Showing posts with label internet radio. Show all posts
Showing posts with label internet radio. Show all posts

Thursday, September 13, 2012

Logitech Squeezebox Radio Music Player with Color Screen (Black) Review

Logitech Squeezebox Radio Music Player with Color Screen (Black)
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I am a long time owner of Squeezebox products and was pretty excited to find out about the little table top Squeezebox Radio model. I picked one up and thought I would share my thoughts.
The first thing you notice is how much heft this little player has. It is really well built and the fit and finish is superb. It has plenty of weight and solid rubber feet so that it won't skid around on your night stand or table top. The screen looks great and all of the buttons have a nice solid tactile feel. Compared to many other cheap wireless network streaming radios, this device feels an entire order of magnitude better in its construction quality. The only disappointment here is the lack of back lit buttons, for using the radio in low lighting. It's also worth noting that the entire radio has a high gloss finish that will be a magnet for fingerprints. Looks great though!
The biggest challenge for most consumers with this device will be the initial set up. You need to create an account at [...] in order to set up your new Squeezebox Radio. The device uses this connection to play free internet music services as well as download software updates, etc, to the Radio. I already had a Squeezebox account so this was not a huge challenge for me, but it might be for some people who might be confused that they need to set up an account before they can use the device. There is an option to set up the account from the device itself. Don't do this (it is slow and tedious)! Go to the website and set it up in a few seconds and then just type your login and password on the device.
Other than the laborious task of entering my full email and password for [...] the rest of the setup is very easy. The Squeezebox Radio supports push to connect wi-fi set up which is common on many newer model wireless routers. It's similar to programming a garage door opener. Simply point the Squeezebox Radio at your wireless network and for 120 seconds it will try to connect with the push to connect functionality. Then just push the connect button on your router and it's automagically all set up.
Once set up the Radio will update its firmware and reboot, a process that takes a few extra minutes. After that you are good to go.
In addition to the many built in free online services, you can also play your own music through the Squeezebox Server application. I run the Squeezebox Server application on my HP EX495 Windows Home Server but you can also run Squeezebox Server on any Mac, Windows PC or even Linux box (there are even installable distributions for many Network Attached Storage units). This allows the Squeezebox Radio (and any other Squeeze players) to access all of the music on my home network. It's absolutely wonderful to be able to take the little table top radio anywhere in the home and listen to your entire music collection.
Sound quality is very good, easily enough to fill a small to medium sized room. It gets quite loud with little to no distortion and the controls are easy to use to change tracks, change volume, etc. Wireless strength is superb. I get a full signal anywhere within about 40 feet of my router, and the radio works anywhere on my suburban property with no audio hiccups or dropouts.
In addition to the intuitive controls such as "home", "play", "stop", "back", etc, the unit also features six programmable "preset" buttons similar to what you have on a car radio. Setting these up is a bit more of a challenge than you would expect. You are supposed to be able to hold these down on any song, album, playlist, etc, that is being displayed in the radio menu and have it added as a preset. Unfortunately some items don't add correctly and must first be programmed as a "favorite". It turns out that you can only add favorites for some items (such as playlists) from the Squeezebox Server web based menu, which is quite inconvenient. I don't doubt that Slim Devices (the arm of Logitech that makes these devices) will fix this soon enough.
Other minor glitches include some weird alarm behavior (it will show the time of the alarm when it is going off but strangely won't show the current time, which is annoying if you have hit the snooze button a few times and need to know what time it is), some auto dimming issues (the auto dimming works great but gets almost TOO dim in a dark room to see the radio) and a few other very minor nits.
Slim Devices have a long history of enhancement and improvement of device firmware, so I would expect a lot of these issues to be worked out in the coming months. Additionally there will soon be a battery pack and small infrared remote for the Squeezebox Radio available as a $[...] add on purchase. Personally I think at $[...] the Radio should include these items, but considering the great sound of the radio, the high quality screen and the superb fit and finish it is justified that this device costs as much as it does.
Also worth noting is that if you have an iPod Touch or iPhone you can get the iPeng application $[...] from the Apple App Store which makes controlling and programming your Squeezebox Radio an absolute breeze. iPeng is really a must have if you have these devices and want a wonderful pocket control that works from anywhere in your home. Beats the pants off of what Sonus has to offer!
//Update 1 (Nov 2nd 2009)
Yesterday my SB Radio lost all of the preset buttons which is most annoying. It also turns out that many of the requests for fixes around the alarms functionality have not been addressed and don't appear to be scheduled to be addressed in the next release or two of the software. If your primary use will be a night stand alarm clock I would recommend holding off for now until Logitech addresses alarm functionality issues. If the issues are not resolved I will reconsider my four star rating as it should then be a three star product.
//Update 2 (May 13 2010)
Logitech has not only not fixed many of the initial annoyances with the SB Radio, but newer firmware has in fact made the product less stable and reliable. It still does an admirable job of playing your local music library if you run the SB Server on a PC or Mac in your home, but the network streaming functionality seems to be having issues and I've found the alarm to be terribly unreliable. I would now under the current circumstances rate this only 3 out of 5 stars. It's really a shame too, as the "Slim Devices" that originally brought us these problems was very open and communicative about issues and what was being done to fix them. Logitech has little interest in relaying useful information to its beta testers, err, customers and instead gives us the run around with if and when issues will ever be remedied.

Click Here to see more reviews about: Logitech Squeezebox Radio Music Player with Color Screen (Black)

Logitech Squeezebox Radio brings a world of music—free Internet radio, subscription services, or your personal digital music collection—to any space in your home, over your Wi-Fi network.

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Sunday, September 9, 2012

Aluratek AIREC01F WiFi Internet Radio - Home Theater Edition (Black) Review

Aluratek AIREC01F WiFi Internet Radio - Home Theater Edition (Black)
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I have had much better luck than the previous reviewer. My unit worked out of the box and has continued to work for about four weeks, with no trouble whatsoever. (I have only used the WiFi internet radio feature so I cannot comment on the other things it can do.)
I would give the unit five stars but for one concern: The Aluratek business model. The tuner depends upon an Aluratek server to set up stations. The good news/bad news is that there is no annual subscription fee.
It appears that Aluratek pays for the server out of cash flow from sales. If sales ever fall off, there goes the server, and there goes the radio. Hopefully somebody will figure out how to hack it before the server goes away.

