From: bradgarbage@sondahl.com   
      
   George Conklin wrote:   
   > Now that many of us have a wi-fi connection in the house, the next issue is   
   > getting a Wi-Fi radio so we can listen to bluegrass anywhere in the house   
   > without hauling around a computer.   
   >   
   > So this Xmas I purchased the AE Wi-Fi radio, made for the UK market and sold   
   > here in speciality stores.  It comes with UK plugs and the 120 USA plug.   
   > You choose.   
   >   
   > It connected easily to my Verizon DSL wireless modem on secure mode.  But   
   > that is where the fun ended.   
   >   
   > Why?  Well, you cannot enter the web address of a radio station directly.   
   > Rather, the radio connects to a UK server called RECEIVA, which then   
   > downloads the stations they want you listen to.   
   >   
   > As Bluegrass fans, we probably want to hear bluegrasscountry.org.  It is   
   > listed as one of the stations, BUT it never connects.  You can send a   
   > message to RECEIVA, which posts it is months behind in answering mail, and   
   > others have posted they simply seem to have abandoned updates.  So, you get   
   > stations which don't work on the radio, but cheer up, you CAN listen radio   
   > Algeria and other high-demand stations for a bluegrass fan.   
   >   
   > The radio does connect to Bluegrassradio.org.  That station always seem to   
   > work.  So that is what I use the radio for.  But the station I support   
   > financially is not available and you are dealing with a dead company which   
   > does not support its own servers.   
   >   
   > So, folks, wait until Wi-Fi radios hit Radio Shack (they are coming, I was   
   > told).  And make sure you can listen to what YOU want to listen to before   
   > you buy.  But for now, if you like bluegrass, AVOID AE Wi-Fi radios.  The   
   > radio is ok, but you listen only to what they tell you you can.   
   >   
   > Does anyone have a workaround to these issues?   
   >   
   >   
   No workaround, but I think you're onto something which needs to become   
   mainstream.  Not just Internet radio, but streamed music from Yahoo   
   music and the like.  The fact is, as much as (or because) I like music,   
   I find it distracting while doing text oriented stuff and surfing on the   
   computer, but I'd love to have Internet music in the kitchen or my   
   workspace.   
   I looked into that British one briefly, decided it probably wasn't worth   
   the money.  I'm sorry to hear that it limited your personal preferences.   
     Magic bullets are hard to come by, workarounds the common solution...   
   Brad Sondahl   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)