Portable Audio Player

[MorskNorsk]

For X-Mas I got an RCA / Thompson Lyra mp3 player. Of course it doesn't work with Linux since the idiots who made it decided it needed encryption Like an idiot I opened it up before checking if it would work I'll probably give it to my brother in law since he gave me some stuff last summer. So now I'd like to find a new digital audio player and would like suggestions. Here are my criteria:

• 1. Must be Linux friendly
  2. Has to be able to up to at least 256 MB somehow
  3. Take AA batteries since I have lots of them (don't ask) - also don't want to have some battery pack I may have to replace.
  4. Be no bigger than an iPod
  5. Be upgradeable so it can accept future formats that come out.
  6. I'd like to spend no more than $200 on this. iPod is out of my range.
  7. I've seen things like the Nomad MuVo that don't have displays but I'd like to have one to see what is currently playing.

I'm looking at the Nomad IIc. It comes with 128 MB of memory and can accept SmartMedia cards which my DigiCam also uses. It also works on a single AA battery. My main use for this would be my 45 minute walks to campus. Then I started thinking that I could replace my CD player for long trips if I got a hard drive based player. Of course if I got a hard drive based one I'd like to be able to replace the HD in case it ever failed or needed a bigger one. The Nomad Jukebox looks promising but it only get 4 hours of playing time off 4 AA batteries.

Any input and ideas are welcome!

[paradocs]

Hi MorskNorsk,

Are you sure that player cannot work with mp3
files that are not encrypted -- what a rip off.
Santa should be wiser about electonics.

There are may reasonably price mp3 devices and
the will all work with KNOPPIX. The ogg fromat
unfortunately does not not have as much support yet.

I listen to many hour of talking books. Some are
purchased and some I have ever generated with a
computer voice reading text from free books
on the internet.

I like burning the mp3 files to a CD and using an
mp3 CD player. One $.20 CD can have 10 hour
of talking.

My newest device is a USB stick drive with its
own lithium rechargable battery and built in mp3 player
and ear bud phones. It will carry mp3 files and at the same
time cary you data files. KNOPPIX will detect
it as /dev/sda1 as a vfat drive. Very cool.

Disadvantages: No visual readout of you files.
For a long book file fast fowarding to a certain
place is hard.

Tell you family it for listening to your course lectures
and notes -- Santa will be impressed.

I have even seen some like these is our discount
stores. I hate to advertise a certain brand but
this is what I have.

http://kanguru.com/micromp3.html

Best Wishes
paradocs

[MorskNorsk]

Thanks paradocs!

It was not Santa, but my cousin. I can hardly blame a hair stylist / writer for not knowing all about Linux I have thought about using an MP3 CD player. How is the battery life on them? I suppose they don't need to spin as much but the decoding could possibly use some juice. I'd also like to keep whatever device I get in my pocket for walks to school but then again something that holds more would be good for when I'm lounging around outside. Amazon.com has the 128 MB version of the Nomad IIc for just under $90 which is very good so for the extra $10 I'd go with that over the Kanguru Micro unless I found it very cheap. Another part of me just wants to wait until something like the 20 GB Rio Karma is cheaper. Bah! So many options and I'm such a scrooge when it comes to spending on myself!