INTRODUCTION

   Many people i know think that just because people such as I have been working with computers over the past 2 decades they have no other interests or hobbies but that really couldn't be more wrong since i also happen to love many other things including cars, paintball and most things related to music and movies. True i can't actually review cars here (at least not for the time being) but gadgets and electronics related to music have always been in my crosshairs and that's one of the reasons behind today's review which is about one such device. Of course as the title reveals the gadget i am talking about is no other than the Squeezebox Touch Wi-Fi Music player by Logitech.

   Logitech was founded in 1981 at Apples, Switzerland and the first device they conjured was the mouse which provided a more intuitive way of interacting with computers. Since those early days they have expanded their expertise in product design beyond the computer mouse, with a broad portfolio of interface devices that are the “last inch” between you and your computer or your console game, digital music or home-entertainment system. With products sold in almost every country in the world, Logitech’s leadership in innovation now encompasses a wide variety of personal peripherals (both cordless and corded), with special emphasis on products for PC navigation, gaming, Internet communications, digital music and home-entertainment control. For each of their product categories they study how our customers use their digital devices and their our designers and engineers set their sights on how they can create a better experience with those devices – richer, more comfortable, more fun, more productive, more convenient, more delightful. Focused on innovation and quality, Logitech designs personal peripherals to help people enjoy a better experience with the digital world.

   Although i have seen and used many of the Wi-Fi music players currently available in the market from large manufacturers such as SONY, Philips, Pioneer, Yamaha and TEAC i have to say that only the Logitech Squeezebox Touch managed to draw my attention in such a way that i just had to take a closer look at it. Of course the main reason behind all this is the large 4.3" 24 bit color LCD touchscreen placed at the front of the unit which not only makes navigation a lot easier but it also provides a nice visual enhancement even when you're not using the device. However that's not all and so its other features such as the available USB and SD Card slot along with a very nice controller application which allows you to control the unit from your smartphone are also quite intriguing and not something we see a lot with other similar devices. However since seeing is believing especially in this type of reviews this time over i will be focusing on that more than words.

SPECIFICATIONS AND FEATURES

PACKAGING AND CONTENTS

The Squeezebox Touch gets packed inside a medium sized box with a large product image at the front, a small description in 3 languages and a sticker informing the buyer about the availability of the controller application for smartphones.

We also see the same product description at the left side in 7 languages.

A rather extensive description of the product features is present at the rear of the box written in 6 languages and showcased with the help of 5 images.

The specifications and system requirements of the Squeezebox Touch are present at the bottom of the box in 6 languages.

The main unit is placed inside a formed piece of plastic while the rest of the bundle sits right beneath that.

As you can see the bundle is quite rich so aside the Squeezebox Touch set (screen/remote) you will also get two batteries, a small cleaning cloth, the quickstart guide, a declaration of conformity, RCA cable and an AC power adapter with two heads (EU/USA).

THE SQUEEZEBOX TOUCH

Perhaps the largest drawback i found with the Squeezebox Touch is its remote control unit which although quite easy to use and complete in terms of buttons the overall quality is not on par with the rest of the unit. True this may sound as a bit picky on my part but i really think that a smaller yet more "flashy" remote (perhaps with a glossy surface) would be more suitable.

At first glance the Squeezebox Touch looks like a high quality portable LCD screen which is not really a bad thing.

The Logitech logo sits right in the lower middle of the front (however i would prefer a nice silver logo with glued letters instead).

At the right side of the unit we see a convenient SD card slot.

A nice metal base (comes with a blue protection sticker which i like more), the Logitech logo and the rest of the available connectors including a headset mini jack, stereo L/R output, optical and coaxial digital outputs, Ethernet connector, USB port, WPS button and the AC power port are placed at the rear.

INSTALLATION

The first thing you will see once you turn on the unit is the configuration wizard which will guide you through a number of initial steps like the language and network connection selections, software update and the creation of a Squeezebox account (login if you already have one).

USING THE SQUEEZEBOX TOUCH

Once you have completed the setup procedure you will end up at the home screen.

Now through the settings menu (and its sub-menus) you can adjust the brightness of the screen, set the alarm clock, install available applications, participate in the beta testing of various software additions, perform system diagnostics, check the USB and SD Card slots for attached devices, enable remote login, reset the unit back to its original factory state, adjust the audio levels, adjust the settings for the image viewer, set the date and time and finally you can also select a screensaver, skin and background image for the unit.

