Voicemail wav files as email attachments - A possible workaround - Page 2

Avenger069 · 12/31/2009, 08:40 AM

I don't know what codec MagicJack uses but I can't play the .wav files from my work's voicemail system. We use Cisco Unity and it uses the GSM6.10 codec which the Pre can't play. I needed mVoice for my old Treo to play it.

After some digging it seems that the Android OS can't play it either. iPhone can but it also took 3 software releases until they added the ability to play GSM6.10.

There are services that you can send an email with the .wav file attached and it will email you a converted .mp3. The one service I tried wouldn't work by forwarding the message. I can't find a way to save the .wav to the Pre's filesystem to compose a new email instead...so I guess I am SOL.

Quintus · 12/31/2009, 08:45 AM

There must be different types of wav files because there are others such as myself who have no trouble playing our wav files. Maybe some type of compression used is causing the problem?

Avenger069 · 12/31/2009, 08:52 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Quintus

There must be different types of wav files because there are others such as myself who have no trouble playing our wav files. Maybe some type of compression used is causing the problem?

Correct...there are many different wav compression codecs. The Pre can't play them all.

There are many listed here: WAV - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

spacen · 12/31/2009, 01:03 PM

I, too, have the same problem but I have narrowed it down to why and the problem is not unique to the Pre. My voicemail system encodes my messages in Microsoft's 32 bit mono wave format using Microsoft's wav API. The Pre doesn't have the ability to decode that format and therefore cannot play it. It is my understanding that the iPhone cannot play this format either.

Either Palm will have to add the codec to the Pre or someone will have to develop another workaround of some kind. A possible workaround I have in mind has two parts.

Part 1: A new webOS patch that allows you to save email attachments
Part 2: A new app which can play all wav formats

jrhackworth · 12/31/2009, 01:16 PM

After some testing, I agree the problem is the encoding format used for MagicJack's wav files. Here's why:
1. From my desktop, I sent an email to my Pre containing a wav file attachment (one not from MagicJack). It plays fine on the Pre.
2. I forwarded my MagicJack file from my Pre to my desktop. The wav file plays fine on my desktop.

That means there is something unusual about the MagicJack wav file that the Pre cannot handle.

I"m going to snoop around the MagicJack website to see if others have complained about this. This is not a showstopper issue. When I get an email from MagicJack, all I have to do is call my voicemail. It's just that it would be so much easier if I can just listen to the wav attached to the email.

jrhackworth · 01/01/2010, 01:57 PM

Contacted MagicJack tech support. Obviously made no progress here, but at the end of the short discussion I asked if the their tech support discussions are recorded, and was told yes, and that they are read by engineering. So, my parting comment was that MagicJack should consider switching their voicemail wav file format to a more widely-used one that it is compatible with mobile smartphones.

All we can do now is wait for one of several things to happen: 1) Magicjack to change the wav format so that it works on the Pre, 2) Palm to add this capability to the next WebOS update, or 3) a 3rd party software developer to develop a fix (a patch?).

JonPraed · 12/13/2011, 11:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jrhackworth

Contacted MagicJack tech support. Obviously made no progress here, but at the end of the short discussion I asked if the their tech support discussions are recorded, and was told yes, and that they are read by engineering. So, my parting comment was that MagicJack should consider switching their voicemail wav file format to a more widely-used one that it is compatible with mobile smartphones.

All we can do now is wait for one of several things to happen: 1) Magicjack to change the wav format so that it works on the Pre, 2) Palm to add this capability to the next WebOS update, or 3) a 3rd party software developer to develop a fix (a patch?).

