PURE PocketDAB 2000: Yo diggity, you got to DAB it up

You'll need pockets like a clown to really feel comfortable carting the PURE PocketDAB around. Imagine an iPod with a beer belly and you're close to how the chassis looks. Voluptuous is the word that comes to mind. Pure have laid out the controls on this new DAB in an attractive and surprisingly usable way. A large joypad in the centre gives lets you flick through digital radio stations -- depressing the pad selects one. A series of function buttons -- which let you do things like record live radio and change the equaliser -- orbit this joypad like tiny silver moons.

As with most DABs, there's an annoying lag as the radio tunes into different stations. It's not as bad as we've seen on some radios and given the PURE's elfin size we'd expect it to be difficult to pack in a more responsive tuner. The screen, though an uninspiring monotone, is clear and bright. We listened to an Ian Brown track on Radio 6 and were intrigued to see his biography scroll up the tiny LCD while the song played.

So what does this critter sound like? Well, the chunky headphones bundled with the PURE have a real kick to them. There's a relatively cavernous back to the speaker units themselves, which might be helping to give the low end a little more punch and refinement. DAB can't match the sound quality of a good MP3, let alone CD, so we weren't blown away. Luckily the Pure can play and record MP3s using an internal SD card. Expect a full review soon. -CS

Update: this review is now live here.