3. Flashy Design, But Unreliable Technology

With its blend of white and fluorescent green, the Widio looks like a child's game. Yet it is sturdy and can take drops and knocks without damage. It also shares another characteristic of toys: intuitiveness. You don't need to pore over the user's manual to operate this device; you just plug the red plug into the red jack, the white plug into the white jack, and the earphones into the earphone outlet. Then you press both on/off buttons, and presto! The only time I had to look at the manual was when I started hearing an Eminem song instead of the Civilization III game I was playing. I'd turned on the radio mode without realizing it!

On the technical side, the Widio had its disappointments, however. When we started tests, even with the Widio as the only wireless device operating, it had a range of only 25 meters (horizontally) instead of the 100 meters claimed by Albatron. We measured this in a building with no metal structures and where the WiFi range is excellent. This range is still enough for moving around an apartment, provided you stay on the same floor, but the signal won't penetrate the concrete slab between floors.

Things got worse when I plugged in my wireless router. The range immediately dropped to 15 meters. When I unplugged the router, it returned to what it had been before. Then I tried warming up a serving of casserole in the microwave. There was no sound at all! During the entire time the microwave was operating, no data was communicated between the base station and the receiver.

We then moved our test to a house environment. There, we kept getting static at random times and were unable to find the source. The range also wasn't enough to reach all the way to the back of the yard, over 25 meters. On the plus side, we clocked the battery life at 3 hours, 38 minutes, which is enough for watching a film or for gaming purposes. However, it takes two hours to fully recharge the battery, which is a bit long.

Sound Quality: Mixed Results

The Widio has a range of 25 meters, but let's be realistic - quality won't remain constant over that range. As soon as you move beyond ten meters, reception becomes intermittent. You have to find a spot where the sound is good and stay there. It reminds you of the early days of FM, when you had to stick your transistor radio out the kitchen window to pick up your favorite station. What's more, even if you use a quality set of earphones, the Widio's sound reproduction sounds smothered, both in the bass and treble. The clip-on earphones that Albatron supplies with the unit don't really help, as their sound quality is unexceptional. The earpiece attachment system is very practical for some applications, though. You can do your aerobics workout and listen to music without losing one of the earpieces with every move.

Practical, But Not Indispensable

The bottom line: the Widio's sound reproduction won't satisfy dedicated music buffs. Its range is quite a bit shorter than what the manufacturer claims, and transmission is interrupted when you move around. Forget about using the Widio for listening to Beethoven's Ninth from your neighbor's patio. On the other hand, for watching Star Wars or playing Doom 3 without disturbing your neighbors, the Widio is workable. But is that worth $150? Maybe.