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I have an iPod shuffle first generation and the form factor is nearly perfect. It has a standard 3.5mm headphone jack on one end and a USB-A connector on the ot

I have an iPod shuffle first generation and the form factor is nearly perfect. It has a standard 3.5mm headphone jack on one end and a USB-A connector on the other end. Unfortunately, the battery is dead and not very user serviceable. For something like working out or tuning out, it’s about as minimalist as is functional and if storage wasn’t an issue, could double as removable storage.

userbinator 3y ago
Apple doesn't make them anymore but you can still find similar products on AliExpress and the like, which also work as microSD card readers.
- willsmith72 3y ago
  i got this one for 30 usd a while back, still going strong. didn't need the bluetooth, but it's a bonus for occasionally using speakers. https://www.dhgate.com/product/m13-bluetooth-mp3-player-mini-sports-music/507943067.html https://www.dhgate.com/product/m13-bluetooth-mp3-player-mini...
  - pjerem 3y ago
    It doesn’t looks like you can use an SD card. I can easily see myself buying one of those, adding a 512Gb uSD card on it and ditch Spotify.
    - bingbingbing777 3y ago
      There are many dedicated music players like that, that use micro SD. I have a Surfans F20, but I think it only goes up to 256gb SD card.
    - serf 3y ago
      get one that has aftermarket firmware support, the ones i've played with have very specific conditions for folder/file naming and structure and format. The last one I tinkered with didn't support ogg vorbis out of the box, which is a somewhat niche format admittedly -- but support for it is fairly widespread elsewhere so I just sort of took it for granted that it'd deal with it fine.
    - novagameco 3y ago
      I use this one: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01LZVDMEL https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01LZVDMEL
- sandreas 3y ago
  You could take a look at the Rockbox supported device list[1]. Depending on the size requirements and the budget you could go for a Sansa Clip+. I personally prefer the iPod Nano 7th gen, which is great in terms of usability, has bluetooth 4.0 and is also very small size. Repair is a nightmare though and finding an affordable but still working device is not that easy. If smallest size is not a requirement, you could go for the HiBy M300 - a pretty new Android 13 device supporting most Apps, 2TB of microSD Storage, having control buttons and also cable headphone remote support (OMTP, not CTIA), but still not that big. Maybe a modified Apple iPod Classic 2009 with an iFlash Quad and 2000mah battery also fits your needs. It's way bigger than a shuffle, but it's at least maintainable (battery and storage replacement). [1]: https://www.rockbox.org/ https://www.rockbox.org/
  - asystole 3y ago
    The 2nd gen iPod Mini is fairly easy to work on. I have one with a 64 GB SD card and a new battery.
    - sandreas 3y ago
      Absolutely. The iPod Mini is a usable device that can be modded. The only thing I'm missing on these "older" models (not that iPod Classic 2009 or iPod Nano 7g 2012 are young) is the earphone remote control (e.g. of the cable EarPods). Apple did a really great job on remote controlling the devices with "tap"-Codes (tap, double tap, triple tap). The iPod Classic 2009 for example does not support the codes for fast forward / rewind (tap+tap_hold=ff, tap,tap,tap_hold=r). That's something I regularly use for audiobooks, so I'm tied