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jbrown96
March 14th, 2009, 07:40 PM
I have a love/hate relationship with Apple. Although for the past couple of weeks, it's been unbridled hate. I think they make really good hardware, but I absolutely hate their software. I have an iPhone, which has a good web browser, but it's really limited past that.

I'm having two problems right now and maybe someone could help with those, but they're not the main issue, but are very relevant to what I'm looking for in a new player.
1) I can't, for the life of me, get a video on the stupid device. I've done every conversion method that I've been able to find (VLC, Handbrake, AVIDEMUX). I couldn't even load videos into iTunes with anything except Avidemux (and it was by far the fastest of the three tools). Now I can get the videos on the iphone, but there's no video, just audio. iTunes is completely incapable of doing anything to help me; no warnings, no offer to convert the videos, no recommended settings. Come on Apple! You're supposed to be "sooo easy."
2) The second problem is something I'm sure a lot of people have trouble with on new ipods, especially itouch and iphone. Apple has encrypted the music database, so there's no way to use another program to sync music. It's absolutely mind-boggling. With an older model that I had, I could use Amarok, and while the interface probably wasn't the best, it was certain powerful and it would tell me what is going on. So my only solution is to use Virtualization, which just sucks. itunes brings my dual core laptop to it's knees. I can't scroll; it takes minutes to switch screens (going from music to movies).

Sorry about the rant, but I've been so frustrated. I've been on vacation for a week and am taking a plane home later today, and all I want to do is watch the Simpsons on the flight. It should be so simple.

Ok here's what I want in a player.

Capacity isn't very important. 8GB is enough as long as it's simple to swap music.

I would really like to be able to watch videos on it.

I absolutely must be able to use some sort of Linux app to manage it (preferably Amarok, but that's flexible).

Wide range of codec support would be nice. I have transcoded all of my music to 128Kbs mp3 on my laptop because of HD space limitations, but it would be nice to throw some flac audio on there since it's what I rip CDs to.

No proprietary headphone ports.

Anyone have suggestions?

TBOL3
March 14th, 2009, 07:48 PM
Try cowon's players, their nice (but expensive. I've also heard good things from iRiver.

Also, if your looking to save a buck, but don't mind not having amazing audio quality (the quality is still fine, just nothing special), I also like SanDisks players.

dragos240
March 14th, 2009, 07:48 PM
sansa fuze!

PurposeOfReason
March 14th, 2009, 07:48 PM
Try rockbox before you give up, it may save you some money.

dragos240
March 14th, 2009, 07:49 PM
or ipod linux ;)

TBOL3
March 14th, 2009, 07:50 PM
Try rockbox before you give up, it may save you some money.

The problem is that he has a new player, and they aren't compatible with rockbox (well, their might actually be a rockbox app if you jailbreak your phone).

TBOL3
March 14th, 2009, 07:51 PM
or ipod linux ;)

I have SansaLinux on my e260, and I can't get it to play anything, although I probably could if I tried. But I think iPodLinux is more of a nerdy toy, which one would install to say he has linux on his DAP, rather then something you would put on their for productivity purposes.

logos34
March 14th, 2009, 08:01 PM
Try cowon's players, their nice (but expensive. I've also heard good things from iRiver.

Also, if your looking to save a buck, but don't mind not having amazing audio quality (the quality is still fine, just nothing special), I also like SanDisks players.

+1

But the iAudio's are only about $85.

And nice thing about Cowon (iAudio 5 at least) is they also support ogg and flac (ogg>mp3, smaller, better quality, and open-source to boot)

Simian Man
March 14th, 2009, 08:02 PM
Unfortunately, iPods seem to be the best supported thanks to their shear popularity (and in spite of Apple's best efforts). My 4th gen. Nano works great with libgpod. Any more obscure players will likely give you even more troubles. I hope somebody can prove me wrong though :).

swoll1980
March 14th, 2009, 08:04 PM
I bought a $20 drag and drop from micro center, and it works great, is compatible with everything, and the battery last a few hours. No need to spend a fortune.

jbrown96
March 14th, 2009, 08:14 PM
Thanks for the replies so far. Rockbox and ipod linux won't work on mine it's too new. A friend and I tried it on a 5g a few years ago, and it had some awesome features, but 45 minutes of battery life (rockbox can't use a special broadcomm chip, so it can get the low power feature) just won't work.

I did jailbreak it before the 2.0 software came out (for applications), and it was really cool because I could sync it wirelessly with Amarok (but it was slow). However, they fixed the security exploit that was able to recover the encryption keys and changed the keys as well. There was a project to break them again, but they aren't working on it anymore due to DMCA take-down notices (anti-circumvention).

