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WiFi Streaming Music Device with Access to Online Content
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Technical Details
- Stream music across the 802.11 b/g WiFi network with "Best-in-Class" range. Brodband Internet service and a home WiFi network router are required- Listen to Internet radio from the available 11,000 stations with no monthly fee
- Access Internet radio stations from our user-friendly online site or on the device itself
- Play music from any audio device (I.e. CD player, MP3 player, etc.)
- Connect to any stereo system or powered speakers to access sreaming internet radio or music files stored on a PC or Mac
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By alltheusernamesaretaken
(Disclaimer: I received this product from the Amazon Vine program.)
"So much potential" -- that's what I couldn't help but think every time I played with this radio over the course of a few weeks.
First, the good: It works. That's actually saying a lot: In an age of over-complicated gadgets and annoying setup routines, this radio was easy to set up and straightforward (if just a bit slow) to use. Plugged it in, turned it on, entered my hotspot info using the control wheel and beautiful color screen and was presented with a list of genres and stations. Navigation takes a few seconds between each screen, but not long enough to be an issue. Pick a station, it starts buffering, and within a few seconds I'm listening to radio from the Internet -- woohoo, welcome to 1999!
And that's the thing, unfortunately. Anybody who's likely to be interested in this product is probably already tech-savvy, and expecting them to be pay this much for a single feature (standalone Internet radio) is, in my opinion, unrealistic when another $50 will get you an iPod Touch and some decent speakers which, together, can do much more. A little more than that would get you a full netbook.
The product's best part, its simplicity, is perhaps also its fatal flaw. There's no Pandora or Last.fm support. There's no Windows Media Center or even Windows Media Player "shared media" support. You CAN listen to your own music, but to do so you have to create a new user account on your computer and manually share the files; the radio can only browse through them in folder mode and has no playlist or even shuffle support. Beyond that, expandability is limited to adding your own internet streams through the "My Stations" feature, which to its credit works well enough, but overall this device is just a bit too limited for my tastes given its pricing.
I originally envisioned it as a full-time music device, replacing my laptop as my primary source of tunes. That didn't work out because of its limitations. Then I just left it in the kitchen, thinking I'd make breakfast every day to a weather report and some radio. The weather feature is too clunky and slow (taking several screens and about half a minute to download the info), but at least the radio portion works well enough: Push the On button and the radio automatically connects to the last station and starts playing. You can also set it up in alarm mode if you want to wake up to music.
So, ask yourself: Is basic internet radio all you want? Do you want it in one simple-to-use, custom-designed device? Is the price acceptable to you? If all of the above is true, I'd say the VTech fits the bill. If you want more power from your fancy internet gadgets, however, I'd look elsewhere.
By Anonymous (United States)
The controls are simple and easy to use, but the subwoofer becomes overstresssed around 40% of volume and more of an annoyance.
The lack of basic treble / bass adjustment controls is frustrating and can't be adjusted without using a PC or external player as the source and with finer controls found in basic speakers for 1/3 the price.
The polished case is elegant without pretension and scratch resistant, recessed controls make it suitable for resting items w/o risking accidental buttstructions and a simple jog wheel makes it easy to configure.
The WiFi antennas are weak and the Wireless Network Finder doesn't consistently locate every available network at the first try, you may have to repeat the "Find Network" function repeatedly unless the VTech is inside the same room and practically next to the access point.
A warning about configuration, settings including WiFi keys and network affinity are lost if power is interrupted, even a minor glick that may leave the VCR and Microwave clocks alone will flush all of the settings and requires reprogramming of favorites and WiFi keys, there doesn't seem to be a remote console or management software and frustrating if you can't provide highly reliable power.
Entering WiFi keys is annoying, the onscreen AlphaNumeric keyboard only scrolls left <--> or right and only a network named "A" with "aaaa"'s as the password are convenient to use.
The vTech can retain these items with six AA batteries but they won't display the time nor provide Alarm clock functions and a household with power issues and heavy sleepers shouldn't replace their clock radio just yet. Even when kept on steady power, the device still drained the batteries and trickled out 50% of their capacity in three weeks.
