![]() ![]() RadioShark needs a little more work around the edges and built-in presets for major markets. ![]() The company had not responded to these issues by press time. This was not an issue when using a USB port built into my Power Mac. Unfortunately, a shipping version of RadioShark loaned to me by Griffin failed to work reliably when plugged into a USB hub that's part of an Apple Studio Display monitor, stuttering and even crashing my Mac when I attempted to unplug it from the USB port. It is a powered antenna, and in my office - a bit of a radio black hole - I received crystal-clear reception on the full range of Seattle stations. The device may be useful even if you don't have perfect radio reception in the places you want to use it. NPR fans know when "All Things Considered" comes on during broadcasts on KPLU-FM (88.5) and KUOW-FM (94.9), for instance. Most radio listeners tune to the same stations to hear scheduled programs, however, so this isn't much of an issue. RadioShark also lacks a programming guide such as the ones automatically updated as part of TiVo and ReplayTV's subscription or one-time fee services. Instead, you must tune or seek to each station and enter a preset for it. Griffin doesn't preload the radio-tuner software with any stations, which seems odd given that no more than a few hours of work would have yielded the top 50 radio markets' full roster of call letters and frequencies. The application includes a time-shifting feature to store a buffer of whatever you're listening to. Software for both platforms records the converted audio to digital files. The stylish device is an antenna and digital audio converter that connects to the USB port on a Macintosh or a Windows PC. RadioShark is a TiVolike USB device for broadcast radio ($70, Griffin Technology showed off RadioShark way back at the July 2003 Macworld Expo it recently started shipping. ![]() There's no such button on radio equipment yet.īut a piece of hardware and two software packages make it possible for me to now have that much-vaunted time shifting that led Federal Communications Commission Chairman Michael Powell to call TiVo "God's machine." This column is about how, when I want to interrupt listening to a radio program, my hand automatically reaches for the pause button on my radio, but that doesn't exist. ReplayTV is a TiVo competitor that can record television programs to a hard drive directly from a cable feed or antenna for later viewing - or live viewing with a buffer that lets you pause and replay some number of previous minutes. $54.94 (not including the iPod Shuffle, of course) at 'm addicted to my ReplayTV, but this column isn't about that. Currently on sale at Amazon for 31% off the list price ($79.99), it’s a total bargain, too. The software that comes with the RadioShark is so elegantly, intuitively designed (I had it all figured out in about two minutes flat) that it really does live up to its “TiVo for radio” rep. Now you can listen to National Public Radio’s “Car Talk” any time on your iPod Shuffle-on the subway if you want!-instead of wondering if 50 Cent’s “Candy Shop” or Lou Reed’s “Perfect Day” is going to play next. Well, I say, Life doesn’t have to be random! I’ve paired my iPod Shuffle with Griffin Technology’s ingenious RadioShark, a beautifully designed, fin-shaped device that plugs into the USB port of your Mac or Windows PC and not only adds an AM/FM radio to your computer, but lets you schedule automatic recordings of your favorite radio shows and then load them onto your Shuffle or regular iPod-or any other MP3 player, for that matter. The idea is to turn the Shuffle’s one negative-the lack of an LCD screen to let you know what song is currently playing, and to let you choose which one plays next-into a positive. The only flaw is in Apple’s marketing campaign, with its variations on the theme Life is random. I’ve been playing around with my new iPod Shuffle, and I can tell you that it’s just as cool as it seems: It’s insanely small and astonishingly light, and the $150 version holds 240 songs. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |