Sonos and Rhapsody skip the PC with System Software 2.0

These lovebirds go way back, but now Sonos and Real are sticking it to the man with the new Sonos System Software 2.0 that does away with the PC for a middleman. You can of course do things on the regular with a clunky old beige box serving up your music collection and Rhapsody tunes, but now you've got the option to plug your Sonos system straight into the internets and browse Rhapsody from your Sonos Controller, without any messy peecees getting in the way. Sonos is hoping this'll be a hit with technophobic or overly busy baby boomers, who don't have the time and/or know-how to manage a music library on a normal PC. The 2.0 update also features musical alarm functionality, gapless MP3/Ogg playback, extra internet radio stations and other little tweaks. Another plus to the free update, which is out today, is a free 30-day trial to the Rhapsody service -- so you can get your baby boomer self going on for a whole month without dipping into that nest-egg just yet.

[andy @ Sep 14th 2006 1:58PM]

I really love my Sonos, and it works as advertized. This is a pretty good update, but it just goes to show you how capable the Sonos platform is, and how limited it can be at the same time. Why can't we browse Sirius or XM through the controller as well? Maybe becuase the streams are such a low quality, but I would gladly pay extra for the capability. Anyone at Sonos listening? :-)

[Alan Graham @ Sep 14th 2006 1:59PM]

It works astoundingly well. I love it.

[Nick @ Sep 14th 2006 2:16PM]

Love love love my Sonos!!!!!!!

I started with the Compaq MC1, moved to an Audiotron, then a Squeezebox, then XBMC. Nothing compares to Sonos. It's well worth the cash for those thinking of making the move.

[Shawn Oster @ Sep 14th 2006 2:39PM]

Like the others here, I love my Sonos. Worth every cent. I've been waiting for the alarm clock function forever and now we have it, plus the ability to schedule a media scan is a great idea.

[Jake @ Sep 14th 2006 2:59PM]

Anyone know if you can play Pandora (www.pandora.com) via Sonos?

If you haven't checked out Pandora, it's awesome and free. Great way to find new music.

This Rhapsody addition to the Sonos seems like a killer upgrade.

[John Laur @ Sep 14th 2006 3:15PM]

This is the killer app for sonos right here. When they first announced they were going to support rhapsody, I got very excited, then you had to have the PC? Junk!

An internet jukebox in your house for $10/mo? Hell yeah.

[ghost @ Sep 14th 2006 4:33PM]

This is the $hit! Sonos has done it again. Anyone thinking about making the move should strongly consider after this update.

[dismissedasdrone @ Sep 14th 2006 5:00PM]

Rhapsody integration was great before, but not having to run a dedicated computer to support it is even better. It will be nice to have people find tracks at parties without having to go to the full rhapsody application and adding them to the library -> then searching for them via controller. Nice work. Now just lower the prices so I can put Sonos in more rooms.

*

[Jiggy1 @ Sep 14th 2006 5:58PM]

Finally a product that didn't screw all of it's early adopters. Sonos is the single best piece of tech I've ever bought (including my TiVo). Skipping the PC for Rhapsody makes it even better.

[prex @ Sep 14th 2006 10:12PM]

Perfect^WGreat product, glad to see functionality being added. Very disappointed in the lack of any obvious way to "Search Rhapsody" from the handheld device, you have to do a bit of genre drill-down and then get "Power Scroll."

Wouldn't surprise me if Rhapsody gets something near 1:1 subscriptions for every Sonos owner.

[amir @ Sep 15th 2006 12:43AM]

I have had the Sonos with Rhapsody for about a year now,and the biggest problem has been the Rhapsody software's unreliability. Plus it would time out and force you to go to the computer and login. I didn't think that they would get such a perfectly tight integration with Rhapsody as they have done in this version. This is a major coup. There is nothing on the market even remotely close to this level of service. I continue to be blown away by this company with their consistent customer-focused upgrades and rock-solid reliability. I am a gadget junkie, and this is by far the best piece of technology that I have ever purchased. Absolutely no complaints, and 5 zones running completely flawlessly. Bravo. Bravo.

[Skim @ Sep 15th 2006 8:46AM]

i installed this update last night and it is amazing. rhapsody is a little overwhelming...so much music, it's like XM or Sirius on demand. sick.

[sdsdv10 @ Sep 15th 2006 2:30PM]

New features are great and all, I just wish they would work on their pricing structure. Get it down to a more reasonable range and they could rule the music world. $1K is more than I paid for me last two TVs, computer, etc...