I just read some reviews about the Sansa Fuze and Cowon. They look really good and something that I would be interested in. I don't really have time right now (packing), but the Sansa looks like it comes in several models and the fuze looks to be the mid-sized one; does anyone know the name of the larger model?
I have to say that the Cowons have great video playback it looks like. I need to decide how important that is. But I also really like the memory card (micro SD?) in the Sansa. That's really cool and allows for some great expandability.

From the reviews, there is mention of Linux compatibility but no one reviewed using it under linux. Can anyone comment about management on Linux (specifically Amarok if anyone has tried)?

@SimianMan
Is the 4G the new one? Because I think they have the same encryption scheme. That would be really cool if there is a work-around.

Simian Man
March 14th, 2009, 08:21 PM
@SimianMan
Is the 4G the new one? Because I think they have the same encryption scheme. That would be really cool if there is a work-around.

Yep the encryption scheme in the newest nanos is broken. It didn't work in the libgpod version when I first got it, but it works now :). Unfortunately, as far as I know, the touch and phone are still not supported though (they are a lot different from other pods underneath).

Life On Mars
March 14th, 2009, 08:22 PM
Get Nokia N810 (http://www.nseries.com/products/n810/#l=products,n810) - music, video, bluetooth/wireless internet, all thanks to the goodness of linux :D

Edit: and add a 16GB mini SD card.

TBOL3
March 14th, 2009, 08:46 PM
Great news if you still have the ipod 5g, rockbox now has AMAZING battery life. I haven't run a benchmark (nor have I actually drained the battery in the OF), but I would say I can get ~20ish hours, and that's with me fiddling around a lot with the player).

I also think the newer cowons have a microSD slot, although I don't know if they support SDHC. Anyway, if you do get time the following site is amazing:
http://anythingbutipod.com/

sgosnell
March 14th, 2009, 09:08 PM
I also like the Sansa Fuze. You can buy one with a small memory and put a microSD card in, whatever size you like. I have a 4GB model with an 8GB microSD, and I like it a lot. Plenty of storage, and with a card reader, it's easy to drag and drop the songs, put the card in the Fuze, and play. The Fuze also shows up as a drive on my computer, just plug it in and run file manager. I've never seen the point in worrying with sync software, because it's easier for me to just copy folders/files directly.

Polygon
March 14th, 2009, 09:24 PM
anything from cowon, although i would stay away from their touchscreen models, the touchscreen feature on those models is a gimmick, all i use it for is to just press 'play'......id rather have a physical button.

gjoellee
March 14th, 2009, 09:26 PM
Zune

dnairb
March 14th, 2009, 09:45 PM
I have an Iriver H320 with Rockbox - plays ogg vorbis files almost, but not quite perfectly, gapless.
I have a Cowon iAudio 7 - plays ogg vorbis, but not gapless. Not tried the video stuff.
I also have a Trekstor Vibez (impossible to get hold of now, unless you buy second-hand from eBay.) Plays ogg vorbis perfectly. The only hardware player to do so out-of-the-box IIRC (apart from the old Rio Karma).

Sinkingships7
March 14th, 2009, 10:17 PM
Zune

Great firmware, okay hardware*, and great looking yet poorly functional software.

*The Zune ALWAYS does stand-by and never turns off. This drains your battery a lot more than you'd think. It's a design flaw by default, and can be worked around by holding the back button and the touchpad's down button at the same time and holding.

The Zune software sucks SO bad, and is SO proprietary, that it's reason enough for me to not buy a Zune.

billgoldberg
March 14th, 2009, 10:21 PM
Unfortunately, iPods seem to be the best supported thanks to their shear popularity (and in spite of Apple's best efforts). My 4th gen. Nano works great with libgpod. Any more obscure players will likely give you even more troubles. I hope somebody can prove me wrong though :).

Most mp3 players pop up as mass storage devices on your pc.

Just drag and drop, it's can't be more simple.

helliewm
March 14th, 2009, 10:24 PM
Another plus 1 for Cowon iAudio completely compatible with Linux plus open format ogg.

They are excellent. I would never buy anything else. I absolutely love mine:)

Helen

EDIT:
Get Nokia N810 - music, video, bluetooth/wireless internet, all thanks to the goodness of linux

Edit: and add a 16GB mini SD card.

I also have an N810 again absolutely excellent I use both. The Nokia N810 Internet Tablet ( no it is NOT a phone) is a very small (itouch size approx but with qwerty and touch screen keyboard) UMPC so the COWON is slightly more portable. I would recommend both extremely highly. The N810 runs Maemo a debian derivative to get maximum use you need to be Ubuntu/Debian/Linux proficient.

fjf
March 15th, 2009, 12:29 AM
Cowon D2. The best out there.

jbrown96
March 15th, 2009, 01:04 AM
I met a guy at a LUG meeting a few months ago who had a Nokia 810. It looked really impressive. I would really Like to support that company because they support open source so well (meamo and Qt/Kde), but I have a few questions. What's the music player like? Battery life? How big (physical do
Dimensions? Do you have to use a stylus? Does it have a standard headphone jack (3.5mm)? I have an iPod hookup in my car that I bypassed so it just uses a headphone input (3.5mm). Would it be possible to use it while driving at all?

