Nostalgia is a powerful feeling. For those who grew up with the original iPod, the iconic click wheel interface brings back memories of endless music discovery in the early 2000s. Now, a new device aims to capture that nostalgia while upgrading the iPod for the open-source era.

Meet Tangara – a portable music player with serious throwback vibes. Created by startup Cool Tech Zone, Tangara sports the familiar click wheel interface of the original iPod Classic, while running fully open-source software and hardware. This allows users to easily customize, upgrade, and repair their devices – a far cry from the closed ecosystem of Apple products.

And based on the response so far, it seems folks are eager for an open, hackable iPod. A Crowd Supply campaign for Tangara has raised over 2000% of its initial $10,000 funding goal, cresting $208,935 (as the time of writing) with over 450 backers supporting the project.

So what can we expect from this reimagined iPod? Under the nostalgic exterior, Tangara packs serious audio power. It features a robust ESP32 processor for software flexibility, premium Cirrus Logic audio components for headphone listening, and promises over 20 hours of battery life per charge. The 1.8 inch screen provides a healthy dose of early 2000s charm, albeit with full color display and improved resolution compared to the original iPods.

But Tangara’s real magic lies in its open ecosystem. As an open-source device, the hardware and software can be freely customized by developers and hobbyists. Cool Tech Zone encourages backers to tweak the interface, build new enclosures, add new connectivity ports – making Tangara their own. And for those less technically inclined, the device still promises a straightforward out-of-box experience with capacitive click wheel, physical buttons, and excellent Lua scripting support.

Tangara backers can expect their devices to ship starting September 2024. But those still on the fence only have until March 14th to support the Crowd Supply campaign before it closes. For iPod lovers and tinkerers alike, Tangara may be the breath of fresh air we need in a world of increasingly restricted devices. By reviving the spirit of music discovery from the 2000s, while upgrading everything we expect from modern electronics, this little music player is poised to make some serious noise.