Pure Digital Pocketdab 2000 DAB radio and MP3 player
posted May 5th 2005 11:50AM
Pure Digital, makers of The Bug, just announced their new portable audio device combining a DAB (Digital Audio Broadcasting) radio with an MP3 player in a silvery package a bit smaller than the iPod. Apparently, the entomologists have left the marketing team as the product goes by the rather unswank moniker of, ready, Pocketdab 2000 <yawn>. (Gee, is it Y2K ready?) No actual internal memory, the MP3s have to be stored on SD cards (a 64MB card is included), so expect to shell out even more cash if you want to get a couple of gigs on there. You might want to make the investment, since the upside of having lots of storage is that the player has plenty of space to save radio programs and tracks directly to its SD card (it also has a TiVo-like feature called ReVu that'll let you pause and rewind live digital radio). The Pocketdab 2000's tri-band receiver handles all Band III and L-Band DAB, as well as FM (UKW) signals for use in the UK and beyond. As if that wasn't enough, it also includes the new TxtStor feature that allows you to save all that scrolling DAB text info (such as phone numbers, track names, etc.) that is broadcast by most stations. Look for it in your local high street shop next month for about £200.
[Via Pocket-lint]
Things moving in the right direction. would be better if it also had a HD in it.
Yeah, it needs a HD. And the radio seems a bit lame to me for U.S. use. No US FM broadcast band, and no AM band at all. OK, I know, AM is the dinosaur of the RF world, but all the ball games are on AM in my area, and if you want to listen to sports here while you're out mowing the lawn or chilling on the beach, you have to have a tuner with AM. Does anybody make an MP3 player that also carries a normal AM/FM tuner? I haven't found one yet.
If the price is right, I prefer no HD and no internal memory. This way I don't have to pay extra for something that'll need upgrading sooner or later. Give me the player only with support for SDs, then I can use the disks I already have, and when larger ones become available, I don't have to upgrade the whole friggin' player to expand its capacity.
Try www.radioyourway.com for AM/FM tuner with MP3 (and it records).
PURE Pocket DAB 2000 Reviewed in May 2005, promised by PURE in June 2005, then August then September. Now it's October and no outlet in the North West can even give a date as to when it's expected!!
Lots of Hype from PURE but no product - So whats the Problem?