A Gadget that Speaks, sings and plays music 

I have only had this a few days but thinking about the time of year it would make the ideal present for anyone keen on DAB radio so here are my thoughts after just a fews days use.

Dimensions are 11x6x2cm and although the case is anodised aluminium it weights less than 200grams with batteries inserted.

DAB radio reception is either good or non existent so the first thing you need to do is check one of the sites where you enter your postcode that tell you what multiplexes and stations are available in your area. One such is www.pure.com.

The batteries are stated to last up to 18 hours. Should you be near a power point then use the adapter and save batteries. In time I will carry out some tests with rechargeable batteries. The stated power of the adapter is 4volts and most AA rechargeable are 1.2volt so that could be a problem. However if you need ordinary AA batteries it could be somewhat expensive to run.

The very early DAB radios really needed a loft aerial. More recent offerings seem to work fine on a rod aerial so I was concerned how a unit only 11cm tall could give decent reception even in an area like I live where we have good DAB reception (53 stations). I tried it round the house and providing I kept the headphones at close to full stretch reception was fine. A far bigger test was out and about and providing the unit was in a pocket at waist level or lower you get perfectly listenable reception.

As I type this the unit is only .5 metre from my PC, if I had an ordinary radio that close I would have nothing but distortion, here perfect reception, but remember as the aerial is the headphones you must keep the lead unfurled.

The unit itself has a three line display displaying all the normal things including a clock. Below this are four buttons and a five position wheel to make adjustments. There are 10 preset stations for anything else it is just a matter of scrolling back or forward using the wheel. Six EQ settings but through earpieces I found not a great deal of difference between them.

There is one rather large stumbling block the price is a penny less than £130. It is a great product and if you a looking for that special Christmas present you may just about have enough time to get one.

I have a whole range of tests that I plan to run but that will take far to long for anyone wanting to buy a special Christmas gift so hence this quick first look. More will follow when I have time to conduct those other tests.

First ideas, great item, nice size, works well providing you keep the earpieces near full length. The minus point is the price. Full details for the Pure Pocket DAB 1000 in the link.

Link http://www.pure.com/Products/Product.asp?Product=VL-60672