Aluratek Internet Radio Alarm Clock with Built in WiFi Video

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Aluratek Internet Radio Alarm Clock with Built in WiFi
Created: 05/07/2008
Video description: The Aluratek Internet Radio Alarm Clock with Built-in WiFi won't wow you with its sound, but it won us over with its versatile feature set and solid streaming performance.

Aluratek Internet Radio Alarm Clock with Built in WiFi Video Transcript

>> [ music ] Hi I'm Matthew Muskovciak, associate editor at CNET dot com and this is the Aluratek internet radio alarm clock with built in Wi-Fi. Now unlike some of the other internet radios that we've tested so far that have alarm functionality, this one actually looks like an alarm clock. You check out the top you'll see that there's a snooze button which is always very important, as well as a stop and the LED screen on the front is nice and big so it's easy to see the time from across the room. The Aluratek does include a remote which is nice because some other radios we've tested don't have a remote at all; however there were some missteps. We were a little frustrated that the volume buttons weren't really separated but on the other hand, it was nicer for big blue buttons to access the main features of the radio so you can get there quickly. Now in terms of features, this radio's actually pretty packed. The biggest feature of course, is it's ability to screen thousands of internet radio stations so you can tune into stations around the world which is especially great. There's also a USB port on the front so you can just stick in a flash drive full of MP3's and listen to them. In addition, it can also stream music off of network connected PC's. So if you have a PC with a couple of gigabytes full of music of MP3's, you can stream it right to the device. Last but not least, there's also FM support. So if you're still listening to analogue FM, you'll be able to tune into that too. Now, the best part about all of these functions is that any music source can be set as your alarm. So if you want to wake up to internet radio or MP3's off a flash drive, you can do any of them. In terms of connectivity, you can get on your network, wireless using an 802 dot 11 B or G network, or you can plug into your wired network as there's an ethernet port on the back. Also on the back there's a head phone jack if you want to have a private listening session, and there's also a standard stereo analogue out if you want to stay connected to a stereo system. What we didn't see was an analogue input which would have made it really easy to connect, say like an MP3 player or any kind of external audio source. In terms of performance, we were really impressed with it's ability to stream internet radio and other kinds of music. There was not a lot of drop outs or buffering, and overall it was a solid streaming experience. In terms of sound quality, we weren't so impressed. It, as you might imagine, sounds like an alarm clock radio. Overall, the Aluratek didn't really impress us with it's sound quality but with it's versatile feature set and solid streaming ability, it ultimately won us over. I'm Matthew Moskovciak and this is the Aluratek internet radio alarm clock with built in Wi-Fi. [ music ]

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Aluratek Internet Radio Alarm Clock with Built in WiFi Review

The good: Alarm clock with Internet radio capability; streams via built-in 802.11g Wi-Fi or Ethernet port; dual alarm functionality; reliable wireless audio streaming; can stream music from a networked PC; USB port; built-in FM radio; headphone jack and stereo analog output.

The bad: Mediocre sound quality; no auxiliary input; no ability to add additional Internet radio stations.

The bottom line: The Aluratek Internet Radio Alarm Clock with Built-in WiFi won't wow you with its sound, but it won us over with its versatile feature set and solid streaming performance.

Read full review

Aluratek Internet Radio Alarm Clock with Built in WiFi Specs

Manufacturer: Aluratek, Inc.
Part number: AIRMM01

There are no specs for this product.