View Quest Retro WiFi Radio review

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Verdict:

It’s got some great features and support DAB+, but this multi-functional radio is let down by its lack of support for Variable Bit Rate MP3 streams

Review Date: 25 Jun 2012

Price when reviewed: £144

Supplier: http://www.micom.co.uk

Reviewed By: Kat Orphanides

Our Rating 3 stars out of 5

View Quest is the latest in a slew of manufacturers to integrate classic style with modern technology. This is a particularly common practice when it comes to radios. The Retro WiFi Radio has a clean, simple and stylish chassis with a leather effect handle and cover and cream body, which contains a combination DAB+/FM/internet radio and UPnP media streamer. You can power it from the mains or from four C cell batteries, and the radio has a claimed 15-hour battery life. A physical power switch at the back means there's no risk of running them down by leaving the radio in standby mode.

There's even an iPod dock, so you can play content directly from an iOS device, and it's neatly concealed behind the View Quest logo - just push it in and a sturdy little plastic dock shelf pops out. A mono LCD display allows you to navigate through the radio's menus, while text entry - which is only called for when you have to enter your wireless password - is handled by using the dial or buttons to cycle through letters of the alphabet.

When you first power it up, the radio scans for wireless networks and prompts you select yours and enter the password. With that done, you can choose to tune in to internet, digital or FM radio stations, connect to your network to search for UPnP media streams or listen to content from an iPod or the radio's auxiliary input.

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