I don't know why Vtech is making the IS9181 Wi-Fi Internet Radio

Blackhat

#1 – 11:02 AM May 13, 2009

"There's not a single thing the $200 IS9181 can do that an iPod Touch in a dock can't do better" Explain how! Inquiring minds want to know! Thx

Chris S

#2 – 11:24 AM May 13, 2009

Does your iPod Touch have built-in speakers and a subwoofer?

Does it have a built-in FM tuner?

Does it have an audio input (3.5mm) jack?

And finally, this device appears to do (the MyMusic feature) something that many other similar devices do not -- it will play compatible files directly from shares, and NOT need special software on the machine. No drivers! Linux compatible! Heck, low-end NAS drive compatible! Just plug a low end network drive into a spare router port, configure a share from your computer, and then let the VTech do its thing. More to the point, in your house -- TWO VTech's could run simultaneously.

I agree the name is a little blah. But this is not Apple, ok? Besides, I used a Denon DRA-300 for years, and the lack of a spiffy name never hurt it much.

Joel Johnson

#3 – 11:35 AM May 13, 2009

The reason I said the Touch and not, say, a Sonos or a Zune-in-a-Dock is that the App Store adds most of these features.

I'm not saying it's not a solid product. I'm just saying that the market is already being served.

Agies

#4 – 11:35 AM May 13, 2009

Drop the price by about $100 and I'm in. I've been looking for a replacement to my bathroom's ghetto sound system (an old tape player alarm clock with a car stereo tape adaptor wedged in it).

infinity

#5 – 12:14 PM May 13, 2009

hmm... well... those of us without iPod touches may be interested in this device. i live in a valley between two mountains and the effect on radio signals is akin to living in a faraday cage. Fortunately i have DSL up here in the middle of nowhere.

I don't have a desktop system to act as a home media center, so the "audio renderer" style solutions that depend on a host system elsewhere in the house are not compelling to me. And no, i'm not going to buy a PC simply to rebroadcast RTP streams.

The iPod touch is a great product to be sure, but i tend to use my G1 as a personal audio player now, so buying a touch and a dock is a bit wasteful (as a parent, i don't have an unlimited budget.) So ultimately, i think i am the target market for this device. I agree with AGIES, i would prefer to see this thing sell for $100 cheaper, but it _is_ a solution to a problem i have that is cheaper than many alternatives.

Perhaps the $200 price tag is an indication the VTech folks believed the market wasn't big enough to warrant a big enough production run to drive the price down to $100. If w00t.com carried these for $150, i would probably buy one, even given my misgivings about VTech electronics.

Chevan

#6 – 12:20 PM May 13, 2009

>There's not a single thing the $200 IS9181 can do that an iPod Touch in a dock can't do better.

The iPod Touches start at $229, and that still leaves you needing to pay for the dock, which can be another several hundred dollars for a decent sounding one.

Yes, the Touch+Dock will have more features, but it's also much more expensive.

Blackhat

#7 – 12:37 PM May 13, 2009

Well I DO have a Touch in a dock but was unaware I could use it to stream internet radio. Hence my interest... Joel, which app, or will it be obvious when I go searching?

jonathan29

#8 – 1:24 PM May 13, 2009

"There's not a single thing the $200 IS9181 can do that an iPod Touch in a dock can't do better."

Well, it can do "not costing $400" better than a Touch + dock...

Lookforthewoman

#9 – 2:18 PM May 13, 2009

Back off those international standards committees!! There's nothing wrong with some good Quality Assurance!!

Joel Johnson

#10 – 2:40 PM May 13, 2009

Alright, you guys got me on price, although a used first gen Touch is usually only about $150 these days. Still, for new prices plus a dock, I was being generous.

@Blackhat: Here are some of your streaming radio options: http://www.tuaw.com/2009/01/21/tune-into-iphone-radio-apps/

Anonymous Anonymous

#11 – 3:33 PM May 13, 2009

Joel, I'm not sure I can explain.

An iPod is like the metaphorical iceberg; one sees the tip, but there is vast, shadowy baggage that lurks below. If you have an Apple-branded lifestyle, you already have all the aforementioned baggage firmly inserted into various bodily orifices, so you are unlikely to care. And hey, that's OK, I'm not trying to judge, I have a pierced ear myself but no tattoos, that doesn't mean I think tatty folks are bad.

