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I'd love to see this too and would be interested in funding it. I know that stand-alone mp3 players are a niche now that everyone carries a far more powerful ph

I'd love to see this too and would be interested in funding it. I know that stand-alone mp3 players are a niche now that everyone carries a far more powerful phone. But there has to be enough support to make an open source Clip-like device profitable or at least break-even after costs. The hardware that ran early Clips, IPod shuffles, and other small players existed 15 years ago. A dozen Chinese manufacturers still sell small players, which now are about the only option left, but they skimp on quality components like batteries and decent software.

kop316 7y ago
There are a bunch of niche ones still, they either go way low end or way high end. I have a FiiO X5 for my "regular" mp3 player and a Sansa Clip Sport for my workout one. Sadly, I work a daytime job and don't really have the time or will to actually capitalize on this. I do think that'd be a great way for Rockbox to fund themselves though. Make a Kickstarter with Rockbox officially supporting it, and the profits could go to the upkeep of rockbox.
- hiram112 7y ago
  I've looked at the FiiO lineup and they do seem like some really sweet hardware, though more geared for the audiophile. But like you said, they're geared towards either the high end like FiiO or the very very lowend (i.e. third world countries where smartphones are only beginning to become ubiquitous in the last few years).
  - kop316 7y ago
    I have a Gen 2, and there are some firmware warts, but it works reasonably well. Sadly, their new offerings all use Android, so now I have all of the hassles of a Phone (spying, out of date, etc.) in my mp3 player! I just want a simple self contained mp3 player. If mine breaks, I think my next one will be an iPod loaded with Rockbox.
neRok 7y ago
now that everyone carries a far more powerful phone Power is hardly relevant in this day and age, as any device with a decent firmware should be able to handle a ton of files and formats (this wasn't always the case, hence the need for rockbox). Smart phones have versatility, but you sacrifice a lot on the music side. The audio hardware within the smartphone isn't as good, and it took a lot of years until there was an android player that had the bare minimum of features required by an audio enthusiast, namely lossless support (flac), replay gain, and gapless playback. Additionally, there are now players that run android and have all the "fruit", so the benefits are dimished. But don't overlook the versatility of a standalone player, because relatively cheap devices like the Fiio X3 II that I am still running have other advantages compared to phone. It supports big sd cards (wasn't always a given on smart phones), has long battery life, has physical buttons (so can be operated without removing from pocket), and also functions as a USB DAC. So, lots of wins there.

kop316 7y ago

There are a bunch of niche ones still, they either go way low end or way high end. I have a FiiO X5 for my "regular" mp3 player and a Sansa Clip Sport for my workout one. Sadly, I work a daytime job and don't really have the time or will to actually capitalize on this. I do think that'd be a great way for Rockbox to fund themselves though. Make a Kickstarter with Rockbox officially supporting it, and the profits could go to the upkeep of rockbox.

hiram112 7y ago
I've looked at the FiiO lineup and they do seem like some really sweet hardware, though more geared for the audiophile. But like you said, they're geared towards either the high end like FiiO or the very very lowend (i.e. third world countries where smartphones are only beginning to become ubiquitous in the last few years).
- kop316 7y ago
  I have a Gen 2, and there are some firmware warts, but it works reasonably well. Sadly, their new offerings all use Android, so now I have all of the hassles of a Phone (spying, out of date, etc.) in my mp3 player! I just want a simple self contained mp3 player. If mine breaks, I think my next one will be an iPod loaded with Rockbox.

neRok 7y ago

now that everyone carries a far more powerful phone Power is hardly relevant in this day and age, as any device with a decent firmware should be able to handle a ton of files and formats (this wasn't always the case, hence the need for rockbox). Smart phones have versatility, but you sacrifice a lot on the music side. The audio hardware within the smartphone isn't as good, and it took a lot of years until there was an android player that had the bare minimum of features required by an audio enthusiast, namely lossless support (flac), replay gain, and gapless playback. Additionally, there are now players that run android and have all the "fruit", so the benefits are dimished. But don't overlook the versatility of a standalone player, because relatively cheap devices like the Fiio X3 II that I am still running have other advantages compared to phone. It supports big sd cards (wasn't always a given on smart phones), has long battery life, has physical buttons (so can be operated without removing from pocket), and also functions as a USB DAC. So, lots of wins there.