JRHackworth: it's been nearly 2 years since your posting...Any more news from MagicJack or Palm on the inability of Palm Pre to play MagicJack voice mails sents as .wav files to email? I just bought Magic Jack but am frustrated the voice message appears as a .wav file, and seems to download when I click on the arrow on the left (something happesn because the x on the right gets replaced by a play arrow). But when I touch the play arrow, nothing plays. I spent an hour in chat w/ Palm techs, including a supervisor. The super's only advice was to move the .wav folder that is within the .mms folder which is itself within the .attachments folder to the main Palm drive. He claimed that would allow me to play the .wav files using the Music application. I tried doing that but didn't even see the .wav folder under the .mms folder structure, so I have no idea how to fix this in any way.

Any help would be appreciated.

12/31/2009, 08:40 AM	#21 (permalink)
Avenger069 Member Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: Metro Detroit Posts: 42 Likes Received: 0 Thanks: 3 Thanked 12 Times in 9 Posts	I don't know what codec MagicJack uses but I can't play the .wav files from my work's voicemail system. We use Cisco Unity and it uses the GSM6.10 codec which the Pre can't play. I needed mVoice for my old Treo to play it. After some digging it seems that the Android OS can't play it either. iPhone can but it also took 3 software releases until they added the ability to play GSM6.10. There are services that you can send an email with the .wav file attached and it will email you a converted .mp3. The one service I tried wouldn't work by forwarding the message. I can't find a way to save the .wav to the Pre's filesystem to compose a new email instead...so I guess I am SOL.
	Liked by

12/31/2009, 08:45 AM	#22 (permalink)
Quintus Member Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: Ontario, Canada Posts: 635 Likes Received: 2 Thanks: 94 Thanked 85 Times in 56 Posts	There must be different types of wav files because there are others such as myself who have no trouble playing our wav files. Maybe some type of compression used is causing the problem?
	Liked by

12/31/2009, 01:03 PM	#24 (permalink)
spacen Member Join Date: Sep 2009 Posts: 1 Likes Received: 0 Thanks: 1 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	I, too, have the same problem but I have narrowed it down to why and the problem is not unique to the Pre. My voicemail system encodes my messages in Microsoft's 32 bit mono wave format using Microsoft's wav API. The Pre doesn't have the ability to decode that format and therefore cannot play it. It is my understanding that the iPhone cannot play this format either. Either Palm will have to add the codec to the Pre or someone will have to develop another workaround of some kind. A possible workaround I have in mind has two parts. Part 1: A new webOS patch that allows you to save email attachments Part 2: A new app which can play all wav formats
	Liked by

12/31/2009, 01:16 PM	#25 (permalink)
jrhackworth Member Join Date: Oct 2009 Posts: 15 Likes Received: 0 Thanks: 0 Thanked 1 Time in 1 Post	follow up After some testing, I agree the problem is the encoding format used for MagicJack's wav files. Here's why: 1. From my desktop, I sent an email to my Pre containing a wav file attachment (one not from MagicJack). It plays fine on the Pre. 2. I forwarded my MagicJack file from my Pre to my desktop. The wav file plays fine on my desktop. That means there is something unusual about the MagicJack wav file that the Pre cannot handle. I"m going to snoop around the MagicJack website to see if others have complained about this. This is not a showstopper issue. When I get an email from MagicJack, all I have to do is call my voicemail. It's just that it would be so much easier if I can just listen to the wav attached to the email.
	Liked by

01/01/2010, 01:57 PM	#26 (permalink)
jrhackworth Member Join Date: Oct 2009 Posts: 15 Likes Received: 0 Thanks: 0 Thanked 1 Time in 1 Post	follow up ^2 Contacted MagicJack tech support. Obviously made no progress here, but at the end of the short discussion I asked if the their tech support discussions are recorded, and was told yes, and that they are read by engineering. So, my parting comment was that MagicJack should consider switching their voicemail wav file format to a more widely-used one that it is compatible with mobile smartphones. All we can do now is wait for one of several things to happen: 1) Magicjack to change the wav format so that it works on the Pre, 2) Palm to add this capability to the next WebOS update, or 3) a 3rd party software developer to develop a fix (a patch?).
	Liked by

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