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Andrea-Marie Vassou, Computeract!ve, Thursday 31 January 2008 at 00:00:00

Worldwide music at your fingertips

The WM201 can pick up internet radio wirelessley, but also lets users listen to music stored on PCs. Setting up the device is easy as long as you are connected to a broadband connection. Connecting involved entering the WEP or WPA key into the radio. If the radio is to be placed close by the router, it can be connected using the network cable supplied. To stream music from the computer, a small application needs to be installed. It can play MP3 and WMA files, including those bought from online music stores. Switching on the radio by pressing the scroll wheel in the middle automatically makes the radio scan for stations, and this is where it gets a little bit confusing. All the functions are controlled by the one scroll button in the centre of the radio. However, this we found it hard to tell which way to navigate and when to push the button in. This led us to scroll through to the Uruguayan radio section instead of the one for Britain. The small screen centred beneath the wheel was little help: it may be bigger than average for such a device but the tiny text didn't do much to ease the scrolling confusion. There is a remote control, but you still need to use the screen. When we finally worked our way around to British stations we were able to pick up a decent 540 stations in the UK There is of course also the array of other global stations, and there are 12 presets so you don't have to go through the process of tuning using the scroll wheel each time. Handily, it can also access recorded programming such as the BBC's Listen Again service. Sound quality from the radio and streamed music was amazingly clear, and the device is capable of quite high volume levels without a problem. Overall, the quality lives up to what we have come to expect from Roberts. Although the radio keeps pace with the looks and quality of an iconic Roberts mode, the scroll wheel is very confusing. That said, the sound quality goes some way to make it more worth the £200 price tag. Vista compatibility: Yes

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