Hands-on with PURE Digital's Evoke-1S DAB radio
Digital RadioPURE Digital, like Ron Burgundy, is kind of a big deal, keeping the digital radio market punchy with its stylish and easy-to-use equipment. We loved the Legato II and the chunky Oasis and now we're elbow-deep in reviewing the lovely Evoke-1S -- a simple and functional kitchen radio encased in an attractive maple enclosure.
The new Evoke builds on the design and feature set of the Editor's Choice 2006-winning Evoke-3, though this incarnation features only a single speaker. An additional speaker can be purchased separately and jacked into the main unit to provide a stereo output offering. We'd rather have stereo as standard, of course, but as many talk-radio stations broadcast in mono, this may not be a deal-breaker for too many people. Continue reading...
LG T54: Ultra-sleek MP3 player with digital radio
MP3 PlayersIf you drooled over LG's FM37, you'd better fetch a napkin, because LG has just launched its successor, the T54. Although we took slight issue with the sporadic awkwardness of using the FM37's touchscreen, we nevertheless adored its stylish finish and hefty specification. The new model corrects what we called one of the old model's biggest flaws -- its lack of radio -- by adding both DAB and standard FM tuners. Rejoice!
Retained is the er-sleek casing, support for OGG, WAV, MP3 and WMA files, and high-quality WMV videos. MPEG-4 video is supported up to a superb 2Mbps. Sadly, although 8GB is a good capacity, we should be seeing 16GB MP3 players popping up now. So far only Creative has upped its maximum capacities to the 16GB mark with the new Zen V Plus and the very recently announced Zen, which we're expecting to see tomorrow during our walks around IFA here in Berlin. Continue reading...
Crave Football: Digital radios for footy fans
Digital RadioFootball season is upon us. It's time to raid Sainsbury's for Carling, ignore your wives and children and hysterically scream "THE REFEREE'S A BANKER!" Though why people insist on shouting such an obvious lie is beyond us -- referees are professional now, they don't have other jobs any more. Dumbasses.
Anyway, if you're lucky enough not to have to sit at home watching the game in glorious hi-def, with your feet up, sitting in an comfortable armchair in a centrally heated home, you may want a little radio friend to help you keep up-to-date with other games happening in stadiums across the land. We've got some Premier League digital radios for you to fantasise over, starting with one from British DAB wizards PURE Digital. Continue reading...
PURE Digital Siesta: DAB radio for treehuggers
Digital RadioCaring about the environment is trendier than ever in the tech world, with massive companies such as Apple and Dell at least paying lip service to the idea that our obsession with new products shouldn't take an unnecessary toll on old Mother Earth. Keen to jump on the eco-bandwagon is PURE Digital, whose DAB radios lead the digital radio pack. Its new Siesta DAB alarm-clock radio is squarely aimed at hippies people who enthusiastically aim to reduce their negative impact on the environment.
At 49.99, the Siesta is an affordable bit of gear and apparently uses less than 1W of energy when in standby mode. We've no immediate way of testing this, so we'll take PURE's word for it for now. Build quality feels lower than the company's usual efforts, but it's a pleasant design and PURE's comparison charts claim the Siesta is much less power hungry than the average portable DAB radio, using one tenth as much juice on standby as leading competing models. Continue reading...
Acoustic Energy Wi-Fi Internet Radio: True wireless
AccessoriesInternet radio offers a dizzying level of choice from around the world. If you want to listen to the Peruvian Chris Moyles, or you just want more stations than your FM or DAB radio can offer, you won't go far wrong with the does-what-it-says-on-the-tin Wi-Fi Internet Radio from Acoustic Energy.
AE's portable wedge-shaped box makes Internet radio simple. This plug-and-play device links directly to any Wi-Fi network and gives you the ability to listen to live as well as listen-again radio content without turning on your PC.
We particularly like the prominent rubber twiddler, which has a pleasing clicky feel to it. Unfortunately, Crave's office Wi-Fi network is currently more secure than Guantanamo, so we couldn't test this out for ourselves. Continue reading...
Roberts digital radio iPod add-on: DAB goes egg-shaped
MP3 PlayersOne of the most common complaints about the iPod is that it lacks a simple radio. It's a common feature in so many portable audio players now that it seems almost ridiculous that the iPod doesn't have such a feature built in as standard. But radio connoisseur Roberts is heeding the call from the radiophiles and is partnering with Frontier Silicon to develop a DAB/FM radio podcessory.
At a mooted price of around 50 we're quite sure the market will be welcoming. What we're not sure about is the statement that the attachment will be "about the size of an egg". Hence our picture here. We don't know what it really looks like.
With iPod sales in the UK soaring up to the eight-figure bracket, and with a number of people still appreciating old-fashioned broadcast media, bodies such as the BBC have welcomed this move. The Beeb has made vast numbers of its radio shows available as downloadable podcasts and these experiments have been massively successful, to the point where five BBC podcasts appear in the iTunes UK top ten. Continue reading...
Win a PURE Digital weatherproof Oasis DAB radio!
