NPR and Livio partner for Wi-Fi radio device
Hearst has said it is developing an e-reader, and now another news organization is simply creating its own tech gadget. Livio and National Public Radio (NPR) have partnered for the first Internet radio device, aptly named the NPR Radio.
Featuring exclusive NPR content and programming and access via the Internet (either Ethernet or Wi-Fi) to more than 16,000 validated Internet radio stations from around the world, Livio and NPR are trying to attract both older and younger demographics to their new venture. As for the NPR content, listeners can access more than 1,000 NPR station streams, over 800 podcasts and the station's archives. There are the basic additional, but ultimately necessary, features of a radio, like an alarm clock and sleep timer.
On sale now, it's available in both NPR's and Livio's online stores for $199. Livio's first radio debuted earlier this year, and it sells for the same price. I don't know if I'd buy a radio right now at that price. Plus, I tend to keep portable radios around for picnics or emergencies (like power outages), and since its powered via AC Power Adapter and not batteries, it's not very portable. But its definitely an attractive device. Would you buy it?
For the full press release, click here.