Grace Digital Bookshelf Micro System
You’re likely aware that the Internet is full of streaming radio stations—both those that exist entirely on the Internet as well as traditional, terrestrial radio stations. You may also be aware that iTunes’ radio stations aren’t the only way to access this audio. In fact, there are many stand-alone devices that stream this content. Grace Digital Audio makes several of these devices, including the Bookshelf Micro System . While this system lives up to its name in being perfectly sized to fit on a bookshelf and provides a fair number of features for its $250 price tag, it has a lot of rough edges.
The detailsBefore we get to the specifics of those edges, here’s the obligatory description. Grace’s Bookshelf Micro System is made up of a package of components that includes the brick-and-a-half-sized main unit, a power supply, a remote control, and two speakers—each featuring a 3.5-inch driver, 1-inch tweeter, and 4-inch port to enhance bass performance. The back of the main unit bears a single USB port for connecting a flash drive or external hard drive, two sets of RCA jacks (one for auxiliary input and another for output), and a jack for connecting the included Wi-Fi antenna. The device uses 802.11n Wi-Fi by default, but you can connect the device to your network via ethernet with an optional $20 USB-to-ethernet adapter. On the front of the main unit is a headphone jack.
Apple TV Review
If you listen to certain bloated technology seers, Apple TV is the start of an electronic revolution in which customers, finally, will begin enjoying TV, movie, music, and photo content on their TVs. And while Media Center and TiVo users will take deserved umbrage at that characterization--they've been doing that and much more for several years now with no help from Apple, thank you very much--I'm here to tell you that Apple TV is nothing more than an iPod designed for your living room instead of your pocket. It is simply yet another way to consume content purchased from Apple's nearly-ubiquitous iTunes Store, an online service that sells music, TV shows, audio books, movies, and other content.
If that's not of interest to you, just stop reading and save yourself $300.
If, however, you're a fan of Apple's service and its various devices, please do read on. Because while the Apple TV is indeed just an overhyped, non-portable iPod that is seriously limited compared to the current crop of competitors, this device should be of much interest to those, like myself, who have invested a lot of time and effort into iTunes. I prefer iTunes to other digital jukeboxes, and while I feel that the music Apple offers online is of almost laughably bad quality, the company does offer high-quality TV shows and movies, and iTunes is an excellent way to manage podcasts and your other media. Overall, iTunes offers the best media experience around, in my opinion.
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