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I've got a squeezebox!

This is not a reference to The Who song "mama's got a squeezebox", it is a hands on account of the Logitech Squeezebox Boom and Classic (or Squeezebox 3).

The Logitech Squeezebox (originally by Slim Devices but Logitech knows a good thing when it buys it) is a Network Streaming Music Player. There are a few models but I will only be commenting on the Boom and Classic.

The Boom has speakers and the Classic connects to your stereo so the two devices have two different purposes. Both can connect to your home network using wireless or Ethernet. You will need to set up a Squeezebox Server or use the online storage option. I have a computer that is on all the time so I installed the server software on that. Both squeezeboxes, once configured with the Network details, found the squeezebox server and can then be configured using the web interface.

The Boom is located in the main bedroom and has been set up as an alarm clock, it displays the time when not playing music and it sounds good and can get loud! It does not have an iPod dock or USB port but as you can stream Internet Radio and any one of a long list of audio types to it that is not a drawback for me. If you want an iPod speaker dock then this is not it. The Boom has controls on the front and I find it easy to scroll and select what I want to play. It also has a small remote that sits securely on top whilst not in use. Whilst the Boom is portable it does not have batteries and needs to be in range of your wireless networks.

The Classic is installed using an optical digital cable to a surround sound amplifier and is producing some sweet sounds as I write this. It is controlled by a remote - I use a Harmony 880 - and has a two line screen, wider than the one on the Boom, from which I can read the song title and artist from about four meters away. I have configured the display to show the Artist, Album and Track Title which is scrolled horizontally if it is too long to fit. If you are using a music player, such as a media centre PC, that needs your TV then the Squeezebox is a great way to play music without the TV needing to be on.

One nice feature of the squeezebox is that you can synchronise more than one and play the same music on all the devices at once. Some people will like that feature. You can also control the squeezeboxes from the server - turning them on and playing music without even being in the room. My wife, Louise, knew it was me - no one believes in ghosts anymore :-)

The server software will run on Linux, Windows and the Mac. As it is written in Perl it, theoretically, can be run on any platform (as Perl has been ported to everything. There is probably a version that can run on toaster ovens). If you have a computer that is normally on during the day you can install it on that and you will not notice it is there (assuming a reasonably recent computer of course). There are lots of add ons for the server (called plugins) and applications which add features to the Squeezebox (called "apps") so there is lots to keep you interested. Or you could just sit back and enjoy your music!

There are alternatives but I am happy with the Squeezebox - check out the other Squeezeboxes - the Radio - a model with a battery, the new Touch - this one has a touch colour screen which is almost a requirement in the modern world of touchscreen phones, mp3 players, book readers and tablet PCs and the Squeezebox duet. Then look into the alternatives, such as the models from Philips and others, and see if you make the same choice I did.

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