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Monday, August 27, 2012

Sangean RCR-8WF Internet Clock Radio Review

Sangean RCR-8WF Internet Clock Radio
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I purchased the RCR-8WF as a replacement for an old Panasonic clock radio mainly for the Internet radio capability and for use at night. It is not a bad radio but seems more like a work-in-progress than a well thought out product.
My issues with it are:
1) The sleep timer takes three button presses to work. Turn the radio on, press the sleep timer button, then press select. Try doing this in the dark when you are half asleep! It should take one - press the sleep button. This is the way their other radios work.
2) The display brightens to full when any button is pressed. The manual says that you can dim it in this mode but is does not keep the setting. You can dim it but then comes back full brightness the next time you hit a button.
3) The internet radio takes about 15-30 seconds to change stations or to come on the first time. I understand the technology involved, and could deal with this if it were not for the other issues.
I contacted Sangean a week go about these issues and still have not heard back. I will be returning it and waiting for a more mature product.

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Monday, August 20, 2012

Logitech Squeezebox Boom All-in-One Network Music Player / Wi-Fi Internet Radio Review

Logitech Squeezebox Boom All-in-One Network Music Player / Wi-Fi Internet Radio
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I am a radio nut (going back to the tube days)and the Squeezebox Boom is my third internet radio. I have a Roku Soundbridge R1000 and Sangean WFR-20 as well. All have their strengths, but the Squeezebox Boom is without a doubt a significant step up; it sets a new high standard in performance, capabilities, and ease of operation.
For wireless streaming of your music collection from a PC or Mac, the Boom is best. It can handle more formats (nearly anything except DRM protected iTunes files) and works well without crashes or delays. In this the Roku is #2, and the Sangean ranks 3rd(crashes and stutters a lot).
For internet radio, they all work well. The Sangean is the only one that natively handles RealAudio Streams (like BBC) but has problems with clear channel stations. All of them pick up the stations I want without problems, so I rate this a tie.
If you want to interface with online music services like Rhapsody/Pandora/ MP3Locker etc, the Boom works great, with far more capacity than the other two. The Slimdevices/Squeezebox folks also update and improve their software far more frequently than the other two, so I expect it to remain in the lead in features and available services.
In sound quality, the Roku and Boom are both outstanding, with the Sangean good, but clearly a step lower. The Roku's subwoofer seems to go a bit deeper in my room, but the Boom is perhaps a bit more smooth and musical. The Boom uses the same woofers and tweeters as the highly rated Logitech Z-10, but with better bass (because of a larger cabinet and new amp/equalizer circuitry). They both sound absolutely great and play quite loud.
Ease of initial setup: If you are starting from scratch, I think the Sangean is the easiest to set up, if you do NOT want to stream audio from your PC...that is a real hassle. Both the Boom and Roku require a bit more work.
Ease of Use AFTER set up: Boom is best BY FAR. Not only do the menus make real sense, but the illuminated controls make it the only radio you can use easily without turning on the lights. The big control knob and back lit function buttons get you through all of the functions fast.
As a Clock Radio, the Boom has more options than the others, and the display has a huge adjustment range so it will not disturb light sleepers.
All of these radios are a lot of fun. The Boom does most, and does it best.

Click Here to see more reviews about: Logitech Squeezebox Boom All-in-One Network Music Player / Wi-Fi Internet Radio

Logitech Squeezebox Boom all-in-one network music player with integrated speakers. Plug it in. Turn it on. Rock the house! The all-in-one network music player that combines award-winning squeezebox functionality with an integrated amplifier and speakers to deliver your digital music to any room in your home. Enjoy the music and content you love, with crystal clear sound.

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Thursday, August 9, 2012

iLuv Internet Radio with Dual Alarm Clock (Black) Review

iLuv Internet Radio with Dual Alarm Clock (Black)
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There was so much potential although I just find myself saying "BUT" way too many times.
They emphasize the clock display is remarkably large BUT it really isn't.
It is a nice looking unit, BUT you can't appreciate how large the case is until you see it and realize it will take up most of average sized night stand.
The sound quality is quite good if you play it at 4 to 5 or higher BUT the quality goes down at the lower volume level where most people realistically would use at the bedside. I haven't found any adjustments for things like bass and treble.
Customer support is terrible. They give you a phone number BUT it just sends you to voice mail. They give you a way to send a message online for express service BUT it is not "express" or helpful. I asked some simple questions while I was waiting for the unit to ship and it took two days for them to respond. They didn't actually attempt to answer my questions at all BUT just sent a .pdf of the manual and told me to read it. Not one of my questions was answered in the manual they sent (simple stuff like does the unit support WPA2, have a place for a 9 volt backup battery, etc.). The manual is very brief and does not go in-depth on any technical details like networking. There are many menus of options on this system that are never discussed in the manual. (Update: they did send me a second email a week later that did attempt to actually answer a few of my questions, and yes, it does support WPA2 but keep on reading).
The biggest killer to me, unless customer support can't advise me otherwise (waiting to hear from them), is that any time your wireless router is turned off OR the security key does a rolling change of the key AND you are using a wireless connection to the router, the iLuv is not able to reestablish a connection on its own. It will try BUT fail. When it fails, it starts the network wizard again AND DELETES YOUR KEY/PASSWORD! You have no choice and no way of stopping it. Even if you try to bypass the wizard and manually configure things, it will wipe out all of the network settings (it keeps the station presets, etc.) and require you to redo things. Oddly, when you manually reenter the key (the same key as you inputted the first time), it will reconnect on its own just fine. If you have a "strong" key for your system (like you should to be really secure), it takes forever to re-enter in the key. You would not believe the arcane method to enter in data via the buttons on the front panel.
This means whenever your router rolls/changes the security key (this is often multiple times an hour for security reasons) the wifi connection will drop and it cannot reconnect. Additionally, any time you turn off your router for an approaching storm, have a power outage, change any setting on the firmware of your router that requires it to reboot itself, etc., you are going to need to reenter your many-charactered key. Router power downs and reboots are just a fact of life. Using a router without a password would bypass this problem BUT that approach is not smart/safe. All of my other wifi devices can reconnect without a problem, so the issue is with the iLuv radio.
This brings up anther flaw. When you plug this unit in via Ethernet (which works well), there should be a software application provided on CD from iLuv that allows you to do all of the programming via your PC versus through the keys on the front of the radio. This is a serious oversight by iLuv.
UPDATE: After about another week (some "express" service, eh?) iLuv finally got back to me in regard to my second email about the dropped wifi connection issues. This is their one_sentence answer to the wifi disconnecting problem: "This problem will not happen after reset iNT170 & re-connect to internet every time user changed the password." I am sorry, but what a lame attempt at a guess/reply after a week of waiting.
I wanted to keep this thing... BUT I just am not feeling the "luv" at this point. The industry is now on the second generation of internet radios and I expected more. Maybe iLuv will release an updated firmware to fix the flaws. The radio is being returned today :( .


