The Aireo is a unique digital audio player that features an FM transmitter and built in 802.11b.
Digital audio players are a dime a dozen these days. Coming in all shapes and sizes, many of them seem to have the same run of the mill features which make us roll our eyes into the back of our heads as we wander the aisles of our local Best Buy. If SoniqCast has something to say about it however, their new wireless Aireo will make you stop and take a long, hard look.
Housed in a fairly standard looking digital audio body, the Aireo offers an 802.11b wireless solution which puts it into a new realm of competition. Syncing your Aireo with music files (supported formats are mp3 and wma) is as easy as having your music player within range of your WiFi network when you want to transfer files onto the 1.5GB hard drive or an SD card in the side card slot. Synchronization can also be done via USB 1.1, with the included USB cable.
Several music playback options are available with the Aireo. Besides the standard headphones or small speakers through the jack, the device features a built-in FM transmitter for sending your tunes to a nearby radio. The SoniqCast even has a SPDIF 24-bit digital audio interface to allow you to hook it up to a compatible high-end sound system.
The provided software (called SoniqSync), besides doing the usual play list compilation and on the fly file transfers, can also be scheduled to transfer music at anytime day or night for those times when you want to use the player in the waking hours and let the music update while you sleep.
The SoniqCast Aireo is currently available through BestBuy.com and Best Buy stores for $299.99. Look for a full review of the Aireo on Designtechnica in the near future.
Technical Specifications:
Size: 2.8? x 4.5? x 0.9?
Weight: 6.8 oz
LCD Display: 128 x 64 blue LED backlit
Battery Life: 7 hours
Firmware: Upgradeable
Connectivity: USB, Wireless
System Requirements:
Microsoft Windows 2000/XP
802/11 b/g wireless network for wireless transfer of songs
Intel Pentium II 200MHz or AMD K6-2 200 Mhz
64MB RAM (128MB recommended)
20MB of free hard drive space for software installation
