Rockbox, an open-source firmware package which aims to provide an open alternative to the closed firmware of iPods and other portable media devices could be coming to a Zune near you, maybe.

Brad Linder writes, for our sister blog Download Squad, "Of course, installing Rockbox on a Zune would probably mean you couldn't play music purchased from the Zune Marketplace, and would definitely mean voiding your warranty. And odds are you wouldn't be able to share files with other Zune users via Wi-Fi (but who really does that anyway). On the other hand, this could be the first step towards using the Wi-Fi for something useful, like web browsing."

There are many hurdles however, with the similarity of the Zune and the Toshiba Gigabeat S, and the fact that a Gigabeat version of Rockbox is already under development, it could be argued that the effort required would be minimal when weighed against the abilities gained. A 30GB hard drive, 3 inch bright screen and wi-fi could make a really interesting platform for further development when done away from the Redmond campus.

Alas, there is no official word that the Rockbox team is working in this direction but, a boy can dream. At least DRM hasn't taken that away, yet.

[via Download Squad]