Over 10,000 music stations via wireless - no turning on your PC, no fiddling with software. Is the ASUS AIR the reason to finally switch to Net radio?
Asus, the company that brought you the Eee PC, have put their thinking caps on and developed the AIR (Asus Internet Radio) - a wireless and ethernet unit capable of picking up over 10 000 streaming radio stations from around the world.
The device is surprisingly small and compact, designed like it came out of the 1970's. A small LCD display features a white on blue background and by today's standard, it's fairly retro and could have done with a bit more colour and pixels - but for the most part, it ensures that station navigation remains effective for what it's built for.
A number of dials on the unit seemed confusing at first, including changing the volume while scanning for stations and this is one of the radio's slight drawbacks. You'll also need to warm to the directional menu button, a plastic scroll wheel which can feel awkward when completing more difficult menu configurations.
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| We want wifi radio portability so we can be as happy as this guy |
Setting up the unit is fairly straight forward. Direct connections using Ethernet cables are simple enough, but entering the WEP code for encrypted wireless signals requires slightly more skill and a few more buttons to push. Don't expect the manuals to help much in that area.
The actual unit is a joy to play with. We had it positioned in the office for everyone to listen to and even managed to churn out a selection of cringe worthy 80's hits from a couple of stations in Europe and Samoa with enough volume to hear it quite clearly. The unit is divided into regions/countries and genres and this ease of use makes it particularly special, because it wasn't hard to chop and change between radio 'channels' to find a song worth playing.
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| Asus have gone all retro by design |
When we tested it, we found that the audio clarity of the streams depended on the actual feed of the radio station we were listening to and ranged from 22kpbs to 48kbps, which is not quite Mp3 quality, but felt adequate on the mono speaker provided. Some of the stations were interrupted by buffering problems, but this to be expected on any streaming device that relies on pre-programmed internet feeds. For those who can't fathom a mono radio experience, the unit can be connected to an audio line out jack, so a set of bigger, beefier speakers can be connected.
While most station genres delivered a healthy range of songs and mostly in English (regardless of where the station was based), when we searched for classic rock, classical music stations got stuck in the programming mix and vice versa, when we searched for classical music. Thankfully, this small problem is hardly worth worrying about and lovers of world music would really enjoy the option of an international radio at the push of a couple of buttons. We also wonder how quickly you could use up a download cap, as leaving the radio on all day could be count towards some hefty downloads.
Stations loaded in a couple of seconds and we were impressed by how quickly you could search around the globe for your favourite song without getting stuck. We also liked being able to save up to 250 of your favourite stations, but the lack of battery portability seriously constrains the portability. We question the real point of having a device at your desk that promises wireless signal, when you can't take it away from a power supply. A portable product in this class could be a hit. The unit ships starts at $239 from Abit.
Pros:
- Easy to navigate from station to station
- Good sound quality
- Huge choice of radio and genre variety
- Clear LCD screen
- Stereo speaker line out
Cons:
- no battery compatibility
- buttons and configuration can be confusing
- overly expensive
- poor manuals