I gather from Rockbox’s forums and IRC channel, that they are getting alot closer to having a stable Fuze+ port. Still not quite there yet. Oh and DILLIGAFF that it might violate my warentee at this point? 
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Im all for hacking on my stuff but what benefit would running custom firmware provide ?
I can’t imagine anything could be unlocked (or anything new implemented (with out firmware source code))
Who knows maybe custom firmware can fix the clock bug or the battery drains when the device is off issue ? hmmmmm
I’ve hear of this Rockbox around before but im not totaly sure what the deal is…
Maybe you should explain to people in the forum what RB this POS means (ya i get it but not everyone will)
and maybe a little explaination what Rockbox is for the casual user that roams by here 
Here is one benefit. RockBox guarentees proper M3U playlist compatibility, where the current sansa firmware has a severely broken implementation that will not recognize folders.
And lets see the sansa firmware run Doom. And lets see the sansa firmware be HIGHLY themeable. I could go on.
RB = RockBox
POS = Piece of (explitive deleted)
DILLIGAFF = Does it look like I give a flying (explitive deleted)
@xpmule wrote:
Im all for hacking on my stuff but what benefit would running custom firmware provide ?
I can’t imagine anything could be unlocked (or anything new implemented (with out firmware source code))
Rockbox is a replacement firmware. It doesn’t fix anything about the Sandisk software, it replaces it completely with a different firmware.
well let’s see…it could possibly change it into an USABLE player!
Except for the m3u playlists being broken, I’ve been pretty happy with the latest Sansa firmware. Having said that, once Rockbox has a stable version for the Fuze+, I’ll be all over it.
Besides the m3u issue, the other deal breaker for me is load time. I don’t change the songs on my mp3 player that much, so having to wait 30+ seconds (16 GB w/ 4GB microSD) everytime I turn on my Fuze+ just in case there’s a new song is a royal pain. I’d rather boot in a few seconds and update the database when I need to.
I like the look and feel of the Sansa interfaces (I’ve had a e2xx series and Fuze+), but from a purely functional stand point, Rockbox wins hands down.
Okay, I can’t help myself.
I had better consult the DICTNAVAB for clarification, the Dictionary of Naval Abbreviations.
A friend sent me this interesting photo:
Of particular interest is whether Rockbox will tackle the variables for the Synaptics touchpad on the device, now that would be nice to see.
Bob :stuck_out_tongue:
Sometimes I can’t help but shake my head in dismay at how often abbreviations of words are used nowadays.
If a copy of that article was placed into a time capsule, then buried deep underground, and then discovered 5,000 years in the future with only the upper portion of the article left intact, I’d bet that scientists, in that future time, would find it harder to decipher than The Rosetta Stone. lol
“Of particular interest is whether Rockbox will tackle the variables for the Synaptics touchpad on the device, now that would be nice to see.”
From what I gather from this:
The individual working on it actually has some remedial code working for the touchpad.
From my reading of the IRC logs, I guess the sound and volume is actually turning out to be more of a headache.
Guess what… The sound works now. An audio driver has just been implemented, so now this thing should be usable! As for the volume, I can’t say it matters too much, since no body will ever need to hold both volume buttons down at once. Therefore, when in doubt I would program the Firmware to just assume the volume is being turned up (I’m sure that’s what the developer is doing).
Well now I’m wondering if I should wait . . . as I was planning on (finally) leaving the Fuze + in the bin and getting a Sony.
They are not quite there yet. There is one big thing they need to implement before they probably will take it off their “Unusable” list, and thats USB battery charging. The rest is just little tidbits that some probably wont ever use anyway like mic recording. But ya they is getting close. 
Oh and the first tune to ever be played on a rockboxed fuze+? Black Eyed Peas - Doom Doom Pow
And here it is ! :smileyvery-happy:
the very first method to build rockbox and install it to the fuze+ is there : http://www.rockbox.org/wiki/SansaFuzePlusPort
For the moment it is more for advanced user who want to test it… but a simpler way to build it is to come in the next weeks
The touchpad is very primitive for now, and a lot of thing are still not implemented… (sd, time, usb charging, radio, recording)
boot time is 6sec!
woot.
that is excellent. so excited to eventually see a workable, decent firmware for this product, even if it is third-party.
Oh and I forget to write that it has dual boot fully working so waiting for the progress tou can still use OF
Interesting indeed!
I have a weird relationship with my little Fuze+. Some things it does amazingly well. The interface is excellent, the screen refresh is a joy to watch, video is stellar considering the physical limitations, Audible books even play with pitch correction rather than “chipmunk mode”. Know what drives me batty with the little guy?
The touchpad logic.
It’s like steering a Porsche with a Vise-Grip on the steering shaft, isn’t it? This is the critical area I’d like to see Rockbox tackle. It’s not that the touchpad is a POS per se (using the thread title here), there simply isn’t a better touchpad out there, the Fuze+ actually uses a genuine Synaptics touchpad, an excellent device. The key to this device is in the code.
The Freescale processor in the Fuze+ has a wonderful sound. I’m reminded of this every time I switch over to the machine. If you have some video, transfer and playback on the Fuze+ is very smooth. If you have a digital camera, its rather ecumenical interface allows browsing through the microSD cards from my camera, making the machine a wonderful tool for the gadget bag.
As a footnote, the touchpad is a pretty complex device, capable of determining contact area, multiple contacts, sweep rate, and more- a pity it is underutilized.
Bob :wink:
sadly my player has the second type of LCD so no RB for me. At least I’m good with the Orignal Firmware.
@alienkid10 wrote:
sadly my player has the second type of LCD so no RB for me. At least I’m good with the Orignal Firmware.
Oh I’m pretty confident that pamaury will find asolution soon for you!
@neutron_bob wrote:
As a footnote, the touchpad is a pretty complex device, capable of determining contact area, multiple contacts, sweep rate, and more- a pity it is underutilized.
Well no… From the discution with the person the more implicated in the port. It seems that the embedded capacit of the touchpad to map gesture natively is precisely the problem: Gesture are native but poorly designed. The fact that the OF rely on those automated gestures is the source of its lack of precision. The project, to overcome this, ist to rewrite the gesture implementation from scratch ignoring the information send by the device exept for absolute position of finger…
Interesting for sure, dont think ill mes with rb until its considered stable though
And the touchpad works like **bleep** as far as im concencerned…
I miss having buttons that i could click on blind folded
even if i stop and stand there i still wind up over shooting the menu options
and having clicks not recognised etc… tiring pain in the ass to say the least
ohh and its been ages since we got a firmware update so im wondering if they stopped ?
They use to come on a regular schedule…
What’s with all them negative waves?
_I can assure you, the Synaptics _touchpad was chosen, not a “compatible”, as the OE device for the Fuze+, and it’s a very good component. Far from disparagement in a wiki post, it is a capable device with the proper tuning.
I’ve worked with some kludgy notebook PC touchpads (are you listening, Panasonic?), but the Synaptics device in the HP does some amazing things, with multiple inputs, zoom, rotation, and more. With some code changes, there is hope for the Fuze+.
As well as the Fuze+ does most functions, getting the touch inputs right will make a huge difference.
Bob :stuck_out_tongue:
