Software Review: Rockbox, Getting the Most From Any mp3 Player

Have you ever wished your iPod or other MP3 player could be more easily configured, had a better or different equalizer system, or could speak menu items? With Rockbox, this is now possible.

Rockbox is free, open-source replacement firmware which can be used on many Jukebox-style MP3 players, including several models of Apple's iPod, as well as players from Archos, iAudio, iRiver, Toshiba, and Sandisk. Other models are constantly in development. In many cases, it gives your player greater functionality than the original firmware.

Being an open source program, Rockbox can be updated by users familiar with coding, and new items are added on almost a daily basis. As a Rockbox user, you can go onto the program's website, rockbox.org, and view the logs with all of the changes from one day to the next, and decide if you want to download that day's update to your player. On the site, there are also manuals specific to each player Rockbox supports, covering everything from installation to all of Rockbox's menu options. The manual is also user-updated.

I've been using Rockbox for about a month now, and have found it very easy to install, configure, customize, and update. The manual's step-by-step instructions are well-written, and you don't have to be a computer genius to follow them.