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Wednesday, August 8, 2012

Aluratek AIRJ01F USB Internet Radio Jukebox Review

Aluratek AIRJ01F USB Internet Radio Jukebox
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It's pretty straight-forward: it lets you listen to thousands of radio stations that broadcast on the Net. As I write this review, I am sitting here, on the US East Coast, listening to some Icelandic rock station. In the past couple of hours I browsed through radio stations based in France, the Philippines, UK and, I believe Thailand. Pretty cool, eh?
But, let's summarize:
Installation: super-easy. You stick the USB thing into the proper port and you get prompted to allow for the software to install on your computer - at least that's what Vista does.
Interface: you get 2 top-10 lists that can be expanded to top-100, by region or by genre. The tops are not too useful, unless you really believe that the number one talk station in the world is broadcasting from Bulgaria but, it's fun to have them there. The categories are usually hit and miss - you are almost as likely to find music on a 'talk' station as your are to find actual talk but... it's no big deal, believe me. The stations are also classified by Genre and Location and, within each of these, you can sort them by 'country' - not all stations have a country assigned to them and Kansas and Kenya are both viewed as 'countries'. You can include individual stations on your favorite list and you can vote them up or down. There is also a 'history' section, a 'help' section and a link to the maker of the product. Oh, the bottom of the window is reserved for advertising but, I bet, you are NOT likely to stare at the Aluratek windows while listening to the radio so it's not bothersome.
Reception: each station shows a number of bars, telephone style - 4 bars are supposed to be the clearest and no bars you probably can't get. The quality of your connection is, without a doubt, dependent of your own bandwidth. Depending of it and depending on many other factors, your connection may break from time to time or you may not be able to connect at all but, so far, I am happy with what I get.
Why I almost took out 1 star?
- The interface could be improved. What I definitely miss is the ability to enter my own little notes to the stations that I mark as 'favorites'. The way they appear now - which could be something like 'WKZR' or maybe a string of Chinese hieroglyphs - is not always descriptive enough.
To summarize: if you spend a few hundred $$ for your laptop, I can't think of any good justification for not spending $20-30 on this little device.
______________________________
October 2, 2008 Update
I learned from a related discussion thread that there are 'free' sites that allow access to thousands of radio stations with some search capabilities. http://www.vtuner.com is one of them. Some may prefer to use such a site for their radio listening and save some money. Personally, having purchased this device, I am more likely to use IT than Vtuner but this is my personal preference only.

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Monday, July 30, 2012

Sonoro AU3001BL Eklipse Audio System (Black) Review

Sonoro AU3001BL Eklipse Audio System (Black)
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It took returning this item 3 times and still not being completely satisfied...but finally realized it is not Amazon's fault and we could have done it 3 more times and the front of the system was still going to have scratches on it. As far as the silver dial on front....I would say that it is not made well..if you push it on one side it looks like it's going to come off, which is why we initially returned the first one. The second one came with scratches all over the front...again...not the fault of Amazon..so by the tine the third one arrived and was also scratched we realized that it was happening during the manufacturing of the item and shame on Sonoro for poor quality control. We decided to keep it anyway...the sound is great!

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Saturday, July 21, 2012

Sirius TTR1 Tabletop Internet Radio (Black) Review

Sirius TTR1 Tabletop Internet Radio (Black)
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I'll answer the two big questions first: Howard Stern? yes. Do you need to keep clicking a button so the radio doesn't shut off? no (see comment below). At least, as of right now. The radio is capable of both software and channel updates.
update: As of now, the Sirius website requires a human click every 90 minutes for streaming audio. This particular radio will play for hours without intervention but will eventually shut off. These features may be updated at whim by Sirius through software updates.
How does it sound? It sounds exactly as described - it's meant to be a tabletop boombox. It's the perfect companion for garage, laundry room, or kitchen. Don't expect real high fidelity sound out of these speakers. It has both a headphone jack and line out jack so it's possible to use amplified speakers or route the output into your home stereo system. When the line output is fed through my home stereo system the sound is wonderful. However, when I plugged my iPod into the aux input I was not impressed with thee quality, which I fault the iPod for.
I've been waiting for a gizmo like this ever since I subscribed to Sirius. I am an apartment dweller with no means for an outdoor antenna. Sirius works great in my car, but the only way I can listen at home is by being chained to my computer. Sirius has always made possible streaming audio from their website. But, every 90 minutes you need to click on the dead man's switch to keep the music flowing. This radio works exactly the same as the Internet streaming but is self-contained with a beautiful display. It also functions as a clock radio, although it's a tad big for the nightstand.
Before purchasing, it's best to become familiar with how streaming audio works on their website. You will need to purchase Internet streaming ability from Sirius in addition to your radio account. Be sure this is all working first.
The radio connects to your local area network via wired Ethernet or wireless with an external 802.11 antenna. You have all the settings available to you - enter the IP address of your choice or select dhcp via wired or wireless. I had a small gotcha, which was it wouldn't connect via WAP so I needed to configure my router for WEP. Everyone is tending to move away from WAP so this was a necessary evil. I entered my ASCII key and it connected just fine. My Sirius username and password worked right away. If you have MAC address filtering, you can retrieve the address via the menus.
The tuner works similar to that of a dashboard radio with a turn and push to click dial. Menus are accessed fairly easily, but it took a little while to get into some of the settings. The first thing I wanted to set was the clock and DST. Be advised that automatic time setting is on by default. The first day, I had to wrestle a bit to get it on the right hour of the day - so, don't set any alarms until you work all this out or put the clock into manual settings if you don't trust it. It's all configurable.
The display has a wonderful signal strength indicator so you can place it for the best reception or switched to wired Ethernet. There is no option for batteries, so you will need an AC outlet and the radio is amazingly heavy for a small box. It has automatic or manual brightness and a remote control, plus an input jack for a CD player or iPod, but no interconnection cables are provided. The display presents the channel name and song name with a nice volume control knob.
If you have Sirius and you're looking for speakers for your iPod or iPhone, get this radio instead of amplified speakers. I'm extremely happy that I can finally listen to Sirius in any room at home without an antenna. You'll need a solid, reliable broadband connection to operate this radio else you will hear dropout's and interruptions. This is not the fault of the radio. Again, test out the streaming audio on your computer first.

Click Here to see more reviews about: Sirius TTR1 Tabletop Internet Radio (Black)

The SIRIUS Tabletop Internet Radio (TTR1) is stylish and convenient way to bring SIRIUS XM's Premium Online content to the home or office using a wired or wireless high-speed Internet connection. The full-featured TTR1 is easy to set up and use, offering a complete listening solution for subscribers who want to use their high-speed Internet connection to access SIRIUS XM's online channels without the need for a computer. The TTR1 has a unique interface that includes a network connection wizard that walks users through a few simple steps to set up and access the Premium Online channels through their wired or wireless high-speed Internet connection.

