 Some
items are designed to be identifiable at first sight and this holds
true for most electronics but Pure have launched a DAB radio which
looks unlike any other radio we've ever seen.The Pure Bug DAB
radio is a combination of a unique style and some digital technology
that makes its first UK appearance in this unit, we are not talking
about the benefits of DAB which are all present in the Pure Bug but
the unique recording system. This works very much like a Sky Plus
box allowing you to pause live radio while you answer a call of
nature or even rewind to the start of a track (up to 12 mins) when
you walk in halfway through, you can also output recordings to an SD
card. In practice this is an excellent feature and one that is sure
to become standard on DAB radios in the future, you can find this
functionality on a number of MP3 players but this is the first DAB
radio we've seen with it. Plus you can also play MP3's stored on the
SD memory card on the Bug, a 128mb card should store about 2 hours
of recordings at 128kbits and you can also hook the Bug up to your
PC via the USB connector. The design of the Pure Bug DAB Radio is most likely to
be its major selling point, designed by Wayne Hemmingway the bug is
unique, the large blue backlit screen sits on top of the main body
looking a bit alien like with six preset buttons alongside the
screen for driving the Pure unit. Just to enhance its Buggy
appearance you can select a set of blinking eyes to appear on the
screen almost like a screensaver, available in both white /chrome
and graphite and chrome the bug will fit in to most homes.
 The
base houses the 3
inch speakers and a rocker / joystick type control
which is used to control most of the Bugs features, its nice and
simple to operate using the benefits of the DAB system to search for
and store all available DAB stations which are then displayed by
name as you scroll through. You can also set the
Two alarms with
separate station selection and optional daily, weekday or weekend
settings and there is a configurable sleep / snooze timer plus you
can set recording timers (up to 9) using the Bugs clock.
Audio quality is good with a S/PDIF output for connection to your
HiFi or other digital audio equipment, but the Bugs own speakers
give a good quality of audio if not quite up to the high standard
set by the
Pure Evoke 1. Perhaps the
Pure Bug will be most at home in the kitchen or as a bedside radio,
it doesn't quite have the volume level to fill a main room in your
home but does an ample job in a smaller room. But don't let that put
you off the Pure Bug DAB Radio is an excellent gadget and one you
are unlikely to grow tired of and a perfect if slightly quirky gift
which is excellent value at £149.99.
More Pure Digital Reviews
More DAB Radios -
[ Up ] [ XFM DAB Radio ] [ Revo DAB ] [ Pure Bug DAB Radio ] [ Pure Evoke ] [ Sony XDR S1 DAB Radio ] [ Sharp DAB Portable Radio FVDB1ES ] [ Genus PR1I DAB ] |
