Tangent Quattro WiFi Internet Radio

Right out of the box this radio looks like the very definition of hotness. Adorned with silver knobs and cast in a glossy red finish, it even put our chic black designer coffee table to shame. But after plugging it in, we rapidly became disenchanted. The ugly power cord prevents the radio from being the centerpiece of any surface. Clean, sharp audio somewhat makes up for this, but when we tried using it as a bedside alarm clock, it entered unforgivable territory. The Quattro reboots whenever the alarm is disabled, the snooze function doesn't work on buzzer mode, and the clock actually displays inaccurate time on occasion. In this case, the hot was all for naught.

WIRED Solid construction, excellent heft. No subscription required. Whopping 6,433 Internet radio stations to choose from. Single speaker surprises with ample bass. Quick setup. Supports WPA1 encryption for connecting to secure Wi-Fi networks. Stores up to five scheduled alarms. Can adjust backlight level for each of three power modes.

TIRED Contains more bugs than a biblical plague. Crackles at high volume. Cannot resume static programming. No track title display for internet radio content. Connecting to stations takes up to a minute. Limited sleep timer.

• Style: Audio, WiFi enabled
• Manufacturer: Tangent
• Price: $350
Release Date: July 06, 2007