The only two problems I have with this thing is that it doesn't have an ethernet jack (wireless is great, but why not also have a high-bandwidth/low latency link that doesn't compete with portable devices? GigE chipsets are dirt cheap) and it doesn't support Ogg. Other than that, it's pretty great.

Anonymous Anonymous

#12 – 4:17 PM May 13, 2009

It would make a great gift for my mother who can't get NPR to play on her iMac because the URL keeps changing and other problems that I can't deduce over the phone 3000 miles away. This is a good example of an appliance that adds value by reducing functionality.

dculberson

#13 – 5:44 PM May 13, 2009

To be fair, a $200 Vtech device is unlikely to compete on sound quality with a $200 iPod dock. There are plenty of $50 iPod docks that would probably sound just as good.

So you're looking at $200 for a fixed purpose, single location device or $279 for a multi-purpose portable device. If you have absolutely no use for a portable web browser / mp3 player / etc, then the $79 would be wasted. But I know which way I would spend my money.

Now, if the Vtech ends up being significantly discounted, which is entirely likely, then the value proposition would shift in its favor greatly.

meerkat

#14 – 7:32 AM May 14, 2009

I hear pro-iTouch argument but I wouldn't mind more of these devices out in the market. Simple attractive devices that do one or two jobs well are always interesting to me.
If you read the specs you can actually use this on AA batteries which makes it vaguely portable.
Not sure if most iPod docks come with a remote as well, that is another big plus. I have a Roku which is a great little guy but it lacks speakers - if this looked a little more like a Tivoli knock-off, I'd be tempted to buy...

Anonymous Anonymous

#15 – 11:55 AM May 14, 2009

Logitech's Squeezebox Boom sets the standard. Anything else should be either $100 cheaper or 10% better.

Chris S

#16 – 1:50 PM May 14, 2009

All of the SqueezeBox'en need software on your machine. In other words, they require you to install a Squeeze-proprietary interface.

The IS9181 only uses an existing interface (and a commonly implemented one, at that). They document usage on Win/Mac, but given that all they really want is an id and password to a share, it looks like it should work for any device that exposes such an interface - Linux and low-end NAS drives included.

In one sense you are right about things needing to be 10% better. But Rushkoff needs to come over and read this thread, though, because your idea of 'better' and my idea of 'better' are not necessarily the same. From my point of view, the Squeeze software requirement immediately makes it about 25% worse - and even lower in the long run, when I may have a new OS and Logitech no longer has an update.

SamSam

#17 – 2:14 PM May 14, 2009

Can anyone recommend a better product than this for about the same price range ($200)?

I've been lusting after the Evoke Flow for a while, but it's pretty pricey, and I don't even know if it ships to the states.

Squeezebox sounds nice, although doesn't have the beautiful (and able to update to new versions) OLED screen, and is still a little expensive.

Do people think this is as good as it gets at that range? I'm looking for a stand-alone box with wi-fi streaming, am/fm(/dab?) radio, alarm clock, etc.

bkd

#18 – 2:09 AM May 15, 2009

A Chumby is also $200.

Now you make the call. For the same two bills, you can have insane net connectivity and options and display, with adequate audio, though lacking in the cd and analog radio checkboxes, or you have this device, which is more than adequate for more than a few customers out there. You know which side you fall on, and which relatives can handle which.

As far as competing cloud media gadgetry goes, surplus dudes Dakmart have the Linksys Wireless B Music player for $30. It has limitations, but $30!

Linksys' current line of media stuff is more feature comparative, but twice as expensive.

Netgear's media stuff isn't at all standalone, nevermind the price. If I have to provide the display and speakers, then I'm starting to look at XBMC and Boxee.

bkd

Great Big Radio

#19 – 12:11 PM September 7, 2009

As the owner of both this radio (now at Costco for $139.99) and an iPod Touch, I can say this radio "holds" stations better than any app for the iPhone.

Seriously, this radio plays any station forever until you shut it off. The iPhone apps (Tuner, Radiolicious, AOL Radio, etc.) run fine for about three hours, tops. Then the signal dies.

And the IS9181 sounds GREAT. Best of all, it also runs on batteries, so taking it to work isn't a huge hassle.

As a station owner and an internet radio fan, I couldn't be happier.

What I cannot find is which database the IS9181 uses for its presets. Does anyone know?