Revo Pico Portable WiFi Internet Radio

• Splash-resistant design for use indoors and out
• Cordless and portable
• Infrared remote control
• Supports WPA Encryption (WPA1) and HTTP protocol
• Large, scrolling, high-contrast LCD display

I've been waiting for this type product for a long time and I am glad I bought it. However, I would not recommend it for everyone just yet. It has a coolness factor which I paid a premium. I refuse to pay for XM because there is too much free music out there. It works seamlessly with the Reciva website but expect some of the stations to not work properly. That's fine because there is so much to choose from. The sound quality is only ok but most stations are sub cd quality anyway. Battery life is maybe 3 hours depending on the loudness. WiFi distance is not very good. FM is not great either. Navigating the menus is far from intuitive. You really need to be tech savvy to understand this radio. The podcasts I listen to cut off about halfway. The remote sucks. Despite the cons, I think future firmware updates will continue to improve the technology. Unless you have some disposable income or have to have the latest, greatest, you might want to wait until revision 2.

*** UPDATE ***

I need to add a star to my review. The beta firmware (as of Jan 09) has cured my some of my gripes. It now scrolls metadata for some stations and plays podcasts properly. It will play Clear Channel stations also. Reciva has made the menus easier to navigate. You still need to be a techie to enjoy this radio.

Buy Revo Pico Portable WiFi Internet Radio Now

After reading the reviews here, I was a little worried about purchasing the Revo Pico. But I wanted the portability, and after several years with an excellent WiFi radio, the Acoustic Energy (AE), I took the plunge when an open box item was available from Amazon Warehouse Deals at over $100 less than list. I figured I could always return it if was DOA or whatever, but much to my surprise, this little radio sounds better than expected and works flawlessly in battery mode or plugged in. It is no more difficult to use than the AE, and it actually sounds better! The Revo Pico also has several nice features that the AE doesn't, like a remote control (works fine), and an iPod/MP3 player input. I am not sure if I just got lucky, but I really like this WiFi radio. I would have given it five stars, but I do agree that the full retail price of $350 is a bit much. However, this radio exceeded my expectations and does not have any of the problems listed by the other reviewers. So, bring down the price, Revo, and you might sell more of these great WiFi portables!

Read Best Reviews of Revo Pico Portable WiFi Internet Radio Here

Elderly couple enjoying the planet via radio... We've shortwave radios in every room in our home ranging from ultra high end to pocket cheapies. Having acknowledged the impending death of shortwave, moving into WiFi was a natural evolution. We purchased a Roku and an AE when they first hit the market (Roku great, AE superlative). The Pico was next, intended for wife's gardening.

First let me say having had two Picos THEY DON'T WORK! Both were purchased here at Amazon. The first one would only play for 10-15 minutes. Contacted REVO and they told us to return it as the charger was defective. Amazon sent a second one and it was DOA. Plugging it in to charge did nothing but emit a pulsating light from the display window, and a loud cyclic pop from the speaker. Again REVO was contacted and this time they told us the battery was "flat" and we should return the radio. Revo took 4 & 5 days to respond to our emails.

Let's assume that it worked: It is far too expensive and not as substantial as I would have expected. It's quite light, the finish is pleasant but the box itself feels fragile. It's not really portable. It needs a handle or a case of some sort but has neither. In this case portable only means it doesn't have to be plugged in to work (if it could). The first one we received did play for 10-15 minutes at a time. It did recognize our network immediately. The sound was thin and shrill although adjustable. You wouldn't want to listen to this radio for long periods of time. By contrast the AE at roughly the same size has sound warm and rich, reminiscent of the old Grundig shortwaves.

I would wait a while longer for a portable WiFi and would not consider one from REVO. Clearly their quality control is seriously lacking. If this is your first plunge into WiFi look no further than the AE.

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I have a Roku Soundbridge Radio and have been delighted with it. I needed a similar, but smaller WiFi radio, and the Revo Pico WiFi looked like just the thing. However, it took three tries to find one that worked reasonably well. The first had a defective display (missing pixels) and the second just flashed the display and made a popping sound. I have one that works now, but the user interface is very difficult compared with the Roku. In addition, every time you turn it on, there is an extended time before it connects to the WiFi network, and sometimes it doesn't connect until the power is recycled. The network signal strength does not seem to matter. The bottom line is the quality control seems unreliable and the product has a number of warts, but it sort of works if you find a good one. If the Soundbridge radio or its equivalent were also available in a smaller version, I would get one immediately. But for the moment, I'm tired of experimenting with these kind of radios.

UPDATE: 11-21-2009

After trying to use this radio for a long time, I am giving up. There have been a series of problems and little to no support from Revo. They promised a software update over a year ago, but never delivered. After being forced to reset the unit today to try to maintain a WiFi connection, now it won't even connect to any network and gives a vague software reset error every time I try to reset to factory settings. I can't believe this product is still for sale. I now have have several other brands of Internet radio (Roku, Logitech, Grace) and they all work great. There is no excuse for the design and quality of the Revo Pico WiFi.

I have been using this radio now for about a week. Here is a quick overview:

Pros:

Quite easy to use. Within a couple of minutes, I had the unit connected to my network and I listened to an Auckland, New Zealand Station, Falkland Islands Radio and on over the air (on FM), WNYC (the NYC NPR station) among a lot more.

Portable. The radio is light in terms of poundage, but has a solid feel. Its rechargeable battery means I can effortlessly move the unit from the kitchen to another room.

Small footprint. I live in Manhattan...space is always an issue!

Sound quality. There is no tininess. There is no problem listening to this unit for an extended period.

Splash proof. A huge plus. I use the unit in the Kitchen and near the bathtub while giving the kids a bath without worry.

Reminiscent of the Tivoli radio. It nicely compliments my weather resistant Tivoli radio.

Cons:

The radio is way over priced. I purchased it only because it was the only unit that I could find that has a rechargeable battery and is splash proof. However, I think that it should be priced at least about [..]cheaper than it is at Amazon (I picked mine up for about [..] less than Amazon's price at a major NYC electronics retailer).

The battery does not last as along as advertised. However, the jury is still out about this as, 1) I am still in the priming stage as described in the instruction manual and 2) I have been doing a LOT of station jumping.

There are not enough presets. There are 5 presets for FM and 5 for WiFi stations, and they are only accessible from the remote. However, setting up "My Stations" on Reciva has made accessing my favorite stations relatively easy.

Despite its high price tag, I have no regrets so far about this purchase.