Rating: NNNNN
with conventional radio becom-ing increasingly formatted and programmed — even on formerly adventurous campus and college stations — and FLOW FM sounding a good deal less revolutionary than promised, Internet radio broadcasts have never been more relevant.
It’s hardly new, but the thrill of listening to radio from around the world in perfect stereo hasn’t worn off yet. There’s something very cool about listening to a cricket match live on All India Radio (www.aiir.com) or checking out the sublime and often hilarious documentaries on Public Radio International’s This American Life (www.thislife.com) while sitting at your desk.
Problem is, you have to sit at your desk. Radio should be enjoyed in comfort, and unless you’ve got your hard drive wired into your stereo or your computer’s in the living room, this can be difficult when listening to online broadcasts.
Gadgets like the Stereo-Link (www.stereo-link.com) and SonicBox (www. sonicbox.com) aim to be the missing connection between your computer and your stereo speakers, but neither of them comes close to the Kerbango Internet Radio.
After months of delays, the retro-styled Kerbango is finally available for $420 through www.kerbango.com, and bills itself as “the world’s first stand-alone Internet radio.”
It takes the audio streams that normally flow into your computer and allows you to listen to online radio broadcasts wherever you want — in the bathroom, in the kitchen or on the deck.
Streams are filtered by the Kerbango Radio Service by category, and you choose your station by turning a knob, like a real radio. The list of stations to choose from is still coming together but already includes the BBC, cool California public radio station KCRW and Toronto online broadcaster 2kool4radio.com.
Expect the station selection to grow as the radio grows in popularity, and expect your handy FM radio to become as relevant as an AM tuner.
mattg@nowtoronto.com
with conventional radio becom-
ing increasingly formatted and programmed — even on formerly adventurous campus and college stations — and FLOW FM sounding a good deal less revolutionary than promised, Internet radio broadcasts have never been more relevant.
It’s hardly new, but the thrill of listening to radio from around the world in perfect stereo hasn’t worn off yet. There’s something very cool about listening to a cricket match live on All India Radio (www.aiir.com) or checking out the sublime and often hilarious documentaries on Public Radio International’s This American Life (www.thislife.com) while sitting at your desk.
Problem is, you have to sit at your desk. Radio should be enjoyed in comfort, and unless you’ve got your hard drive wired into your stereo or your computer’s in the living room, this can be difficult when listening to online broadcasts.
Gadgets like the Stereo-Link (www.stereo-link.com) and SonicBox (www. sonicbox.com) aim to be the missing connection between your computer and your stereo speakers, but neither of them comes close to the Kerbango Internet Radio.
After months of delays, the retro-styled Kerbango is finally available for $420 through www.kerbango.com, and bills itself as “the world’s first stand-alone Internet radio.”
It takes the audio streams that normally flow into your computer and allows you to listen to online radio broadcasts wherever you want — in the bathroom, in the kitchen or on the deck.
Streams are filtered by the Kerbango Radio Service by category, and you choose your station by turning a knob, like a real radio. The list of stations to choose from is still coming together but already includes the BBC, cool California public radio station KCRW and Toronto online broadcaster 2kool4radio.com.
Expect the station selection to grow as the radio grows in popularity, and expect your handy FM radio to become as relevant as an AM tuner.
mattg@nowtoronto.com
