CTA DIGITAL MI-IRP1 Portable Internet Radio with 1GB Memory

Update: After very limited use for 18 months or so the radio stopped working -just would not turn on. I disassembled it (I build such electronics, so not a big deal). Battery is fully charged, switches are functioning (tested with ohmmeter), no loose wires. Must be a component failure. Not good, considering it was always in a padded case when not used. Add the that: The price is $100 more now than when I bought it in mid-2008. Definitely NOT recommended.

Phil

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This radio works well as an internet radio. Manual says 10 hrs on battery when in internet radio mode and I have no reason to question that (but no life tests as yet). And, if you have a USB AC supply (as from an iPhone or iPod) you can power it from that. It is also an FM radio, but I've yet to try that mode.

Construction is fine for the purpose and size (it is really tiny -thinner than my iPhone, a bit narrower and about 2/3 as big in the longest dimension).

However the description is a bit misleading. It says "Add more media to your device with the Micro SD/MMC card slot". I can find no such slot in the unit (it's so small it would be hard to hide such a slot); nor is one mentioned in the manual. You can load MP3s, images and video into the 1 GB internal memory, but it will not accommodate a Micro SD card as I had hoped. This is why I gave it 4 stars instead of five.

The lack of the promised slot is a bit disappointing. But my reason for buying this unit was to have a small internet radio for travel (already have a large one next the bed) and it is that. And I have several other MP3 players.

Phil

I'm not sure how this product is listed as having a micro SD slot. If it has one, it is very well hidden and is not mentioned in the instruction manual. Also, I haven't been able to figure out the recording function (I don't think it exists either). Further the support website listed on the device is not functional (just a random South Korean public relations site...zero support). It does have a seemingly endless list of internet radio stations and the interface is relatively intuitive. I can't think of much more nice to say. In short, I wouldn't buy this again. If they made it with a real record function, external memory support, and with a TIVO like program, it would be what I actually had hoped for (and wouldn't stink).

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The features work great especially the internet radio but the interface and overall cheap feel need improvement to rate a 5 star review.

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Updated: internal battery no longer holds a charge. Unit is now useless.

Love this player. When I bought this, there were 7 reviews on Amazon, and after having this product for a number of months, I would say all 7 reviews are dead-on. Read them all and since this is only one of three portable wifi Internet radios that I could find I decided to take the plunge. First one I received one did not hold a charge, but Amazon exchanged it (yay Amazon!). The second one worked great at home, but would not connect to my wireless network at work. Updated the firmware in my work wireless router (was an old wifi-B Netgear unit) and now works great! Battery lasts about 6 hours on wifi, and only charges via computer's USB, not from my AC-USB adapter. Love this player. Have not used too much for video or even MP3 as for me it is my portable wifi Internet radio. Love the radio choices. Very light-weight. Bought a small belt-clip holder at local dollar store and carry it with me around the office. Headphones are fine, charger fine, instructions fine. Works as 1 GB USB storage device so I can access player from Linux. Fairly expensive, but unless you use your phone for Internet radio, this unit makes a great portable Internet radio. Just make sure you get one that works, and if it does work, make sure you update your wifi firmware if you can see the network but can't connect.

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It's so frustrating this product is exactly what I wanted, and as has been said elsewhere, it's a one-of-a-kind device: if not this, then there is nothing else that provides wifi internet radio in a pocketable format. Sadly, although I have had three from Amazon.com, none of them was capable of charging the battery.

I tried two laptops, a powered hub and a USB charger, but the experience was always the same: while connected to a PC it would appear as an external drive, and the battery indicator would go from empty to full in about 4 minutes. Alternatively, while connected to a USB charger it would display "Battery Low | Charging" for about 20 minutes before displaying a perpetually rotating hourglass. But even after being left connected for 4 days, it would die the instant it was disconnected and refuse to power up. All three examples behaved the same (and I did check the "Hold" switch that locks the on/off was in the unlocked position).

All three had boxes that looked scuffed and a little faded, making me wonder if they had been stored too long, maybe by the importer: rechargeable batteries have to be given a part charge for storage but if they go totally flat it can kill them. That's all I can think of that would prodce this unfortunate result.

Amazon Returns have been swift and efficient about providing a replacement, but I felt that after 3 tries it was probably time to give up. A shame....