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All posts tagged "radio"


Thursday, October 29, 2009

Kicker's Two New Speaker Docks

Posted by David Tucker in "Zune News" @ 11:57 AM

http://astore.amazon.com/zunethough...tail/B002RWJHFI

"While browsing Amazon I noticed a new Kicker Dock I had not seen before. I jumped over to Kicker’s website to get the full details. It looks like Kicker has two new speaker systems designed to be compatible with the Zune HD. Depending on what you are looking for, both look like great alternatives to the ZK500; which is also compatible with the Zune HD."

Wow, these looks pretty amazing! Neville at Inside the Circle spotted a couple new Zune speaker docks coming from Kicker. You have two options. There's the ZK350 which is basically a portable boom box and the ZK150 which is a radio alarm clock. The ZK150 is especially intriguing because there is a dearth of good radio alarm docks for the Zune. Both of these docks are compatible with all Zune models which is a smart move Kicker's part!

They're a bit pricey as the ZK350 will be retailing at $199.95 and the ZK150 will be $179.95. The alarm dock is especially expensive for an alarm clock. But then again a good alarm clock could be pretty important to people (I know it is for me!). Style-wise I think these are also much nicer looking than the ZK500 that's been out for a while.

Jason already reviewed the ZK500 a couple months back and while these are obviously different you can at least get a feel for what Kicker makes. The ZK350 isn't available in Amazon yet but the ZK150 can be pre-ordered here.


Wednesday, April 8, 2009

iHome Clock Radio Dock 20% Off

Posted by David Tucker in "Zune Accessories" @ 02:26 PM

https://zunestore.net/us/catalog/Ac...rs(ZuneCatalog)

"Meet the new ZN9B, the world's first clock radio for Zune. The ZN9B features several innovative solutions, including wake and sleep to your Zune music or digital AM/FM radio, a 7-5-2 feature for separate weekday and weekend alarm times, and an extra large, backlit LCD display with dimmer."

With the rash of Zune rumors hitting this week here's some news that's a little more tangible! I just got my April newsletter and right now Zunet.net is selling the iHome ZN9B Clock Radio and Audio System for 20% off which brings the price down to $79 before shipping. This is a pretty good price for the only radio alarm dock for the Zune. I've wanted this for a while and I may pick it up now.


Monday, December 8, 2008

David Tucker on WNYC Tomorrow!

Posted by Adam Krebs in "Zune Announcements" @ 11:55 AM

http://www.wnyc.org/shows/soundcheck/

Zune Thoughts' very own David Tucker will be on radio station WNYC tomorrow to talk about the merits of Zune, its features, and its functionality. David will be on the station's "Soundcheck" program, debating with someone from the iPod side of the aisle. The program airs from 2-3 pm tomorrow and the segment will run 20 to 25 minutes in the first part of the hour. Even if you happen to be outside of New York tomorrow, you can visit the WNYC site to stream the feed live, and the archive of the show should be up after the show airs. Whatever side of the iPod/Zune debate you're on, this should be fun to hear!

Update: Missed the segment? Listen to it here.


Tuesday, April 29, 2008

iHome To Launch Zune Line!

Posted by David Tucker in "Zune News" @ 08:29 PM

http://www.ihomeaudio.com/products....50&dept_id=1006

"Meet the new ZN9, the world’s first clock radio for Zune. The ZN9 features several innovative solutions, including wake and sleep to your Zune(tm) music or AM/FM radio presets, a 7-5-2 feature for separate weekday and weekend alarm times, and an extra large, backlit LCD display with dimmer. With our Reson8 speaker chambers, you’ll be able to enjoy stereo sound around the clock. The new ZN9... treat yourself and your Zune right."

I have been absolutely dying to have something like this. Ever since I got a Zune, I wanted a really nice alarm clock dock. I even remember trying to use WinAmp and my desktop back in high school to achieve a perfect marriage of alarm clock and audio. iHome’s ZN9 speaker dock looks absolutely stunning and at $99.99 it’s priced as well as you could possibly hope for something like this. Obviously we’ll have to wait and see when it comes out how it sounds but I definitely will have one of these in my bedroom.

