Joshua Judson Rosen <rozzin at geekspace.com> writes:
>
> I'm looking for a new music-player to replace my iPod Video,
> which died over the weekend.
Oh--of course I forgot to include in the `candidates' list, below:
* NanoNote <http://sharism.cc/products/ben-nanonote/>:
Cheap, expressly hacker-friendly; microphone,
but no other undesirables.
> The reason I bought that iPod was that, at the time, iPods were not
> yet particularly hostile toward projects like Rockbox or iPod Linux,
> and the hardware was nice. It looks like that line of iPods was the
> last one that was anything like open, and that Apple is now actively
> hostile toward `homebrew computing', so... to heck with it:
>
> I could buy a used, previous-generation iPod and load Rockbox onto it,
> and run with it in the same configuration as I've had up until now,
> but I'd rather put my money (and time) into supporting something
> that's actually open or `friendly'. I'm even willing to pay extra
> for that feature.
>
> I'm looking for something that I can carry on my person and use
> with a set of headphones, and that I can use in my car.
> The car currently has an iPod dock, but I can replace that
> with a 1/8" `aux in' jack.
>
> My music-collection is predominantly Ogg Vorbis files,
> and I'm not particulary interested in converting those to mp3.
>
>
> So, that's the setup. My question to you all is: what are my options?
>
> While it may be surprising given the recent thread about
> how `nobody wants to write games for Linux but maybe those
> Android Linux phones will convert some developers',
> it turns out that most of the desirable-looking devices
> that I've found so far are actually supposed to be
> *gaming* systems, and many of them actually *ship*
> with some sort of Linux OS. So maybe someone from the
> Gaming SIG (however disbanded) offer some insight.
>
> Ideally, I'm looking for something with no built-in microphone,
> camera, or radios. My FreeRunner is not a candidate to replace
> the iPod for this as well as several other reasons, though
> I suppose *another* FreeRunner might be.
>
>
> Candidate devices so far:
>
> * The Touchbook <http://www.alwaysinnovating.com/touchbook>
> caught my eye before the iPod died, but seems... a little big
> for foran iPod-replacement, and it also appears to have multiple
> inbuilt radios. All FLOSS.
>
> * The Pandora <http://www.openpandora.org> has been on my want-list,
> and would probably make a great iPod-replacement, but
> I'm still waiting for them to finish becoming real,
> and the thing has a microphone and several radios.
> All FLOSS, apprently.
>
> * Gizmoforyou.com sells Gumstix-based modular kits called "Flow"...
> for $800--ouch. Looks like it comes with a bunch of components
> that I don't actually want, but would also do what I do want.
>
> * GP2X Wiz: No radios. Has Microphone. Runs `Linux-based OS'.
> Not sure how much that actually means. Reflashable?
> Bootable from SD? FLOSS drivers? Userspace?
> Affordable--costs about what an iPod costs.
>
> * GP2X: No radios. No Microphone. No longer in production, but
> can apparently be found on eBay for ~cheap.
> Same concerns as the Wiz.
>
> * Dingoo A320: Cheap, and no undesired components.
> Not expressly FLOSS-friendly, but appears to be non-hostile.
>
> * Leapfrog Didj <http://elinux.org/Didj>: Like Dingoo?
>
> * Ares <http://ares.gizmoforyou.com/>: Still vapour. Needs funding.
>
>
> Do you have any experience with any of the above systems?
> Do you know of any other similar devices that I should investigate?
>
> Are you a hardware hacker interested in building me a one-off,
> and can you do it cost-effectively? :)
>
> --
> "Don't be afraid to ask (λf.((λx.xx) (λr.f(rr))))."
>
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--
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