Slacker 8GB WiFi Internet Radio Player with 40 Stations

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2

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New Slacker 8GB WiFi Internet Radio Player with 40 Stations, for $69.99 + $5 shipping
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3

Slackers are the best, got a 2gig, love it, be sure to have a pair of earbuds/headphones, cause the slackers included are terribly uncomfortable. I’ll give it 4woots out of 5

4

I am liking mine more and more since I got them on the first offering. It seems like maybe selling so many of the first generation units got Slacker into gear as many longstanding issues have finally been solved with the latest firmware (like the stuttering at the start of playback, some refresh issues [although some new ones might be happening], etc).

Keep in mind that Slacker recommends that you do a factory reset after the latest firmware-- which is poor design because you will only get the FW after you complete a refresh (and it’s a forced upgrade)-- so only add like ONE station, refresh, then do the factory reset, then start adding stations and you’ll be good to go.

It definitely works MUCH smoother than it did when I got mine in the first round…

5

I already got the 2 gig also … they are awesome.

6

I bought two the last time that the 8 gig’s were offered on the core wOOt site. My better half and I LOVE them. Slacker is a great service with great content and great quality.

VERY happy.

7

FYI, the Buzzillions reviews aren’t too flattering on this one.
http://www.buzzillions.com/dz_2875199_slacker_90260005_8gb_wifi_portable_radio_reviews

8

I don’t need another one; the 2GB I bought on woot a while back holds more music than I can listen to at one time. But I really like it.

BTW, don’t think of this as a “radio.” The only time the device needs to connect to anything is to refresh the music and delete what you’ve already listened to. Think of it as a standard music player where you tell the service what you like to listen to and it puts together some playlists for you.

The advantage of this scheme is that you’re exposed to new music. That doesn’t happen on an iPod.

And while the Slacker app works on an iPod touch, the iPod does need to be connected to a router persistently. This doesn’t. I have both and they serve different purposes, but if I had to get rid of one, I’d get rid of my iPod touch and keep the Slacker.

9

I have the two gig version. This is supposed to be the same size (both are the first generation model), with the same controls, and that’s a shame, because the controls, even with the squirrelly touch strip turned off, are poorly placed, and the unit is awkward to hold. The power switch will not reliably turn the unit off - it usually resets it instead. This would be more of a problem if it weren’t for the fact that, with the AC adapter disconnected, it will auto-power-off after one minute while paused - and you can’t change that interval.

Slacker radio is great, and event the 2 gig player holds an amazing amount of their music. But my player has already stopped refreshing, after downloading an unrequested update. Slacker support is uneven.

Bottom line: if you can afford to write off the purchase price if it stops working or being supported by Slacker (they have had a much better new version out for a while now), it’s worth trying. If you can’t afford to waste $75, consider the $200 gen 2 player instead.

10

Mine worked fine before that forced update. How come Slacker support hasn’t told me about the factory reset? I was considering doing it, but didn’t want to lose the roughly 5 hours of music I have left, only to find it still not refreshing…

11

The Buzzillions reviews are wrong.

This is well worth the money. I’m not sure if it’s worth the original price, but for Woot’s price, this is a steal.

What’s nice is creating a station with a few artists that you like and discovering the music of others in the same genre that perhaps you haven’t heard yet.

Obviously you can get the music for free, so this is really for people that commute or are otherwise on the road for long periods at a time.

Slacker is a little flaky, even the on-line radio station doesn’t always remember what my custom stations are, but when it works, it’s pretty cool.

Some issues you should be aware of:
-The first station load takes forever, but subsequent updates are fairly quick.
-The USB update doesn’t always seem to work right, so just connect via wifi if you can. That always seems to work.

