Earlier in the week, Apple announced that they would start selling an iPod radio accessory, to let you listen to radio on the go. We've got hold of one, and have written up our thoughts below. We think this is one of the first online reviews of the iPod Radio, so enjoy.
The main feature? Radio! A much missed feature, iPod users can now listen to the Radio hassle free, and without bulky accessories. It features RDS, the clever system that tells you the name of the radio station you're listening to. Reception appeared reasonable whilst we were using it; there were noticeable improvements in terms of sound quality if you bobbed your head from one position to the next. When you pop the remote in at the bottom, a menu item called 'radio' appears. It appears well integrated, and is smooth to use. The headphones / remote wire appear to act as the antenna.
The second core feature to this product, and perhaps of more use to some, is the remote. The Radio plugs into the port on the bottom of the iPod, and the headphones plug into the Remote (see pictures). It comes with another set of iPod headphones, with a slightly shorter lead. As an iPod user on the go, it's easy to throw it in a pocket / bag and get annoyed at having to pull it out to change tracks. Problem solved; play, pause, forwards, backwards, volume up, volume down and hold are all on a neat remote. Of course, it wouldn't be Apple without a shiny metallic back with logo.
The biggest flaw we found? Apple seemed to have hard coded the the scan feature to increase in increments of .2 - e.g. 90.1 to 90.3 would be one such step. So... what about stations on even numbers?
You just can't get them! You have to go to the .1 below or above, and hope the signal is quite strong. We can't believe Apple could be so stupid, so we're going to keep on checking this, but for the moment* - wow. No BRMB for you! Also lacking was AM/LW tuning, still popular in many parts of the world.
The other minor annoyance for us was that there didn't appear to be a system for saving pre-sets; whilst it remembers the frequency that you left it on, you couldn't save a list of five stations you listen to, saving the hassle of tuning each time.
Marks out of ten?
Probably a high six. We can't believe that it ships without pre-sets, and we're even more aghast that you can't tune into stations on a frequency ending in an even number! Perhaps the most useful feature, then, is the remote, but at £35.00, we can hardly say this represents good value for money.
Recommended to Apple lovers, heavy radio listeners. Not recommended to anyone on a tight budget or looking for a feature packed product. The iPod Radio works only with Video iPods and Nanos, and requires a firmware update.
View: Purchase the iPod Remote from Apple
Screenshot: Photos of the iPod Radio
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