About the sansas:
It look like it has a rubberized back on it. I bought a skin for my iPhone that was rubber and hated it because it wouldn't slide in and out of my pocket. Does the sansa have that problem?

My plane is taking off, but I still hAve a few questions. Will write back later. Thanks for the replies-- they have been great

r1ch
March 15th, 2009, 01:37 AM
I can recommend an iRiver player. My current model is the iRiver T60 2GB version. Tiny little thing, probably newer models out there now but that just means you could probably get it quite cheap. It plays OGG and mp3, has a radio, voice recording plugs and is a Mass USB device and comes with reasonable earphones. The selling point though was it takes a single AAA size battery, having had internal non-removable batteries in previous mp3 players that went dead on me, this was a serious plus.

sgosnell
March 15th, 2009, 02:27 AM
That back on the Fuze is a feature, not a bug. I do not want my device sliding out of my pocket easily. It also resists sliding around in the car, somewhat. On a sticky pad, it doesn't move at all. But I usually have it stuck to the front of the dash with Velcro, so I can see the display and easily manipulate the controls. The demo music that came on the thing is dire, and I didn't take the trouble to delete it all before I put my music there, so it sometimes comes on, and I have to quickly delete it before I get angry. ;-)

The first thing I look for in an mp3 player, though, is an expansion slot. It really, really needs to take some kind of memory card. If it doesn't, I'm not buying.

TBOL3
March 15th, 2009, 02:38 AM
My sansa e260 has a betal back. I don't know about more modern players though.

DownTown22
March 15th, 2009, 02:57 AM
I met a guy at a LUG meeting a few months ago who had a Nokia 810. It looked really impressive. I would really Like to support that company because they support open source so well (meamo and Qt/Kde), but I have a few questions. What's the music player like? Battery life? How big (physical do
Dimensions? Do you have to use a stylus? Does it have a standard headphone jack (3.5mm)? I have an iPod hookup in my car that I bypassed so it just uses a headphone input (3.5mm). Would it be possible to use it while driving at all?

About the sansas:
It look like it has a rubberized back on it. I bought a skin for my iPhone that was rubber and hated it because it wouldn't slide in and out of my pocket. Does the sansa have that problem?

My plane is taking off, but I still hAve a few questions. Will write back later. Thanks for the replies-- they have been great

I own an N800 and my wife has an N810 and we both love them. They get used a lot for music and for watching ripped TV shows/DVD's as well as internet-related things - web browsing, chatting.

Music/Video: There's lots of options available for music/video players, but nothing beats the simplicity and good looks of Canola (http://openbossa.indt.org/canola/).

Battery Life: My wife's N810 gets about 4-5 hours on her's when watching video. With 2 hours of use a night - watching some video, chatting and a little bit of internet use - she only has to charge it once a week. That's also with the brightness turned down.

Headphone Jack: Yep, uses a standard small headphone jack.

Use while driving: Sure, once you're in the Canola program you just have to use the touchscreen for navigation - and it's a bigger screen than the iPod, so that's handy!

Stylus: You don't have to use it, but sometimes it's kinda handy, as some programs have small areas that need to be touched, and personally, my fingers are too big for that!

And the slide-out keyboard is really nice on the N810. The touchscreen keyboard on the N800 is OK - I prefer feeling my buttons.

As for size, etc: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/N810 (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/N810)

mamamia88
March 15th, 2009, 03:13 AM
i have about 3 sansa ones all work great on ubuntu

fissionmailed
March 15th, 2009, 03:19 AM
I bought a 30 GB Creative Zen vision M a while back (almost 3 years ago) and I like it. It plays music and video and shows pictures. It's pretty reliable and rarely crashes. The battery is still good but I don't use mine a lot like some people do.

days_of_ruin
March 15th, 2009, 04:52 AM
I met a guy at a LUG meeting a few months ago who had a Nokia 810. It looked really impressive. I would really Like to support that company because they support open source so well (meamo and Qt/Kde), but I have a few questions. What's the music player like? Battery life? How big (physical do
Dimensions? Do you have to use a stylus? Does it have a standard headphone jack (3.5mm)? I have an iPod hookup in my car that I bypassed so it just uses a headphone input (3.5mm). Would it be possible to use it while driving at all?

