That being said, the software was very easy to install (unlike the tweakier Squeezebox software) and worked great in my testing. It's a bit of a hassle to need to always have your computer on in order to listen to your digital music collection, especially when there are several cloud-based music lockers (Google, Amazon, Apple) that a device like the UE Smart Radio could have drawn on to provide access to your music without a computer. The UE Smart Radio is also capable of playing back your personal digital music collection, provided you download the UE Music Library software and have the server running on your Mac or PC. That means if a great new streaming-audio service comes out - call it the next Spotify - you'll need to hope that Logitech will issue an upgrade so you can listen to it on the UE Smart Radio. Again, it's important to note that the UE Smart Radio must explicitly have support for a service to listen to it, unlike a Bluetooth speaker that can play back audio from any app on your phone/tablet. There's also support for a larger group of niche streaming-audio services you can see the full list here. Streaming-media support includes Spotify, Pandora, Rhapsody, Mog, SiriusXM Internet Radio, Slacker, Last.fm, and TuneIn Internet radio. Note that the UE Smart Radio needs to be connected to the Internet (even to play locally stored music), so you can't use it anywhere that doesn't have Wi-Fi. The UE Smart Radio also has built-in Wi-Fi, which is a nice plus over the competing Sonos Play:3, which needs the separate Sonos Bridge to connect to your home network. That might make sense to those who understand how the UE Smart Radio works (it needs a server running to stream local media), but it's not intuitive, especially with the prevalence of Bluetooth speakers that can play anything on your smartphone.Īround back you'll see there's not much connectivity - just an Ethernet jack and minijack input (the old-school way to listen to your phone's music), plus a headphone port on the side. Your phone is probably loaded up with a good deal of your personal music collection, but you can't actually play any of the music on your phone directly on the UE Smart Radio. There are some surprising limitations, though. Again, the main improvement is that there are fewer menus and options you need to deal with to get music playing. The app is very responsive, and the UE Smart Radio reacts nearly immediately to track changes and volume adjustments. It's stripped down to just three panels: Favorites, Now Playing, and All Music. I tested the UE Smart Radio using the iOS app, which is easier to use than the older Squeezebox app. While you can use the Smart Radio without a smartphone, it's clearly built with the expectation that most buyers will be using the Smart Radio app (available on iOS and Android), which makes it easier to search and browse for music. The UE Smart Radio doesn't come with a remote, and that's because the company more or less assumes you already have the remote: your smartphone. (For comparison's sake, refresh your memory about how sparse the iPod control scheme is.) And given that it seems like the UE Smart Radio's natural home would be the bedroom, a more alarm-clock-like design would make sense. The front panel still feels a tad cluttered with buttons, which makes it less approachable than it should be. While navigation is undeniably improved, it's a shame Logitech didn't take the opportunity to improve the hardware. Where the old Squeezebox Radio's interface was needlessly complex, the UE Smart Radio has stripped away the cruft and put the features you're mostly likely to use - such as Pandora and Spotify - right on the home menu. Logitech has focused its redesign efforts on menu navigation, which is vastly improved from the Squeezebox Radio. Overall, it feels a bit like navigating an old-school iPod, spinning the dial to sift through menus, then clicking the knob to make choices. The UE Smart Radio is centered around its smallish 2.4-inch color display, and navigation is handled by the large knob below. The back is curved, with a built-in handle, which makes it easy to carry. The glossy black finish seems like a misstep, considering you'll frequently have your hands on the device, but fingerprints don't show up as much as you'd think. The cabinet is plastic, although it feels solid and thoughtfully built. That's not necessarily a bad thing it's a well-designed tabletop music system. Squeezebox aficionados will recognize the Smart Radio's design as little more than a rebranding of the Squeezebox Radio.
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