Premium Content Bring SIRIUS XM's exclusive commercial-free music, plus expert sports analysis, news, talk and entertainment to any room in your home with SIRIUS Internet Radio.
Powerful Sound Enjoy powerful, full-range sound with high fidelity speakers and user selectable sound equalizer settings.
Dual Alarms Two alarms allow you to set multiple wake times to your favorite channels. Hit snooze if you're not quite ready yet. Also features sleep timer for drifting off to your favorite programming.
Favorite channel presets Save and enjoy fast access to up to 10 of your favorite channels. Each favorite channel can be assigned to a number button.
Display Brightness The TTR1 features automatic display brightness, which automatically adjusts to the light available in the room.
Connection Options The TTR1 features a headphone jack for personal listening, and an output for connecting to a stereo or other device.
There's also an auxiliary input for use with external audio devices--listen to your MP3 player using the TTR1's speakers, for instance.
Programming Information View artist name and song title on the large display, along with the clock and station info.
Internet Clock The TTR1 grabs the time automatically over the Internet.
Easy to Use Plug it in and go--no computer required. All you need is a high-speed Internet connection, wired or wireless (supports 802.11b/g networks with WEP, WPA & WPA2 security).
Remote Control Included Control the radio from across the room with the full-featured, credit-card-sized remote.
What's in the Box TTR1 Radio, Remote Control, User Guide, Quick Start Guide

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Saturday, July 7, 2012

Dosh Wallet 3 Cards with Money Clip Private Review

Dosh Wallet 3 Cards with Money Clip Private
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I bought this because I loved the design. However, when I actually got it I was surprised at how small it was. It could fit in the palm of my hand. I was hoping it would have been a little bigger and more solid. It felt light and cheap. As for functionality it doesn't stay backlit. You have to push a button to turn the backlight on rendering it impossible to see what time it is in the middle of the night. Since I was planning to use it as my alarm clock on my nightstand, it wasn't going to work. I returned it the same day I got it.

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Friday, June 22, 2012

Teac R-4INT Wall Mountable Internet Radio with iPod Dock Review

Teac R-4INT Wall Mountable Internet Radio with iPod Dock
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I have had a lot of fun with this radio! I'm no audiophile, but to this casual listener, the sound is amazing. Out of the box, the audio is just big and round. I have an older BOSE alarm clock/CD player, and this radio sounds much better, if that means anything. There are the usual equalizer settings, so you can customize as you will.
Set up was easy, if a bit tedious. The radio has an Ethernet port, but I easily added it to my hidden wireless network. You select letters and numbers using a wheel on the radio itself or using the arrows on the remote control. You use the same technique for anything you have to enter: search terms, passwords, logins, etc.
The remote control is the most functional one I've received with a radio/alarm clock. It's bigger than most radio remotes I've seen, but it's capable of doing anything you can do on the radio itself. So it's not just a power switch and channel and volume changer like some of the others I've used.
I've used Pandora, the Internet radio, and docked my iPhone 4, and all worked seamlessly. I've had the radio a little over a week, and I've used it several times. One time, I experienced silence for 20 or 30 seconds when it suddenly had to reconnect to my network.
It has the usual alarm clock functions. Each dual alarm can be set to go off once, daily, each weekday, or each weekend day. Ultimately, however, I was unable to use this as a bedside alarm clock. First of all, at one foot wide by eight inches deep, it's footprint is too big for my already-crowded nightstand. Also, my nightstand sits a little higher than my bed. The display (which is too small to read more than a few feet away) is set at about a 45 degree angle, midway between vertical and horizontal. I can't see it lying down. I do wish the display was larger and set more vertically.
Because of these issues, and because I already have most of the radio's functions available to me in my bedroom, I decided to put the radio in my kitchen where I enjoy it immensely while puttering around there. And when I unplugged the radio to move it from the nightstand to the kitchen, it saved all my settings. Because I didn't find a place for a backup battery, I was worried I would have to reconfigure everything. But it just reconnected to my network, reset the date and time, and was ready to go immediately. Bonus!


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Friday, May 25, 2012

Grace Digital GDI-IRA500 Wireless Internet Radio Adapter Featuring Pandora, NPR and SIRIUS Review

Grace Digital GDI-IRA500 Wireless Internet Radio Adapter Featuring Pandora, NPR and SIRIUS
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The Grace Solo internet radio does a great job connecting the world of internet radio to my home stereo.
The Solo is good looking and connects simply out of the box. Plug in the power, connect the standard rca cable to your stereo, turn it on, choose your home network and within 5 minutes you are listening to Pandora or one of the 17,000 radio stations. While Grace has many models of standalone table top radios, I like the Solo because it connects directly to my home stereo (or even powered speakers). The solo even has a headset jack.
When you first take the Solo out of the box, you see the Solo internet radio tuner, a power cable, manual, remote and rca cable to connect to your stereo. It uses WiFi to access the internet. Make sure you have Wi-Fi in your home, and that it is strong in the area you put the solo. The Solo does have a built in Wi-Fi signal meter to see how strong your Wi-Fi is. So if you put it on the bottom shelf of your stereo system and notice a weak signal you may want to put it on a middle or top shelf. The Solo works with any 802.11b,g or n router and has a built in 802.11g receiver.
After you connect to your wireless network (you will need your wireless WEP or WPA password to do this) and set the time zone on the clock, the Solo remembers everything (including station presets) when you unplug it. That is nice because no one wants to type their wireless password in more than once.
Once you are set up you can start searching for stations by genre or location or type the call sign of the station directly into the radio. You can do this via the remote control or directly on the unit itself. I like Pandora. In order to listen to Pandora you have to register your radio at Grace's web site [...] . After you create a Grace account you enter in your Pandora user name and password on the Grace site and the radio is linked to your Pandora stations. Within a minute your Pandora stations are on the Grace radio in the `personal radio' folder. Pretty cool. You can create stations on the Grace Solo, although I prefer to do that on the Pandora web site. Grace plays SIRIUS and Live365 as well but I do not have SIRIUS or Live365 VIP accounts so I can't comment on that.

I really love the Grace unit. I get all my local radio stations #my FM reception is bad at my house but my favorite FM stations - most do these days - broadcast over the internet .. so I get those, Pandora, NPR and I even started listening to the BBC 4 which is kind of cool#.
Obviously I give this a 5 star. The only negative I would say is that on a few random stations they do not show the song metadata (they all show the station metadata). I'm not sure if that is because the station is not sending it or what. You get the station and song metadata for Pandora which is the most important for me. Oh - you can even thumbs up or down Pandora songs .. very of cool.

Click Here to see more reviews about: Grace Digital GDI-IRA500 Wireless Internet Radio Adapter Featuring Pandora, NPR and SIRIUS

Convenient Access to Online Music in Your Home AM and FM radio stations all over the world stream their audio content over the Internet. Grace Digital Audio's "Solo" product line of Wi-Fi Receiver and Media Streamers allow you link this massive amount of free content, as well as a variety of pay Internet radio services, conveniently and efficiently to your stereo or home entertainment system. Setup is simple, all you need is access to a broadband Internet connection and a wireless router. Acting like any wireless device, once configured to the Wi-Fi signal(s) available and its security, if any, the Solo Wi-Fi Receiver provides quick access to literally thousand of Internet radio stations and podcasts from your home stereo without having to fire up a computer. In addition, users can listen to the hottest premium online music services like Pandora, Live365 and Sirius*. Easy access to thousands of free and premium Internet radio content streams without using a computer. View larger.

