![]() Slightly confusing, but more just something to be aware of rather than an actual complaint. You can control your services from either the app or the Smart Radio's front panel I noticed that it occasionally took a few seconds for the Smart Radio's display to update to match what had been chosen via the app (though playback began instantly). Easy as could be, I had a full roster of streaming services and radio access. Enter your credentials from the Android or iOS app's interface, and you're instantly up and running from the Smart Radio's own front panel. I then quickly added Pandora and Slacker again without hassle. Internet radio (via TuneIn Radio) just works, right out of the box, no setup required. Newman's new "I'm Not Talking" (from Shut Down the Streets, his latest solo effort). I chose it via the scroll wheel, and in a few seconds I was listening to A.C. I entered my credentials via the app, and a Spotify icon instantly appeared on the Smart Radio's screen. That done, you pick from a menu of services (I chose, to start, Spotify). You download the free app from the Play Store or the App Store (I installed it on a Samsung Galaxy SII smartphone), and you're prompted to create an account. Basic functions are accessible, and you can select from and search within your various streaming services, sure, but to add services or take advantage of many of the deeper functions, you need to admin the box either via the Web service or via the iOS/Android Smart Radio Controller app. ![]() Now, you can't do much from the Smart Radio's front panel. It logged on to my wireless network, downloaded the most recent firmware upgrade from Logitech's servers, and we were ready to rock. Entered my network credentials via the scroll wheel a bit ungainly but quite smooth and fast as these things go. Fired it up (it arrived charged out of the box, so I did this before I even plugged it into the wall - and packaging is as well thought out as it is with the rest of the new L/UE line, so it was simple to find all of the essentials). Beyond that, you'll find a number of international and specialized radio offerings - along with the much-loved by Squeezebox fans Live Music Archive app - you won't want for available content. The top line services offered include streamers Spotify, MOG, and Rhapsody "radio" services Pandora and Slacker, Sirius XM Last.fm and a wide variety of actual Web radio offerings via TuneIn. On the side there's a headphone jack (sadly, the only available audio output on the Radio), and around back an Ethernet port (which can be handy if you live in an interference-prone area and your wireless isn't up to the task of handling your services) and a 1/8-inch aux input jack. On the unit's face you'll find a bright, readable display flanked by 6 programmable preset buttons (you can assign Internet radio stations or services to these, transport and navigation buttons, a central navigation wheel, a dedicated volume pot, and the power button. Even though the Radio is dependent on Wi-Fi (so you won't be going far, though conceivably you could head to the great outdoors and use a smartphone or dedicated 4G hotstpot) this is a pretty useful feature you can drag the Radio into the kitchen or bathroom with you pretty easily without having to find an extra outlet (and of course, you can listen in such places in blissful freedom from electrocution paranoia). If you have any experience with the old Squeezebox Radio, this'll look quite familiar the most obvious improvement is the inclusion of the battery pack at the same MSRP (a rechargeable battery was previously available as part of a $50 accessory pack). ![]() Diehard users of the Smart Radio's much-respected ancestor, the Squeezebox (the Smart Radio is, in fact, a rebranded update of the final Squeezebox Radio) felt abandoned by the refresh, which was clearly targeted at the general consumer. When Logitech UE announced the Smart Radio as part of its revamped lineup the collective wailing and gnashing of teeth among computer audiophiles was audible. And the Smart Radio is, in its own way, quite cool. Why is this square doing hanging around all of the new L/UE cool kids? And hey, it looks kinda familiar. And it's a table radio - a clock radio at that. In the brand's revamped lineup full of personal, portable audio products, the Logitech UE Smart Radio is something of an oddball - sure, it's got a battery, but it's really just an around-the-house luggable, dependent on Wi-Fi for services.
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