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Aether's music-streaming 'Cone' now lets you ditch the Rdio subscription

When I tested Aether's "Cone" music player I was intrigued, but cautious, about the idea. At $400 (plus a required Rdio subscription) it was a hard sell for many -- especially with strong competition. Today, Aether shows that it's working on making its "thinking" speaker a better deal. Starting today, the Cone will play Rdio's free/ad-supported service, meaning you don't need to shell out any cash every month if you don't mind commercials. The white/silver version is also now on sale (which might suit your pad that little bit more). Lastly, UK availability and a much needed web-setup option mean those without an iPhone/the wrong OS/wrong zip code are no longer left out. While many might wish for a broader range of supported music services (currently Rdio and Stitcher are the only ones), Aether is at least showing signs of intent to keep up with the likes of Sonos -- a company that's issued several usability updates recently. It's up to you whether it's now worth a "spin."