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Friday, April 27, 2012

Aluratek AIRMM01 Internet Radio Alarm Clock with built-in WiFi (Black) Review

Aluratek AIRMM01 Internet Radio Alarm Clock with built-in WiFi (Black)
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Think about the humble clock-radio. Everybody has one. They've scarcely changed in the last two decades. They have poor sound quality. Are usually in a bedroom where radio reception can be poor--and are usually given only a crummy wire antenna sticking out the back. With some, you can play a CD, just as CDs are being superseded by other digital music. Few can access the wealth of programming on satellite. Not a twenty-first century device.
This device brings the clock-radio into the 21st Century. It connects to your Wi-fi at home, and delivers almost any radio station you want from around the world.
NPR junkies can choose from a brace of stations, and the worldwide selection is superb--let me recommend Radio National and Directions in Groove from Australia, KQED and WNYC (the AM version; you'll get AM radio in hi-fi!), Deutsche Welle in English, Radio Netherlands, and of course, the BBC. Living in a non-English-speaking country, it's a real life-line for me.
It solves an issue that has vexed me with conventional clock radios I've owned. Reception problems. With an internet radio, the signal is as strong as your home wi-fi.
No need for an integrated CD. You can play music wirelessly from your computer or a USB stick.
And for a small speaker, the sound is remarkably good. You can plug it into your hi-fi if you wish, for even better sound.
It gets five stars, but not without a couple of glitches. The radio updates the station list automatically, but if a station changes its website in between software updates, you might miss out for a while. The menus are elaborate and can be a bit complex until you get used to them--and that includes the one you use simply to turn the alarm on. And the backlighted time displays ONLY when the radio is actually on; though I expect that glitch to be fixed in a software update.

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Monday, April 16, 2012

Sony Dash Personal Internet Viewer Review

Sony Dash Personal Internet Viewer
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UPDATED: Sony has released a software update that rolled out in the first week of June 2010. I've edited the review below to identify issues resolved in the software update. I have noticed some freeze-ups since the software update, but they've been relatively infrequent. If you buy the device new now, it will update itself as soon as it connects to the internet.The Sony Dash is marketed as a "personal internet viewer." In my opinion, it does not live up to that name. Others are more accurately calling it "glimpse internet" and "upgraded alarm clock." It's a 7-inch touch tablet designed with a weighted wedge style, meant to sit on a countertop or bedside table. Sony basically licensed or bought the Chumby OS and added its own internet video service as well as re-designing the UI a bit for the larger screen. I was attracted to this device because I liked the idea of a Chumby, but it seemed overly bulky and too small of a screen. The Dash takes all the good parts about a Chumby and adds a bigger screen and a better design.
I'm giving a lot more detail below, but to sum up: what you think of this device is largely going to depend on what you want from it. To me, this device's best tagline would have identified it as a "wake-up station"...telling you everything you need or want to know as you wake up to begin your day. My rating of this device is based on what I expected out of it: in short, a glorified alarm clock. If your alarm clock could:
* tell you weather and traffic at a glance
* have multiple alarms per day, each with their own sounds, configurable in any way you want...if you want to wake up at a different time each day, with a different tone each day, it can handle that. (Really, if you've ever used your cellphone as your alarm clock, consider everything your cellphone can do as an alarm clock...this can do all the same stuff, without ever having to worry about all the problems of cellphones as alarm clocks.)
* quickly show you a few e-mails, status updates, or photos
* let you go to sleep/snooze to a podcast or internet video
If you look at that list and think, "wow, that's exactly what I want in an alarm clock," then you're the target user for the Sony Dash. Sadly, they're not marketing it to you at all. Really, they're barely doing anything to sell this device. I've seen exactly zero ads. Were it not for Engadget, I wouldn't have even known it was available or what it was. And, stupidly, what Sony is doing is positioning this so it goes up against things like the iPad and Archos tablet. Sony should be positioning this as the best damn alarm clock in the world. That's their mistake and what will, IMO, make this device fail.
On that note, I've seen alot of reviewers poo-poo the Sony Dash by saying "oh, my cellphone could do this" or "oh, my iPad does this better". Well, your cellphone and iPad don't do what this does, because neither of those devices are meant to sit still on a bedside table. Your cellphone and likely your iPad get up and leave when you do, which makes them nearly useless as an alarm clock unless you are a single person living alone. Even if you are a single person (or if you are willing to have separate devices for each person), you'd need to buy several accessories to make a cellphone or iPad sit as nicely as this does on a surface. So, long story short, a cellphone and an iPad appeal to a broader audience, no doubt, but, this device hits a very necessary niche for which the iPad and cellphone are ill-designed.
PROS:
* Very fast and easy setup on the device -- you can use the device without going to the web, but there are quite a few apps that require configuration via the web, and the web config has issues (see Cons list)
* Design is sleek. It looks damn cool on your bedside table.
* Pleasing UI, simple to navigate
* AccuWeather weather (a plus over other weather services, IMO)
* Sits securely (can be rubbed by cat without falling over)
* Bright and colorful screen, videos look great
* Completely customizable alarms and alarm clock
* NEW IN 6/2010 UPDATE: Customizable snooze length - 1,2,3,4,5,10,15,20,25, or 30 minutes
* "night mode" that dims the screen and shows only the clock, when the next alarm is set for and the weather in black and white...though I did notice today that it's got a little "mom" that writes itself in in cursive, which is kind of a cool "surprise" bit of chrome
* Price is just about right, in my opinion. If Sony ripped out everything but the alarm clock and weather functions, shrank the screen, and got it to $99 or $79, that'd be a very nice product...would beat the heck out of the American Innovative Neverlate Executive Alarm Clock. At $199, it's less than a netbook, less than many cellphones, and far less than the Apple products that could fit this space.
* Usable touch keyboard, fine for posting to Twitter or Facebook, but I wouldn't use it to type a long e-mail
* Really good selection of default sounds loaded
* Was able to access my Amazon Video on Demand purchased videos and play them easily, and since I haven't bought anything else that does that yet (except my PCs, of course), that's a nice feature for me.
CONS:
Now for the bad news. There are three issues that, in my opinion, are near blocking issues, but the silver lining to the cloud is that all three are likely to be resolved by Sony soon, and my rating reflects my strong belief that these will be resolved soon. Still, were I Sony, I'd feel great shame to have shipped this device with these issues as they are:
* USB drives are not working yet. This is huge, because they promise this on the box, and it's the only way to access your own music from the box (no DLNA or other wireless transfer support). It says "coming soon" if you attempt to play music or view pictures from a USB drive. Were I not in love with this as my alarm clock, I'd return it based on this alone. - RESOLVED IN JUNE 2010 UPDATE - USB drives are now accessible! You still cannot set an MP3 as a wake-up alarm, however.
* The web setup is a mess. The site itself looks shoddy, like no one actually cared enough to make it look nice...and the configuration area is not easily accessible from Sony's main site. You have to go to Sony's "MyEssentials" site (a term/brand that is in no way associated with the Dash), and that site is not linked from the Sony Dash page on Sony's site, nor from Sony's main site. Logging in from Sony's main site and clicking on "my devices" takes forever to load, so I never found out if I could get to the Dash config site from there. To find the config site after the initial setup, I ended up going to [...], trying my Sony login, and then Chumby re-directed me to the MyEssentials site. Basically, the setup on the Dash itself is so simple, but as soon as you hit the point that you need to use the web to configure something, you're lost. For this reason alone, I can't recommend this for non-geeks...which sucks because if this were fixed, I could see this being a really nice gift for a number of non-geeks in my family. I mean, this is basic stuff that they blew off, and it speaks volumes to Sony's lack of commitment to this device. - IMPROVEMENT IN JUNE 2010 UPDATE - It is no longer necessary to use the MyEssentials site to configure the Dash. You can do most day-to-day aspects of configuration from the device itself, though the device will still prompt you to register on MyEssentials during initial setup. This is particularly good because it turns out that Sony STILL has not improved the MyEssentials site for the Dash, and they can't reset passwords for your registered account through the website. You have to call customer service. If you try to reset your account's password through the MyEssentials site, it sends you to the SonyStyle site, which uses a different database of usernames and thus will not work.
* No web browser...which I wouldn't care about if there were more apps or if this weren't being sold as a "personal internet viewer"...but to call yourself an internet viewer and not have a browser is just sad. Plus, this makes the apps themselves frustrating. Most of them are just ported iPhone apps, which means they assume you can click links to view more.
There are also quite a few minor issues which Sony/Chumby could resolve in the next few months via software updates:
* Not enough "apps" (really, they're widgets)...lots of popular news and info sites are not represented, and the apps themselves are not the greatest quality.
* The layout options are limited. There's only two layouts, and neither of them are satisfying. For example, there's no layout that has two app panes. You can't customize shortcuts in any of the layouts, either, so you can't (for example) make sure that the Amazon Video shortcut is the first (or only) one available. - IMPROVED IN JUNE 2010 UPDATE - 2 new layouts are available, and they definitely improved on the usability.
* Not easy to switch between "channels" (different views with different apps...for example, I have a productivity channel that has my Gmail and Gcal in it and a separate social networking channel that has all of my social networks and news feeds), takes 4 steps to switch plus a not-insignificant load time. Basically makes the channel feature useless because it's too annoying to switch channels. You're better off just loading all the apps you want into your default channel.
* No copy/paste functionality...a pain if you're wanting to post a status to multiple sites...Read more›

