[vicsireland] Re: has any one heard of?

  • From: "Tim Culhane" <tim.culhane@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
  • To: <vicsireland@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
  • Date: Mon, 15 Jan 2007 10:42:07 -0000

Hi Robbie
 
I would suggest that  if you have  found bugs  or shortcomings in the
rockbox firmware that you report it to the developers at rockbox.org.
 
the rockbox firmware is still only in the beta phase for the iAudio.  That
is to say that  it has not been officially been released, since  there are
known problems with the  software.
 
However, since rockbox is open source,  if you find problems and report
them, they are often fixed very quickly.
 
Cheers,
 
Tim
 

-----Original Message-----
From: vicsireland-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
[mailto:vicsireland-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of Sandberg, Robert
Sent: 15 January 2007 10:23
To: vicsireland@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [vicsireland] Re: has any one heard of?


Hi Tim and Susan!
I also have the IAUDIO with Rockbox and I think a little more needs to be
said about it. Of course it's an excellent thing and it's fantastic to be
able to access the menu and alter the settings to your liking. That said,
it's not perfect. Rockbox will  only speak the contents of the menu, but not
the files and folders, that's to say songs and albums you put on it. It does
spell them, but that takes some getting used to and it also takes time. In
order to have the names of files and folders spoken, you need a second
software called Voice Box. It's quite easy to handle. It does not use its
own voice, but your computer's default voice the Microsoft Narrator.
Now, rockbox is not a speech add-on for the IAUDIO firmware. It replaces the
firmware, so it's a media player of its own and in my opinion it comes with
a couple of flaws. I find that when I skip through songs with the joystick,
in stead of moving to the next song, it will frequently go back to explorer
mode and speak the file name I started with. Also, I bought the thing mainly
to be able to record in mp3 format and process recorded files on my PC.
Unfortunately though, Rockbox does not speak at all when in recording mode.
I don't mean while recording, of course you don't want that. But before you
actually record, you're in a sort of mixing desk mode where you can adjust
the input level of the channels. There is no speech for that. Also, it would
be nice to have at least a confirmation beep when you start and stop
recording, preferably 2 different ones.
If you can live with these few shortcomings it's a brilliant device. And
also, since Rockbox is being constantly improved, the shortcomings might
well be dealt with at some point.
Just a quick word on the hardware. The IAUDIO does not have any USB ports as
such, but rather a customised shrunken interface, presumably to keep the
device as small as possible. This means that you can't connect to someone
else's computer unless you carry the interface cable with you. The same
applies to the line-in and line-out, as well as the power socket. There's a
little extra adapter you need for these connections. That makes the device
itself nice and small, but on the other hand you need to carry a bit of kit
around if you want to use it on the go.
Also, coming back to recording, I was assured that I could use an external
microphone without any peripheral hardware. That is not the case. You need
an extra amplifier to use even a battery powered mike. So that's another
thing to carry around if you want to make recordings.
It really comes down to what you want to do with the IAUDIO. For all my
moaning, it certainly is a liberating piece of technology.
Cheers,
Robbie 

From: vicsireland-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
[mailto:vicsireland-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of Tim Culhane
Sent: Montag, 15. Januar 2007 08:51
To: vicsireland@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [vicsireland] Re: has any one heard of?


Hi Susan,
 
I have the iAudio x5    20 gb  mp3 player   with rockbox  and find it
excellent.
 
The device is extremely small and light.
 
The buttons are easy to detect.
 
Rockbox  makes all the menus on the device completely accessible.
 
Cheers,
 
Tim
 

-----Original Message-----
From: vicsireland-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
[mailto:vicsireland-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of Susan Curry
Sent: 12 January 2007 18:11
To: vicsireland@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [vicsireland] has any one heard of?


Hi folks,
 
has any one heard of this company or mp3 player?
 
 I Audio X5 20GB MP3 player with Rockbox

if so, what is it like?
www.backfromthefuture.ie

susan

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