The Slim Devices Squeezebox is a network music device that hooks up to your existing audio components, or even headphones, and lets you connect to your music collection on your computer or even act as a stand-alone Internet device to allow you to listen to a variety of Internet radio stations, podcasts, and more.
The Squeezebox is a fairly small device that sits nicely on top of other components. There are both analog and digital outputs, and even an ethernet port if you don't have access to a wireless network. The box comes with a custom remote and has a very nice high-resolution vacuum fluorescent display. The device can play MP3, WMA, FLAC, AAC, WAV, and Ogg Vorbis files, and even has a built-in alarm clock, games, and screensavers.
Setting up the Squeezebox was a breeze. The box found my wireless network easily, and the server software works both on Mac and PC. The only glitch I encountered was setting the path name to my music collection on an external drive, but that was due to a space in the path name. No big deal, I changed and was off and rolling.
You’d think just being able to access one’s music collection remotely would be enough, but oh no, the real genius of the device is the stand-alone functionality and other networked goodies Slim Devices threw in. First, you can access TONS of freely available Internet radio stations straight from the box; you don’t even need to have the server software running on your computer. They were smart enough to include a “Favorites” area, so quickly was I switching back and forth between L.A.’s Kill Radio and Seattle’s KEXP If that weren’t enough, they also have a podcast plug-in that lets you subscribe to your favorite podcasts (ahem, shameless self promotion).
They’ve also programmed in access to the Live Internet Archives that have literally HUNDREDS of live performances from a wide variety of artists, such as Camper Van Beethoven. (Blew my mind to see CVB shows from ’84, ’85, ’86 recorded in my hometown of Santa Cruz.) Oh, and dare I mention that you can even subscribe to RSS feeds via the Squeezenetwork.com site and read them on your Squeezebox? Pure genius. I love this thing.
But wait, there’s more: As of March 1, 2006, Squeezebox owners now have access to the Pandora.com site. Pandora is a kind of music-discovery Internet radio station to which I'm utterly hooked.
Slim Devices offers a whole host of various plug-ins that you can add to your device. They have opened up their devices to allow development by outside developers, which is great for fostering community around the device and helping the longevity of the company and devices.
Overall, the Squeezebox is a wonderful device. I’m impressed with the amount of network features, and its sleek look and ease of use. Run, don’t walk, and get yourself one of these now.
More info:
Subscribe to Feed
