ipod-linux
Latest
6th Gen iPods won't work with Linux, Winamp
There's no such thing as a 'naked iPod' -- at some point, if the iPod is going to be useful, it has to be paired with a computer to have music loaded (or, as noted in the comments, you'll be spending a LOT at the WiFi iTunes Store). Despite appearances, the set of iPod owners does not map exactly to the set of iTunes users; there are folks who prefer to manage their iPods via Winamp, Anapod or Ephpod on the Windows platform, and for Linux users (with no iTunes version at all) there are open-source apps and libraries like gtkpod/libgpod (libgpod is also the engine behind Senuti, the freeware reverse-iTunes tool). All of these utilities depend on an understanding of the iTunesDB file found on every iPod to be able to read out the list of songs on the device and manage them independently.The landscape appears to have changed, however, with the release of the new iPods. According to a post on the iPodMinusiTunes blog, the iTunesDB file now contains a couple of encrypted hashes that validate the information in the music list; this 'fingerprints' the iPod/iTunes pairing and also prevents third-party apps from modifying the iTunesDB without access to the hash key. Those applications now may show '0 songs' if they try to copy songs to the iPod. Tools like Senuti, which only copy files FROM the iPod, continue to work (verified by Nik and his new Nano).This change has unfortunate implications for those users who depended on the third-party apps to manage their iPods; until and unless the development community cracks the iTunesDB lock, the new gear will be inaccessible to anything but iTunes for management. At this point, we don't know that Apple modified iTunesDB specifically to foil non-iTunes utilities; there may be legitimate technical or infrastructure reasons (WiFi iTunes Store?) to make this change. Still, for the slice of the iPod market that depends on the extra-iTunes management capability, this is going to stifle any plans to upgrade to the latest and greatest until the software can catch up.Thanks, Dave.
Found Video: iPod with NES Controller
Our sister blog Engadget found this pretty dang cool iPod hack. Somebody has hooked up an old NES controller for use with an iPod Photo to play Doom. As you can see on the original site, this involved adding a USB port to the bottom of his iPod to which the controller connects. And of course the software is courtesy of the iPod Linux folks (which we've mentioned before). Before you break out that soldering iron, make sure your iPod is supported. [Via Endgadget]
The Engadget Linux 5G iPod theme!
We know some of you out there supposedly have iPods, and we're assuming since you're an Engadget reader, the likelihood of that iPod running Linux is at least slightly higher than average. If you fit the profile, check out our main man Goemon4's Engadget theme for 5G iPods running Linux. Besides having a better interface than our site, you can wow your nerd bros with a geek threefer: Engadget + iPod + Linux. For ultimate Engadget nerd-dom load 'er up with Engadget Podcasts, outfit Firefox with the Engadget search engine plugin, and hit up the Engadget Mac Dashboard widget.P.S. -If you haven't noticed, chances are if you build some fun Engadget related tool, plugin, or software, we'll post about it!
How-To: Design your own iPod super dock (Part 3)
We're back again with our continuing iPod super dock how-to series (see parts one and two, if you need to catch up). Last week we layed out the schematic for the board, and today we'll do a check up on the schematic, and design the PC board that we'll make for our super dock. We're getting close now, can you smell it? It's solder.
How-To: Design your own iPod super dock (Part 2)
In part 1 of our iPod super dock how-to, we created a new mount for the iPod dock connector on a printed circuit board using EAGLE. Now that we have the connector layout in EAGLE, we'll design the schematic for our custom iPod accessory. Read on for part 2 of Design your own super dock! If you're an iPod owner you'll be glad you did, this thing does it all, and we're almost there!
How-To: Design your own iPod super dock (Part 1)
Look for resident hackers Will O'Brien and Eliot Phillips (plus many other crazy projects) April 22-23 at the Maker Faire in San Mateo, CA!This one goes out to everyone that has an iPod or two laying about and an itchy soldering iron and thinks that the standard USB or Firewire dock just isn't quite good enough. The tiny thirty pin dock connector on the bottom of later model iPods contains quite a few connections and we want to take advantage of all of them: audio, video, serial, USB and Firewire. Today, we're bringing you part one of a How-To series on designing and building your own iPod super dock.