Digital RadioAs regular readers will know, the first of the month is a momentous day on Crave -- it's the day we announce hot new products that we're giving away, completely for free.
True to form, we've just launched a brand-new competition on CNET.co.uk.
Seeing as summer is well on its way, we thought this month we'd give you gadget-lovers a taste of the great outdoors. But wouldn't we be the last people who'd want to drag you away from your digital living rooms? Not this time. We've spoken nicely to the guys at PURE Digital, who have kindly given us three of their weatherproof Oasis DAB radios, worth 120 each, to give away. Continue reading...
Hands-on with PURE Digital Legato II: Style defined
Digital RadioOkay, this isn't a new product, but we were so impressed with it at a trade show we felt the need to get one in anyway. PURE Digital's Legato II is a digital diamond of a mini system, with built-in DAB radio, an SD card slot and a USB port for MP3 playback, a CD player of course, three auxiliary inputs for iPod connections and the like, and technology that allows you to pause and rewind live digital radio. It's also absolutely beautiful.
Here at Crave we get to see so many elegant devices and products, but only a select few tick every box in terms of design and features. Aside from a wealth of features for such a system, we love the glossy piano-black finish, which is complemented by a brushed-metal front and a truly 'as-simple-as-possible' control method. Continue reading...
PopCatcher MusicDock MD-601: Goodbye adverts
MP3 PlayersMusic for free, without ads or DJ blather? It can only be the work of those crazy DRM-hating Swedes. PopCatcher is the latest in Scandinavian copyright rebellion -- it craftily isolates songs played on any FM, AM or Internet radio station, rips them into the friendly MP3 format and syncs them up to the docked MP3 player. If you're a radio junkie then this may sound too good to be true. Advertisers, on the other hand, should begin screaming now.
Crave played with the PopCatcher MusicDock MD-601 over the weekend and we've had mixed results. The bottom line is that music is isolated and we haven't heard a single word from a DJ or the tail-end of an advertisement. What we have heard, however, is the same few songs over and over again. Continue reading...
Bush TR2015: Radio without the wires
Digital RadioWhen a Wi-Fi radio arrives at the office, Crave gets excited. You'd think we'd never seen a radio without wires before -- as if FM was delivered by 3-inch-thick copper cable -- surely wireless is nothing new in the world of the radio? Radio used to be called 'the wireless', yet Wi-Fi radios still get Crave's juices flowing.
The problem with traditional DAB and FM radios is that there's a limited amount of bandwidth available. And despite broadcasters doing their level best to squeeze as many radio stations into the spectrum as possible, and to hell with the sound quality, there will always be a limit. The Internet isn't burdened with such restrictions. So getting your radio via the Web seems like a smart move, and one that offers potentially much higher quality. We thought it sounded okay -- it's Wi-Fi not hi-fi, but it does the job, and the audio quality varies a lot depending on what bit rate it's being streamed at. Continue reading...
Gadget Love: Romance is a red piece of tech
Gadgets"Happy Valentine's Day, sweetheart! Look, I got you a present." "Oh, Crave, that's so sweet of you, you shouldn't have! It's a... it's a red iPod nano. WTF?" "Yes, it's red, the colour of romance, so whenever you're listening to your MP3s you can remember how much I love you." "Blatantly, you're going to nick it." "True, but whenever I'm using it I can remember how much I love you -- what could be more romantic?"
If this situation sounds like it could well happen in your love life, here are some red gadgets for your perusal. And if you order them today, they should be here in time for the big day next week. Continue reading...
PURE Digital Evoke 1XT Marshall: This radio goes up to 11
Digital RadioGet ready to ROCK with this digital radio that's literally 'one louder' than the competition.
PURE Digital has taken its big seller, the Evoke 1XT, thrown out the boring wood panelling and made the whole thing look like a Marshall amp, complete with leather-effect casing, gold-coloured buttons and the all-important Marshall logo.
And yes, like the amp in the spoof rockumentary This is Spinal Tap, the volume knob goes from one to 11.
Sound quality is as good as it gets from a small, mono radio -- fine for the average kitchen or bedroom. You can buy a Marshall-branded extra speaker that plugs into the rear separately for about 40 if you want stereo. Continue reading...
Vita Audio R1 DAB: Box of delights, or casket of frights?
Digital RadioJust when you thought DABs were a substandard replacement for FM, they go and make them look all pretty and your technical reservations go flying out the window. DAB may still sound like a dying man cackling in the rain, but when you consider the Vita Audio R1's fibreboard chassis with cherry, wood or black veneer, injection-moulded plastics and pressed-steel finish, you can't help but feel a twinge of capitalist glee.
"Who cares if they're selling me something worse than FM dressed in a fancy box, tarted up like a muddy tramp forced into a too-small Billabong wetsuit?" you cry. I want my MTV.
Denon S-81DAB: Low-rise sound dispenser
Digital RadioFollowing in the whispy contrails of Arcam's solo, Denon's S-81DAB is one of the new breed of super-mini systems. As with the Arcam, the S-81's CD player, iPod dock and DAB are integrated into a single svelte block. Stacking mini-system components was last century's folly -- now it's all about keeping it bungalow.
