Black Friday Deals - Tablets & eReaders

[DustyDisks]

Originally Posted by Kumabjorn

What can Rockbox do that stock can't?

Originally Posted by tubemonkey

You can put rocks in it

Err,

The box will not stretch as much? --------->

[tubemonkey]

Originally Posted by DustyDisks

Err,

The box will not stretch as much? --------->

...

[tubemonkey]

...meanwhile, a new deal has cropped up at Costco. Once again, they're selling the 7" Galaxy Tab 2 for $170 ($240 + tax - $70 rebate). That's the same deal they ran over Black Friday.

[koland]

Originally Posted by Blossom

There really isn't one. The Stock firmware does everything a person needs it to. Why make things more complicated when most of us buy the Clips to to listen to Overdrive Audiobooks and Audible. Also you probably void your warranty when changing the firmware.

Ok, found one good reason: support for the blind http://www.rockbox.org/wiki/BlindFAQ (says it is for more than just the Archos player).

That alone might make it worthwhile for some people (the menus are quite small, normally, so those who have trouble seeing them, cataracts, etc, might be interested in having the menus read to them, also).

It looks like the newer versions let you switch back and forth

Rockbox has a dual-boot feature. To boot into the original firmware, press and hold the Left button while turning on the player.

Note: Rockbox does not boot into the original firmware when powered by a USB connection. Older versions of Rockbox do not provide USB support. If you have such a version installed you need to manually boot into the original firmware for data transfer via USB.

so, assuming your DRM capability hasn't been "permanently lost", that would be useful for running DRM'd files.

Another reason seems to be to change the language displayed (lots of Japanese themes, from what I see, at least one in German) and the fonts/sizes.

[koland]

Originally Posted by tubemonkey

...meanwhile, a new deal has cropped up at Costco. Once again, they're selling the 7" Galaxy Tab 2 for $170 ($240 + tax - $70 rebate). That's the same deal they ran over Black Friday.

I got one from 'Zon to use as a universal remote and it does that pretty well (the app could use a bit of refining and it would be nice if we could customize it more, but having your tv guide on the remote is kinda cool). Battery life isn't bad, either (it depends on if you surf and read on it a lot or play a lot of games, or just toss it on the coffee table while watching tv, of course).

[jeffrx]

Originally Posted by Blossom

It's right in the manual under installation it says:

That is only when booted in Rockbox OS. When booted in stock OS it plays DRM fine. It is not for everyone, but there are quite a few of us that use it regularly. My favorite mp3 player is an iPod Video with Rockbox installed. The sound quality and the ability to control every aspect of playback makes it, in my opinion, the best mp3 player ever. I am always cruising eBay for deals on this version of the iPod. True, the clip stock firmware is good, but I have been spoiled by Rockbox.

[Iphinome]

I got in on a nexus 7 deal that only lasted a few hours so now I have a tracking number yay!

[Catlady]

Originally Posted by koland

Ok, found one good reason: support for the blind http://www.rockbox.org/wiki/BlindFAQ (says it is for more than just the Archos player).

That alone might make it worthwhile for some people (the menus are quite small, normally, so those who have trouble seeing them, cataracts, etc, might be interested in having the menus read to them, also).

It looks like the newer versions let you switch back and forth


so, assuming your DRM capability hasn't been "permanently lost", that would be useful for running DRM'd files.

Another reason seems to be to change the language displayed (lots of Japanese themes, from what I see, at least one in German) and the fonts/sizes.

Interesting, but these reasons are important to rather specialized audiences, not run-of-the-mill users.

If I had trouble seeing the menus, I'd go for a device with a larger screen.

But I do have an extra Clip+ now, so maybe one day I'll decide to try Rockbox and take my chances on losing DRM capability or even bricking it.

[tubemonkey]

Originally Posted by Iphinome

I got in on a nexus 7 deal that only lasted a few hours so now I have a tracking number yay!

What Nexus 7 deal?

[Iphinome]

Originally Posted by tubemonkey

What Nexus 7 deal?

There was an ebay store that sold 6000 32 gig nexus 7's for $217.

It went fast http://www.ebay.com/itm/190771024123

[tubemonkey]

Originally Posted by Iphinome

There was an ebay store that sold 6000 32 gig nexus 7's for $217.

It went fast http://www.ebay.com/itm/190771024123

Besides not doing Facebook and Twitter; I also don't do eBay and PayPal. That explains why I never knew about the deal.

So, how are you liking your Nexus 7?

[Iphinome]

Originally Posted by tubemonkey

Besides not doing Facebook and Twitter; I also don't do eBay and PayPal. That explains why I never knew about the deal.

So, how are you liking your Nexus 7?

In a few days when it arrives I shall like it much I think.

[Fluribus]

Originally Posted by DustyDisks

Err,

The box will not stretch as much? --------->

With the Sansa E2xx series the box stretched more. It allowed the use of a higher capacity microSD card. My recollection is that Sandisk encouraged the Rockbox folks to create versions for these models since Sandisk had no plans to release additional firmware updates.

[rgeorg]

Just wondering -
I cannot find the $200 16GB nexus 7 listed online at Staples/Walmart/etc where the $250 32GB N7 are listed. Do stores sell the $200 version?

[tubemonkey]

Originally Posted by rgeorg

Just wondering -
I cannot find the $200 16GB nexus 7 listed online at Staples/Walmart/etc where the $250 32GB N7 are listed. Do stores sell the $200 version?

Probably not. The 32GB N7 gives Google more profit. The 16GB N7 is sold out in the Play store and I'm sure Google planned it that way so they could sell more 32GB N7s.