Roku SoundBridge Radio

It's been a few months since we last heard a peep out of Roku Labs, but they're back in effect and going straight after Bose and Cambridge SoundWorks with their new SoundBridge Radio, a WiFi-enabled Internet tabletop radio which they're hoping will replace that clock radio by your bed (note the nice and large snooze button). $399 ain't cheap for a fancified alarm clock, but the SoundBridge does all the usual stuff you'd expect from a regular SoundBridge, like stream music from your PC over your home network (it supports playback of WMA, AAC, MP3, WAV, and AIFF audio files) and tune into Internet radio stations (it comes preprogrammed with a directory of about 50 stations and you can manually add stations yourself). Also comes with an AM/FM tuner if you can't quite complete the transition to Internet radio, and you can set the preset buttons for any combination of AM, FM, or Internet radio stations (you can also program one of the presets to automatically play a specific iTunes playlist stored on your PC). Should hit stores in early November.

Click to see some more hands-on pics as well as some specs cribbed from Roku's website:

• Internet Radio ? Listen to thousands of free Internet radio stations from around the world - one-touch access to talk, jazz, rock, pop or your old home town favorite! You do not need a computer to listen to Internet radio; you just need broadband and a Wi-Fi home network.

• Play digital music files (WMA, AAC, MP3, WAV, AIFF) and podcasts over your Wi-Fi home network or SD/MMC card.

• Most Compatible Player ? Plays directly from iTunes, Musicmatch, Windows Media Connect, Windows Media Player 10, Windows Media DRM 10, and more.

• Large Display/Convenient Remote ? Browse, select and control your music from across the room, without leaving the comfort of your sofa.

• Fast Browse ? Quickly browse huge music collections by Song, Album, Artist, Genre or Composer.

• Precision-engineered sound system with patented Linear Magnetic Drive? stereo speakers and subwoofer provides unsurpassed audio quality.

• Extremely high-powered subwoofer with Delta Tunnel? ported design and rare earth magnetics delivers unmatched acoustic performance.

• Digital AM/FM radio tuner with built-in internal AM antenna and support for external AM and FM antennas.

• Full-function clock radio with multiple alarms - wake up to digital music, Internet radio, AM/FM radio, playlists, podcasts or a choice of several alarm tones.

• Gradual volume ramping for a more pleasant wake-up experience.

• Atomic clock updates direct from naval observatory time ? no more worrying about setting the time.

• Dedicated preset buttons for quick access to your favorite playlists and radio stations.

• Vacuum fluorescent display, super bright and easy to read, shows name of song and artist playing.

• Built-in light sensor auto-dims display at night.

• Headphone jack for private listening.

• SD/MMC card slot for offline playback of digital music files.**

• One-Step Software Updates - New features will continually add to your enjoyment.
  
  *iTunes Music Store files (?Protected AAC?) cannot be played.
  **Digital rights-managed (DRM) files cannot yet be played via SD/MMC card.