Teach an old iPod new tricks?

June 24, 2007 12:40 PM

3rd gen 10gb ipod... working fine but not worth much. What cool stuff can I do with it?

I'm rocking a 5th gen but I can't bring myself to get rid of a great designed bit of kit in my old 3rd gen. It's recently had a new battery and seems solid enough....

I heard something about being able to put wikipedia on it, or alternatively I could just use as a 10gb firewire external drive. Or I could keep it as a backup... any ideas?

posted by tomw to technology (11 answers total)

Had the same problem and ended up giving it to a friend that wanted an iPod but would never be able to afford one. Definitely the coolest thing I could think of doing with it.
posted by Mutant at 12:45 PM on June 24, 2007

I keep my old iPod at work with an AC adapter and cord. I bring it home every month or 2 to add new music.
posted by The Deej at 1:01 PM on June 24, 2007

Did the same thing as Mutant - I was surprised how much of an affect it had on the recipient. It ended up being a touching experience.
posted by dendrite at 1:38 PM on June 24, 2007

You could try installing iPod Linux on it to play around with.
posted by rancidchickn at 2:35 PM on June 24, 2007

1) Instal iPod Linux and use it a cheap voice recorder (iPod Linux enables audio recording from the headphone jack)
2) Use it as a backup drive and store it somewhere outside of your house in case of fire (an iPod is a lot smaller than the typical external drive)
3) Keep it and store it in it's original box in a safe place so you can sell it in twenty years as a cool 2000's design product.
posted by husky at 3:02 PM on June 24, 2007

If I were you, I'd stash it away. As an iPod addict, I'd love to have a backup machine -- even an old one. I'd want something to listen to during the week it took me to get my main one fixed next time I manage to break it.
posted by grumblebee at 4:38 PM on June 24, 2007

Rockbox.
posted by mattholomew at 7:15 PM on June 24, 2007

Rockbox will not work on tomw's iPod.
posted by Blazecock Pileon at 7:31 PM on June 24, 2007

If you don't want to gift it, I agree with husky: its worth will keep dropping over the next few years but will then rise over the next couple of decades. That's true only if you can keep it in original working condition, which includes keeping the battery able to hold some charge (not just letting it sit in a box but periodically charging and using it).

There is a very strong market for Apple collectibles, more than for almost any other tech company. That's been true for a couple of decades, so I think it still will be a couple decades from now.
posted by allterrainbrain at 1:29 AM on June 25, 2007

You can put Wikipedia for Ipods on it....

I tried installing it and it's pretty useful... slow to look up, but useful :)
posted by friedbeef at 5:19 AM on June 25, 2007

Rockbox will not work on tomw's iPod.

Are you sure? Here's the manual for "Ipod 3G" and build report.
posted by meehawl at 7:53 AM on June 25, 2007