It's started to get easier to take your Web-based entertainment wherever you go. Today, the British consumer electronics maker Pure is announcing that it will three Internet-connected radios in the North American market starting in July.
The three new devices have sleek designs and allow listeners to tap into between 12,000 and 15,000 internet radio stations. They can get the music via Wi-Fi or USB Ethernet connections. You can search for stations and content through a Google-like search interface, making it easier to search through a huge number of choices.
The radios have debuted in the United Kingdom already and are commanding a big chunk of the market, according to market research GFK. But it will be interesting to see if Pure can take market share away from rivals such as Sony, Sonos and others in the U.S.
"Our idea is to offer the next-generation features without the high prices," said Charles Bellfield, general manager of Pure's North American division. "We think that the Internet is still under-utilized in consumer electronics."
The first device is the black Evoke Flow ($229), a portable radio with inputs for an iPod dock or additional speakers. The white Oasis Flow radio ($249) has a weatherproof design and a rugged cast alumninum frame so it can be used outside. It has rubber seals on the sides in case it gets bumped, and has a built-in rechargeable battery for hours of music listening. And the Siesta Flow ($139) is like a clock radio for the Internet age. It has 365 different alarm tones and can tap into internet radio stations. There are ambient sounds for you to go to sleep.
All three devices can stream music from a computer, so you can play your iTunes music on the devices. They also have access to Pure's radio and media portal, the Pure Lounge. Users can use the portal to organize their favorite radio stations and put them into folders that the radios can access. The lounge also has a library of tones. You can also listen to podcasts via the devices, or regular FM radio.
The devices will go on sale on Pure's website on July 1 and then quickly go on sale on online retail sites. By the fall, they will be available in stores. Another device, the Sensia, has been delayed and is coming later this year. That device has built-in social networking features such as Twitter and Facebook. Lastly, also coming later this year is the Sirocco 500, a complete digital sound system for the living room that can support 80-watt speakers.
Pure is a subsidiary of Imagination Technologies, the publicly-traded tech company that makes graphics chip designs used in the Apple iPad. Apple owns 9 percent and Intel owns 16 percent of Imagination Technologies, which has focused on making low-power graphics technology. More than 200 million devices use Imagination Technologies' components, and the company's market capitalization is above $1 billion.
The Pure division was started near London in 2002 and has 140 employees. Its focus is to make Internet-connected consumer devices.
The designs look good, and the products have useful features built into them. It's sort of what you would expect to get if Apple to designed consumer electronics devices. Of course, one big missing feature in all of the devices is an iPod-compatible jack, which would make listening to iTunes music much more convenient. If you really want that, you can buy a $49 add-on jack.