mrobe
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Olympus M:Robe finally finds its calling: running Linux
While hackers eagerly work on getting Tux onto their Zunes, M:Robe fans can rejoice as their wait is finally over. After cracking the firmware, crafty "Shirour" has managed a great feat in not only getting his media player to run Linux kernel 2.6.15, but also in creating a touchscreen driver for it and putting together a serial interface to make those "wasted job hours" more productive. If you're interested in taking advantage of the fruits of his labor, the modified Linux files are available for download, allowing you to breathe some new life into your favorite (or not so favorite) discontinued music player. Just remember, those of you who opted for the extended warranties, any damages incurred during the course of this hack will undoubtedly void it.[Thanks, Daniel P]
Olympus m:robe MR-500i firmware cracked
If you're an owner of the late, ill-fated Olympus m:robe 500i, we're pleased to inform you that one rather obsessed fan known only as mrobe.fan has successfully cracked the firmware of your dear late device, so as to, um, re-skin the player. Yeah, that's it. Anyone wanting to add codec support, turn this thing into a portable video player, or basically do something -- anything-- to make into something useful (no offense intended to the four who were really into "remixing" photos and music) will have to continue their silent vigil over the device as the hackers continue to have their way with it. Perhaps some day soon the m:robe will actually live up to its potential, though we're sorry we can't report that being today.[Via m.robe.org, thanks Daniel]
Switched On: Get the show on the road
Each week Ross Rubin contributes Switched On, a weekly column about the future of technology, multimedia, and digital entertainment:Digital convergence makes for some strange bedfellows; these often turn out to be little more than a one-thing fling. Last year, for example, Olympus fumbled after spending big on a SuperBowl ad with the m:Robe 500, an attractive hard disk-based digital music and photo display device with a camera unworthy of the company's heritage. The m:Robe 500 could not play video, but its large screen indicated a dilemma common to many products in this emerging category. Go too small and you have an unsatisfying visual experience. Design a player too large and you lose portability.The most successful digital portable video player to date has been Apple's iPod with video, the apologetic name of which serves as evidence that Apple was unwilling to compromise the device's appealing size for a very large screen. But Apple's competitors have been missing the mark in terms of targeting the video player at a market that has embraced wisps of products such as the iPod nano. Forget the jogger; the driver is a better target for portable video. As the portable audio market has been adding such features as PIMs, podcasts, and pictures, the portable GPS market has also been adding functionality while shrinking size and prices. As a result, the traditional boundaries between automotive and personal navigation products is starting to blur and the product category has attracted domestic interest from Sony, JVC, and other consumer electronics companies.
