
This BusinessWeek review of the Tivoli Web Radio says it's overpriced, complicated to use, lacking AM, and inferior sound quality to terrestrial FM. Having said that, this $500 radio is one of the better ones, according to the review, which tells me the technology isn't there yet for web radio to hang out with the Big Boys.
I'll get a wifi radio at some point, and yet I find the whole idea charmless.
Analog radio - especially MW & SW at long range - is scratchy, uncertain, catch-as-catch-can.
That makes a hobby of it, and accounts for much of its appeal.
Posted by: Mike W | February 28, 2009 at 08:05 PM
I find I don't podcast Adam Corolla and Dr. Dean Edell since they were taken off my radio waves. There is something about regular radio.
I remember hating satellite radio, feeling far removed from it, a couple of years ago.
Posted by: Jeffrey McMahon | February 28, 2009 at 08:16 PM
I'm back and forth on the subject. I think net radio works the line between radio/not radio.
Obviously, streaming of on-air signals is just radio by other means.
The less obvious issue is - are internet only stations 'radio'? And if they are, what about pandora/last f.m./slacker?
I think internet only stations are radio, because they meet my most important test: am I a passenger on this trip?
When I want to hear what *I think* I like, I'll dip into my ridiculously large collection of cds and vinyl and downloads.
When I want to hear someone else's take, I listen to the radio.
By that same token, i think pandora/last f.m./slacker aren't radio, because they are too calculated to please me. I feel about them like I feel about big ipods on shuffle - I may be surprised by how one piece of music bumps up against the other, but at the end of the day I'm still talking to myself.
As for the Tivoli, I want one, but not at that price point.
Scott A.
Posted by: Scott Atkinson | March 01, 2009 at 04:01 AM
I wonder if a better solution (both price- and feature-wise) could be what one commenter of the article suggests: get something like the Roku Soundbridge.
Plug that to a Tivoli Model 1 (or your favourite radio), and for about half the price of the Tivoli Web, you have a cute radio with AM, FM, web radio and streaming from the 'puter.
Check out for example picture #12 on http://www.roku.com/community_showcase.php
Posted by: Cyril | March 01, 2009 at 12:29 PM
Cyril, that sounds like the way to go.
Posted by: Jeffrey McMahon | March 01, 2009 at 01:19 PM