JMS

Inspired by my friend Phil we ordered a Squeezebox from SlimDevices. It arrived Friday and I got it up and running in about 15 minutes.

Fantastic.

Basically it brings the whole mess of MP3s and podcasts and internet radio stations into one slick little device on your shelf with a remote control to scroll and play things. I was able to add playlists and favorite stations as well as import the PRX public radio directory OPML file for easy browsing and playing of public radio podcasts. Very cool.

It feels very different to scroll, find, and sample a podcast through this device than the usual web or iTunes experience. Especially when you do it just after sampling a Shoutcast radio stream or a random mix of your own mp3 collection.

Granted this is an early-adopter toy, but with the NYTimes big profile the other day perhaps it will reach a broader audience. Either way it’s another step away from radio, even satellite radio. When Live365, Shoutcast, Radioio, Last.FM, Pandora are creating thousands of niche music channels for your listening pleasure, and you can mix in talk/news/publicaffairs podcasts, and you can get them all at home with a flick of the remote…

I’ve been debating getting Sirius, partly to keep hearing a bit of Stern, partly for professional curiosity for PRX purposes. I’d also been thinking about centering media access around the TV, using Tivo and other ‘media center’ apps that companies are cooking up. Nothing seems quite ready to come out of the oven, though, and I’m far from being gadget-obsessed enough to really research my options. Hence Phil’s recommendation and demo easily made the case for Squeezebox.

We had some folks over for Lena’s birthday last night and I couldn’t help futzing with the thing all night and showing it off to anyone interested. It’s a tivo-like enthusiasm that makes you wish you could earn a commission from converting friends and neigbhors.