Hot box of Internet radio, streaming tunes
You can't help but to be impressed by The Imp's moxie. For one, it could be the only Apple-influenced gadget that begins with an "i" that isn't lowercase. It also tunes into your Wi-Fi connection to stream Internet radio — that also-ran medium famous for delivering Musica Italiana at an AM-quality 24 kilobits per second. It's no Sirius, but then again, it is free radio. The unit has one speaker, a funky LCD for scrolling through stations, songs, artists, and albums, and 10 preset buttons. Likely, if you plopped down the 150 pounds (about $260) for the cutie, you'd use it mainly to stream your MP3s — most digital files are supported, with the exception of the iTunes Music Store's protected AAC tracks. Still, the product site purports the further development of Internet radio, and promises 2,500 global stations and on-demand programming, as well as interactivity that will be available in the future. Perhaps these Brits know something we don't.