The Apple Ipod and other MP3 players have overcome this with custom interfaces and navigation systems many of them excellent in their execution but what about those still fighting with their PDA's and Smartphones, this week we've had a tantalising glimpse of what can be achieved with Threedef a prototype of a mobile media player.

The mobile music experience for any user of a small smartphone or PDA's blighted by a terrible user interface and the inability to find the track or album you want, you find yourself fiddling with a toothpick like stylus when there is a perfectly useable keypad on the phone.

Threedef uses the mobile keypad and our acceptance of the T9 input technique to allow the user to quickly enter text on which to search, it's kind of like dialling up a track and watching the shortlist of matches gradually reduce until you find what you are looking for.

We've been using the PC version which is the forerunner for the mobile platform launch for Threedef. Set-up is easy enough once you've downloaded the file and installed the Threedef application it will need to be pointed at your main music location, once selected it sets about indexing your files.

The simple interface doesn't require too much explanation and no need to visit the online help files, you can use either the keyboard or the numeric keypad to enter a search term. Using a PC keyboard takes a little getting used to as the numeric pad is the opposite to the numbering on a phone or PDA screen for which the application is really intended. We found that it was quicker in this case to use the standard keyboard for the desktop application but its clear to see how easy it would be to drive on a mobile device.

The tax disc shaped Threedef interface has all the commonly used functions around the 9 digit keypad with quick access to the usual play / pause, shuffle, repeat and volume controls, compared to WM10 or other over complicated players it is quite refreshing how simple the UI is.

Formats are not really an issue with the player, it has possibly the longest list of supported files that we've come across including WMA, Ogg, flac, spx, mpp, mp+, mpc, ape, mac, ofr, mod, mp1 /2, wav, shoutcast and Icecast plus support for pls, m3u and 3def play lists.

Threedef talk of "album cohesion" where when any track is loaded the next tracks on the album from which it comes are automatically added to play list, anyone who is getting a more than a little fed up with their Ipod shuffle will appreciate this feature. For those who just can't leave the settings on anything alone Threedef also allows access to Bass, Pitch, Tempo and Sampling rate, we're not quite sure why you'd want to fiddle with some of these but if you have a longing to be a pocket DJ this section of the menu could be for you.

This PC version can open further windows to allow you to browse the library and also play lists but this almost feels like cheating if you consider using Threedef on a smartphone and of course that is what this prototype version of Threedef is all about. While its nice and simple to use on a PC desktop it's not really what the application is all about, the planned mobile versions should really showcase its unique interface.

They say the best ideas are so simple you think its been done before and that's the constant feeling we've had about Threedef since we loaded it onto our machine last week, T9 is an obvious way to enter text on any mobile device but the combination with Threedef funky interface makes for a compelling mobile player.

In an era of convergence its good to see that someone is thinking about the poor user who is expected to drive ever more complicated features on the mobile phone keypad, we wait with baited breath for the first true mobile implementation of Threedef as the PC version has whetted our appetite.

Threedef is available from www.threedef.com as a free download and is compatible with Windows ME, 2000 and XP (the free version will play a track backwards once in a while to persuade you to pay the $10 full license)

Published - 14/03/2005

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