Click Here to see more reviews about: Sony Dash Personal Internet Viewer

Your favorite parts of the Internet customized the way you choose, available in a dash. Over 1,000 free apps can be displayed at the touch of a finger. Choose from your favorite information and entertainment content including weather, traffic, social networking, movies, music and more--pushed right to your kitchen, bedroom, or office. The Dash Personal Internet Viewer connects quickly and easily to your existing wireless network and features a vibrant 7-inch LCD touchscreen for accessing a variety of video services for online music and viral videos, full-length feature movies and TV shows. You can also listen to MP3s and Internet radio via the built-in stereo speakers, or by using the headphone jack (headphones not included).

Streamline Your Life with Free Apps The 1500-plus apps available for the Dash Personal Internet Viewer deliver the information and entertainment you want--weather, traffic, social networking, movies, music, and more--right to your kitchen, bedroom, or office.
Listen to What You Want The Dash Personal Internet Viewer is a compact audio multi-tool: listen to MP3s and Internet Radio out loud with the built-in stereo speakers, or privately by using the headphone jack (headphones not included).
Customization Customizing the Dash home screen to fit your own personal needs and style is easy. Simply choose your favorite apps and theme that you want displayed.
Access to Sony Content Get access to the best Sony has to offer: movie trailers, minisodes, music videos, game trailers, and the latest deals from SonyStyle.com.
7-Inch LCD Touchscreen The WVGA 800x480 LCD touchscreen displays crystal clear photos and video from a wide viewing angle, and automatically adjusts the display for an upright or horizontal orientation.
Simple Setup Connect quickly and easily to your existing wireless network.
Elegant and Space Saving Design The compact size maximizes counter, bedside, and desktop spaces, and the timeless design blends in with any décor.
Easy-to-Use Clock and Alarms When you enter your zip code the device automatically sets the time for you. Set up custom alarms, either one-time or recurring, with the option of waking to Internet radio stations, built-in alarm sounds, or your favorite app.5
Multi-Source Video Content Access a variety of video services for online music and viral videos, full-length feature movies and TV shows you can watch and control on the brilliant LCD.
Convenience Stream the web content you specify through Internet apps, without the distraction of a PC. It's always on, always fresh, always available at a glance without the delay of booting up your PC.
Online Photo Access and Sharing For a great photo viewing experience the Dash Personal Internet Viewer conveniently loads and displays your photos from online services such as Photobucket, or you can simply view your photos directly via USB. The touchscreen user interface allows you to set effects, rotate photos, zoom, and play or pause photo slide shows.
USB 2.0 Interface Access audio, video or photo content stored on mass storage USB devices by connecting to the USB port.
What's in the Box Sony Dash Personal Internet Viewer and user's manual.

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Thursday, March 29, 2012

Seiko Bedside Alarm Clock Silver-Tone and Glass Case Review

Seiko Bedside Alarm Clock Silver-Tone and Glass Case
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I used to want a clock for my study table since I looked at some expensive writers/lawyers/agents furniture catalog that my brother discarded.I felt my study table was incomplete without such a clock. It is larger than what I expected but it is still very nice and stylish. I like that sea through lucite. And it is easy to set.

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The elegant Seiko Bedside Alarm Clock complements your bedroom decor with its sleek, emerald-tone glass casing. Constructed with a rectangular silver-tone-and-glass case, this timepiece features a round white dial with black Roman numeral hour markers at the three, six, nine, and 12 o'clock. The dial also includes black-dash hour markers and matching watch hands. In addition, the clock features a convenient alarm.

