Computer enthusiasts have discovered a clever way to reprogram Apple’s iPod using an acoustic trick. By manipulating the component that generates clicks as the user navigates through the menu, they were able to extract crucial information from the latest generation of the device. This allowed them to install an alternative operating system and run games and other programs. The project began when a 17-year-old German computer science student named Nils Schneider received an iPod for Christmas and decided to install Linux on it. By listening to the code as sound and decoding it, he successfully extracted the information needed to get Linux running on the device. The iPod Linux project not only provides entertainment through games, but also transforms the iPod into a general-purpose device with various potential applications such as a calculator, drawing program, and GPS/mapping interface.
https://www.newscientist.com/article/dn7085-ipod-squeaks-betray-software-secrets/