About the sansas:
It look like it has a rubberized back on it. I bought a skin for my iPhone that was rubber and hated it because it wouldn't slide in and out of my pocket. Does the sansa have that problem?

My plane is taking off, but I still hAve a few questions. Will write back later. Thanks for the replies-- they have been great

The rubber backing is probably smooth enough to slide into your pocket.
I always have a protective case over my sansa.
btw sansa fuze 4gb for $50 at newegg (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16855125109). Thats cheaper than I bought my 2gb sansa fuze :P

dustigroove
March 17th, 2009, 05:24 AM
Instead of buying another device, what about going with one of the newer mobile phones that are coming out all the time? I use my Samsung Omnia i910 with a 16GB SDHC card and a set of Bluetooth headphones (or occasionally my old wired headphones for better quality)... works great for me. Then when I jump in the car I just plug it in to my tuner, same with at home. Best part is it's super easy to transfer music over, just plug it in via USB and use it like any other flash drive.

Just a thought...

shailendra
March 17th, 2009, 05:53 AM
I have two MP3 players from Sansa and they are really good.

DonaldJ
March 17th, 2009, 06:01 AM
Which MP3 boasts the longest battery-life and longest battery-charge..?

Are there any accessory rechargeable battery-packs for MP3's..?

Are there quality MP3's that allow you to change the tone and boost the base..?

jbrown96
March 17th, 2009, 05:41 PM
I've been doing some research, and I think I'm going to give the Nokia 810 a try. My inner nerd just can't get over how awesome that device is. I have a few questions about it.

1) I saw that Android and the Ubuntu ARM port can run on it. Are most software packages available available on the 810, especially for Ubuntu? Is a multi-OS (dual/tri-booting) environment possible/feasible?

2) I don't know much about Bluetooth, but the 810 sounds like it can do some seriously cool stuff. Does anyone know if these uses are possible and how seamless (do they require re-pairing each time): bluetooth keyboard, bluetooth headphones, and a bluetooth connection to an Ubuntu box to be able to play audio wirelessly?

3) Could I virtualize OS2008 to try before I buy? I think that non-native emulation is possibly (ARM on x86) with a large performance penalty. Does anyone have any experience with this?

sgosnell
March 17th, 2009, 06:57 PM
The best place to ask questions about the N810 is Internet Tablet Talk forum (http://www.internettablettalk.com/forums/). There are people there running several OSs, and doing all sorts of things.

bradthewanderer
March 17th, 2009, 07:03 PM
In April Itunes is going DRM free, so you won't have the issues you have now.

Life On Mars
March 17th, 2009, 07:06 PM
... but I have a few questions. What's the music player like? ...

Personally, having tried all the others mentioned and more, I prefer YouAmp (http://www.rojtberg.net/workspace/youamp/).


I've been doing some research, and I think I'm going to give the Nokia 810 a try. My inner nerd just can't get over how awesome that device is. I have a few questions about it.

1) I saw that Android and the Ubuntu ARM port can run on it. Are most software packages available available on the 810, especially for Ubuntu? Is a multi-OS (dual/tri-booting) environment possible/feasible?

2) I don't know much about Bluetooth, but the 810 sounds like it can do some seriously cool stuff. Does anyone know if these uses are possible and how seamless (do they require re-pairing each time): bluetooth keyboard, bluetooth headphones, and a bluetooth connection to an Ubuntu box to be able to play audio wirelessly?

3) Could I virtualize OS2008 to try before I buy? I think that non-native emulation is possibly (ARM on x86) with a large performance penalty. Does anyone have any experience with this?

I'm still getting to know my N810, so I'm no expert. I tried installing other OSs (Easy Debian, I think was one), but didn't like them. I think you can dula/tri-boot. If you haven't found it already, Internet Tablet Talk Forums (http://www.internettablettalk.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=9) are a good resource for getting started. OS2008/Maemo Linux is designed for the N810 and while that means plenty of compromises on functionality and appearance overall I think it's pretty good. It's not going to be the same as Ubuntu on your desktop or laptop, though.

Bluetooth pairs up automatically with my phone for internet data connection after initial set up. I guess it will do the same for other BT devices, but haven't tried any. Just discovered Grooveshark (http://listen.grooveshark.com/) for free uploading and playback of my music collection, so that might be an option for you.

