Rating: 
Summary: nice stereo , near ZERO network radio
Review: It's good Stereo. I must be the ONLY person who actually bought one. You can still find a couple of working IM stations, mostly non-USA and mostly pop music.
I really wanted to be able to play MP3s from my PC hard drive, but the promised software to let that happen is nowhere to be found. And the maker appears to have abandoned the whole project.
Rating:
Summary: nice stereo , near ZERO network radio
Review: It's good Stereo. I must be the ONLY person who actually bought one. You can still find a couple of working IM stations, mostly non-USA and mostly pop music.
I really wanted to be able to play MP3s from my PC hard drive, but the promised software to let that happen is nowhere to be found. And the maker appears to have abandoned the whole project.
Rating: 
Summary: Unique Features Poorly Implemented
Review: Philips FW-i1000 IssuesOrdered Dec 6, 2002, BestBuy.com, ($$$), ($$$) rebate available), free shipping.
Delivered Dec 11, 2002, appears to work as intended. Here are the problems that I found during the two days that I owned it. 1. MP3 CDs won't play. 2. Requires a program "iM Jukebox" running on a Windows PC to play computer-based MP3 files. i. The program is buggy and prone to crash or freeze (under Windows 98). The program's task lives on after the program is exited and has to be killed with CTRL+ALT+DEL. ii. The program requires acceptance of an end-user license agreement (EULA), and the submission of personal information. It also requires acceptance of a privacy policy that allows monitoring of listening habits. It also requires Internet Explorer, Windows Media Player (WMP), and Real Player - all with their own EULAs. It also requires that the user (claim to) be 13 years or older. iii. Many MP3 files that work on other software and portable MP3 players won't play. All MP3 files converted recently with CDEX won't play. iv. User cannot fast-forward or rewind or pause when playing an MP3 file. v. No ability to play files on a Linux or Mac computer. 3. It is circuitous and cumbersome to add an Internet radio station, and only streaming MP3 stations are available. This function, like others associated with iM Networks' website only work with the Internet Explorer browser. 4. Unit takes 30-60 seconds to start playing music when powered up by pressing connect. Sometimes it claims "No Internet connection" when PCs have Internet access. Unplugging the power cord and reconnecting does not seem to help. 5. Stations that play flawlessly on a PC player have dropouts on the unit. 6. All aspects of the Internet radio and network MP3 player function are dependent on one small company: iM Networks. This company is not controlled by Philips, and has no substantial history or reputation. What if: - i. They cease operation? ii. They decide to charge a fee for their software and service? iii. Have terms of service or EULA that are unacceptable? 7. IM Network's website claims that all streams available through their service are "legally scrubbed." What was scrubbed out that I am missing? Why do I need them making these decisions for me? The website also tells stations (content providers) that they have advertisement-insertion technology and "other revenue infrastructure." These things scare me. I understand that the firmware is upgradeable, and that some of these issues might be resolved in time, but since I only bought the unit for its network capabilities, and they are almost unusable, I returned it to BestBuy. I'll buy it again if all the issues are resolved.
Rating: 
Summary: Innovative, great first try, not perfect, slow support
Review: This is a great attempt to harness the wealth of streaming audio available on the internet. However, the choices are extremely limited in comparison to what can be received on a PC. News options are very limited, for instance, and there is no option (at present) to listen to the BBC, MSNBC, CNN, World Band Radio, etc. Music choices are pretty good, and there is certainly more variety than the usual AM-FM radio. The sound is excellent and the ability to play rewriteable cdrw's is a huge plus. Would be fantastic if the unit played MP3 or WMA discs! On the dissapointing side, I've had the unit over a month and though I was supposed to receive MP3 streaming software for PC MP3s on registration, there has been nothing sent yet, and no response from support despite more than 4 attempts. I hope this is just a busy time for this usually superb company. Kudos for a great first try at an "internet" radio.
Rating: 
Summary: Great Set For a Huge Selection of Music
Review: This set allows you to listen to music from anywhere in the world. No matter what type of music you listen to or what hour of the day. You can hear the music that you want to listen to. From Rap to techno to news to comedy it is available when you use this radio. On top of that you get a top notch CD player and HUGE sound. This thing rattles the windows for such a small sized player. The set is fairly easy to use but can be a little complex at times due to the huge range of options that it supports but does get easier with time. Another good idea is to read the manual ;) I was one of the beta-testers of this set top box so I have seen everything on it. If I had not had it before I would definately be buying one now.
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