Upgrade your MP3 player with Rockbox firmware

www.rockbox.org

Most portable music players are closed boxes that allow little or nothing in the way of updates, and this includes the iPod. Even though there's nothing wrong with the hardware, Apple would prefer you to buy a newer and sleeker model, rather than updating the firmware, OS and functions of the player that you already own.

It isn't fair to only pick on Apple though; Archos, iRiver, and Toshiba have their issues with updates too. The biggest problem for these players is a lack of support for standard formats, such as FLAC and OGG. However, the lack of themes, customisable interfaces or even a graphic equaliser can also be a bugbear for many owners, forcing them to change or upgrade their player.

There's no need to change your player, though, since Rockbox's firmware updates allow you to add all these features. They'll also add functions that should already be present on every player, such as spoken menus for blind users and better volume controls.

If you're thinking about investing in a new player, try installing some new Rockbox firmware and see if you still feel the need.