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All posts tagged "sonos"


Thursday, February 10, 2011

Sonos Controller For Android Released

Posted by Jason Dunn in "Digital Home Software" @ 11:30 AM

http://www.engadget.com/2011/02/10/...-blow-you-away/

"You can exhale Sonos fans, it's finally happening. The Sonos Controller for Android is official. After almost a year in development, the free WiFi music remote finally gives Sonos owners control over their whole-home audio system from any Android 2.1 and above device with a screen size of HVGA 320 x 480, WVGA 480 x 800 or WVGA 480 x 854."

If you've made the rather hefty investment in a Sonos music system (reviewed here), and you have an Android phone, this is a clever way to maximize the functionality of that system. You might not have a Sonos remote handy, but if your phone is nearby, you have an even better tool for controlling music all around your house. I really like the Sonos system, but it seems so expensive to me so I've never made the jump. Any Sonos owners out there that feel the investment is justified?


Thursday, January 20, 2011

In The Zone - The Sonos ZonePlayer S5 System

Posted by Matthew Shanks in "Digital Home Hardware & Accessories" @ 10:00 AM

Product Category: Wireless Music System
Manufacturer: Sonos
Where to Buy: Amazon [USA, Affiliate], Future Shop [Canada]
Price: $448 USD (Amazon), $480 CAD (Future Shop) - ZonePlayer S5 & ZoneBridge Bundle
System Requirements: Windows PC or Mac with internet and router for home network access
Specifications: White or black, speakers include 2 tweeters, 2-3" mid-range drivers, 1-3.5" woofer, powered by 5 dedicated Class D digital amplifiers.

Pros:

  • Extremely simple set-up and operation;
  • Impressive audio performance;
  • Allows whole house audio distribution with additional ZonePlayers;
  • ZonePlayers can be synchronized or play different music in different zones.

Cons:

  • More expensive than many iPod docks;
  • Desktop Controller Software isn't as polished as it could be and has some issues with iTunes libraries;
  • Cannot play protected music songs, unless upgraded through iTunes.

Summary: The ZonePlayer S5 is a standalone wireless audio system that is very simple and intuitive to set-up and operate. Its audio capability is impressive and it performs its purpose extremely well - quickly and easily accessing and controlling your computer's music collection, Internet radio and music services. Using the ZonePlayer is a very different experience than using an iPod dock, and once you have used it, you will never want to go back. Read more...


Wednesday, October 27, 2010

Sonos Launches Wireless Dock for iPods and iPhones.

Posted by Lee Yuan Sheng in "Digital Home Hardware & Accessories" @ 10:30 AM

"Sonos, the leading developer of wireless multi-room music systems for the home, today announced that the Sonos Wireless Dock (WD100), an accessory to the award-winning Sonos Multi-Room Music System, is now available for purchase. The Sonos Wireless Dock is available for $119 at all Sonos authorized retailers and at www.sonos.com."

This reminds me of the Creative X-Fi wireless docks for the iPods. Whatever happened to them? I just checked on Creative's websites and they're gone. These seem handy, but does anyone really use them? Integrated speaker docks are more convenient, and for quality who connects a media player to their hi-fi systems anyway? Press release after the break.

Read more...


Wednesday, October 14, 2009

Sonos Sings A Song To iPhone Owners With The S5

Posted by Hooch Tan in "Digital Home News" @ 03:00 PM

http://www.sonos.com/s5demo

"We designed the S5 around an iPhone app. With the exception of Griffin and a car radio headset, there aren’t really many other 3rd party CE manufacturers building devices around an iPhone app. We made a decision a 1 ¼ ago to not only build a free iPhone app, but develop the perfect product to marry to an iPhone app."

If you are one of those rare people who own an iPhone or iPod Touch, and you have some coin to spare, you might want to look into Sonos' upcoming ZonePlayer S5. Sure, Sonos offers other wireless music solutions for your home and even has an existing iPhone app to control their systems, the S5 is designed to make the experience easier. Sonos has a great thing going with really great hardware, and their setup for piping music around the house is sickeningly nice, but as a non-iPhone user, I'm feeling a bit left out. Sure, I hear that the iPhone is getting popular these days, and I am sure they want to emphasize their flashy new app, but not even a word of whether it can also be controlled through a browser, another phone (Android, WinMo, WebOS) or a remote (Harmony) is a bit depressing. Do people really carry their phone around with them absolutely everywhere that this makes sense?


Thursday, July 30, 2009

Sonos Gives You The Whole Home Music Experience

Posted by Hooch Tan in "Digital Home News" @ 07:00 AM

http://www.sonos.com/whattobuy/cont...e&LangType=4105

"The Sonos® Controller gives you instant, wireless access to all your music and all your rooms at the touch of a finger. The full-color VGA display, ultra-responsive touch screen and dedicated buttons make it a joy to use. And it’s 100% dedicated to multi-room music control — pick it up or touch the screen and it’s ready to go. With the Controller in hand you can quickly find and play music from your personal music library, Internet radio and the most popular online music services."

If you are one of the people lucky enough to use Sonos to pipe music throughout your house, Sonos has a treat for you. The CR200 is an update of their remote control offering a high resolution screen with touch capabilities. Now you could argue that you already have a remote control, either from your computer, or if you have an iPhone, there is an app for that. Unfortunately, this means carrying your computer around the house or living with the simple interface that the iPhone app offers. The CR200 is designed to do one thing, and one thing well, and if you already have Sonos products, chances are, the $350 bite will not hurt one bit. I'm still stuck using Shoutcast and FM transmitters to get music around the house, and controlling the whole mess can be a pain. I can definately see the benefit of having a dedicated setup and a dedicated controller that lets you enjoy your music quickly and easily.


Friday, February 6, 2009

Sonos' Newest Bundle Reviewed

Posted by Hooch Tan in "Digital Home News" @ 10:30 AM

http://www.maximumpc.com/article/re...MC-R3A917316679

"The Sonos mesh network is independent of any other Wi-Fi network you might be operating, so you don’t need to worry about music clogging up the pipes of your data network. The new hardware is backward-compatible with older Sonos products: We merged the new ZP120 (the self-amplified model), the new ZP90 (the passive model), and a second controller into our existing Sonos network without a hitch."

For a few years now, Sonos has been plugging their flapship product, the Multi-Room Music System. Maximum PC has had the lucky opportunity to review the latest bundle to be released, the Sonos Bundle 150. It looks like Sonos has listened to complaints regarding their older products and have worked towards addressing most issues. Their ZonePlayer now has the capability of producing a wider range of sound with a bit more output and some more codec support has been added. Of note is free subscriptions and access to Last.fm and Pandora! Rich, tasty, multi-room music is here, but at a price! I'm already saving up. It'll be quite an upgrade from my personal FM broadcasting network I'm using right now.


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