Alternative Firmware For Your Mp3 Players – Rockbox
For those who are stuck with their default firmware on their mp3 players, and like tons of customization, support for all popular audio formats, and feel safe knowing that linux is powering their mp3 players, look no further than Rockbox.
Rockbox is an open source firmware for mp3 players, written from scratch. It runs on a wide range of players:
- Apple: 1st through 5.5th generation iPod, iPod Mini and 1st generation iPod Nano
(not the Shuffle, 2nd/3rd gen Nano, Classic or Touch) - Archos: Jukebox 5000, 6000, Studio, Recorder, FM Recorder, Recorder V2 and Ondio
- Cowon: iAudio X5, X5V, X5L, M5, M5L, M3 and M3L
- iriver: H100, H300 and H10 series
- Olympus: M:Robe 100
- SanDisk: Sansa c200, e200 and e200R series (not the v2 models)
- Toshiba: Gigabeat X and F series (not the S series)
Rockbox isn’t just a firmware, its more of a mini operating system. It supports tons of plugins, mini applications, games, visualizations, themes, languages, etc. It even has support for doom! In addition to that, the amount of flexibility offered in terms of configurability is unlimited! Audiophiles will love the advanced tweaking options, and regular users won’t have problems either.
Be warned that it is not completely stable on all models, and there will be problems. Also make sure that your model is supported before installing it! For the ipod, identify which generation is supported, as trying to install it on unsupported models will result in your warranty being void.
P.S: I’m not responsible if you void your warranty ! Do this at your own risk.
