by , 3:00 AM EDT, October 6th, 2004
Walt Mossberg has reviewed Griffin Technology's radioShark, a time shift device that allows you to record (time shift) radio programs for later listening through your Mac or PC, similar to what a TiVo does for TV. While not a terribly important review in the grand scheme of things for the Mac platform, enough people have expressed an interest in the product, that we thought we'd point you to the review. From the Wall Street Journal:
Katie and I first clicked on the "sched" button, which opened up another small window. Within this screen, you can schedule the date, time and station for recording a radio program. I set the radioShark to record a sports talk show, the "Dan Patrick Show" on ESPN Radio, and I muted the sound while it was recording. Whenever the Shark records, its blue gills turn red, serving as an eye-catching reminder that you're recording. The show recorded without a hitch, and I listened to it later on the same day.
The "TS," or time shift, button allows you to play or record content that has already been broadcast by going back in time. The Shark keeps a continually updating chunk of back content stored in a "buffer" -- the default is 30 minutes' worth. Pushing the TS button opens a tiny window that indicates the progress of that stored content. To go back in time, you drag the time-shift progress bar back. This will let you, for instance, start listening at the beginning of a talk show that was already in progress.
Mr. Mossberg's review is a mixed one, with most of the negatives relating to the nature of radio programming (no program guides, no data for recorded files, etc.). You can find the full review at the Wall Street Journal (paid subscription required), or on Walt Mossberg's Personal Technology Web site (link expires after a week).