to the iPod Nano 7g (the 6g would also work, but I prefer the larger display for navigating chapters). There are android devices supporting these tap codes partially, but not as good / reliable as the iPod Nano 7g. Android also is using OMTP while Apple is using CTIA, so Apple headphones won't work on android and vice versa. CTIA=>OMTP Adapters (from amazon) just switch the pinout, which does not work, because Apple uses different Resistance on the Pinout. I also "modded" one of my iPod Nano 7g by partially milling out the aluminium backplate and soldering in an iPod Mini battery (600mah), so that I got nearly 3 times the battery life of a factory iPod Nano as well as an easy to replace battery without opening the device (which is way to hard). The bigger iPod Mini battery does not fit without a silicone bumper, but since I already used one, it was perfectly fine. Changing the battery still requires soldering, but at least not fiddling with the very fragile display removal procedure. However, currently I did not find a better device for my use case than the iPod Nano 7g. And everything is better with bluetooth... although I don't use it :-)
- novagameco 3y ago
  I found a cheap MP3 player a couple years ago for like $30 on Amazon. It looks like a 2nd gen iPod nano and takes an SD card slot. I have literally never needed to charge it, the specs are so tiny.
rollcat 3y ago
It's a bit more bulky (classic iPod sized), but check out Tangara: <https://www.crowdsupply.com/cool-tech-zone/tangara https://www.crowdsupply.com/cool-tech-zone/tangara>. Stock, easily replaceable parts, USB-C+3.5mm+BT, SDXC slot with 2TB limit, standard lipo battery, OSS & hackable firmware that's difficult to brick, basically every bit of it is designed to last decades.
- novagameco 3y ago
  The build quality looks really cheap. Since it's only a kickstarter, I assume the 3D printed case is only for prototyping, but it doesn't look like it would last very long. For $250 I would expect a much better case than that
- Adjudicator52 3y ago
  Would love this, but built around [Rockbox](https://www.rockbox.org/ https://www.rockbox.org/).
  - deleted 3y ago
    [deleted]
  - rollcat 3y ago
    I think it could be a very good target for a Rockbox port, however they very specifically emphasize Lua and hackability among their goals (check out the UI code samples); they're also developing the hardware+software platforms in tandem, I'm not even sure if Rockbox supports Wifi or BT.
  - aos 3y ago
    Was also curious, so I did some digging. This is the inventor’s thoughts on this: https://chaos.social/@jacqueline/111869403759610817 https://chaos.social/@jacqueline/111869403759610817
markb139 3y ago
I recently replaced the battery on a gen 2 shuffle. It was reasonably easy though required good eyesight
kotaKat 3y ago
My favorite tool for the first gen Shuffle is the best 12kb app I've ever seen. https://ipod-shuffle-manager.en.lo4d.com/windows https://ipod-shuffle-manager.en.lo4d.com/windows Heikki Ylinen's iPod Shuffle Manager, for the unaware, is a portable 12k app that sits on the root of an iPod shuffle. When you launch it, it scans the entire stick for MP3 files, then builds a compatible iPod shuffle database and shoves it where it needs to go so the Shuffle just acts like a dumb MP3 player without iTunes.
wlesieutre 3y ago
Ah yes, the pack-of-gum sized model with the "do not eat iPod shuffle" warning. I had one of the USB-via-TRRS models that this post is about and really liked it for running. Had a built-in clip so you could attach it to your waistband.

