Cutting the Cord is an ongoing series that explores the different ways you can listen to Internet Radio besides sitting in front of your computer.

Cutting the Cord, Pt 5: FM Takes a Backseat to WiFi

In this Tech Digest post a brand new Internet Radio by Freecom is previewed, the MusicPal (pictured at right).  The player will be available this August in the UK.  Wired or wireless, the player plays any internet radio stream or local mp3 library as well as supporting RSS / blog feeds.  Listen through built in speakers, plug in headphones or run a line into your stereo system.  Even use it as an alarm clock.

Even cooler looking are the new Tivoli NetWorks and NetWorksGo radios.  Both are interestingly positioned as Internet / FM radios where FM is considered a fall back for when a wireless signal is not available.  The NetWorks unit has the same great look of Tivoli's traditional AM-FM radios with a wood cabinet and elegant design in addition to the large multi-line digital display.  The NetWorksGo radio (pictured above) is a portable unit with FM and USB port for MP3 or flash memory connections.   Both units will be released late in 2007.  Pricing is not yet available.

Recently, David Pogue of the New York Times reviewed five new devices (including the Tivoli NetWorks and Com One Phoenix, pictured at right).  This tech site, Silicon Republic, from Ireland reviewed yet another (the Logik IR100) the same week in this article.  The variety of features and price points among them suggests the market is opening up as companies compete to produce the iPod of internet radio.  

If It Doesn't Do Digital I Don't Want It 

As we move into a post-iPod world the standard features on radios are rapidly changing.  Radio tuners and stereos have usb ports on the front of them for mp3 players or memory sticks.  Network jacks are appearing alongside RCA connectors on rear panels.  WiFi antennas are built into entertainment systems just like on laptops.  The younger generation doesn't own cds or cassettes or records.  Entire music libraries exist as digital files toted around on hard drives and flash drives.  New music is found online through internet radio, myspace and music sites.

All these changes are coming out at a trickle right now but much more is on the way.  The devices listed above are only the beginning.  The Tivoli units will most likely be a little too expensive for most but you can be sure someone is designing a better, cheaper music player as we speak.  Philadelphia is scheduled to be completely wireless by year's end.  You could very shortly be sitting under a tree in Fairmount Park listening to G-town Radio instead of anything on the FM dial.  It is not quite here yet but it is coming. 

See also:
The Revolution Will Now Be Mobile
Cutting the Cord homepage

Cutting the Cord is a series of posts you will see over the next few weeks that explore the different ways you can listen to Internet Radio besides sitting in front of your computer.

Cutting the Cord, Pt 4: G-town Radio on Your Walkman or Boombox

The 2007 Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas introduced two new products that could greatly improve the mobility and access to Internet Radio.  Both devices use WiFi signals to connect to websites with audio streams.  This post takes a closer look at both.

Sandisk Introduces Sansa Connect

Flash memory company SanDisk unveiled its Sansa Connect MP3 player with 4GB of built in memory along with a slot for a memory card.  Compared to hard disk players or even other flash based MP3 players the Sansa Connect is light on storage space.  What diminishes the significance of low storage is the Sansa's WiFi capability.  Using the 802.11g WiFi standard the Sansa Connect can use any open WiFi access point to listen to Internet Radio or subscription music services.  It can also play music or display picture files stored on a local computer.  The Sansa Connect is expected to arrive in retail markets in March 2007 at a price of $249.99.  While the price pushes it out of reach for many people SanDisk has raised the bar for what portable music players should do.  Expect competitors to follow suit with cheaper, better products in the months to come.

Component Makers Bring the Future of Internet Radio

Frontier Silicon introduced the Chorus 2i chip set at this year's CES.  The chips enable devices to receive analog and digital radio in addition to Internet Radio via WiFi.  Devices ranging from alarm clock radios to boomboxes and stereo tuners could carry the chip set.  The company expects devices carrying the Chorus 2i to start appearing this summer for prices below $100.

Meanwhile, Cambridge Consultants, Ltd. has created the Iona chip set.  The Iona only has WiFi capability (no analog or digital radio) but was engineered to have a $15 bill of materials as well as low power usage.  Cambridge is positioning the product as an add-on for existing music players that don't have WiFi capability.  The company expects products with the Iona to start appearing in time for the 2007 holiday season.

By creating components that could be used by any equipment manufacturer the future for Internet-enabled Radios is wide open.  Expect to see a wide array of products at multiple price points in the coming year.  Some may be incredibly creative solutions while others are awkward and ineffective.  One product could dwarf all others (like the iPod did) or the technology could seep into our lives in multiple products that creates a new standard for audio delivery.  Either way, the push to deliver information and entertainment over wireless networks will further the reach and importance of mediums like Internet Radio.

See also:
The Revolution Will Now Be Mobile
Cutting the Cord homepage

Cutting the Cord is a new series of posts you will see over the next few weeks that explore the different ways you can listen to Internet Radio besides sitting in front of your computer.

Cutting the Cord, Pt 3: G-town Radio on Your Stereo

Your computer allows you to listen to radio stations from anywhere in the world.  It also stores your mammoth mp3 library you have lovingly compiled over the years.  Ironically, what most computers don't do so well is play music.  Most pc speakers are tiny, tinny pieces of crap.  Sound cards are getting better all the time but do they sound nearly as good as your home stereo, or even your car stereo?

As WiFi networks in the home and in public places continue to grow products that leverage this access are slowly starting to appear in the market.  The goal of many of these products is to bypass your computer when listening to music, looking at pictures or watching movies.  The biggest limitation of internet radio has been you could only listen while sitting at your computer.  Socializing around the cluttered area you shoved your computer just so you could listen to the new songs you downloaded was never appealing and may never have to happen again.

