I got my free iPod
Shuffle yesterday. I spent way too many hours trying to get it working.
On my laptop, with a 2.6.9 kernel, hotplug loaded the ub
module instead of usb-storage. I upgraded makedev and created
the /dev/ub*
devices, but I couldn't access the /dev/uba device.
Finally, I tried it on my desktop with a 2.6.10 kernel, and after plugging it
in a second time, I was able to access the Shuffle's vfat filesystem as a scsi
device.
I installed gtkpod, and was able to create the appropriate directory structure and copy over some mp3's to the Shuffle. I plugged in the headphones, turned it on, and it played. It sounds decent with the headphones Apple supplies, but better with my Sony ones. Apple really should have integrated the headphones into the lanyard it comes with. Or there should be a spring-loaded device to coil up the wires.
One thing my Shuffle doesn't do is shuffle. It works in normal, linear mode, but in shuffle mode, it won't play anything. Perhaps gnupod didn't create the directory structure correctly or something. I'm an album listener rather than a single listener so it's not a big deal, but I don't like knowing that my new gizmo isn't functioning properly. One other problem is that when it's plugged into my usb port, the light always blinks orange. It's supposed to be green when fully charged, but I left it plugged in all night, and it greeted me with flashing orange in the morning.
The state is that great fiction by which everyone tries to live at the expense of everyone else. - Frederic Bastiat