AudioBooks on iPod to LEAF's USB

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trentr

Well-known member
Joined
May 2, 2010
Messages
306
Location
Silicon Valley
Ok, so I have this audiobook on my iPod that are separated by chapters(nice), but when I connect it to the LEAF, I only see three tracks that are 8 hrs long each(fail). What the heck? Is this an Apple problem or Nissan?
 
I haven't tried an iPod but on a regular USB flash storage device I found the files are treated as DOS 8.3 file names. Not until I renamed the files with a Tnnn number to represent the track was I able to listen to the ebook on USB. After I moved the files to an iPhone and updated to iOS 5, the bluetooth recognized the ebook structure and displays the information on the Nav screen. There are posts here that discuss usb and iPods but I thought I would share my experience with USB flash and iPhone bluetooth. Good luck and enjoy the ebook reading.
 
Nekota said:
There are posts here that discuss usb and iPods but I thought I would share my experience with USB flash and iPhone bluetooth.

This past weekend I got an iphone4S for my birthday (my very first smartphone!)
I enjoy listening to audio books during my daily commute and had hoped that the newest iOS5 would be an improvement over the ordinary usb flashdrive I had been using. However, the iphone4s doesn't seem to interface particularly well with the Leaf in this regard, at least in the way I am utilizing it. I use the usb connection (not sure if/how to access audiobooks via bluetooth), and when I do, the usual controls on the phone blank out: I can't access the individual scrubber bar controls or chapter listing, I can only fast forward/rewind using the physical Tuning buttons on the Leaf. It does list on the car central display the title names of each (8hr) file, so at least there is that. My work around is to make sure that I have the file set to exactly where I want to start listening before I actually plug it into the car.

-Steve
 
earther said:
Nekota said:
There are posts here that discuss usb and iPods but I thought I would share my experience with USB flash and iPhone bluetooth.

This past weekend I got an iphone4S for my birthday (my very first smartphone!)
I enjoy listening to audio books during my daily commute and had hoped that the newest iOS5 would be an improvement over the ordinary usb flashdrive I had been using. However, the iphone4s doesn't seem to interface particularly well with the Leaf in this regard, at least in the way I am utilizing it. I use the usb connection (not sure if/how to access audiobooks via bluetooth), and when I do, the usual controls on the phone blank out: I can't access the individual scrubber bar controls or chapter listing, I can only fast forward/rewind using the physical Tuning buttons on the Leaf. It does list on the car central display the title names of each (8hr) file, so at least there is that. My work around is to make sure that I have the file set to exactly where I want to start listening before I actually plug it into the car.

-Steve

To use Bluetooth you have to pair the iPhone to the LEAF - and there are two Bluetooth pairings available, one for phone telecon and one for audio. After pairing, the controls on the leaf make use of the NAV display (seek and volume) and a couple of NAV screen buttons - pause/play. There are also shuffle and repeat options that you set in the configuration of the Bluetooth audio. Finally, I use a USB power adapter plugged into the 12V 'lighter' socket to power/charge the iPhone but this is not a requirement for use but I find it necessary to charge the iPhone with the new iOS 5 more frequently. The music player on the iPhone also works as a control and it (iPhone) remembers the last position in the ebook when when I power down the LEAF, switch off the audio, or pause the NAV interface. I have noticed the newest iOS 5.0.1 does require pairing more ofter or forgets paring from time to time. The most recent pairing has been stable for several days. Now if you have multiple Bluetooth phones the LEAF can accept up to five and one can be set for music/audio and a different phone for telecon but you have to configure this in the settings - and it seems to be a bit buggy or user challenged. When a phone call comes, the audio stops and you accept/reject the call from the NAV screen and audio resumes at the end of the call. The seek/tune button has multiple modes depending on number of presses and duration of the press.

Please be careful - while this is considered 'hands free', it is still distracting.
 
AFAIK, connecting an I-device to the Leaf via USB makes it into a dumb storage device that the Leaf reads files from. As Earther noted, all of the controls on the iPhone are disabled and only the Leaf controls work. It appears that the Leaf doesn't understand the structure of the ebook files and just treats them as large audio files.

If you connect via Bluetooth, then the Iphone is actually playing the files and does understand the files. I understand that with IOS5, the Leaf gains significant control of the Iphone over Bluetooth.
 
For audiobooks I just use the mini-jack audio cable and RAM mount for iPad. That way
I just use the iPad's controls. I really don't like the IOS 5 iPad app as well as I liked the one
on IOS 4 though. :(
 
Probably not useful to the original poster, but I don't use an iPod or iPhone, just pop the audiobook CDs into the CD player and use the USB port for my flashdrive with my own music mix on it. It does have the downside of having to change CDs while driving, but I rarely drive any distance on a freeway, so I can make the change while stopped at a light or stop sign. The upside is that I can listen to what I want when I want and change from book to music quickly and simply, and if my wife uses the car, which she often does, she can switch easily, just by pushing the Aux/USB button or radio without losing my place in the audiobook or my music on the USB drive.
 
DoxyLover said:
If you connect via Bluetooth, then the Iphone is actually playing the files and does understand the files.

With Bluetooth, the Leaf controls over the audiobook do remain pretty meager; however, when connecting via Bluetooth the iPhone controls are still accessible so that problem is solved, thanks.

The one drawback to the Bluetooth method is that it seems that if I want to connect my iPhone as a Bluetooth audio device, it is a prerequisite that the same device must all be connected via Bluetooth as a phone (which in my case is actually unfortunate since the phone I use for calls is actually different than the one that has the audiofiles!). It is understandable that there may be physical limitations to simultaneously having one Bluetooth connection for phone and a separate Bluetooth connection to audio for a different device, however it would be nice to have the option of JUST a Bluetooth audio and the phone aspect inactive.

DoxyLover said:
I understand that with IOS5, the Leaf gains significant control of the Iphone over Bluetooth.

hmmm... my iPhone 4S is using 5.0.1 but I haven't noticed any big differences (though possibly that is because I use it for audiobooks as opposed to music)
 
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