  • It’s pretty easy to hit the ban and favorite buttons accidently, but the interface asks if you’re sure - good feature IMO.
  • The included headphones are the most uncomfortable I’ve ever used, and don’t sound very good either. Toss them, or give them away to someone you hate.
  • You may find this frustrating to use until the firmware updates fix the issues. Stick with it, it’s worth it.
  • The buttons don’t work the way they do on other players, so learn how to use this. In particular, to press enter, you push in the scroll wheel.
  • I have only heard one ad in the several weeks I’ve used this.
12

I have had mine since December and really like it. The earphones I assumed were not worth using, which usually the case. I am wondering what the latest firmware is, and I honestly can’t remember if I did the sequence of events as recommended on here. Working great except for noticeably slow in booting up from time to time…not sure why. And as someone said earlier, mine will not shut off when I use shut down button if I am charging. Finally figured that out. Slacker tech support was not sure what I was referring to. This little device has taken me away from listening to the dreaded XM/Sirius stations w/ my beloved Inno. Five Woots for this one.

13

Use one at work everyday. Love it. If you’re too lazy for play lists or cheap to pay $.99 for downloads, then this is the way to go. There is some really great music out there and Slacker is the way to find it.

Everyone at work asks me about it, nobody has ever heard of it. The large screen is nice (I actually like this first generation’s large size screen vs the G2). I like the touch strip too, which I think they omit on the G2 as well. I think Slacker went for cheap with the G2. Anyways, the album cover is nice, there is artist information too. Battery lasts for about 8 hours. Haven’t had too many issues with mine, I just let it play all day and it does its thing.

I tried XM portable satellite radio for a day and was very disappointed. Couldn’t pick up anything unless the receiver was outside pointing at the sky. Slacker works with your home wireless connection, automatically connects and downloads the music, then you just hit a button and it just goes to town playing music. Stores tons of songs, you’d think 8GB is too small, but it works really well.

Slacker has free service and like a $4 and a $10 month plans. I pay $10 month and it is the best money spent bar none. Excellent product!

14

I’ve got the 2G and 8G is superfluous unless you want to load it up with mp3s. Also, the software has been buggy. Mine bricked twice in a month. Needed re-flashing to bring it back from the dead. That said, I think they may have finally nailed the software issues with the last firmware update. It’s been working fine the last couple of weeks. Knock on wood. And I use this thing daily. Load it up with tunes every night, bring it to work the next day. Neatly solves the problem of your mp3s becoming a bore. I wouldn’t have recommended these things a couple of weeks ago, but now think it’s ok to pull the trigger on one. Also, I think they screwed up the description again. Says it only holds 500MB of MP3s. That’s for the 2G model. The 8G holds 4G of mp3s and 4G of Slacker music.

15

There are many posts concerning this Slacker G1, but I feel I will add my 2 cents anyways. :smiley:

After doing quite a bit of research on the unit, I decided to pull the trigger and buy one off Woot a while ago. I knew of the bricked units, firmware woes, tricky interface, etc. and it has been an interesting experience ever since.

First off, the support is great. I have not had any hardware issues thus far, so I can not speak of how the company will support these situations. In reference to the software, the company team is quick and the Slacker forums are even quicker with solutions. I suggest this device for a person who enjoys a challenge, not a recreational listener.

Setting up this device is by no stretch of the imagination easy or painless; however, it is a great internet radio player bar none.

Its basic operation is as follows (it is not limited to the following, but the following is the simplest form of how the device will function):

  • You take the device out, recharge it, hook it up with your WIFI and then slacker online and sync only one station.
  • After a firmware reset(s) and another formal reset, the device should play the stations that you sync to it without issue.
  • The touch bar is useless.
  • A brightness fix is in the works, as the device will reset to max brightness upon restart.
  • The device may sometimes drop your WIFI key. Resets are the common solution for many of the issues faced by users.
  • If you sync 40 stations at once, you will see a 20-30 minute sync time per station.
  • The ear buds are awful, but the included case is nice.

