Hi Shaun, I'm changing the subject line, since your questions are about Rockbox.
You ask: >OK, just a few more questions. Because I only heard of Rock Box and >this is my first I Pod I wanted to know if you could give me the Rock >Box rundown. Things like, where can I find it, how much does it cost >and its installation procedure. This would be very helpful. I also >know that you are aware of this feature but as a test I started a I >Tunes podcast and then connected my I Pod and what was amazing was the >fact that after I did a sync I picked up the podcast from where it >left off on my computer on the I Pod. I thought that was very very cool! Rockbox is freeware, and it's a project that originally started for other mp3 players, such as Archos and iRiver, With Rockbox you replace the device firmware, so it's not a question of running iTunes or other programs for dap players supplied by manufacturers. The designs are reverse engineered. With the current generation of iPods, the firmware is encrypted, and updates are distributed through iTunes, so it is unlikely that there will be Rockbox builds for the Classic, 3G Nano, iPhone, etc. This also means that if you want to recover use of your iPod to the current function and automatic syncing, after installing Rockbox, you'd have to wipe Rockbox from the system and locate and reload iPod firmware for the Mini. This may pre-date the automatic inclusion of firmware updates in iTunes. A main attraction of Rockbox is the talking interace, which was available for the Archos players, and then extended to other mp3 players, including (after some time) the iPod. Other attractions for general users are the aviallability of gapless playback, cue sheet support, and customizable user interfaces, including some plug-ins for games. The early versions for each device typically had poor battery lifetimes. As Jacob mentioned, because you are running a different program from iTunes, support for DRM (iTunes Store and Audible purchases) will not work, nor will some of the iTunes specific syncing features. It's probably more helpful to read some blog postings of what using and installing Rockbox is like: See: "My Experience with Rockbox" (March 2007) http://prosario-2000.blogspot.com/2007/03/my-experience-with-rockbox.html and "How-to: Set your iPod free with Rockbox" (November 2007) http://www.applesource.com.au/ipod/how-to-set-your-ipod-free-with-rockbox/415/ for background. You need to know whether you have a first or second generation mini to do an install. Here's the web page Rockbox manual for the iPod mini: http://download.rockbox.org/manual/rockbox-ipodmini2g/rockbox-build.html For general information, see the Rockbox wiki: http://www.rockbox.org/twiki/ HTH. Some people on this list (Scott Howell?) have tried Rockbox. There's also a Blind iPod Free List that you can check for information: http://www.freelists.org/list/blindipod Cheers, Estther
