Aireo MP3 Player

Rating:
Summary: Cut the cords
Review: I started trying to find one of these from the moment I read about them. Being from a Minnesota company, I was even more interested. The device promised to address a couple of key things for me. The wifi link would allow me to put new music on without worrying about leaving an adapter at home or at the office, and the built in FM transmitter meant that I wouldn't need an extra gadget to use it through my car stereo.

I won't bore you with the hassle of trying to buy it at the "national electronics retailer" who had the initial exclusive on distribution, but I finally did get one. It has basically met all of my expectations. I have a couple of minor quibbles about the firmware, but they have been releasing some patches to it quite quickly, all seeming to tweak the usability, so I imagine these quibbles may be all gone by the time you are reading this.

Battery life seems OK, but it's tough to get a precise sense of it. I use it both in the car through the radio (the ability to have it use any FM frequency plus the ability to find the most "open" frequency is great!!) and with headphones while working, and I don't think I've had it down past the halfway point for power.

If I have any complaint, I guess it would be that the included case isn't so great. I would have preferred a clear/flexible plastic front over the display and controls. Then I could more easily use it while gardening while keep it protected.

An additional aesthetic consideration. A couple of friends who have seen it don't like the look of it so much. I agree that it could probably be better in some ways, however, it looks great in a car with a brushed-metal dashboard.

Rating:
Summary: At the price, it just can't be beat...
Review: I'll keep it short and simple. Small player, somewhat small drive, LOTS of extra features. Syncing over Wifi is cool. SoniqSync app refreshes 'mixes' on the device on scheduled updates (i.e., overnight). Decent FM tuner, digital scanning. Decent headphones. FM broadcasting built-in, full range of the dial, auto-scans open frequency. With the new price, if you're a gadget freak, you should have one of these.