Not sure about virtualization. I don't think you will be disappointed, though, as long as your expectations are realistic. I use mine everyday while commuting for watching downloaded TV and Movies converted with MediaConverter2 (http://www.audua.com/Media_Converter_2/index.html) with MPlayer (http://mplayer.garage.maemo.org/), listening to music as already described, browsing the web with the built-in Mozilla-based MicroB browser, checking Gmail with the built-in email client (tried Claws Mail and didn't like it). I listen to internet radio via the built-in radio player when I'm in the bath. There are lots more uses and applications for it, including VOIP, IM, handwritten notes using stylus (but most functions you can use your fingers like on an iPhone). The only thing it's not so good for is word-processing and other office-type work, although you can do it - personally I just find the whole thing is just too small to make that a comfortable experience.

motang
March 17th, 2009, 07:23 PM
I say go with Sansa from Sandisk, I got two and they are great!

rotwang888
March 17th, 2009, 08:48 PM
Which MP3 boasts the longest battery-life and longest battery-charge..?

Are there any accessory rechargeable battery-packs for MP3's..?

Are there quality MP3's that allow you to change the tone and boost the base..?

The Cowon iaudio 7 battery lasts 60 hours. I'm not sure if that's the longest, but it has to be close anyway. And it has an equalizer.

jimi_hendrix
March 17th, 2009, 09:27 PM
1) I can't, for the life of me, get a video on the stupid device. I've done every conversion method that I've been able to find (VLC, Handbrake, AVIDEMUX). I couldn't even load videos into iTunes with anything except Avidemux (and it was by far the fastest of the three tools). Now I can get the videos on the iphone, but there's no video, just audio. iTunes is completely incapable of doing anything to help me; no warnings, no offer to convert the videos, no recommended settings. Come on Apple! You're supposed to be "sooo easy."


i had a similar problem where video wouldnt come from itunes to the phone...but a new update to itunes fixed that

MikeTheC
March 18th, 2009, 04:39 AM
What settings are you using in Handbrake? I've converted a number of DVDs over using Handbrake without the slightest hint of a problem.

Polygon
March 18th, 2009, 05:44 AM
In April Itunes is going DRM free, so you won't have the issues you have now.

no its not?

DownTown22
March 18th, 2009, 03:20 PM
no its not?

Pretty sure it is:

"At the 2009 Macworld Conference & Expo, it was announced that the iTunes Music Store would be DRM-free, with conversion complete by April 2009"

From: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ITunes

jbrown96
March 18th, 2009, 03:27 PM
What settings are you using in Handbrake? I've converted a number of DVDs over using Handbrake without the slightest hint of a problem.

I've used the ipod/iphone presets in Handbrake, and I can play the video on Linux fine, but it won't work in itunes/iphone. VLC and avidemux have ipod presets as well, and I've had more luck with them; I can at least get the file on the iphone, but only audio works. However, I can't test to see if the video even works in itunes because the performance is so poor.


@bradthewanderer
I don't mean fairplay DRM. The actual database is encrypted, even when not using anything purchased from itms. I can't understand why Apple would do this. It seems to be a shameless money grab to force people to use itunes that bombards you with "suggestions" to buy their stuff.

I'm ordering my n810 later today, and I'll update my original post with a mini-review after I get it. Unfortunately most internet sites that have decent prices have the item on backorder, so it might be a few weeks.

Tristam Green
March 18th, 2009, 03:45 PM
I can! I have a Creative Zen 30gb....wait a minute...

[QUOTE=fissionmailed;6896296]I bought a 30 GB Creative Zen vision M a while back (almost 3 years ago) and I like it. It plays music and video and shows pictures. It's pretty reliable and rarely crashes. The battery is still good but I don't use mine a lot like some people do.

+1! I have one, have for a year, and it works flawlessly with libmtp and amarok. Amarok picks it right up, and I'm able to transfer files to and from it with no issues at all.

It's never crashed on me (I inadvertently corrupted the database on it, so I just reset it), and it doesn't slide around *much*. It has a metal back like the Sansa e260, but it's powder-coated so it has a grip to it.

hockman5
March 18th, 2009, 03:48 PM
I am also a Sansa Fuze fan.....

bradthewanderer
March 18th, 2009, 05:26 PM
Okay jbrown, I understand what you are saying but if you look further into the DRM-free that itunes is going to, you will still have things formatted in AAC, but the lockdown won't be any further than that, if you believe everything they are telling us so far that is. :)

nanotube
March 19th, 2009, 03:57 AM
so, i just ordered a sandisk sansa fuze from amazon, based on the research that i've done, and based on the fact that i don't really care to play videos (which requires using the windows-only software converter). i like that it has the microsd expansion slot, the latest firmware supports ogg, the long battery life, and the nice form factor. and of course, it supports the mass-storage-compatibility mode, so it works with any os including linux.

don't count any of that as a recommendation from me just yet, though - i'll see how it works when i receive it. :)

D3ath
March 19th, 2009, 04:02 AM
so, i just ordered a sandisk sansa fuze from amazon, based on the research that i've done, and based on the fact that i don't really care to play videos (which requires using the windows-only software converter). i like that it has the microsd expansion slot, the latest firmware supports ogg, the long battery life, and the nice form factor. and of course, it supports the mass-storage-compatibility mode, so it works with any os including linux.

don't count any of that as a recommendation from me just yet, though - i'll see how it works when i receive it. :)

I already have one and everybody is going to love it! I use my ipod nano 4g with rhythmbox just fine though. Its actually my little girls but she has no issues with the ipod im just against them and i refuse to use windows for anything other than gaming. But the sansa is really nice i use it myself for my daily workouts and im very happy with it.

