Rockbox does what Apple doesnt
Rockbox is an open-source alternate firmware for a variety of digital audio players, including a variety of iPods. In other words, its a complete replacement for the software that runs on the audio player that can provide a variety of features that Apple either can not or will not provide.
I had seen Rockbox mentioned on Slashdot a few times, but was not a big enough iPod user to investigate the software or what was involved in installing it. Recently however I’ve grown a bit tired of burning CD’s for my car and so have taken to utilising my iPod for this purpose.
Perhaps the biggest annoyance of using an iPod for more technical users is the requirement that all music be added via iTunes (or compatible software). I find this annoying for two reasons:
- I have my music files stored on a NAS. It would be far more convenient if I could just synchronize those files directly onto the iPod instead of having to run a GUI application.
- I dont use iTunes to play music on PCs. I’ve already organised my music into a hierarchical structure which I find is best suited to my needs; an ID3 databse (not just iTunes, but K3B’s too) just does not work as well for me.
Rockbox has many more features than Apple’s firmware, but easily the most desirable for me is the ability to just copy files directly to the iPod disk. When using Rockbox, I can then browse the folders I’ve uploaded and play them.
A feature I’ve found useful for utilising the iPod in the car is the configurable start-up action. Apple’s firmware has a feature that when plugged into a car adapter, the iPod pauses playback when the car is turned off. This is certainly useful, but unfortunately there does not appear to be a corresponding resume playback when power is turned on.
Rock maintains the pause functionality while also adding the ability to choose what to do when the iPod is powered on. You can choose to start in a specific area (like “Files”) or to “Resume Playback”. This suits me perfectly since I can just leave the iPod in my glovebox and not have to touch the thing unless I want to change albums.
Installation of Rockbox was surprisingly easy (extract a .zip onto the iPod hard drive, run a program, finished) and the PDF manual is thorough – at 100+ pages, I didnt get too far past the installation section. Beyond learning a few more keystrokes (”Prev” is go up directory / back in the settings tree) general usage is just as easy as Apple’s firmware. I would definitely recommend a look for power users; the “play files off the drive” feature is worth the price of admission alone.