when program starts;
• Added GSPlayer plugin support (now accepting WMA/WAV/AAC/MP4/M4U) files;
• Improved the option "Change playing song through previous/next buttons";
• Nitrogen now pauses when phone receives call;
• Song info is available on registry;
• Fixed the MP3 ringtone issue;
• Now handling large album art files;
• Media browser and Equalizer now show "Ok" button instead of "X", allowing users to close them without closing the whole app;

Along with a couple notes by me, the following was taken from the new xda thread, and the project's homepage.

Microfi Nitrogen 1.1 (Jul 13, 2009)
(Nitrogen is licensed under GNU General Public License)

Click on the image below to start downloading!

[More languages/plugins/skins - See Here]
[Large files bug - click here to download fix]

What's new:
Now playing MP3/OGG/WMA/WAV/AAC/MP4/M4U files (with included GSPlayer plugins);
Multilanguage support (English/Portuguese-BR built-in, but more languages available on Post #2);
Many memory leaks and bugs were fixed;
Now handling large album art files;
Now remembers last playing position;
(and much more!)


Tip: many features are now accessible through long-tap (tapping and holding for a while): fast-forward and rewind, advanced playlist actions and so on!



For more skins, visit the official skin thread!

Quoted from the new xda thread:

Microfi Nitrogen is a native Windows Mobile application (unmanaged code) that allows you to play MP3/OGG songs stored on your Pocket PC device.
It features a file browser, full skin support, smart shuffle and repeat modes, a 10-band equalizer with preset support (8 included presets), built-in sleep mode, a blank screen command to prevent energy waste while playing music and many more new features. Nitrogen uses the MAD/OVD decoders, which are opensource. As the official releases of MAD for Pocket PC seem to be discontinued, Nitrogen uses the libraries from an opensource player (GSPlayer).
Nitrogen was build due to the lack of finger-friendly players for Pocket PC (you have to use stylus even for simple tasks). It features large buttons and you can browse among your playlist by drawing circles on the screen (using skins which support wheel component). In future releases the program will be expected to have other extensions support and more features, but such things are still being tested to ensure stability and efficiency.

Key features
:: Full MP3/OGG/AAC/MP4/M4A/3GP/WAV/WMA playback;
:: Customizable interface with skin support;
:: 10-band equalizer with 8 presets (MP3 only);
:: Large and easy-to-use buttons;
:: Media browser with playlist editor;
:: Large menus to perform tasks with the fingers;
:: Kinetic scrolling;
:: Smart shuffle and repeat modes;
:: Adjustable sleep timer;
:: Amazingly fast to load and to play;
:: Blank screen command to save energy;
:: Native C++ code: no need for .NET framework;
:: Extremely lightweight;
:: File association support;
:: Album art support;
:: Opensource;
:: Multilanguage support;

From the dev:

The reason I took so long to post a new version is that I was scarcely having any free time to work on Nitrogen. Also 95% of the code was rewritten (those who download the source will notice that now I'm using C++ classes, making the code neat and readable), many new features were added and many bugs were fixed, so I hope it was worth waiting!

Note: the skins for the previous version(.0.3.2) still work on this newer version. The skin thread can be found here. The (iphone-like) scroll wheel feature that was present in earlier releases is still supported, but is not utilized in the default skin. Although there a quite a few more skins now that take advantage of this feature, I still use ManilaLike (pictured below).





Important Links:

Project's home page
Nitrogen 1.0 - Visual Studio 2005 source code
Skin toolbox for Nitrogen 0.3/1.0 (Win32) 1.0.1

AVRCP now supported using this app, as per these instructions.
Large File Fix
Official Skins Thread
There is also a very extensive FAQ which can be found here as well.

[stifiling]

i've been looking for a media player that works like this since the apache.

this, so far, is the best mp3 player for a wm phone. still testing but so far...i love it. Thanks!

