[ale] The very closed LeapPad uses very Free Software

[Ron Frazier]

Hi all,

I wouldn't buy a Kindle Fire if you want open and customizable. I think 
they're using a forked version of Android which is closed and 
proprietary to their business interests. I don't like regular Kindle for 
the same reason. I would rather have an Android tablet with Kindle, 
Nook, and Kobo EReader apps on it. I would look for a "vanilla" Android 
tablet, or one that's proven to be rootable. I would also look for 
Android 3.?, rather than Android 2.?. I'm hoping there will be some good 
sales on Black Friday.

Of course, with a rooted device, you may run into trouble trying to play 
copy protected or patent protected media. But you could always rip your 
own DVD's and store the files. I would definitely look for a model with 
an SD or Micro SD card slot. You can use up internal memory really fast 
storing movies. Here are some good sources for research.

http://twit.tv/aaa - All About Android podcast
http://twit.tv/tnt - Tech News Today podcast

http://blog.the-ebook-reader.com/ - The EBook Reader Blog (they cover 
some tablets too)
http://blog.the-ebook-reader.com/category/reviews/

Sincerely,

Ron


On 11/13/2011 11:33 PM, Raj Wurttemberg wrote:
> I have to agree with you. I have Triplets... so I bought three of them.  I
> am *not* happy.  We'll be selling them at the next consignment sale and
> buying three Amazon Kindle Fire tablets. :p
>
> Oh.. You can start them in a "recovery" mode of some sort.... Hold down both
> volume buttons and turn the LeapPad on.
>
> -=Raj=-
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: ale-bounces at ale.org [mailto:ale-bounces at ale.org] On Behalf Of Richard
> Bronosky
> Sent: Sunday, November 13, 2011 11:23 PM
> To: Atlanta Linux Enthusiasts - Yes! We run Linux!
> Subject: [ale] The very closed LeapPad uses very Free Software
>
> My wife insisted on buying a couple of these LeapPads for the kids
> Christmas. (I wanted to buy some Android tablets) In preparation I wanted to
> start converting the home movies that they love watching. I contacted
> LeapFrog because I could find no info on the supported formats. Well, it
> turns out that they only let the device play movies that they sell you. We
> know all the reasons for this and it ought to piss us all off.
>
> Well, I saw that they are using GPL software so I request a copy of the
> source. It's every enlightening as to what software drives this thing. I
> don't think it gets me any closer to putting home movies on these things,
> but it is good to know what it is capable of. The goodies include those
> listed below.
>
>    

-- 

(PS - If you email me and don't get a quick response, you might want to
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Ron Frazier

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