MacSense HOMEPOD WIRELESS NETWORK MUSIC ( MP-100 )

Rating:
Summary: HomePod exceeded my expectations
Review: I am extremely happy with my purchase of the Macsense Homepod. At this price I wasn't expecting much - but I was wrong.

I have a wireless lan in my home, and was attracted to the Homepod for the following reasons
1) I was looking for something could easily and occasionally switch between Kitchen and Living room. I didn't need to bring it skiing!
2) I listen to radio quite a bit, and the FM tuner was a definite plus
3) I liked the idea of an open platform with an active developer community finding ways to improve the product.

Here's whats good about it
1) It works beautifully and simply once it's set up
2) It is a solid, well thought out design.
3) I love being able to browse & shuffle-play my music in the kitchen
4) The product is being improved all the time via firmware updates
5) It's very compatible
6) The Internet Radio feature is a lot of fun, and works without a "server" PC.

Here's what's weak

1) Wireless setup was quite easy, but I did have some trouble getting the supplied server software working (I eventually downloaded MusicMatch). My problems were probably down to the fact that I'm still using Windows 98
2) The FM Tuner isn't great - OK for strong signals only
3) The built-in speakers are on a par with typical laptop speakers - i.e. useless for all but emergencies. You won't understand the quality of this equipment without connecting decent speakers (mine are modest Altec Lansing 2.1).

Summary - I love it, and I'm looking forward to more (free) enhancements in the future. It gave me a low cost entry into the world of MP3/Digital media using my existing PC, WLAN, speakers etc.