userbinator 3y ago

Apple doesn't make them anymore but you can still find similar products on AliExpress and the like, which also work as microSD card readers.

willsmith72 3y ago
i got this one for 30 usd a while back, still going strong. didn't need the bluetooth, but it's a bonus for occasionally using speakers. https://www.dhgate.com/product/m13-bluetooth-mp3-player-mini-sports-music/507943067.html https://www.dhgate.com/product/m13-bluetooth-mp3-player-mini...
- pjerem 3y ago
  It doesn’t looks like you can use an SD card. I can easily see myself buying one of those, adding a 512Gb uSD card on it and ditch Spotify.
  - bingbingbing777 3y ago
    There are many dedicated music players like that, that use micro SD. I have a Surfans F20, but I think it only goes up to 256gb SD card.
  - serf 3y ago
    get one that has aftermarket firmware support, the ones i've played with have very specific conditions for folder/file naming and structure and format. The last one I tinkered with didn't support ogg vorbis out of the box, which is a somewhat niche format admittedly -- but support for it is fairly widespread elsewhere so I just sort of took it for granted that it'd deal with it fine.
  - novagameco 3y ago
    I use this one: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01LZVDMEL https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01LZVDMEL
sandreas 3y ago
You could take a look at the Rockbox supported device list[1]. Depending on the size requirements and the budget you could go for a Sansa Clip+. I personally prefer the iPod Nano 7th gen, which is great in terms of usability, has bluetooth 4.0 and is also very small size. Repair is a nightmare though and finding an affordable but still working device is not that easy. If smallest size is not a requirement, you could go for the HiBy M300 - a pretty new Android 13 device supporting most Apps, 2TB of microSD Storage, having control buttons and also cable headphone remote support (OMTP, not CTIA), but still not that big. Maybe a modified Apple iPod Classic 2009 with an iFlash Quad and 2000mah battery also fits your needs. It's way bigger than a shuffle, but it's at least maintainable (battery and storage replacement). [1]: https://www.rockbox.org/ https://www.rockbox.org/
- asystole 3y ago
  The 2nd gen iPod Mini is fairly easy to work on. I have one with a 64 GB SD card and a new battery.
  - sandreas 3y ago
    Absolutely. The iPod Mini is a usable device that can be modded. The only thing I'm missing on these "older" models (not that iPod Classic 2009 or iPod Nano 7g 2012 are young) is the earphone remote control (e.g. of the cable EarPods). Apple did a really great job on remote controlling the devices with "tap"-Codes (tap, double tap, triple tap). The iPod Classic 2009 for example does not support the codes for fast forward / rewind (tap+tap_hold=ff, tap,tap,tap_hold=r). That's something I regularly use for audiobooks, so I'm tied to the iPod Nano 7g (the 6g would also work, but I prefer the larger display for navigating chapters). There are android devices supporting these tap codes partially, but not as good / reliable as the iPod Nano 7g. Android also is using OMTP while Apple is using CTIA, so Apple headphones won't work on android and vice versa. CTIA=>OMTP Adapters (from amazon) just switch the pinout, which does not work, because Apple uses different Resistance on the Pinout. I also "modded" one of my iPod Nano 7g by partially milling out the aluminium backplate and soldering in an iPod Mini battery (600mah), so that I got nearly 3 times the battery life of a factory iPod Nano as well as an easy to replace battery without opening the device (which is way to hard). The bigger iPod Mini battery does not fit without a silicone bumper, but since I already used one, it was perfectly fine. Changing the battery still requires soldering, but at least not fiddling with the very fragile display removal procedure. However, currently I did not find a better device for my use case than the iPod Nano 7g. And everything is better with bluetooth... although I don't use it :-)
novagameco 3y ago
I found a cheap MP3 player a couple years ago for like $30 on Amazon. It looks like a 2nd gen iPod nano and takes an SD card slot. I have literally never needed to charge it, the specs are so tiny.

rollcat 3y ago

It's a bit more bulky (classic iPod sized), but check out Tangara: <https://www.crowdsupply.com/cool-tech-zone/tangara https://www.crowdsupply.com/cool-tech-zone/tangara>. Stock, easily replaceable parts, USB-C+3.5mm+BT, SDXC slot with 2TB limit, standard lipo battery, OSS & hackable firmware that's difficult to brick, basically every bit of it is designed to last decades.

novagameco 3y ago
The build quality looks really cheap. Since it's only a kickstarter, I assume the 3D printed case is only for prototyping, but it doesn't look like it would last very long. For $250 I would expect a much better case than that
Adjudicator52 3y ago
Would love this, but built around [Rockbox](https://www.rockbox.org/ https://www.rockbox.org/).
- deleted 3y ago
  [deleted]
- rollcat 3y ago
  I think it could be a very good target for a Rockbox port, however they very specifically emphasize Lua and hackability among their goals (check out the UI code samples); they're also developing the hardware+software platforms in tandem, I'm not even sure if Rockbox supports Wifi or BT.
- aos 3y ago
  Was also curious, so I did some digging. This is the inventor’s thoughts on this: https://chaos.social/@jacqueline/111869403759610817 https://chaos.social/@jacqueline/111869403759610817

markb139 3y ago

I recently replaced the battery on a gen 2 shuffle. It was reasonably easy though required good eyesight

kotaKat 3y ago

My favorite tool for the first gen Shuffle is the best 12kb app I've ever seen. https://ipod-shuffle-manager.en.lo4d.com/windows https://ipod-shuffle-manager.en.lo4d.com/windows Heikki Ylinen's iPod Shuffle Manager, for the unaware, is a portable 12k app that sits on the root of an iPod shuffle. When you launch it, it scans the entire stick for MP3 files, then builds a compatible iPod shuffle database and shoves it where it needs to go so the Shuffle just acts like a dumb MP3 player without iTunes.

wlesieutre 3y ago

Ah yes, the pack-of-gum sized model with the "do not eat iPod shuffle" warning. I had one of the USB-via-TRRS models that this post is about and really liked it for running. Had a built-in clip so you could attach it to your waistband.