[real-eyes] Cheap HD Radio Info for Jose
- From: "Reginald George" <sgeorge@xxxxxxxxx>
- To: <real-eyes@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Tue, 1 Dec 2009 05:53:11 -0600
Hi List,
Okay, this has now turned into one of my famous research projects. So be
warned. Everyone should also know there are apps for the IPhone that let
you listen to HD radio for free of course. That darn IPhone gets everything
darn it!
I searched my archives for information on a talking HD radio, but I must
have dreamed it. Searching the web I did find this article. I would like
it for Christmas myself. I've taken out a lot of the junk, and added a
direct link at Best Buy for anyone interested.
Reg
Insignia NS-HD01: first-ever portable HD Radio on sale at Best Buy
By Darren Murph posted Jul 12th 2009 12:01AM
Remember that first-ever portable HD Radio prototype we peeked back in May?
Turns out Best Buy just let loose the real-deal, today announcing immediate
availability of the Insignia NS-HD01. Needless to say, the big box retailer
and supporters of HD Radio alike are hoping that this subscription-free
player will finally put some much-needed wind behind the sails of the
format, and while it's pretty simple in nature, the sub-$50 price tag could
place it squarely in the "impulse buy" category. The relatively brief specs
list includes a color LCD, rechargeable Li-ion battery, a 3.5 millimeter
headphone jack, a bundled armband and ten user-selectable preset memory
channels. You can catch the full release after the break, and the player
itself in your nearest Best Buy.
Insignia NS-HD01: first-ever portable HD Radio on sale at Best Buy
Best Buy® Releases First-Ever Portable HD Radio Receiver
InsigniaT HD RadioT Portable Player Provides Digital HD Radio Broadcasting
On the Go
MINNEAPOLIS - Today, Best Buy announced the launch of the InsigniaT HD Radio
Portable Player, a first-of-its-kind product innovation, which will be
available exclusively at Best Buy on July 12.
The built-in, rechargeable Lithium-ion battery on the Insignia HD Radio
Portable Player ensures long periods of continuous listening and
entertainment, and a full-color LCD screen makes it simple to program your
favorite preset stations at any time. A stylish armband and a 3.5 mm jack
output make it easy to use the player on the go or in your car. Set up to 10
user-selectable preset memory channels to save and enjoy your favorite
stations wherever you go. For a full list of HD Radio stations, visit
http://www.hdradio.com.
MSRP - $49.99
Features:
10 station presets
Built-in rechargeable lithium-ion battery (up to 10 hours of playing time)
by USB
3.5mm output (can be used with car stereo [cable not included])
Full color display
Displays radio station, artist, and song
rating 3.7 from 5 (72 reviews)
Backordered They claim three weeks but, I bet it's longer. Still $49.
Good news is it's in stock at almost all the stores, including Metro North
Jose.
Accessories included:
Earphones, Armband, USB cable for charging
Package contents:
Earphones, Armband, USB cable, User guide and Quick Set Up Guide
Direct link to the product, and 72 reviews at
http://www.bestbuy.com/site/Insignia%26%23174%3B+-+HD+Radio+Portable+Player/9375071.p?id=1218094581941&skuId=9375071&st=hd
radioKeyword or Item #&cp=1&lp=1
Okay, if you are still reading you are an idiot! So here's your reward. A
couple of representative reviews of the Insignia NS-HD01 below. And some
information on a new one called Slacker radio a guy mentioned. I checked it
out for all of you. There's a free service that let's you download radio
stations to the portable player, and skip up to 6 songs per hour. However,
the radio costs $250, and is probably not that accessible. That was the end
of my research on Slacker. So this is the only cheap and portable HD radio
available at this time, and I still want one, hint hint? It's not perfect,
but it will probably do the job quite nicely thank you.
Great little radio! 11/18/2009
By Nicole801 from SLC, Utah Read all my reviews
Value for Price 5.0 5
Sound Quality 5.0 5
Durability 5.0 5
Reception 5.0 5
What's great about it: It's an Hd radio that is portable, duh!
"I got this radio as a Christmas present for my boyfriend however looking at
other reviews I decided to have him open it early. It worked great! He loves
it so much. You should get better headphones for it. I think whether or not
the reception is good depends on the area you live in so it could really be
hit or miss when you buy it. I would say overall it's a sturdy little radio.
It kind of sucks that it doesn't come with an AC adapter, you have to plug
it in to your computer to charge it. I however was able to use my charger
for my blackberry pearl to charge it and it worked fine. Over-all I am very
pleased with this product."
Would you recommend this product to a friend?: Yes
Great FM radio but inadequate HD radio 11/18/2009
By trunksy from Los Angeles, CA Read all my reviews
Value for Price 2.0 5
Sound Quality 3.0 5
Durability 3.0 5
Reception 1.0 5
What's great about it: The only currently available personal HD radio
product besides Zune HD (expensive).
What's not so great: Programming does not save secondary channels after a
power off.
"I give it very low marks for usability. It barely does what it says it
does.
It does tune HD radio but the reception is pretty bad indoors (at the gym).
I could barely get a radio signal on the second floor and a fat chance of
getting any reception on the first floor at my gym.
One of the differences with HD Radio compared to analog is that it requires
a second or two to buffer before it actually locks into the station and you
hear any sound. Thus, it's not easy to search stations, especially when
you're trying to check out secondary stations. That wouldn't be so bad if it
had good reception which it doesn't. To add insult to injury, the worst
problem with this product is that it doesn't save secondary programmed
stations after you power off the unit. If you select a preset after you've
programmed it, it will send you directly to the HD2 or HD3 station you've
just programmed like it's supposed to but once you power off the device,
everything defaults back to the HD1 station of that frequency. Even if you
try to power off the device leaving it on the HD2 channel, when you power it
back on, it will search for the station and throw you back onto the HD1
station. What's the point of programming if you have to reprogram and/or
retune it every time you turn the product on? Bad design!
Speaking of using it in the gym, the arm band doesn't have any spandex in it
at all and it's shaped like those blood pressure testers. If you actually
have muscles, don't plan on having any blood circulating in your arm if you
plan to do any type of exercising that raises your heart rate, let alone
actually flexing your arm. The wide polyester arm band is completely
constricting unlike most MP3 player arm bands which usually cover a lot less
of your arm and will move (stretch) with your arm.
One suggestion or alternative might be to turn it into a necklace but the
device is still a bit too bulky for that compared to popular flash MP3
players and it doesn't have a hole to be tied to a necklace anyway.
When you do get reception, it does show the artist and song title if the
radio station transmits it but you don't get any features like iPod tagging
even though you have to plug it into a computer to charge anyway.
The conclusion based on my usage is that this device might be great for
grandma who is looking to replace her old portable FM radio anyway, may
occasionally browse onto an HD station AND barely knows enough about USB to
charge with it instead of a regular outlet. For someone who's got an active
lifestyle and is actually looking to add HD radio on the go when you don't
have the time to constantly update the music in your MP3 player, this device
is not ready for you yet. For me, this is going in my pile of useless
gadgets that I've purchased and tried to use maybe once or twice.
I haven't tried Slacker yet but the reviews look a lot better as long as it
doesn't break on you."
Would you recommend this product to a friend?: No
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