[TalynOne]

Doesn't like my mp3 collection, hangs, freezes, and closes randomly.

[MoonZ*BabysH]

Nice find, will try and post my review.

[DaOnlyRecless]

I used a past version of this application, but two things that have me sticking to the port of the Diamond Audio Manager for now:

-No AVRCP
-I noticed the Updates list include "File browser that scans directories to make playlists;". Does that mean the new player can read all the files in a directory and not just those present in the root? I was disgruntled to have to navigate through my music folder, into the artist and then album folder just to play a song i wanted to hear.

[GoodGets]

Originally Posted by DaOnlyRecless

Does that mean the new player can read all the files in a directory and not just those present in the root?

Yes it can. You can choose whether to add the subfolders or not.

[darren.wlsn1]

ill hit the thanx for this find. i was using the old one but switched to pocketplayer.

[GoodGets]

The newest version .0.3.2 was released a few days ago and I noticed it hasn't been posted here. I know that there are a lot of mp3 players out there, but I don't think there are any as good as this one. This thing is awesome: truly finger friendly with very large buttons, built in equalizer, sleep mode to turn off screen, very lightweight, very fast, and the list goes on.

cab at the end of this post
Also, there are quite a few skins for it, which can found here.


Taken from its project page:

Microfi Nitrogen is a native Windows Mobile application (unmanaged code) that allows you to play MP3/OGG songs stored on your Pocket PC device. It features file browser, custom playlists, full skin support, 10-band equalizer with presets, "Shuffle" and "Repeat" modes, a built-in sleep mode and a command to blank screen to prevent energy waste while playing music. Nitrogen uses the MAD and OVD decoders, which are opensource. As the official releases of MAD for Pocket PC seem to be discontinued, Nitrogen uses the libraries from an opensource player (GSPlayer). Nitrogen was build due to the lack of finger-friendly players for Pocket PC (you have to use stylus even for simple tasks). It features large buttons and you can browse among your playlist by drawing circles on the screen (tapping in the appropriate space). In future releases the program will be expected to have other extensions support, but such things are still being tested to ensure stability and efficience.
Writing, designing and testing Nitrogen takes me time and efforts. So, if you use it and like it, please donate and support future versions development!

List of features for those that don't like to read paragraphs:
take from the original xda thread

Originally Posted by microfi

Features
:: High-quality MP3 playback with MAD decoder;
:: High-quality OGG playback with OVD decoder;
:: Intuitive and customizable user interface with full skin support;
:: 10-band equalizer with preset support;
:: Large buttons that makes it easy to perform common tasks without stylus;
:: File browser that scans directories to make playlists;
:: "Shuffle" and "Repeat" modes;
:: Adjustable sleep timer;
:: Amazingly fast to load and to play;
:: Command to blank screen while playing to save energy;
:: Native C++ code: no need for .NET frameworks;
:: Extremely lightweight: less than 2mb of storage, around 1.5mb of RAM;
:: Saves the settings in a separate file - does not fill the registry with useless data;
:: Ability to create custom playlists from different directories;
...and much more!

Pics for those that don't like to read:




Note: The (iphone-like) scroll wheel feature that was present in earlier releases is still supported, but is not utilized in the default skin. The following take advantage of this feature.

ManilaLike
Takeiteasy (VGA only)
Nitrogen-def


ManilaLike pictured here:



~To install skins:
1. Download the zip file
2. Unzip it
3. Copy the SK2 file to the "skins folder" ( \Program Files\Nitrogen\skins )
4. Then use the Skin selector inside of the actual app, found under the Options menu (right soft key)

Even more skins can be had at the skins page.

[darren.wlsn1]

Originally Posted by GoodGets

not that you need it, but thank you for the thanks, lol

funny thing on new version, its exacty the same layout as s2p. works good though.

[TheRealHotshot]

thanks! now im about to go grab some skins for this! its easy to put skins on this right I had this program for a while but never put skins on it lol go figure