The features you mentioned are all good ideas, and I'm sure will all be written in at some point. However, if you're expecting the player source code to be released, or if you're expecting some magical development interface like Perl or Python or something, you might want to sell your Empeg now. Be patient, enjoy your Empeg (which is after all an MP3 player designed to play music in your car) and the hackers will keep making things happen. Look at what has already been written in with just a couple months since the Mk2 was released. It seems like you want to buy a full blown Linux machine for your car, and that's not the driving force (pun) behind the Empeg. IT'S A CAR STEREO COMPONENT FIRST! And a computer second. It just so happens that it's somewhat hackable, and anything that's not there will be there soon.

I am glad this thread started though, because I like to hear differing viewpoints. I'm just trying hard to understand what's so slow and painful about Empeg's development process...