In closing, I can say thus far, that I would still purchase the device. Even with having to wait for the occasional soft reset before music, it has still allowed me the great music freedom of the Stones right on up to Eric Hutchinson. I will probably upgrade to the G2 once they come down in price as they have no where near this amount of issues…but that comes with a HEFTY price tag. Good luck to prospective purchasers and please do your research beforehand to stop the complaining afterward. Device failure is device failure, but buyer’s remorse is not an applicable cause to cause a commotion. Drop by the G1 Device Slacker forums for more information and such.

16

I LOVE SLACKER! I use the free service on my Blackberry Curve. With a 4gb card, I can hold roughly 14 stations…which I only use 4 (80’s hits, 80’s Rock, Southern Rock and 80’s Alternative). With the free service I hear maybe 2 20 second commercials an hour.

Woot definitely has the best price for the 8gb player!

17

When the Slacker first appeared on Woot I did some research and ended up spending the extra and picked up the G2. Then the Slacker showed up again! So I picked up a G1 as well. Other than bulk, a few awkward button placements, and the lack of a back arrow (appended in Slacker G2), it’s still a pretty shiny and solid device. I’ve found that in public, people are more facinated and ask what the Slacker G1 is over the G2. G2 is kinda unassuming. I try my best to spread the word on how great these devices are. Like while I have my own custom station of favorite bands/artists, I sometimes default over to the Big Band/Swing station and can listen for hours. It’s a nice mixup from normal radio.

Here’s a quick webpage I just put together of the unboxing/comparison of the two.

18

I’ll add my .02,

I to ordered an 8gb G1 a few weeks back from Woot! and am thoroughly enjoying the unit. The music selection/depth of music is terrific, as is the ability to create and share custom stations. A lot of folks are migrating over from satellite radio, and it’s easy to see why. The music, programming and ability to create and tweak custom stations is worth every penny.

With that said, it is not without it’s problems and this is not a product you can simply expect to work, straight out of the box, as advertised. They have released 2 firmware updates in the past couple months. The first update caused significant problems for folks, which seem to be fixed with the update that came out a week or so ago.

The G1 is also a very finicky device. Just look at it the wrong way, and it won’t refresh your stations, or can’t connect to your network, or can’t connect to Slacker. But, massage it a little, say nice things, and be patient. The next thing you know, it’s connecting just fine. Sometimes, the problems it has are just inexplicable, random and go away as fast as they came.

Also understand that the 8gb is divided into 2 partitions, about 4 gbs for the “radio” part, and about 4 gbs for MP3’s. The partitions are fixed and locked. You cannot put 8gbs worth of MP3’s on the device, nor can you load up the device with 8 gbs of “radio” content. If you don’t load up mp3’s, 4 gbs is essentially wasted or unused. There is no plan from Slacker on changing this.

Finally, connecting and refreshing can really only be done via wireless, or a USB connection to a p.c. running WinXP (a Vista fix is in the works). Wireless is clearly the way to go, but some folks have reported difficulties getting through their router’s encryption/security. I just turned my security off cause it’s in the basement of my house. Going through the USB is a whole 'nother issue altogether. The USB refresh uses Windows built-in Internet Connection Sharing. This can create IP address conflicts with other network addresses in the house. If you don’t know what I’m talking about, this device is not for you as it requires you to resolve this conflict on your own. All station creation/updates is also done through a web interface through the Slacker site. They have dropped support for a standalone software player. If you’re not using the most recent version of IE, you might experience some difficulties (e.g. some people keep finding bugs when using FireFox).

The support from Slacker is very good, albeit limited to Forums, email and online chat during West Coast business hours. There have been enough problems, and enough folks resolving them, that it’s a good bet if you have an issue someone else has already been there and there is some solution. Worst case, you send it in to Slacker for warranty support (at your expense) or back to Woot! for a refund.

