Internet Radio In Your Home AND Automobile!

Up until just a few years ago, listening to Internet radio was limited to your home or work PC.  Which meant access to stations such as KC Cafe Radio was quite limited.

With advances in wireless technologies, and more liberal access to broadband Internet speeds, however, it was simply a matter of time before developers came up with ways to “unleash” Internet radio from the PC.

They are called “wi-fi” radios, and have already sold well in Europe.  And, at the recent Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, it was clear the devices will soon become commonplace in the US as well, and they won’t just limit your access to the home either!

There are already a variety of Internet radio appliances available, from units designed to integrate into your home audio system, streaming music from the Internet, along with your own MP3 files, to “standalone” tabletop, or clock radio-style units that sit on a table or nightstand and function similarly to the way you would expect any radio to do so.  Many also offer IPod docking capability.

Internet radio will soon be available in your automobile as well, especially now that high-speed Internet access is available on wireless devices.  A simple bluetooth connection between your wireless device and the radio is all it takes.

And speaking of your wireless device, if you own an iPhone, you already have the capability of listening to KC Cafe Radio on-the-go!

The service is called “WunderRadio,” and is a product of The Weather Underground, a website dedicated to providing global weather information.

The primary purpose of WunderRadio is to provide streaming access to many of the NOAA Weather Radio Stations that broadcast nationwide.  However, thanks to an arrangement with the Internet radio directory service RadioTime,  many online radio services, including KC Cafe Radio are available to take with you.

While the news about Internet radio streaming devices is exciting, the technology is still relatively new, and therefore rather expensive for most budgets.  However, like anything that seems to “catch on” with consumers, prices will definitely drop as demand becomes greater.  And, as the music enthusiast continues to strive for new and unique music, we are fairly confident these devices will be more than adequate at fulfilling that need.

Stay tuned!