MaxIBoy
March 19th, 2009, 04:13 AM
I did jailbreak it before the 2.0 software came out (for applications), and it was really cool because I could sync it wirelessly with Amarok (but it was slow). However, they fixed the security exploit that was able to recover the encryption keys and changed the keys as well. There was a project to break them again, but they aren't working on it anymore due to DMCA take-down notices (anti-circumvention).

Couldn't possibly be less true. The 2.0-2.1 firmware had another jailbreak (a buffer overflow in the image rendering software,) and there's yet another one in more-recent versions. In these recent versions, you can't permanently overwrite the device's OS, but you can patch it in-memory during every boot, after you jailbreak it once. My friend has one that does that. iPod jailbreaking is alive and well.

jbrown96
March 19th, 2009, 07:22 PM
Couldn't possibly be less true. The 2.0-2.1 firmware had another jailbreak (a buffer overflow in the image rendering software,) and there's yet another one in more-recent versions. In these recent versions, you can't permanently overwrite the device's OS, but you can patch it in-memory during every boot, after you jailbreak it once. My friend has one that does that. iPod jailbreaking is alive and well.

My point isn't to jailbreak the device. I don't care about that. With the new firmware there is no way to decrypt the itunes db on it, which makes it completely useless for me. Even a jailbroken iphone still has an encrypted database.

Edit: I stand corrected. Sorry MaxIBoy. It appears as though it may be possible, although the documentation only says 2.0-1 are supported, and I have 2.2.1. https://help.ubuntu.com/community/PortableDevices/iPhone The hack is very ugly because it cannot use the built-in music player, which means no background playing. doubt I'll try it, but maybe it will help someone.

Edit 2: Here's some easier steps. http://http://marcansoft.com/blog/2009/01/using-amarok-and-other-itunesdb-compatible-software-with-the-iphone-2x/. Will possibly be trying this.

D3ath
March 19th, 2009, 07:25 PM
My point isn't to jailbreak the device. I don't care about that. With the new firmware there is no way to decrypt the itunes db on it, which makes it completely useless for me. Even a jailbroken iphone still has an encrypted database.

Yea i know just wait for the 3.0 software to come out. Its about time we come up with the all new open source ubuMusic Player! com'n guys lets do it! For us by us! We can make this happen!

dje
March 19th, 2009, 07:42 PM
I have an 8gb sony walkman nwz-a818 and it's great, good battery life and no need to use software to manage the music, it is recognised as a removeable disk and then you can drag and drop files using nautilus :). It can also play videos and there is some really easy software for conversion called blacklight (https://launchpad.net/blacklight) (i just use the cli version), it converts the video then sends it straight to your walkman! It also comes with great headphones straight out of the box.

dje

JackieChan
March 19th, 2009, 08:04 PM
I never really liked the iPod myself. I like being able to drag music into a folder, not import music through programs like iTunes. I'd say get a Zune, it's nice. I have one, but sadly it's broken right now. My friend did a jump kick on it. I'm not too bent up over it being broken though, since I bought it for two dollars off my friend who was desperate for money for some reason. :D

AndyCooll
March 20th, 2009, 12:14 AM
Another vote for Cowon. I have an iAudio 7 and I've been very pleased with it.

Cowon's are, as far as I know, the only portable audio players that specifically mention Linux compatability in their specs.

Like a number of other portable audio players, transfer of files is drag-and-drop.

What I also like about Cowon's is that they are ogg and flac compatable. This is especially helpful since these are the formats most of my music files are in.

:cool:

days_of_ruin
March 20th, 2009, 12:19 AM
Another vote for Cowon. I have an iAudio 7 and I've been very pleased with it.

Cowon's are, as far as I know, the only portable audio players that specifically mention Linux compatability in their specs.

Like a number of other portable audio players, transfer of files is drag-and-drop.

What I also like about Cowon's is that they are ogg and flac compatable. This is especially helpful since these are the formats most of my music files are in.

:cool:

Sansdisk mentions linux too.

pwnst*r
March 20th, 2009, 01:38 AM
Cowon. end of thread.

nanotube
March 20th, 2009, 03:25 AM
Cowon. end of thread.

a little presumptuous there, aren't we? :)

days_of_ruin
March 20th, 2009, 04:09 AM
Cowon. end of thread.

