Post by dkennedy on Mar 15, 2005 12:44:55 GMT -5
RadioShark brings TiVo-like magic to radio
March 15, 2005
BY HOWARD WOLINSKY Business Reporter
With the exception of the recent arrival of satellite networks, radio largely has been a technology wasteland since FM stereo was introduced in the 1960s.
But a new product, radioSHARK from Griffin Technology, provides a new interface-lift for the tired old radio dial. This represents the TiVo-ization of AM and FM.
I ran into radioSHARK while trying to help my friend Gary find a solution to a problem. He's a fan of Terry Gross and her popular "Fresh Air" program on National Public Radio, heard here on WBEZ-FM. But he's at work when Gross is on the air.
He tried unsuccessfully to set timers so he could make cassettes of the program. He wondered if it would be possible to record the program on his computer hard drive, and then burn a CD so he could listen on the CTA.
It had been years since I had thought about the problem. I liked certain radio programs at the time, but never seemed to be near a radio when they were on. I bought a tape recorder designed for radio recording from a catalog, but I discovered a problem: The machine wasn't portable, and it recorded tapes at a speed not available on standard players. I shipped it back.
Now radioSHARK is getting the job done. The fin-shaped antenna plugs directly into a USB port. Then, with some help from software for Windows or Apple machines, the computer is transformed into a radio with recording features.
You can do "time-shift recording" to pause live broadcasts, as TiVo does with television, and replay them minutes or hours later, starting and stopping it as you wish.
You can use the scheduling feature to set up the station, time and frequency you want to record. The device can be muted so it records silently.
Note: The sound quality of recordings is only as good as your reception. So you have to find the best location for the fin.
With radioSHARK, I recorded Fresh Air, "Le Show," "This American Life" and "The Midnight Special," as easily I recorded four different "Law & Orders" with TiVo.
You can play the radio shows on the computer or burn CDs, though a single show can fill a CD. Also, you can import the files into iTunes software, and convert them to an MP3 that you can listen to on an iPod or other player.
RadioSHARK sells for $70 and is available at Fry's, CompUSA, Target, Best Buy, Apple stores and the online Apple store.
Griffin Technology should consider adding a feature that would enable radioShark users to record Internet radio stations. That way we could have all-radio, all-the-time.
March 15, 2005
BY HOWARD WOLINSKY Business Reporter
With the exception of the recent arrival of satellite networks, radio largely has been a technology wasteland since FM stereo was introduced in the 1960s.
But a new product, radioSHARK from Griffin Technology, provides a new interface-lift for the tired old radio dial. This represents the TiVo-ization of AM and FM.
I ran into radioSHARK while trying to help my friend Gary find a solution to a problem. He's a fan of Terry Gross and her popular "Fresh Air" program on National Public Radio, heard here on WBEZ-FM. But he's at work when Gross is on the air.
He tried unsuccessfully to set timers so he could make cassettes of the program. He wondered if it would be possible to record the program on his computer hard drive, and then burn a CD so he could listen on the CTA.
It had been years since I had thought about the problem. I liked certain radio programs at the time, but never seemed to be near a radio when they were on. I bought a tape recorder designed for radio recording from a catalog, but I discovered a problem: The machine wasn't portable, and it recorded tapes at a speed not available on standard players. I shipped it back.
Now radioSHARK is getting the job done. The fin-shaped antenna plugs directly into a USB port. Then, with some help from software for Windows or Apple machines, the computer is transformed into a radio with recording features.
You can do "time-shift recording" to pause live broadcasts, as TiVo does with television, and replay them minutes or hours later, starting and stopping it as you wish.
You can use the scheduling feature to set up the station, time and frequency you want to record. The device can be muted so it records silently.
Note: The sound quality of recordings is only as good as your reception. So you have to find the best location for the fin.
With radioSHARK, I recorded Fresh Air, "Le Show," "This American Life" and "The Midnight Special," as easily I recorded four different "Law & Orders" with TiVo.
You can play the radio shows on the computer or burn CDs, though a single show can fill a CD. Also, you can import the files into iTunes software, and convert them to an MP3 that you can listen to on an iPod or other player.
RadioSHARK sells for $70 and is available at Fry's, CompUSA, Target, Best Buy, Apple stores and the online Apple store.
Griffin Technology should consider adding a feature that would enable radioShark users to record Internet radio stations. That way we could have all-radio, all-the-time.