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Wednesday, March 28, 2012

VTech IS9181 WiFi Internet Radio with Access to Online Content Review

VTech IS9181 WiFi Internet Radio with Access to Online Content
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Imagine playing music directly from Japan while eating sushi in your dining room. Or playing Hawaiian music from Hawaii at your next luau. With this WiFi internet radio you can listen to music from all over the world and save your favorites with just a push of the "favorites" button. Then the next time you want to listen you can go directly the the "My Stations" list and choose one of your favorites. I have a classical station in Italy, an oldies station in France, a Celtic station in Ireland and some radio stations in the midwest that I grew up listening to in my favorites list. I also have a French news talk station to keep up on my French. In my video I'll show you how to make some of the internet radio selections and find your own favorite stations.
One of the other options is to listen to music from your computer on this device. The included manual gives simple instructions, with some photos, for setting up your computer so that you can connect via WiFi with this internet radio and play your favorite mp3's, WMA's, Real audio, MP4 and M4A files. There are instructions included for Windows 2000, XP, Vista, Mac OS 10.4 and 10.5. I've listened to music from both my Windows and Mac computers without any problem. And the good news is that it's easy to set up, even for a non geeky person. The internet radio is also simple to set up. When you turn it on for the first time it asks you if you want to set the time, weather setting (your zip code) and wireless settings. It looks for your WiFi network and asks you to enter your password. I used both the little dial on the top of the radio and the remote to make entering it faster.
I mentioned in my video review that you can use the RCA connectors on the back of the unit to connect to other speakers, such as your stereo speakers. The RCA connector cord isn't included with the radio. There is an auxiliary audio cable included to connect another device such as an mp3 player to this radio (audio in). If you wanted to connect earphones, like the type from an mp3 player I think an adapter like this would work 2 x RCA Male / 1 x 3.5mm Stereo Female, Y-Cable, 6 inch
The sound on the video is limited not only by the camera, but by the compression into a video small enough to show here. It sounds so much better in person. But I hope the video gives you an idea of the different menus and features.

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Sunday, March 25, 2012

Denon S-32 Internet Radio with Built-in Speakers and 2-Alarm Clock Review

Denon S-32 Internet Radio with Built-in Speakers and 2-Alarm Clock
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I did a lot of research before I got this unit. It came down between the Philips Streamium and the Denon S32. I decided to go with the S32 because of past experiences with Philips - they make awesome products, but they have the nasty habit of canceling production AND pulling all support (Many years ago - 14 to be exact - I had a Philips Nino PDA, and all of a sudden: bye-bye! from the company!) Unlike other folks, I did read the description of this product, so I did not expect a CD nor a DVD player (weird!)
The pros: Internet radio, ability to create favorites lists - so it adds a semblance of organization to the thousands of radio stations that you can end up with! News from around the World, in their original languages. I speak several languages and this is a great way to keep the practice up! Deep rich sound, not over bassy like other systems. I love the high contrast white led display - I can read it from almost any angle (while in bed - perfect!) and you can always dim it if you think is too bright. I also really like the sleep function, I like to read before going to sleep and this function serves as a reminder!
The cons: no Mac support! What up with this???!!! Even though it says: "Plays audio stored on PC or Macintosh computers..." NOT true... I read the instructions, top to bottom and unless I missed something (or I was having too many drinks!) I did not find any mention whatsoever of Mac, anywhere, at all! - that's the 1st star off. The 2nd star off comes because of poor WiFi reception. It comes with a bitty 3db antenna, come on, for the price, they could've thrown in at least a 7db antenna! I have a "Chumby" ([...]) which is also a WiFi radio player (of sorts) and this bitty thing has much better reception than the S32 unit; I solved the problem by getting an Airport Express and extending the coverage of my Airport Extreme... kind of disappointed about the reception issue (but solved by spending $100 extra!) Another fact, but I do not consider it a negative (more or less) is that I cannot charge my iPhone on the S32 - kind of silly, when almost all iPod products coming out these days CAN charge the iPhone - but then I appreciate the peace and quiet of not having a phone in my room when I go to sleep!
Overall: Highly recommend it!

Click Here to see more reviews about: Denon S-32 Internet Radio with Built-in Speakers and 2-Alarm Clock

The Denon S-32 wireless network music system with built-in speakers and 2-alarm clock, one of Denon's first two networked audio products, delivers a smart way to play music from your computer throughout the home. The WiFi certified S-32 offers the ability to stream music either via Ethernet, or wirelessly, from internet radio sources and other network attached storage devices such as PC or Mac computers on the network. The S-32 built-in speakers were targeted to have internationally accepted sound reproduction that is excellent for music with a powerful bass response. Its mono-out allows the use of separate subwoofer of one's choice if ever required. The S-32 comes with a clock with two alarms with auto clock set-and-adjust via internet, and FM/AM radio as well as a built-in dock for iPod for easy drop-in functionality.

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Wednesday, February 29, 2012

GenevaSound S HiFi Docking Station with FM and Alarm for iPod/iPhone (Black) Review