One company is already delivering products that bring internet radio as well as your music library directly to your stereo system or anywhere in your house you would have a portable radio.  Roku has created the Soundbridge line of stereo components (pictured above).  Soundbridge players are stereo components you connect to a receiver or powered speakers.  They use WiFi to retrieve music files directly from your PC.  Turn off your PC and they can still connect to the internet to play internet radio stations from anywhere in the world (using your WiFi router).  The newest Roku addition is the Soundbridge Radio (pictured below).  This tabletop device is a self-contained radio with speakers and sub-woofers that can play internet radio anywhere in the house.  It also has an AM/FM receiver, alarm clock and station presets (for broadcast & internet radio).  The Roku products range in price from $129.99 for the low-end Soundbridge component to the $399.99 Soundbridge Radio.

The capabilities of these products is an exciting breakthrough in increasing the reach of internet radio.  While the price may be prohibitive for many the promise of newer, better, and cheaper products looms on the horizon.  New products were unveiled at this year’s Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas that indicate this is true.  We’ll take a closer look at two of these in the next installment of Cutting the Cord.

See also:
The Revolution Will Now Be Mobile
Cutting the Cord homepage

Cutting the Cord is a new series of posts you will see over the next few weeks that explore the different ways you can listen to Internet Radio besides sitting in front of your computer.

Cutting the Cord, Pt 2: G-town Radio in Love Park

As most know, Philadelphia is creating a wireless network to allow access to the internet anywhere in the city as well as help to bridge the digital divide preventing lower income families from broadband internet access.  Earthlink, the network vendor, is currently building its first test area north of Center City with hopes of reaching the entire city by October, 2007. What many may not know is that free wireless access has been available in various public spaces in the city for well over a year.  One of these places is JFK Plaza, a.ka. Love Park, at 15th and JFK Boulevard. (The others are the Reading Terminal Market and the Pennsylvania Convention Center)

In a continuing quest to find new ways people can listen to internet radio I visited Love Park to test its WiFi network and listen to G-town Radio.  One afternoon in late December I brought a Dell Latitude laptop with a built in wireless card with me to Love Park.  After booting up I found multiple wireless networks within reach of the plaza.  A sign posted at the entrance to the park (pictured at left) gave instructions about how to connect. None of the available networks matched the instructions.  Figuring the sign must be out of date I pressed on trying to logon to the various networks.  After failing to connect to a network called Free Public WiFi I was successful with FeatherFreeByEarthLink.  The connection was a bit sluggish compared to wired DSL but far better than dial-up (not to mention free and outside).

Once online, connecting to G-town Radio and requesting an audio stream was as easy as doing it at home.  The connection was clear and aside from occasional buffering never dropped out.  It's not particularly remarkable to listen to internet radio on a laptop through a wireless internet connection in a coffee shop or cafe but doing it out in the open is.  Once the WiFi network is completed this will be possible all over the city.  While you will need a paid account to connect everywhere places like Love Park will always be free.  The free locations will only grow in the new year.  Another provision of the project is that each city councilperson will be allowed to designate free WiFi areas within their district.  Those with good ideas on locations should contact their councilperson today.

One final note about the growth of public WiFi and internet radio.  As these WiFi networks pop up nationwide expect to see new products to take advantage of the ubiquitous access.  WiFi capable mobile phones are already appearing and don't be surprised if devices designed especially for listening to internet radio replace lugging your laptop around.  The technology seems to be here and products should appear in the near future.

In the next installment I will look at some ways to cut the cord in your own home and listen to internet radio on your stereo or anywhere in your home.

See also:
The Revolution Will Now Be Mobile
Cutting the Cord homepage

Cutting the Cord is a new series of posts you will see over the next few weeks that explore the different ways you can listen to Internet Radio besides sitting in front of your computer.

Cutting the Cord, Pt 1: G-town Radio on the Train

I recently purchased a new phone, the Treo 680.  Like the current crop of smart phones being released this phone can connect to the internet from almost anywhere.  Not only can it connect to any website it can also stream audio from those websites.  Over the past few weeks I have been testing this on the train into work (see picture at right).  I ride the R8 from Germantown into Center City.  The train tracks wind down through Northwest Philly behind old factories and under streets to the North Broad station before heading to 30th Street.  Over the course of the 25 minute ride the stream drops two to three times but quickly re-buffers and resumes streaming.  The longest the stream has gone unavailable so far has been approximately 1 minute.

The day these pictures were taken I rode into Suburban Station which is underground.  To my surprise the stream stayed connected the entire time I was underground.  The picture to the left is on the platform at Suburban Station after getting off the train.  From there I made my way up to the street.  The rest of the afternoon I roamed throughout Center City.  The connection was uninterrupted and clear the entire time.  My trip consisted of walking crosstown along Arch St to the Reading Terminal and then into Old City (for a few beers at the Khyber).  From there I made my way back to the Market East Station (via the Gayborhood).  The connection had to re-buffer one or two times but quickly resumed so that a song was not missed.

Two important notes about using the mobile phone.  This phone is not a 3G phone which is significantly faster than my current connection.  Also, my phone plan (with Cingular) allows for unlimited internet usage.  It is not recommended you attempt this if your plan does not have unlimited usage for a flat fee.  As newer phones are rolled out those on 3G networks with unlimited internet plans should become common.

In the next installment we will test out Philly's new Wireless network outside. 

See also:
The Revolution Will Now Be Mobile
Cutting the Cord homepage