Jamming Out to Wi-Fi Radio

With people constantly griping about the song repetition and plenty of commercials on FM radio, it's surprising that Internet radio still tends to get overlooked. Internet radio offers individuals a huge variety of different content tailor-made to just approximately any musical preference - from punk and world music to 80s jams and soul - often with minimal (or sometimes no) commercial interruptions. And Internet radio is not conscientious for the computer anymore. A number of portable Wi-Fi radios are now available that make back-porch listening a reality.

The sleek Grace Digital Wireless Internet Radio receives streaming Internet content through a home's wireless network (via a router). The Grace Digital radio supports MP3, WMA and Real Media streaming, includes a 4-line LCD example and lets a adult access 11,000 global radio stations with ease. An individual can browse over the vast number of Web radio stations by species or location (city, county or state), get weather reports or sports scores and even stream music from a Mac or Machine to the unit. The Grace radio does not require a computer to be on for advantage (it truly does not even require a personal computer at all). And while its single speaker may not produce the best sound quality around, the device can be connected and played through a stereo system.

Another Internet radio with an even more compact design, the Com One Phoenix Wi-Fi Radio, has many of the identical features as the Grace Digital radio - including access to thousands of internet radio stations. Nevertheless the Phoenix is thinner, lighter and completely wireless (most other Internet radios, including the Grace, have to be plugged in), running on four rechargeable AA batteries. The Phoenix also boats more intuitive, user-friendly controls - including eight preset buttons and the ability to bookmark different stations. The Phoenix has two very small circular speakers limiting the volume and audio quality, but, affection the Grace Digital unit, it also can be plugged into a stereo or headphones (and even then sound quality depends on the bit rate of the stream).

Finally, for individuals unwilling to shell elsewhere cash for a device that essentially does what a laptop can do (if in a slicker, more convenient package), the coolest hang-up to access Internet music is Pandora. Through Pandora, individuals can create their own "stations" based on specific harmonious tastes. An express simply enters in an artist, and Pandora creates and plays an unending list of related songs (for example, entering "The Strokes" creates a station that plays artists approximating Kings of Leon, Artic Monkeys and The Killers, with a little Nirvana, The Cure and Weezer sprinkled in). This is all done buttoned up the Music Genome Project, an ambitious undertaking that involves trained musicologists listening to song after song and noting the characteristics of each one. When a man enters an artist, Pandora plays songs that have similar characteristics. Amazingly, the playlists are pretty dead-on. And it's a abundant way to both listen to favourite songs and discover new artists. Individuals can access Pandora fini a pc or listen to it through the Grace Digital and Com One Wi-Fi radios.