By Frederic Woodbridge (ID, USA)
This impressive-sounding "device" is simply a radio with Internet capabilities, but so be it: we'll call it the IS9181.
The IS9181 is a cute little gadget that didn't take me long to get working, which is a plus, but there were various little annoyances that I thought detracted enough from using it that I have decided to give it a less glamorous review: 3-and-a-half stars.
I subject most electronics to what I call the "dumb male" test: is it possible to set it up without reading any manuals of documentation and if so, how long would it take to get the majority of the features working. I award a five-star rating if I can get it operational within 15 minutes. I'm happy to report that I was able to get the IS9181 working within 10. (5 stars)
Plugged in, the operating buttons are easy to read, but only if you're directly above them but even with that slight drawback, the menus were intuitive to navigate and the device to configure. Anyone who's used any electronic device within the last five years should not have too much difficulty working the IS9181. The rotating wheel used to move backwards and forwards had a pleasing feel to it while the colorized menu on the front was clear and readable. I soon had the device connected to my WiFi access point easily. The speakers are pretty good with the woofer hidden directly underneath adding a nice bit of depth to what could have been a teeny sound system.
Within another five minutes, I was streaming music from Internet radio stations around the world. I do wish I could choose/sort the stations according to their streaming speeds, however. In addition, all the stations are arranged alphabetically, which can be a real drag to sift through. (-0.5 stars)
The range of musical styles and genres is impressive as is the fact that with just a few clicks, it is possible to enter your ZIP code and get the weather report both for today and five days ahead. When not working, the display shows the time (although it is not intelligent enough to use Daylight Saving Time automatically; -0.5 stars). It is also a bit inconvenient that the rotating wheel used to highlight menu items cannot also be used to choose the item, instead of having to click on the "select" button to the side. (-0.25 stars)
A little weirdness happened when I chose the "Popular stations": of all the stations, the device thought was the most popular a *Dutch* talk radio station. Strange :-)
A small remote control comes with the IS9181 which, considering how difficult it would be to be fumbling around if you use it as a bedside alarm clock-radio, is a boon. However, mine simply stopped working after only one use . (-0.25 stars)
Apparently, it was also possible to add stations by registering on the manufacturer's website. I haven't bothered to try although that sounds like a good idea. The other slightly annoying bug is that, when the device is turned off, it disconnects from the access point and turning it back on and attempting to do anything related to online activity throws the device into a loop of error messages with no way of breaking out until the WAP is back online.
By - Kasia S. (New York City)
This radio player is pretty good but I still love my Logitech Sequeeze box better, call me silly but upgrades aren't always better. The screen display on this one is color and bright enough where it annoys me at night, I often think of places I can use it in that wont be staring me in the face when I'm trying to sleep. Also when not using the remote, the control buttons are on top, which makes it a little cumbersome to use, I prefer the Squeezebox set up of front buttons and dials.
Easy to use and sounds good, so far it's not bad , but the search option can be tedious and I do love the weather forecast at front, useful when I don't have time to turn on the tv or search the net for the weather. I do love these devices, they reach out to so many cool internet radio stations that I would never hear otherwise, and I like setting up my favorites and with one click being able to hear great sounds.
For the price this is a good pick and it's not super huge so finding a place for it is a cinch.
By J. Moore (Garden of Earthly Delights)
I've tried a couple of Internet radios and haven't been too impressed with sound quality and ease of setup, the VTech IS9181 was a pleasant exception. Out of the box, setup was a breeze. I am impressed with the sound from the small built-in speakers, and the unit does support plugging into external stereo or speakers.
I have yet to try the file-sharing feature, but the ability to stream music or audio books from my PC is very cool. I have had no issues with the wireless.
I love that this unit displays the weather forecast on the front - it's a very cool little add on. You can plug in other audio sources, but I'd love to have a built in iPhone jack (that wold make this just about perfect for me).
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