Ceser also mentions on Zune Insider another dock for the Zune coming from iHome but I couldn’t find anything for it on their site. Here’s what he says is coming though:

"ZN10 AM/FM Table Radio - a beautifully designed, retro-classic with rotary dials set in a rich, wood speaker cabinet, the ZN10 allows consumers to listen to the radio or Zune, which charges when docked. A line in jack with included patch cord enables owners to play other CD and MPs players."

I can't wait to see what this one looks like!

Tags: dock, radio, alarm, ihome

Tuesday, February 12, 2008

Radio is the Future of MP3

Posted by David Tucker in "Zune News" @ 11:26 PM

"Do you spend a lot of time using the FM radio feature on your Zune? Did you even know your Zune has a FM radio? I guess it is more popular for Zune owners to enjoy the FM function than I thought, at least according to published comments from the CEO of the Radio Advertising Bureau, Jeff Haley."

Nino over at ClicZune is surprised that the FM radio is a popular feature on the Zune. I’m not surprised at all. I know a lot of people who have seen my Zune and have commented that they liked that the feature was there. I happen to love it. I don’t use it often for one reason and one reason only. The radio station I listen to has a very weak transmitter and as a result, I have never found a portable device that could pick it up well. When I can get reception with it I listen to my morning show at work.

Jeff Haley of the Radio Advertising Bureau, an agency I would guess has a vested interest in knowing people’s radio listening habits, has found out just how important it is:

"The Zune has an FM receiver because a Microsoft product study found that 46 percent of Zune owners listen to the radio receiver function at least once a week," he said. "And the radio feature has higher-than-average importance to Zune owners, scoring 8 out of 9 points."

I’m not a bit surprised but it makes me wonder who else agrees. I agree with what he says in the article FM radio drives new music consumption. I often hear new songs on the radio that lead me to go find them on my Zune Pass to add them to my collection.

Tags: zune, radio

Wednesday, April 4, 2007

News Flash: 33% of Listeners Want FM Tuners

Posted by Damion Chaplin in "Zune Talk" @ 10:00 AM

http://www.powerpage.org/2007/04/survey_finds_33_of_users_wanting_fm_playback_on_mp3_devices.html

"In a Jacobs Media survey conducted between late February and March of 2007, approximately 33% of respondents in a survey consisting of over 25,000 listeners of various rock stations around the United States cited that they'd like FM radio playback on current or future iPods. Jacobs Media operates as a radio consulting firm within the United States. The poll also established that an FM playback ability seemed more important to users than an increased storage capacity, larger screen or video playback according to Macworld UK. To date, Apple has never included a built-in FM receiver with its iPod devices, leaving third-party firms to provide these features. Microsoft's Zune MP3 player, which debuted in late 2006, made a point of including FM radio support and marketing this as a missing feature not found on the iPod."

Wait a second here, 33% of radio listeners want radio tuners in their MP3 players? Shocking. Actually, I'm amazed that percentage is so low. Why would radio listeners not want an FM tuner in their player? Do they think it adds considerable cost to the device? Many manufacturers (namely everyone but Apple) proved that wrong long ago. So what's Apple's stubbornness here? Why is it they don't want people listening to the radio on their iPod? Because then they won't be interested in buying more tunes from iTunes? I suspect that's part of the reason, but as usual Apple's true motivations remain obscure.

Tags: ipod, fm, radio, tuner

Sunday, January 28, 2007

Belkin Releases the TuneCast 3

Posted by Darius Wey in "Zune Accessories" @ 09:00 AM

http://www.cliczune.com/2007/01/belkins_tunecas.html



Belkin's latest universal FM transmitter, the TuneCast 3, is now available in North America for $49.99, and will be hitting Asia, Australia, and Europe before too long. Being universal, it's good for your Zune, iPod, and just about any device with a 3.5mm line out / headphone port. Of course, if you're after a more elegant, powered Zune-only solution, then you may want to wait for Belkin's TuneBase FM Transmitter for Zune.


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