Which one do you have? I am looking into getting a D2 as it has gotten
good reviews and doesn't cost a fortune.

pwnst*r
March 20th, 2009, 04:14 AM
Which one do you have? I am looking into getting a D2 as it has gotten
good reviews and doesn't cost a fortune.

yep, the D2 :)

days_of_ruin
March 20th, 2009, 04:19 AM
yep, the D2 :)

The only thing that bugs me about it is that it uses SD not microSD.
Because I already a microSD card and they are more popular for phones/mp3 players than full-size SD cards.

EDIT: I forgot that my microSD card came with a SD card adapter.:P

nanotube
March 20th, 2009, 04:36 AM
yep, the D2 :)

yea, i considered it, and it seems pretty nice, but it costs twice as much as a fuze...

days_of_ruin
March 20th, 2009, 04:44 AM
yea, i considered it, and it seems pretty nice, but it costs twice as much as a fuze...

I saw it for $100 on amazon.http://www.amazon.com/Cowon-Portable-Media-Player-Black/dp/B000OE2OPG

nanotube
March 20th, 2009, 02:43 PM
I saw it for $100 on amazon.http://www.amazon.com/Cowon-Portable-Media-Player-Black/dp/B000OE2OPG

right - and i bought the fuze for about $50, on amazon. so, twice as much. :)

Mistrblank
March 20th, 2009, 03:12 PM
1) I can't, for the life of me, get a video on the stupid device. I've done every conversion method that I've been able to find (VLC, Handbrake, AVIDEMUX). I couldn't even load videos into iTunes with anything except Avidemux (and it was by far the fastest of the three tools). Now I can get the videos on the iphone, but there's no video, just audio. iTunes is completely incapable of doing anything to help me; no warnings, no offer to convert the videos, no recommended settings. Come on Apple! You're supposed to be "sooo easy."


I feel bad for you, but I have had no problems with getting iTunes to recognize my Handbraked videos. It's even gotten better now that I can convert any video format and not just DVDs to the iPhone profile. I've converted videos on all three platforms (Mac, Win and Linux) and not had any issues. This isn't really Apple's fault and I suggest you investigate further.




2) The second problem is something I'm sure a lot of people have trouble with on new ipods, especially itouch and iphone.


I have not tried to copy to my iPhone with anything other than iTunes, but my older classic iPod works fine syncing on my Linux system. Again, there are plenty of people doing it, so I want to make sure that you aren't dissuading someone else from a perfectly viable option because you ran into a few issues which could be anything outside of the scope of your admitted rant.


Anyone have suggestions?

Look to sandisk's sansa lineup. They have a lot of great players that use flash memory cards for expansion. In my opinion, the flexibility of that option is huge since it allows you to expand your collection limitlessly (not sure if that is a word, but I'm going with it). If you find that you're using all of your storage too frequently, buy more cards (and they're cheap now).

http://go.shopsansa.com/content/view
or
http://go.shopsansa.com/content/fuze

and I'm assuming (since this is an ubuntu forum) you'll want to connect them to your ubuntu computer which might require a little help from:
http://www.micahcarrick.com/05-21-2008/sansa-view-ubuntu.html

Good luck to you. Sorry to hear of all your Apple frustation.

DonaldJ
March 20th, 2009, 03:17 PM
Now that we've got the best MP3's.. What are the best earphones..?

davo11
March 20th, 2009, 07:37 PM
check out creative's line
the ZEN is great for videos and music
the Xfi does all that and includes a web browser for about as much as a new nano

DrHackenbush
March 20th, 2009, 07:56 PM
Anyone have any luck getting music from Ubunto onto a Samsung yp-s3? My son got one as a gift and I have yet to be able to dump music onto it.

sgosnell
March 20th, 2009, 08:37 PM
Sansa Fuze. It shows up as a drive on your PC, and you can do whatever you want with it. If you put a memory card in it, that shows up as another drive. Standard 3.5mm headphone jack, good battery life. I'm not sure exactly what music formats it supports, mine is almost all mp3. It supports standard video, but I don't use it.

