Sanyo R227 Bedside Radio Snags Web Stations

Sanyo's 21st century update to the clock radio has a few more dials - plus the ability to play Internet radio stations, FM stations, and files stored on networked computers.

It’s about time Canadians got something cool before the rest of us. It happened earlier this week, though, with the launch of Sanyo Canada’s new R227 Internet radio player, which pulls free radio from its Wi-Fi connection, looks good, and does it without breaking the bank.

The R227 features a silver-clad face dominated by a large volume dial, surrounded by other control options in an outer control ring. Users can browse different Internet radio stations using its blue-backlit LCD display by country or genre, then assign them to one of eight presets. Unlike some systems, the R227 has no boot up time: just power it up and it’s ready to play. And if a local station tickles your fancy as well, there’s an FM tuner to snag it alongside the Web-based options, plus the ability to play tunes stored on networked computers.

Thanks to its tissue-box-sized profile and options for alarms and snoozing, the R227 seems to be intended more as a replacement for the traditional clock radio than for larger sound systems. Its 90mm stereo speakers also only handle a combined four watts.

Canadian retailers including Bay Bloor Radio, Centre Hi Fi, Visions, and Dell.ca will sell the R227 for $220. It is available immediately.