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Roberts RD49, the smallest portable DAB radio evar?
Usually the very fact that a manufacturer claims they've got the smallest version ever of a particular device is enough to question their assertions straight up, but in the spirit of "we don't really care because it's a DAB radio" we're going to award the medal without question to Roberts for their new RD49. Along with the hardly minuscule dimensions of 8.5 x 4.6 x 1.6-inches, the "smallest portable DAB ever" has an FM tuner, 10 presets, a tiny LCD and an alarm clock function. The radio can also be plugged into the wall to top-off its rechargeable battery, and should be available now for around £60, or about $114 US.
BBC plans DAB add-on for MP3 players
The deets are slim, but they come straight from a BBC News article, so we're thinking there just might be some weight to them. Apparently the UK's BBC is planning their very own DAB device to act as "clip-on" addition to current MP3 players. Such functionality extension brings the iPod and its dock connector quickly to mind, but BBC isn't naming any names as far as partners go. Right now they're mainly studying the feasibility of such a device, with the main goal being to "make sure that people can listen to digital radio on their own terms." They're also looking into versions for mobile phones and cars, and say they'd "like to get something out sooner rather than later."[Via Tech Digest]
Pure Digital's ??lan RV40 time-shifting DAB radio
For you folks who can take advantage of the DAB niceties, Pure Digital has released a household radio that rocks time-shifting capabilities more commonly associated with your Sky+ box. The Élan RV40 sports a svelte silver finish with a hint of retro in the grille, mixed with the curves of a more modern device, and is fairly stacked with thoughtful extras. The standout feature here is the ability to pause and rewind live radio for up to 30 minutes without any external memory cards, so you can conveniently listen to your own repeats instead of getting flustered with the lack of new content coming across the air. Although a bit more subtle, another snazzy inclusion is the "textSCAN" technology that allows you to time-shift DAB messages, while also storing "special Intellitext message" that shows users late-breaking information coming across the newswire -- of course, the standard preset storing, alarm clock / timers, and RDS support is included, and Pure reportedly threw in "USB upgradeability" to add "new features" when available, whatever that means. While the unit is apparently made to double as a household decoration (or an awkward sidekick to your new Mac Pro), Pure kept the mobile crowd in mind by offering an optional "ChargePAK" to give you 15 hours of untethered musical nirvana. If you're lucky enough to be on the right side of the pond, and in the market for a radio that literally does a dab of everything, you can snap up the Élan RV40 in September for £89.99 (about $172).
HTC Trilogy christened "Lobster 700" for Virgin Mobile
No, not our Virgin Mobile, folks. The UK's Virgin Mobile will be getting HTC's Trilogy, which we knew; now, the retail model's officially been named the "Lobster 700," a moniker that seems strangely appropriate (though we can't really put our finger on why). As you may recall, the Trilogy is essentially a Faraday with the welcome addition of DAB, though at the expense of a rather prominent hump on the phone's right side. Now that the phone's case has been mercifully recolored, it appears that release is imminent, with some shops reporting availability next month. No word on eventual US availability, though we might be putting the proverbial cart before the horse -- let's get us some live DAB networks first, shall we?
Genus' retro-cool Type-R DAB radio
Fresh off its portable DAB radio/MP3 player combo, Genus is taking things back to the countertop with its slick-looking Type-R DAB-only model. The unit's sure to please the design connaisseurs among us, with walnut side panels and a rear panel tricked out with hand-embossed leather and an enamel badge made by the same folks that do work for Aston Martin and Bentley. Matching the retro looks, however, is some fresh technological goodness, including a touch-sensitive display, a line-in port for your iPod or other audio device, and a line-out port for rocking DAB stations on something with a bit more kick than the Type-R's 2-watt speakers. An optional rechargeable battery is also available but, curiously, the one thing the radio apparently doesn't have is an alarm clock function, which would seem to be a big selling point. Still no word on price but availability is, of course, confined to our friends in the U.K.[Thanks, Nilski]
Genus' SLM radio does DAB and MP3
UK DAB enthusiasts now have yet another way to listen to those sweet digital broadcasts on-the-go thanks to a new portable radio from Genus; and as if that alone weren't exciting enough, the so-called SLM also includes an FM tuner and SD slot for rocking out to MP3s. Actually, there's really nothing here that we haven't seen before from manufacturers like Pure Digital and MPeye, but it can never hurt to have another product on the market driving down prices, right? One feature you're not getting with this unit -- besides the inability to record OTA programming -- is DRM support, so if you want to load up your PlaysForSure- or FairPlay-protected tracks, you'll need to strip out the copy protection with one of those handy pieces of software first (not that we'd ever encourage that sort of behavior, of course). It looks like you can pick up the OLED-equipped SLM right away from either Curry's or directly through Genus, and at $182, it's pretty reasonably priced -- though you'll have to shell out more loot if you're in need of a blank SD card for storing tunes.[Via Shiny Shiny]
Pure's PocketDAB 1500 gives you the 411
We don't cover a lot of DAB devices 'round these parts because really, we don't have much cause to in the United States. But just because the bespoke digital audio broadcasting standard has yet to find its way onto American airwaves doesn't mean we can't appreciate a nice DAB toy every now and again, like Pure's new thinner, lighter, more pocketable PocketDAB 1500. Successor to the PocketDAB 2000, the 1500 features an analog FM tuner with RDS, textSCAN, which allows you to pause the text scrolling on-screen should you need to jot it down, a replaceable rechargeable battery, and stock Sennheiser MX300 earbuds. Oh sure, we think £90 (about $160 US) is bit steep for a portable digital radio, ourselves -- unless it's something like an XM or Sirius device that with some memory and MP3 playback -- but to each broadcast music listener his or her own.[Via TechDigest]
UBC brings downloads to DAB radio
First announced way back in April of last year, UBC Media is set to finally bring music downloads to a DAB radios in the U.K., starting with a trial run next month by Chrysalis Radio station Heart. The service will let listeners download the track they're currently listening to at the push of a button -- at a cost, naturally; a fairly hefty £1.25 ( or about $2.27 US). In addition to saving the track to a DAB-compatible player, that price will also buy you a copy of the track in a web-accessible music library, from which you can download it to your PC and transfer it to a portable music player (providing it supports the necessary DRM). The service itself works by broadcasting music files along with the audio stream, storing them in the device just long enough to give listeners a chance to grab it or let it disappear -- until it's played again, and again, and again. This first trial is really limited, however -- just 100 users in Birmingham get to check it out.
Pure Digital's creepy-looking Bug Too DAB radio
We're not sure how many adults are into insect-inspired audio gear, but if you live in the UK and you're looking to get your kids hooked on the wonders of DAB radio, then the Bug Too from Pure Digital (not to be confused with the identically-named manufacturer of those disposable digital cameras) may be just the ticket. Sporting the same telescoping display, SD card slot, and of course weird design as the original Bug, this new model adds both an electronic program guide and MP3 playback capability into the mix, and wraps it all up a "stylish" titanium silver finish. You can also pause and rewind live broadcasts, set up to twenty alarms to wake you with live or recorded content (up to 15 hours on a 1GB card), and output the audio via an S/PDIF jack if those bug-eye speakers aren't doing it for you. Developed in collaboration with supposedly renowned designed Wayne Hemingway, the Bug Too is available right now for around $185.[Via T3]
