6. Click on the image to see the full size version.

Lyrics Magic: The Music And The Words

The digital age has really re-spawned an affliction for music across the country. Everyone loves listening to their music on pocket-sized devices, which is great, except that they all tend to think they're the next American Idol. I can even live with that, but what ruins this widespread passion for singing along with every song that's played is that few people actually know the words. Not many people know how to find a pitch either, but let's tackle one obstacle at a time. Lyrics Magic is an awesome product from Mycnknow that effectively turns your PDA into a pocket-sized karaoke machine.

Supporting MP3, WMA, RMP, MP2, OGG, and WAV formats, Lyrics Magic is a fine music player in its own right, but the ability to show real-time lyrics is really what sets it apart from the dozens of other PDA media players. You can combine your music files with a corresponding LRC file, the obscure format that contains a line of lyrics with associated time marks. So when that time hits, Lyrics Magic highlights it in real-time. You can also edit the lyrics directly in the program, or you can map your music with a .txt file and the lyrics will scroll on the screen, but they won't necessarily jive with the song.

Just like other music players, Lyrics Magic's interface is somewhat customizable. It supports different skins, imported PLS/M3U playlists (or you can create your own), and the ability to map hardware buttons for in-app functions.

Perhaps the number one highlight of the whole package is that it is shareware. For $19.95 you can register and get all the features, including WMA playback and free upgrades for life.

Conclusions

The PDA platform lends itself to some very helpful tools, especially those that are most useful for the on-the-go crowd. It's also so widespread in its appeal. Unlike the taste-specific devices like MP3 players and handheld gaming devices, the demographics of PDA owners continue to expand. Just about anyone can find some significant reason to own a PDA. And add-on software opens many doors you'll never have on a limited function portable device like an MP3 player. The PDA software market is far from leveling out. It's one of the hottest things around right now, which is why if you own a PDA, you absolutely need to pimp it out with cool apps, and this list is a start.

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