GenevaSound S HiFi Docking Station with FM and Alarm for iPod/iPhone (Black)
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I am a tech geek gadget freak--I admit it--but I'm also a music fanatic and an audiophile who has worked in the home theater/hifi/consumer electronics industry most of my life, and more importantly I've had the opportunity to listen to literally hundreds of sound systems, big and small, over my career. I do have a great, large, 2-channel audio system in my living room that I use for critical listening, but when bopping around the house I actually prefer to haul my iPhone around in my pocket and use it as a source to stream to wirelessly from my iTunes collection on my computer (told you I was a geek), popping it into iPod docks and minisystems I have placed in each room.
Each of these dock speakers/systems in the house is from a different manufacturer, so I have quite a bit of listening experience with many brands, not only from the units I own or have owned, but also from demos I've done at Apple retail stores and many Consumer Electronics Shows. I'd also like to think I have a pretty discriminating ear, but that's just my opinion.
The GenevaSound S by Swiss company Geneva Lab is hands-down the best iPhone/iPod dock speaker system in its size and price range that I've ever heard. I currently own Klipsch, Bose, Logitech, and Cambridge Soundworks units, and it blows them all away. Surprisingly, the Klipsch iGroove SXT comes closest to the Geneva and that's at half the price (if you're paying full retail). If you need a great sounding iPod speaker dock without a radio or alarm functions it's my solid recommendation. The Bose Sounddock is the product that's most comparably priced to the Geneva S, but based on the sound quality (or lack thereof) I've heard that thing produce I wouldn't take one home if you gave it to me. Plus--no radio, no alarm--it's not even a comparable unit even though it sells at retail for the same price as the Geneva S. The unit I'm replacing with my Geneva, a Bose Wave clock radio/CD player, sounds so bad in comparison that it went right to the trash after I set the Geneva up and listened to it.
First, the sound. Full, decent stereo separation, great low end (for its size anyway), clear highs. It's perfect for a bedroom, which as an alarm clock is what it's designed for, but I wouldn't recommend it for any room larger than that. I think based on the volume level you would need to fill a large room you would probably get some rattle and distortion in the cabinet. But again, it should give you more than enough output in your bedroom, the space for which it was designed.
Also, I've read in some online reviews of the product that the tone controls (separate bass and treble) on the remote control have no audible effect on the sound. I don't agree. While their effect on the sound is definitely more subtle than the tone controls on a full sized home audio system, they did change the sound noticeably when I bumped them up or down.
The looks. It's a stunning-looking unit, and very well designed from an aesthetic aspect. Reminds me somewhat of the Bang & Olufson line a little, but much cleaner and simpler. And definitely sturdier. Based on the weight of the unit and the build quality, I doubt you'll have any reliability issues. I bought the black lacquer version, and it looks as good if not better than advertised. I do have a bit of a beef with the included stand though...not sure why they didn't make it in a color matching the cabinet. The gray metal looks a little cheap holding up the unit, and I imagine it would look equally cheesy with the white and red versions. But despite how the stand detracts from its overall beauty, I would never use the unit without it. You will definitely get better sound from the Geneva if it's raised off of the surface a few inches, plus using it with the stand does give you a little more room on your nightstand.
The features have been detailed pretty thoroughly on the product's Amazon page here, so I won't go over them again. It's a pretty stripped down product, without the number of bells and whistles I would have preferred for the price. Two things I DID like about the Bose Wave's clock radio was the way the alarm would very gradually increase in volume until it reached your preset level, and the way the LED display would dim or brighten automatically based on the light in the room. But hey--the Swiss are known for their minimalism aren't they? And besides, the sound quality is far more important to me than those small innovations.
The unit is far from perfect, in spite of its great sound quality. Here are my quibbles, beefs, and cons:
--The clock. Military time only. Yeah I can do the math in my head after Noon, but c'mon Geneva! It's just a simple 4-digit LED display. How hard would it have been to program the units shipped to the US differently? Not a deal-breaker though.
--The radio. You have to use an old-school, chrome, telescoping metal radio antenna (included) to get any reception whatsoever. There's a good reason you won't see it in any of the product images: it completely ruins the aesthetic of the unit. UGLY. Good thing you can unplug it or retract it when not in use. And even with the ugly antenna plugged in, I still get pretty poor reception no matter which direction I place it in. I live in a densely populated part of the LA metro area too, so my distance from radio towers isn't an issue. My Bose and Cambridge units (both clock radios) do a far better job of radio reception in the exact same location. Also, the GenevaSound S is FM only. But seriously--if you're going to listen to garbage quality AM on your clock radio this unit probably isn't for you. I'm sure you can pick up a hotel-grade radio for $10 or so at your local drug store for that. Overall these radio issues are not deal-breakers for me. I didn't buy a device that plays music this beautifully to listen to FM, and since I use it with my iPhone I have plenty of apps installed that allow me to stream radio anyway, and in much better quality.
--Mode switching. A little bothersome quirk I noticed: when you pull your iPhone/iPod out of the dock, it automatically switches to the FM radio. It wouldn't be such a big deal, except in my case since my FM reception is so horrible it ends up going from music to loud static. Why doesn't it just turn off? Not sure why they designed it that way, but not a good idea in my opinion. Geneva does warn you about this feature in the manual, but that still doesn't excuse it from being a bad idea. Not a deal-breaker, and you may get better FM reception than me so this may not be an issue for you anyway.
--Alarm. Just one alarm. Both of my other clock radios have two, which is great for cohabiting couples. Do all Swiss people sleep alone? I also wish you could listen to one source and wake to another, a feature on my other two clock radios. With the Geneva, it will only wake you to whatever source you were listening to when you fell asleep. I'd prefer to sleep to music and wake to the radio, but no can do. Also not a deal-breaker, but worth noting. If you're an iPhone user like me, I've actually found a workaround for this: turn off the GenevaSound S's alarm completely and use the iPhone's built-in alarm in its Clock app (included with every iPhone). That way you can still fall asleep to the music of your choice and then wake to either one of the iPhone's 25 standard alarm sounds or to one of your ring tones instead of the one GevevaSound S's own unimaginative "beep". Another benefit of my method is that in the unlikely event you lose power at home overnight you'll still be awakened by the alarm on the iPhone played through its own little speaker. Geneva claims in the manual "the clock remains valid for up to 1 hour of power loss." In my experience "up to" usually refers to a best case scenario, so if you work in a critical job that you can not afford to show up late for I'm not sure I'd put my trust in Geneva Labs on this one.
--Sleep timer. Or rather lack thereof. That's right, for some reason Geneva Labs decided to leave off this one simple feature that EVERY CLOCK RADIO I'VE EVER OWNED had. So if you're gonna fall asleep to music you're pretty much gonna have to hear the whole album or playlist. Good use for the iPhone/iPod's "On The Go" playlist feature, by the way. And forget about falling asleep listening to the radio, because it will play all night long AND you'll never wake up to an alarm (remember--the GenevaSound S will only wake you to the last source you had on). This is actually the biggest design flaw I see in the unit, and could be a dealbreaker for some if you use it in the bedroom mostly as a clock radio. It wasn't for me--the unit allows you to play an iPhone/iPod through the dock and another through the Line In simultaneously, so I'm working around this by using my iPhone's built-in alarm while listening to music on a separate iPod through the line input. Did I mention I'm a geek?
But none of these issues are serious enough to make me return the GenevaSound S or replace it, and in the end it's all about the sound quality, which is phenomenal. I've found myself going to bed a little earlier and laying in bed a little later in the morning just to stay in the bedroom and listen to music. It sounds that good.
And in my experience, when an audio product makes you want to listen to music more often you've got a winner on your hands.

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From the Swiss firm that first introduced luxury audio fidelity for iPod systems comes the new GenevaSound S - bringing great sound, style and simplicity to the bedroom, kitchen, office and more. GenevaSound S sounds better and does more than any single-function iPod dock on the market, some of which cost 30% to almost 100% more. With more features than single-function docks, GenevaSound S includes the new PowerDock connector, new TouchLight controls, and a digital radio tuner with alarm clock. TouchLight controls are invisible until a hand reaches for the cabinet. Not just eye-catching, it offers extensive control of the iPod menu. (Competitors have limited iPod controls.) When the iPod/iPhone is removed, the motorized PowerDock spins closed and the protruding iPod/iPhone 30-pin connector, a sensitive part, disappears into the cabinet, protecting it from damage and dust. GenevaSound S also comes with a table stand, allowing the user the choice of elevating the system, so it takes up less space on a nightstand, a counter or a desk. The digital radio and programmable alarm make it the best-sounding, simplest iPod clock radio ever, a product segment littered with low-fi sound and eyesore design. It's the first with solid stereo sound and fine design lines.

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