The Logitech Squeezebox Radio brings new breath to
lackluster tabletop radios everywhere. Beginning where the Boom left off, the
Squeezebox combines power and performance into a compact package to deliver
great sounds over a Wi-Fi connection. That coupled with dedicated internet
radio stations and a 2.4-inch LCD display makes this Wi-Fi radio unparallel to
any similar model on the market.

The Logitech Squeezebox is constructed of a hard plastic
complemented with a black glossy finish. The right side of the unit houses the
speaker system with a 1x 3-in woofer driver while the left contains the
Squeezebox interface. The center knob controls the navigation and selection on
the menu screen with various lining buttons. There is also a dedicated volume
knob, play/pause, and skip forward/backward. The button arrangement makes
navigating through the menu an ease; something few models have. Playing into
the functionality and portability of the device is the built in handle on the
obverse panel. Likewise, there is a 3.5mm jack for personal headphones and an
auxiliary input to connect an iPod or media device. Lastly the unit houses an
Ethernet port for direct connection to the internet.

In addition, the 2.4-inch LCD screen is a perfect fit for
the Squeezebox, but not for all it has to offer. The screen appears similar to
an iPod menu while music is playing e.g. album art, album name, artist, song
title, etc. Music can be played over the Squeezebox from the PC while operating
under the SqueezeCenter mode. Unfortunately, this makes for a tedious job
downloading software, registering accounts, and syncing the unit to your PC and
internet radio stations. Similarly, the MySqueezebox mode allows you to stream
internet services but restricts the access of your personal music. Fortunately,
there are a slew of music providers and applications, most notably Pandora,
Slacker Radio, and Last.fm. Luckily, they are for the most part free, offering
premium services at a cost and limiting hours of free usage, but that shouldn’t
interfere. Premium services that do require application costs are Sirius
Internet Radio and Rhapsody, which you may consider purchasing. Along with
those are thousands of other available stations of your choice. In addition,
the Facebook application is nice but lacks the functionality like similar applications;
the screen is too small and navigating through pages isn’t the easiest. The
application allows you to view photos, post messages, etc.

The Squeezebox functions more as a multimedia device rather
than a clock radio or alarm clock. The screen is equipped with an auto dimmer,
allowing the unit to be used as a bedside clock. You can customize it in a
number of ways with various alarm sounds and day to day alarm sequence; you can
even use music from your own collection as an alarm. Unfortunately, the set up
is still a bit daunting and tedious. A dedicated alarm clock is comparatively
much easier to set up. There is a bit of a learning curve when it comes to
using the buttons, but after extended use you should be able to navigate with
more ease.

Unlike the Boom, the Radio doesn’t come with a remote
control for added convenience. Logitech has made a remote for the Radio,
unfortunately it’s more expensive than the unit itself. If you have an iPod
touch or iPhone you are in luck. You can download the iPeng application and
convert your iPod into a Squeezebox remote.

Overall, the Logitech Squeezebox Radio is definitely worth
the price and won’t find the performance and functionality in a similar model.
Although you may opt not to purchase the remote, I recommend buying the unit at
around 150$.

Specifications:

• upported
  Audio Formats: AAC, WAV, MP3, WMA, AIFF, FLAC, Ogg Vorbis, Apple Lossless
• 2.4-inch
  LCD display
• 3.5 mm
  jack
• 2 year
  warranty
• 8.7 x
  5.0 x 5.1-inch

 

Grab
your own:
Logitech SqueezeBox Radio:  Amazon.com: $172.92
Logitech.com: $195.00 

To

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