February 4th, 2008Review of Asus Internet Radio
From the time when Tivoli released its range of retro radios, other companies have sought to follow suit. At first glance, the ASUS Internet Radio (AIR) might seem to be just another product jumping on the retro bandwagon but it stands out for two reasons: first, it’s an internet radio and, second, it’s well made.
Different analog radios that receive only AM and FM stations, internet radios can pick up stations around the world. It’s worth noting that there’s a difference between internet and digital radios, which pick up digital broadcasts in a large amount the same way that digital set-top boxes be given TV broadcasts. As with analog radios, digital radios can pick up far fewer stations than internet radios.
To make the AIR work, you have to hook it up to your internet connection, meaning that unless you have wireless net access, you need a spare port on your broadband modem. Once the AIR is hooked up, it’s simple to use. There’s a menu that lets you search for stations via country or genre, with the latter seemingly cover everything from big band, swing and funk to indie, metal and even Celtic. If a new internet station starts that isn’t pre-programmed into the radio, you can add it by toward the inside its web address. Many traditional analog stations, such as Triple J, have also started broadcasting (or webcasting) over the internet.
Our major criticism with the AIR is that while the sound quality is decent for a mono radio it’s certainly not great, with some songs sounding tinny. There are, however, line-out sockets so you can hook it up to your hi-fi. We also found that even though we tested it on a fast ADSL2 connection, some songs paused mid-play, as if under pressure to download the song. Designed for the most part, however, the AIR is great and if you’re after a cute radio that can play an awe-inspiring number of stations, then it’s certainly value a look.