The Nokia N8*0 will also do the job, but is much more expensive. It does a lot more, though, and is a lot bigger and heavier. It's your decision as to what is more important. Canola2 on the Nokia is a very nice player, but it's Maemo only, AFAIK.

pwnst*r
March 21st, 2009, 01:31 AM
Now that we've got the best MP3's.. What are the best earphones..?

nobody here can tell you that. your search begins here:

http://www.head-fi.org/

DownTown22
March 21st, 2009, 02:49 AM
nobody here can tell you that. your search begins here:

http://www.head-fi.org/

Rather bold assumption...

pwnst*r
March 21st, 2009, 03:14 AM
Rather bold assumption...

it's subjective. not much assumption there.

nanotube
March 22nd, 2009, 07:27 AM
So... got the fuze in the mail today :)

First impressions:

looks very nice, works with ubuntu (8.10) out of the box in msc (usb disk) mode, sounds very good.

updating the firmware to the latest version was easy as pie (just stick the .bin into the root of the fuze disk, and disconnect)

i tested it and it does support ogg, as advertised.

doesn't work in mtp mode (i got the "v2" of the fuze, and the libmtp folks apparently haven't updated the lib with the new data...). i wanted to pull the "default" media from the thing, just for the hell of it, which are stored in mtp mode... but well, i don't really care about that bit.

so overall, i'm quite happy with it.

jasonsjunk
March 22nd, 2009, 08:51 AM
I use a SanDisk Sansa E280 I believe. I run Rockbox on it and I also have a 2gb micro SD card in it for 10G of space. Now that Rockbox has the USB issues worked out I dont have to boot into the default firmware again. You can easily manage your files via Amarok or anything else since the whole player just looks like a USB drive to your computer. You can pick one up for 40-80 depending on the model. I have been using mine for about 2 years without any issues.

http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=4210721&CatId=2476

http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=4196625&CatId=2761

http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=3408720&CatId=2476 <--16Gb for 159 if you want more space!

http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=3481118&CatId=2476 <--This is the one I have

linux newb
March 23rd, 2009, 04:06 AM
I have a love/hate relationship with Apple. Although for the past couple of weeks, it's been unbridled hate. I think they make really good hardware, but I absolutely hate their software. I have an iPhone, which has a good web browser, but it's really limited past that.

I'm having two problems right now and maybe someone could help with those, but they're not the main issue, but are very relevant to what I'm looking for in a new player.
1) I can't, for the life of me, get a video on the stupid device. I've done every conversion method that I've been able to find (VLC, Handbrake, AVIDEMUX). I couldn't even load videos into iTunes with anything except Avidemux (and it was by far the fastest of the three tools). Now I can get the videos on the iphone, but there's no video, just audio. iTunes is completely incapable of doing anything to help me; no warnings, no offer to convert the videos, no recommended settings. Come on Apple! You're supposed to be "sooo easy."
2) The second problem is something I'm sure a lot of people have trouble with on new ipods, especially itouch and iphone. Apple has encrypted the music database, so there's no way to use another program to sync music. It's absolutely mind-boggling. With an older model that I had, I could use Amarok, and while the interface probably wasn't the best, it was certain powerful and it would tell me what is going on. So my only solution is to use Virtualization, which just sucks. itunes brings my dual core laptop to it's knees. I can't scroll; it takes minutes to switch screens (going from music to movies).

Sorry about the rant, but I've been so frustrated. I've been on vacation for a week and am taking a plane home later today, and all I want to do is watch the Simpsons on the flight. It should be so simple.

Ok here's what I want in a player.

Capacity isn't very important. 8GB is enough as long as it's simple to swap music.

I would really like to be able to watch videos on it.

I absolutely must be able to use some sort of Linux app to manage it (preferably Amarok, but that's flexible).

Wide range of codec support would be nice. I have transcoded all of my music to 128Kbs mp3 on my laptop because of HD space limitations, but it would be nice to throw some flac audio on there since it's what I rip CDs to.

No proprietary headphone ports.

Anyone have suggestions?





i got pissed off at my itouch and was looking at this 8 gb( also in 16 and i think 32gs)video/music player with fm tuner n connects to the net, look at photos n stuff, it also has a camera on it for nlike 80 buks canadian at future shop or something i think thats what im gonna get anyway, i busted my screen

Sinkingships7
March 23rd, 2009, 04:28 AM
i got pissed off at my itouch and was looking at this 8 gb( also in 16 and i think 32gs)video/music player with fm tuner n connects to the net, look at photos n stuff, it also has a camera on it for nlike 80 buks canadian at future shop or something i think thats what im gonna get anyway, i busted my screen

... what?

pwnst*r
March 23rd, 2009, 05:32 AM
he busted his screen.

Changturkey
March 23rd, 2009, 07:52 PM
If you get the Sansa E2xx + Rockbox, make sure you get a v1.

Huufarted
March 26th, 2009, 03:02 PM
Try cowon's players, their nice (but expensive. I've also heard good things from iRiver.

Also, if your looking to save a buck, but don't mind not having amazing audio quality (the quality is still fine, just nothing special), I also like SanDisks players.

I just went to Cowon's site, fearing the worst from your pricing reviews... Their prices are INCREDIBLE when compared against Apple's prices!

sgosnell
March 26th, 2009, 03:33 PM
DUH!! Any prices are great compared to Apple's, on any product.