BY KURT HANSON
As near as I can tell, the race to be "first to market" for the various companies hoping to bring an Internet radio appliance into consumers' homes may in fact have already been won by a candidate that came out of left field -- the iOpener device from Netpliance.

This $99 device is being marketed as a way for consumers without PCs to access e-mail and simple news services.

What I haven't read anyone writing about, however, is that the hardware includes built-in stereo speakers and the software supports RealAudio 5.0 -- meaning that it can be used as an Internet radio appliance anywhere in the house that's near a phone line!

This fact even escaped me when I saw it at Internet World three weeks ago. It looked stylish and attractive, and I thought it might be perfect for my more technophobic aunt and uncle in La Crosse...but I missed the implication of the audio feature at the time.

An article in yesterday's Seattle Times (here) is a lukewarm review that, again, fails to mention its audio capabilities -- but it lead me to the firm's website (here), where I found the screenshot shown at right.

The site's FAQ includes the following exchange: "Q: Can I use i-opener to listen to net-radio, CD samples, newscasts, and other audio content on the Internet? A: Yes. Using i-opener, you can listen to any RealAudio 5.0 streaming audio feed.

Three calls to the firm's Technical Support hotline (1-800-298-9525) provided conflicting information each time, but one support person told me that "I'm pretty sure our new browser will have Windows Media Player in it."

According to another one of the tech support reps, the device's "Web Guide" includes direct links to about ten radio stations (one per format), including KING/Seattle as its classical station, WJZW/ Washington, DC as its smooth jazz station, a Ventura Country Internet-only station, KDRadio.com, as its oldies station, and WINC-FM/Winchester, VA as its top 40 station.

Although the device is priced at only $99 (reduced from $199 through Father's Day), it does also require the purchase of a minimum of three months of monthly Internet access at $21.95. (Come to think of it, I guess the monthly fee would prevent me from buying one to use in my bedroom or kitchen as an Internet radio; with the current pricing plan, it's a little too pricey for that purpose.)

But for the household that simply wants access to e-mail plus Internet radio, this might be a perfectly fine solution. And it's really a nice-looking little device.

Have any experience with this product? Share it with other RAIN readers here.

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Several RAIN readers responded to Friday's article about the new "radio for your PC" startup called ClickRadio that was described in Friday's issue of RAIN (click screenshot at right.)

In addition, numerous readers of the original ZDNet piece also commented on ClickRadio's plans in ZDNet.com.

Some of the observations are noted below:

"Why, as a consumer, would I want this?" -- Amy Van Hook, Entercom

Friday, April 21, 2000 2:21:08 PM

Radio programming for PCs? How about radio programming for people? I have to agree with you, Kurt. Maybe I'm just having a slooow day...but I don't get it. Why, as a consumer, would I want this? I feel like I have these choices already. Sometime the right money brings the right names aboard??? Ooops, I didn't say that!

"Sounds like a real break for the home enthusiast..." -- Tony Yoken, President/General Manager, Barnstable Broadcasting Inc.,Memphis Radio Group-WGKX/WSRR/WRBO

Friday, April 21 7:09:37 AM

It seems that with ClickRadio you get to purchase a "pre-tested" 300 song library. This sounds like a real break through for the home enthusiast who feels like their terrestrial or e.t. station's playlist is too deep! On the other hand, Herbie Hancock fans might be able to get his All Time Hand Picked Top 300 Tunes and this rings more credible.


The following reader comments
are from ZDNet's "Talkback" feature:

	I can't see this working at all. This is almost like buying browser software with web pages included. The excitement of the internet is the ability to get the latest stuff as soon it's available. This feels like a step backwards.
	Are you kidding me? They worked 3 years in secret on this? So a group of people got together and said, "what would be a neat way of involving music on the web..." and this is the best they could come up with. Amazing. Really people, streaming audio is not a problem. Napster solved that a long time ago. And it only took them 4 months of work. I bet the programmers at ClickRadio can't believe the cash-cow they've found....
	Hank you are a rocket scientist! Wow. Amazing. You are going to provide the ability for users to download files on to their hard disks and provide some software that takes those files and plays them! Gee, that's just so incredibly different to anything else on the Net that I tip my hat to you, sir. What a unique and wonderful idea...
	I've seen this system. It is completely personalizable. No two people end up listening to the same station, it is intelligent radio that becomes your own personal radio network. It puts Spinner and all the other net radio networks to shame. This is by far the coolest things I've seen yet. This is the future!!!

Read more of the ZDNet "Talkback" comments here.




Friday's winner of the $1395 "last seat" at the USC/Inside Radio Internet Conference in Scottsdale, AZ, this week is Gary Cheney, who works as an editor for NBC Television in Los Angeles. Congratulations, Gary!

If Gary fnds he can't attend the conference next week, the first alternate is "Robin@S...", who is talk-show host Robin Goldstein of The Schnauzer Logic Radio Co. in San Jose.

And if Robin is also unable to attend, the second alternate is "Laura S...", who is Laura Stanfield, a country-music programmer with BoomboxRadio.com in Phoenix.

Thanks to everyone who entered! And we'll hopefully have more fun and games and fantastic prize packages coming in RAIN soon.

May 15-18	Radio Ink Internet Conference, Boston
May 22-26	Real [Networks] Conference 2000, San Jose
June 12-14	Streaming Media East 2000, New York City
June 14-17	R&R Convention 2000, Los Angeles
June 14-17	PROMAX & BDA, New Orleans
July 13-16	Upper Midwest Conclave, Minneapolis
August 3-5	Morning Show Bootcamp, New Orelans
September 20-23	NAB Radio Show, San Francisco
October 5-7	Billboard/Airplay Monitor Seminar, New York
November 5-7	NAB European Radio Conference, Berlin
Did we miss a major conference? E-mail us here.

New and improved!

xxx

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