Just to be clear, if you’re patient, don’t panic when something goes wrong, are remotely technically sophisticated, and understand how to use support forums this is worth every bit of $70.00. I’m tempted to grab another as a gift for my wife. We were listening the other day at dinner, and she commented on how much better the music is as compared to Sirius/XM (we have 2 satrads, one in each car) because the variety and depth is truly that much better than what we’re getting from Sirius.

hth,
jeff

19

I got mine at Christmas and LOVE it. I use it everyday. Instead of listening to my same old MP3, I hear something new all the time. I had some trouble with the software at first but after doing the factory re-set, have had zero problems.

This is the best new toy I have gotten in a long time. Not only do I really like the music, but the album art and artist bios are great. I have found few artists that slacker.com does not know.

I also like that users can post stations that they create to the slacker forum which can be downloaded by others.

Controls are a little ackward but not a big deal at all.

I plug mine into the charger each night and my WiFi updates the music - could not be more simple!

If you like music, I think you will love this.

Here is the re-set that slacker sent me for others to use. I had not downloaded the PC software until I had to run through this:

Thank You for contacting Slacker Customer Support,

In this case, what we’ll need to do is perform what is called a
“Reflash.” This will delete everything on the Slacker Portable:
stations, music and the firmware for the player. What we will then do is
download a known good version of the latest firmware onto the Portable,
install it and then reboot. I’ve included the instructions for this
below.

First, make sure you have downloaded the latest Software Player from
http://www.slacker.com/products/software/. (You can go to Options ->
Help -> About to check the version , which should be 2.1.2370 or
higher.) Also, make sure the player has at least half of a battery
charge to stay on without being plugged in via USB. If the Portable
battery has run out, please plug the Portable into a USB adapter on the
computer and let it charge for at least 30 minutes before attempting the
reflash.

  1. Start Slacker Software Player and log into the account associated
    with the Slacker Portable.

  2. Unplug the USB cable from the Slacker Portable.

  3. Hold the Power switch in the down position until the Portable’s
    screen turns completely black.

  4. Continuing to hold the power switch down, press and hold down the
    Volume Up (‘+’) key on the top of the Portable Player.

  5. Continuing to hold the Volume Up (‘+’) key down, slide the power
    switch to the upmost, or lock, position.

  6. You should see the blue “Starting Up” screen with a green bar across
    the bottom. This indicates that the player is entering flash recovery
    mode. You can now let go of both buttons, but leave the power switch in
    the lock position.

  7. When you see a screen labeled “Slacker Portable Recovery Program” at
    the top with instructions to press the Volume Down (‘-’) key to
    continue, do not do this yet.

  8. Plug the USB cable into the Slacker Portable.

  9. Press the Volume Down (‘-’) key. You should see the Slacker Portable
    go to another screen indicating that recovery is taking place

  10. On your PC, the device should now be recognized as a flash recovery
    device and a driver should automatically load. (Don’t worry if you don’t
    see this, as this can sometimes happen fast and Windows may hide this
    part.)

  11. Once the driver is loaded, you will see a popup window in the
    Slacker Software Player that a flash recovery device has been plugged
    in, press OK to continue or Cancel to abort.

  12. Press OK.

  13. The recovery process takes several minutes, but you should see
    status updates in the dialog as the process continues.

  14. When the recovery process has completed, the Done button in the
    popup window in the Slacker Software Player should become enabled.

  15. Press ‘Done’ to close the popup window.

  16. Your Portable Player should now automatically reboot itself. If it
    does not, hold the power switch in the down position until the screen
    goes black again, then let go of the the power switch. Rebooting the
    player should complete the recovery and firmware update process.

20

I was interested in this when they were on the main site. So I started listening to slacker.com and by far the best online radio I have ever used. Great stations and great songs and few commecials. Comedy is great, top 40 is good, Electronic Hits is really great, rock hits is great, and I’m sure with this I will discover other cool stuff too. I might even splurge for the subscription to get rid of the ads now. I’m really looking forward to having this when I’m on the bus.

Also if you own a Iphone or blackberry just get their app that they just recently put out.