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Rockbox mail archiveSubject: Re: Suggest features for a new hardware recorder/audio player for using with RockboxRe: Suggest features for a new hardware recorder/audio player for using with Rockbox
From: Mark Allums <mark_at_allums.com>
Date: Mon, 18 Feb 2008 10:17:55 -0600 Paul Louden wrote: > Bluetooth was designed for portable use. It was engineered to be cheap, > it's reasonably secure, it is designed for communication between > multiple types of devices rather than simply as a networking protocol, > and it's designed to be low power. Weighed against "I don't think it's > secure enough for protecting my MP3s for the short time I have it turned > on while syncing", I think it definitely still has the advantage. I am not obsessing over my MP3s, I am obsessing over my Windows computer. Autorun is increasingly difficult to turn off these days, and you can be got before you know what's happening. A lot of people were "got" recently by digital picture frames from China. It should at least be turned off by default. I think it should go a few steps further. Rockbox does not have Bluetooth support. It doesn't have USB support on every device, either, but it will. I think from an implementation standpoint, some sort of wireless USB may ultimately be more practical. Further, you can restrict access to only a wired connection, or a single uniquely keyed dongle. The downside is, if you lost the dongle, you could only access the player with the wired connection. No big deal. The other problem is, the dongle. It would add to the cost of the player and require implementing. Bluetooth does have the advantage that there are already some fairly generic adapters available. However, Bluetooth is encumbered a bit by IP issues. I believe a goal of this project should be to use as much off-the-shelf free and open source hardware as possible. It may come to pass that wireless USB will be similarly encumbered. In that case, the choice might come down to whichever solution is cheapest. Right now, that would be Bluetooth, because wireless USB is so new. I am prepared for that to change in the future. Perhaps the player V1 will not use wireless, V1.5 will use Bluetooth, and V2 will use something else. Nuclear powered Bluetooth in-canal earbuds would be great. Add a battery and a radio, and Bluetooth is less appealing to me. I don't need wireless computer connections, they would be nice to have. Whatever the developers decide, I'm in, as long as the thing doesn't cost an arm and a leg. I think another goal for the first model should be a reasonable cost. They will almost have to be made in China to be within budget. And, they will need to order quite a few in order for it to scale up well. So, it needs to be a player that you would consider getting at Best Buy, or Ciruit City, or Tesco. [British grocery store chain, is that the right name?]. I mean a player that you would seriously consider, Rockbox or not. $US800.00 apiece won't fly. --Mark Allums Received on 2008-02-18 Page template was last modified "Tue Sep 7 00:00:02 2021" The Rockbox Crew -- Privacy Policy |