The kleptoscenti will enjoy the S-81's native playback of MP3s and WMA from burnt discs. There's also support for ID tags, which means you get to see the name of the currently playing track on the LCD. In keeping with the modern obsession with Apple's iPod, the S-81 features an iPod interface, which allows direct control of your 'Pod using the Denon's controls. Those who are fans of the sonically inferior successor to FM, DAB, will delight at the integrated tuner. Continue reading...
Win a free trip to Las Vegas!
GadgetsDo you love gadgets? Do you deserve a free trip to the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, the world's biggest technology show? We have to talk.
Or rather, you have some writing to do. Enter our competition, explain why you love gadgets, and we'll offer you, in collaboration with our US colleagues at CNET.com, the chance to win an ultracool free trip to Dean Martin's favourite watering hole: Las Vegas, city of sin and personal technology.
Win one of two portable DAB radios
Digital RadioIf, like us, you spend your mornings squished against moist commuters in a metal tin, you're unlikely to be devouring great literary works on the way to work. We haven't yet learned how to read a book that is flush against our face, but we have learned the joys of DAB radio.
If you've not yet gone in the DAB direction, today could be your lucky day, as CNET.co.uk is giving away two PURE Digital PocketDAB 1500 radios. The PocketDAB 1500 is a great option for stressed commuters -- it's around the same size as a mobile phone, so it will fit into your trouser or jacket pocket, and lets you store up to 20 preset DAB and FM channels for easy tuning. Even if you're on a trip from Lands End to John O'Groats, the PocketDAB 1500 will keep going longer than you, with a battery life of around 24 hours.
Crave Talk: ITV rewinds while the world fast-forwards
Home CinemaThere's good news coming for digital telly fans who've resisted the temptations of Sky and cable. Freeview Playback -- a new standard for hard disk personal video recorders -- will be here by the autumn. It will let viewers record an entire TV series at the touch of a single button, will work with programmes that are late or run over, and will offer a decent all-channel, eight-day electronic programme guide. Sky+ has had these sort of features for a while, so the TV companies that make up Freeview are fighting back.
PVR takeup for Freeview has been limited to date. The cognoscenti are keen, preferring brands such as Humax and Topfield and often modifying the devices with extra software, larger hard disks and network connections. But the general public seems unaware of these devices. None of the companies individually can afford to match Sky or NTL Telewest's marketing clout, but with the non-brand specific Freeview Playback, they can club together to sell the idea. Continue reading...
PURE Digital Bug Too: Look into my eyes!
Digital RadioAs instructional literature goes, the leaflet bundled with the Bug Too is alarming stuff. A cartoon on the first two pages shows Wayne Hemingway, designer of the PURE Digital Bug radio, kidnapped, bound tightly with rope and taken to a Guantanamo-style detention centre. Here he is tortured. First his fingers are squashed in a woodworking vice, then his captors, unmoved by Hemingway's pleas for mercy, put him on a rack and stretch his body.
All this is an attempt to persuade Hemingway to design a new revision of the Bug. Capitalism has always been a ruthless game, but is the subtext of PURE's fiction one of whimsy or chilling threat? We're reminded of Russia's forcible acquisition of German scientists to aid them in the Cold War arms race. Luckily this is a cartoon. Continue reading...
PURE PocketDAB 1500: Digital sounds for your trousers
Digital RadioCrave enjoys carrying excessive amounts of technology with us at all times. Once you've got your mobile phone, handheld organiser, laptop, portable video player, PSP, sat-nav system and wireless headphones stowed in your hefty handbag or manbag, it's good to know that you can get a lightweight portable DAB radio.
If you've not yet got one, you may want to look at the latest offering from PURE -- the PocketDAB 1500. This player offers access to as many as 55 DAB stations (depending on what's available in your location) and sports a built-in FM reciever. It's a slim, neat little unit finished in ninja black with sharp silver detailing.
It's straightforward to use: Crave just powered it up, and the player quickly found plenty of DAB stations. The rocker switch provides a volume control when you push it up and down, and toggles between channels when you move it from side to side. The small grey LCD scrolls the usual DAB information, such as track titles, artists' names and sports updates. In a quick initial test the audio seemed bright and clear. Continue reading...
Oono miniDAB: The DABinci Code
Digital RadioWoody Allen once said that "80 per cent of success is showing up", and by this rationale the Oono's unbidden arrival on our desk this morning assures it a positive response. Luckily for Oono (dangerously close to sounding like the exclamation "oh no!"), this pocket DAB-MP3 player-voice recorder combo is not just a headline writer's dream -- it's actually rather good.
Expecting a dismal, patchy performance from the on-board tuner, we were greeted by fairly reliable reception that dealt well with the challenges of the building we're in. Tuners tend to rely on good aerials to maintain a strong DAB signal, but the Oono uses the headphone lead as a replacement for the traditional telescopic aerial.
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