That's not to say I'm a hoarder (I'm not) or that I wont' buy new stuff (I do), but I do keep my old tech if I think I can get some more valuable use/enjoyment out of it.
This type of tech usually ends up in the back of a closet or sent to the attic.
About 10 years ago I bought an iRiver H340, loved it for its versatility and ability to be used in so many ways. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iriver_H300_series
Unlike phones today that can do everything (except iPhones... I hate apple's restrictions) the iRiver gave me the ability to watch movies, listen to music/radio, record, use it as storage etc.
In comparison the phone I had at the time of buying the iRiver was:
A K300i
And the mid range usb sticks of the "time" were 512MB and cost about €50.... funny to look back at.
Over the years my iRiver was really well used, until the hard drive failed. Parts at the time cost a lot and I ended up buying another instead. They were rare enough at that time and ended up having to get it through a tech supplier I know and have it shipped from Singapore. Long story short the newer one was used for a long long time.
As circumstances changed it wasn't used as much as before and finally was boxed. Both iRivers, accessories etc. shelved.
I recently came across the box and started to use it again, I also had an eye on the old "broken" version. The love of the device was rekindled and I looked up the parts that had once been expensive. Online today these are plentiful and cheap. Replacements were gotten.
I found this great little video on youtube to help with the dismantling.
The new parts have breathed new life into a device I shall have and use for a long long time to come.
I'm was happy with the last (International) firmware release done so many years ago. However there is a freeware firmware that makes it compatible with a lot of newer codecs. I might try this out at some stage.
Rockbox is free and works with many other digital music players, not just this version iRiver. http://www.rockbox.org/manual.shtml
My H340 was once called a brick, like I said I'm sentimental about my old tech. It may not be on my hip to and from work anymore but I love my brick!
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