I immediately got excited when I read that US Robotics had released a wireless audio product called SoundLink for both the PC and the Macintosh. Finally a product that would allow me to listen to Internet Radio without being in the same room as my PowerBook and without the need to string an AV cable across the room to reach the stereo. The SoundLink allows me to leave my PowerBook behind closed doors during a party, yet still enjoy an endless stream of MP3s with the worry of damaging my computer.
I immediately got excited when I read that US Robotics had released a wireless audio product called SoundLink for both the PC and the Macintosh. Finally a product that would allow me to listen to Internet Radio without being in the same room as my PowerBook and without the need to string an AV cable across the room to reach the stereo. The SoundLink allows me to leave my PowerBook behind closed doors during a party, yet still enjoy an endless stream of MP3s with the worry of damaging my computer.
In between reading about SoundLink and getting one, I installed Mac OS X. I had just gotten past the point of no return with X, when you boot into Mac OS 9 everything looks ugly, so I was unsure about whether SoundLink would work with the new OS.
The out-of-box experience was great! A simple installation guide that included directions on how to plug in the transmitter and receiver into the audio ports on your computer and stereo respectively. Also, the guide included the option to use AAA batteries and a portable radio to take music outside.
The small unit (about four inch wide by about five inches tall) was easy to step up and power on. In minutes, I was listening to Internet radio stations at the other end of the house via iTunes in Mac OS X! No software to install and LED indicators gave feedback that everything was working.
The option of listening to MP3s pool side without the worry of getting water on my PowerBook was now a reality! For about US$100, SoundLink wirelessly transmits audio up to 1000 feet and is a great way to work around poor-quality computer speakers and listen to more Internet radio.
The Soundlink Wireless Audio Delivery System is only US$89.95 (plus US4.95 shipping) from Go2Mac.com sponsor Outpost.com. Save US$10 over list price and support Go2Mac by using this link
to buy it from Outpost.com today!
Feedback:
Another option to SoundLink is X10’s Entertainment Anywhere. Many of the same features except it uses 2.4 Ghz for transmission and comes with a REMOTE that can control the player on the computer. (I wrote an Applescript thing that lets it work on the Mac.) [Craig Treleaven]
I’m pretty sure that the predecessor to the SoundLink system and possibly the manufacturer of the soundlink system can be found at akoo.com. They manufacture a product called the Kima that looks virtually identical except for the colors. This product has been out since this winter and it has only been recently that USR has taken it over to use their considerable advertising power to make this widget a huge sucess. [Q]
Check out X10.com. I have been using their rf senders for years. [joshual]
