Average Reviews:
(More customer reviews)This radio is the same as the RCA Infinite Radio RIR200 which Amazon stopped carrying in favor of this Acoustic Research ARIR200, so I encourage anyone who is thinking about buying this products to ALSO read the reviews at the following link:
RCA Infinite Radio RIR200 Internet Radio with Wifi Connectivity and Slacker Personal Radio
In case the link does not work, put this number (a product number) into the search box: B0016OK5O0 (cut and paste because those are both O's and zeros). You can also look at the reviews for the RIR205 which is the same unit but it also includes a basic router for those who want a simple way to hook up their unit to the internet. Search for B0016OI1BY to get info on the RIR205
Some of the issues brought up in those reviews are still valid (e.g. the odd ergonomics of the controls, too bright illumination, etc.) and some issues have been fixed by firmware updates. Unfortunately, sometimes when they fix one issue in the firmware they seem to also "break" another.
I give AR/RCA credit that they are at least supporting the product with firmware updates (as of 3/2009 they have released a version during 12/2008 and 3/2009). Right now, in my experience the product is a bit buggy with the current version of the firmware and I have been experiencing some random crashes where it either locks up or reboots itself. This is a real pain because it loses the security key for the WiFi when this happens and thus it has to be reentered. There is also a base level of white noise through the speakers, even after turning the radio off, that I find annoying (hint: after going standby, turn the volume dial all the way down and it will disappear with a pffft - then spin the volume back up to the normal position so that you have volume the next time you turn the radio portion on). This unit is better than the iLuv unit I reviewed elsewhere and could be quite good if they ever get a good version of the firmware going.
One of the best resources for information on these radios is the message archives at the following group at Google groups: Acoustic Research ARIRC200 Internet Radio . Just do a search at Google Groups and you should find the group (I don't think Amazon will let me include the link, but here goes: http://groups.google.com/group/acoustic-research-arirc200-internet-radio?hl=en )
Click Here to see more reviews about: AR ARIR200 Tabletop Wi-Fi Internet Radio with Alarm (Black)
Acoustic Research introduces the next generation of audio entertainment with the ARIR200 Wi-Fi internet and AM/FM radio. The ARIR200 gives you access to thousands of global music and talk stations with its built-in Wi-Fi and Ethernet connectivity. It features a clock radio with alarm functions that allow you to wake to your favorite music or radio stations. Activate your free account with Slacker Personal Radio to access millions of tracks, hundreds of genre stations and over 10,000 artist stations. Slacker displays the next upcoming artist and provides the ability to pause or skip at any time. Other free accounts include Personal Portal and WeatherBug to receive local weather forecasts and emergency alerts. Preset six of your favorite stations per source into the radio so that you can save and retrieve your favorite stations with the push of a button. You can connect your mp3 player or flash drive into the USB connection to listen to your personal music files or save up to 10-hours of music onto the 512MB internal memory.
Buy cheap AR ARIR200 Tabletop Wi-Fi Internet Radio with Alarm (Black) now.
