Gizmodo
The Gadget: A Wi-Fi internet radio alarm clock from Aluratek, with over 11,000 free stations worldwide.
The Price: $199.
The Verdict: I actually like this thing a lot despite its laundry list of flaws—it's a bread-and-butter gadget that mostly works as advertised. It's got more radio stations than you could possibly ever listen to, from a good portion of the United Nations and organized into a bunch of different genres. Whether or not you want it basically comes down to how much you love radio, and if having thousands of stations on your alarm clock makes you tingly.
Here's what I dug: You can use any radio station (internet or otherwise) as your alarm. Bookmarks for your favorites, a necessity. The stations are about as well organized as you can hope for in cataloging thousands of them, and you can sort them by genre or location. Setup is simple, even without instructions. The sound and size aren't bad, though the bass could be a bit punchier. And I just like the concept of the thing—the core internet radio functionality works really well, above all.
Not groovy: The screen and UI are ugly, straight out of the early '90s. A significant issue is that the Wi-Fi receiver is weak—my DD-WRT router blasts the signal at 85mW, and on the other side of my apartment (which is by no means cavernous) two rooms away, I only got two bars. In a larger pad, this will be a problem. It lost service occasionally, requiring a reboot. And I never could get it to sync up with Windows Media Player, even though it saw my computer, and my computer saw it. Given these issues, $199 is just way too much, as much as I like this thing's soul. [Aluratek]
Comments
This is an interesting idea but $199 is too much.
yuck and yuck. I mean how long does your clock radio need to wake you up? I mean really?
@oopl: I don't know, I don't find $199 completely out of line. Or maybe it just seems reasonably priced having just read about that ridiculously priced $600 Tivoli unit.
200 bucks is Chumby territory.
Don't they do that much and more?
sirius ftw.
@strider_mt2k: So, are you saying that this radio is available for "Chumby change"?
OK, OK, nowhere near as good the Lego Lam. So shoot me. (But at least take me out in style.)
I picked up a Linksys wireless MediaLink for $10 (you can still find them online for $20-$30). Updated with the latest firmware, you get almost as many internet radio stations and streaming access to your home computer.
This looks like a good product, but $199 when usable alternatives cost so much less.
iPod + old speakers will do the same thing. download some podcasts, plug in speakers to iPod, and set the iPod alarm.
And guess what? I bet for most of you this will cost nothing because you own these things anyways... Wanna make it sound really good? Buy better speakers ( I would recommend the harmon kardon sounsticks but the blue light would keep me up... unless you want a nightlight) and you're frosty.
I currently live in part of the world with no decent or English radio stations, so I would actually get one of these things if it didn't suck... I have an internet radio, but for some reason they didn't bother putting an alarm on it. And the ipod & speaker thing is a real pain in the arse to set every day...
Is the Chumby worth checking out?
has anyone looked into what strong Wi-fi in your house does to your gonads?
I have a feeling that with a thought and planning I could make a crude version of this thing.....the semester is over...so i think I'll give it a try.....
btw doesn't it sorta look like they put it in a projector body??
...or you could just power your mp3 player with AC, plug in an FM transmitter, and set your regular clock radio to the proper station. As long as you make sure that your playlist will loop, it is the same thing!
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