August 15, 2007
Gizmodo Reviews Sony XDR-S3HD
Gizmodo got ahold of the radio first, and while they like the styling and sound, they hate the interface: The quick review of the $200 tabletop radio says that the sound is fine, but you have to switch to a special mode in order to scan to find stations. Presets require pressing a preset button and then using a knob to pass through them. The review doesn't mention the remote control, which looks to make it easier. It's an alarm clock, and has a simulated cherry wood finish. You can preset 20 AM and 20 FM stations.
August 13, 2007
Dice Adds $199 Tabletop HD Receiver
Dice Electronics will ship its stylish radio this month: The $199 radio with an optional $49 second speaker is an alarm clock AM/FM system with HD Radio tuning. It has auxiliary input for passthrough playing. There are now approaching umpteen tabletop radios from $100 to $600, but there's still no truly cheap or portable system on the market that will offer a real breakout for home HD Radio reception.
New chips are coming soon. That'll likely mark the turning point if anything does, as the chips enable more compact and cheaper products.