The first thing i actually checked was the Internet Radio feature (strangely enough since a rarely listen to the radio) which as you can see has every station placed in its own category. For example pressing the local tab displays a selection of stations located around the place where you live.

Then i checked on the applications tab since i was curious as to what Logitech had made available for the Squeezebox Touch and as you can see there seem to be plenty of those.

In order to use the Squeezebox Touch to playback music you have 3 selections (aside the Internet Radio feature) and those are to connect it via Wi-Fi or Ethernet with your local network, use the SD card slot or use the USB port.

Personally i didn't use the SD card slot at all but i did use both my local network and the USB port. Take into consideration that each time you unplug the unit from the power plug it loses all stored information about the files you have in your USB device and if you launch the media server again it takes quite a bit of time to rediscover them especially if the USB storage device has many files in it.

The Squeezebox Touch also comes with some equalizer effects which you can use to improve the overall experience.

THE SOFTWARE

In order for you to playback files available in your PC you need to download and install the latest Media Server application which is available on the official Logitech support page.

You can also download and use the latest controller application for your smartphone which is quite impressive although i have to admit i found little use for (latest smartphones deplete their battery levels fast already).

At launch the Logitech Media Server takes you to the configuration screen through which you can adjust various (non-essential) options, check for updates, cleanup the cache and perform several connection diagnostics.

The Web Interface is the place from where you can actually choose what to playback on the Squeezebox Touch (internet radio station, files from a specific directory etc) and although i can't say i was impressed with its design i have to admit that it's very easy to use.

CONCLUSION

   Sometimes i really feel like there's nothing more to say about a product, i mean what can i say about the Squeezebox Touch that the rest of the review didn't already point out? The only thing i can add is that it's an almost perfect device and that i was waiting for something like that for a long time. The audio quality is perfect, the scrolling of the pages is perfect, configuration is very easy and the 24 bit color LCD is not half as bad when it comes to displaying pictures. True as i said it's not perfect (what is?) mainly because of 3 small drawbacks i came across during the entire month of testing. First of course is the remote control unit which as i already mentioned before let me down mainly because of both its quality and design. Then we have the fact that the main unit needs to always be plugged into the wall socket and doesn't work without it. This is not entirely bad but i would like to have the option of lifting the unit and using it while on the bed for example. This is not something new and has already been addressed by a number of companies like TEAC (WAP Series) so I do feel that Logitech could have done something similar and perhaps skip bundling a remote control in the process. Finally since i always like to take things a bit further i used a large number of USB flash drives with the Squeezebox Touch, more specifically an 8GB, an 16GB and an 64GB ones all of which were filled with MP3 files. Unfortunately only the 8GB drive (1500 files) managed to pass the Media Server discovery process and even that took well over 2 hours to complete so even if the other drives did manage to pass that step it would take almost half a day for the 64GB one to load and if you accidentally unplugged the unit from the power socket (or if you experience a power failure) you would need to perform that entire procedure from the beginning. Perhaps Logitech can solve that issue through a firmware update (i will provide feedback for that reason), time will tell.

   High tech devices such as the Squeezebox Touch by Logitech have a specific target audience and are of course not ment for everybody something which you can easily tell just by looking at the price tag which is currently set at around USD250 inside the USA (Crutchfield) and at around 220Euros inside the EU (Amazon). Overall i can't really think of any device I’d rather use than the Squeezebox Touch, at least not between the ones currently available in the market. Granted i think that Logitech had plenty of room to further improve the device (and hopefully they will) but even so it's features and specifications make it an amazing gadget for people who really enjoy listening to music and since i am such a person i really can't deny awarding it with the Platinum award. 

PROS

- Build Quality
- Design
- 4.3" 24 Bit Color LCD Touch Screen
- Stereo, Optical And Coaxial Outputs
- Wi-Fi/Ethernet Support
- SD Card Slot
- USB Port
- Smartphone Controller Application
- Internet Radio
- Available Applications
- Image Slideshow Support

CONS

- Remote Control (Quality/Design)
- Time Needed To Discover Files On USB Port
- No Backup Battery (To Keep Discovery Results)