New device suggestion - Simple music player

[PowerGod]

I don't know if it was already proposed, but I was thinking about this for a while, because I like the quality of the Pandora audio, but I'm unable to use it when I'm running/snowboarding, so...

Here how can be a Portable Music Player I can blindly buy if it was produced:

- Small, starting with a maximum 4x6 cm

- Display: 

               Option 1:

                - Simple LCD 2 color display (with backlight), with like 2 or 4 row of text, just to be able to read long names or paths

                - Physical buttons

               Option 2:

                - Touch screen (capacitive) with the lower resolution possible, just to be able to show the icons to press, and show some lines of text

- A physical volume control, exaclty like the one on the pandora, maybe smaller

- A small NAND just for the firmware (maybe open source)

- SD (or micro-SD) slot for the songs (and for firmware reflash, just in case)

- mini usb for charging/connecting with the PC (that has to be able to see both the NAND and the SD)

- Bluetooth (for wireless stereo hearphones and for connecting to the pc or car stereo)

- MWeston working on it

Optional if there is space:

GPS, or accellerometer or, you know, the things that can be useful when you run, to make statistics

What do you think about this ?

 

[EvilDragon]

I always thought it would be neat to have a RockBox Car stereo.

That would also be an idea

 

[kuru]

There should really be more audio devices with an integrated fm transmitter.. *hinthint*

 

[PowerGod]

There should really be more audio devices with an integrated fm transmitter.. *hinthint*

didn't know about that, seems useful for older car stereo without bluetooth (like mine) and AUX-in

 

[EvilDragon]

There should really be more audio devices with an integrated fm transmitter.. *hinthint*

didn't know about that, seems useful for older car stereo without bluetooth (like mine) and AUX-in

That's what I used my N900 for

 

[DrCJBoduma]

I think I might have miss understood this thread, but if it's a simple music player you are after I recommend

http://www.sandisk.com/products/music-video-players/clip-plus-mp3-player/

It seems to fulfill a lot of the things you suggested

I have rockbox installed (you can even play doom on the tiny screen - although it is purely a novelty and very horrible)

Great battery life also

 

[PowerGod]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_ow7pmMMlMU

The Sansa Clip Zip seems not bad at all using RockBox, I'm making a thought about it, but it lacks connectivity.

Many reviews says bad things about the battery life... for how long does it work for you with rockbox ?

 

[DrCJBoduma]

Battery life has always been excellent for me, that said it is reduced on rockbox (guessing but 6+ hours seems about right) pushing 10+ on native firmware(?)

Edit: IIRC the sansa clip zip supposedly has worse battery life than the older plain old sansa clip

 

[PowerGod]

I was hoping for a far greater lifetime

 

[FBnil]

I have had 127 recharge cycles (one year of intensive use), and my pandora still produces audio in the morning if I forget to turn it off (or run sleeptimer), which means still +8 hours for me... but barely (depleted batt). Ah... the days that the battery was new... 11 hours nonstop...

 

[ekianjo]

Shouldnt that be moved to offtopic ?

 

[b_o_b]

I was hoping for a far greater lifetime

Sansa E200 has a great battery life with rockbox >20 hours and has a replaceable battery. Another advantage is the physical lock - slider especially during activities you can't use two hands to unlock the device (on the bike).   

They are not produced anymore, but maybe you can find one on ebay. I recently did too after being disappointed by the clip for aforementioned reasons. I bought one after one of my E200s broke, but it is just a lesser device. I listen to a lot of podcasts/audiobooks and there is no better companion than E200 with rockbox.  

 

[Asiyura]

I use rockbox on my old iHP-140, its battery still holds the charge for hours (even if it's far from being in good shape).

It's not as compact as the Sansa music players and a bit sensible to shocks, since it's a hard disk with moving parts.

But batteries are still available on various websites and the HDD can be replaced with an adapter and a memory card.

 

[Esn]

I wonder, can these Sansa devices be charged by USB? I have a Waka Waka Power that I'm thinking could be used to make sure the battery doesn't die.

 

[pmprog]

http://www.sandisk.com/products/music-video-players/clip-plus-mp3-player/

lol, exactly what I was going to suggest. My first Clip+ went through the wash by mistake, so I bought another. Had Rockbox on the first one, but haven't put Rockbox on it the new one yet

 

[Binky]

While we're on the topic of dream electronic devices, I'd like a wristwatch with a 16 button keypad, monochrome reflective screen, several month's battery life which is user-programmable.

I don't want to choose between watches that are slaves to a smartphone and need recharging every night, and ones that can only do +, -, /, * and store 50 phone numbers.

 

[pmprog]

While we're on the topic of dream electronic devices, I'd like a wristwatch with a 16 button keypad, monochrome reflective screen, several month's battery life which is user-programmable.

I don't want to choose between watches that are slaves to a smartphone and need recharging every night, and ones that can only do +, -, /, * and store 50 phone numbers.

If you ever find one, let me know, I've been looking for ages.

 

[Binky]

Didn't Dave Jones open-source the plans for his microwatch?

 

[pmprog]

Dave Jones from EEV... cool. I find him entertaining to listen to, even though most of the time I haven't the foggiest what he's talking about.

I found this, but when I tried to follow the link to calcwatch.com, I got a Firefox "Reported Attack Page!" warning

http://www.uelectronics.info/microwatch-diy-scientific-calculator.html

 

[thatgui]

I think I might have miss understood this thread, but if it's a simple music player you are after I recommend

http://www.sandisk.com/products/music-video-players/clip-plus-mp3-player/

It seems to fulfill a lot of the things you suggested

I have rockbox installed (you can even play doom on the tiny screen - although it is purely a novelty and very horrible)

Great battery life also

Best player there is (except that the firmware indexes your whole catalogue of music everytime you used it as mass storage device). My first one got a ride in the washing machine too, so I had to replace it also.

Sad that the Clip Zip is not a worthy successor at all.