Off-topic, but interesting: Cool Tech Zone has launched a crowdfunded project to manufacture the Tangara, an open source portable music player, based on the iconic design of the original Apple iPod.
Here’s what they have to say about it:
“Tangara is a portable music player. It outputs high-quality sound through a 3.5 mm headphone jack or Bluetooth, has great battery life, and includes a processor that’s powerful enough to support any audio format you can throw at it.
It’s also 100% open hardware running open-source software, which makes it easy to customize, repair, and upgrade.
Listen to music, audio books, and podcasts on a purpose-built device with a tried-and-true form factor, a familiar user interface, and no interest in your data. Or tear it apart and put it back together again. By tweaking our current firmware, you can experiment with alternative user-interface patterns, new types of content, tracker-based music production, alarm-clock applications, and much more.”
The Tangara expands on the capabilities of the original iPod by adding a capacitive touchwheel interface, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and USB-C connectivity, an upgradable battery, a color display, SDXC storage up to 2TB and more.
Pricing and Availability:
The Tangara is available to project backers for $249 USD.
Note: Crowdfunded projects can involve risk. See the project site for details.
Sooooo many obsolete smartphones could be recycled for’this usage , not requiring additional trashable stuff… software is the key, not new garbageware 🙂
This looks great, I miss my old first gen iPod.
Why?
Smart phones exist now.
This is just more pointless e waste.
Its fine if you don’t get it
it’s also 100% open hardware running open-source software, which makes it easy to customize, repair, and upgrade
It’s an ugly piece of plastic that will quickly seem pointless, so yes, just more e-waste.
I hate smartphones, I really do. It’s a waste of time mostly, you unlearn the most basic everyday things, unsocial like anything else, the list goes on and on…most music apps are a nightmare and storage is a joke, besides you’re online and distracted most of the time. Cameras even on flagship phones have become ridiculously over featured and unuseable….so this is perfect – a dedicated music player, a proper point and shoot cam for when I’m on the run and a small old Nokia. Freedom at last.
2tb memory capability, 20 hours upgradable battery, 250ohm headphones support, playing flacs and angry comments blocker built in 🙂
Intrigued by the potential of “alarm-clock applications” on this gadget, I’ve bid farewell to my aspirations of musical success. I’ve realized that to most people, any music that is not smooth jazz or sunshine reggae is nothing but a nuisance. Yet, the necessity for reminders to start the day, gulp down those vitamins, or walk the dog remains universal. Scratch the last example. According to Google, dogs have an in-built alarm for walking. So instead of music, I will make my name in the realm of “alarm-clock applications!” How about an alarm that tells you when it’s time to feed or diaper change your baby? No, wait. Google, again, says babies also have in-built alarms for bottles and changes. On second thought, I could be seriously underestimating what it takes to succeed in the “alarm-clock applications” space.
headphone jack.
agreed its a great idea and should be brought back to life via older devices that are no longer used.
I still have a few Sandisk MP3 players with Rockbox (alternative fimware for some MP3 players). For me, Rockbox is THE best case scenario for MP3 playback. There’s so much more to the Rockbox story than that. Importantly, the list of players that are supported by Rockbox is large, but the list of currently available players is short.
If the Tangara makers were to announce plans for a Rockbox option- that might boost commitments a bit.
For me, I’d prefer to see the Rockbox developers roll out another port for a current Sandisk player than to try to cram this chonky unit into my pocket.
Tracker firmware? I’m listening now!
This thing should not cost more than $40.
go ahead and show us your competing open-hardware product for $40
I don’t want to touch that piece of molten plastics. Some adults are actually fully capable of having a tiny computer, camera, gaming console, daw, groovebox and more on our person without acting like complete children. I know of at least two.
Thick as a brick, appears to have a sluggish UI, and Apple’s army of lawyers will probably shut the whole project down. The open source crowd are the Bolsheviks of today. Just buy a secondhand iPhone and move on with your life.