DIGITAL LIVING NEWS & TRENDS Internet radios from Hong Kong By Chris Hall      "Internet radio" is one of those funny terms that doesn't sound quite right.      After all, no radio frequency transmission is involved, unless you add in WiFi connections to the cabled Internet "cloud." Rather, audio is streamed over the Internet to supply all of the services we normally expect of a radio station.      Avid browsers could spend hours finding radio websites via their PC, but there is another option, the standalone Internet radio. This is a relatively new product category, and it's yet to be seen whether it will catch on with consumers or remain a niche item. Nevertheless, makers are turning their design ingenuity to these units, and chip solutions and Internet radio modules are available from companies such as Atmel, Reciva and Frontier Silicon.      Hong Kong has a rich tradition of radio production, and a handful of makers are now turning out product, often providing Wireless LAN (WiFi) connectivity as an option, which could make these devices much more portable. Hip Shing, radio specialist      Hong Kong's Hip Shing Electronics has always been a radio specialist, starting out with its first models in 1979. Nowadays, over 27 years of experience in radio design and production are finding their way into the company's digital and Internet-radio products. Hip Shing first shipped an Internet-radio product in August, 2006. Today, the company is shipping some 10 different models of Internet radio.      At the high end, Hip Shing is offering model MC609, where the Internet radio is just one of several media and entertainment options. The unit is, in fact, a compact entertainment system rather than simply a standalone radio.      Flanked by its two separate speakers, MC609, can connect to the Internet via a LAN or WiFi connection. The WiFi or Wireless LAN option is at the 802.11b/g standard and supports 128-bit WEP encryption. The user will need either a wired or wireless router to enable a broadband Internet connection.      MC609 also incorporates a CD player and is able to rip CDs to MP3 files. Information about a music CD, the title and artist and so on, is available over the unit's Internet connection and the online CDDB database. Files can be stored or transferred via SD card or a USB connection. Sound at the MP3 or WMA standard can be played from a separate device, such as a PC, via the unit's UPMP-capable USB port. MC609 also has an FM radio function.      According to marketing manager Ming Lok, Hip Shing's best selling Internet radio is model IR608, designed to connect under WiFi only (802.11b/g). The end user will need a little patience on first switching on this type of Internet radio, as the unit scans for a wireless network connection. Once the connection is established, the user has a choice of country and individual radio stations within that region. Model IR608 is based on a chip solution from the UK based company Reciva.      At the low end, Hip Shing is offering IR706, which again connects under WiFi and also incorporates an FM radio function. This Internet radio is housed in a plastic cabinet, as opposed to the wood cabinet of IR608. (A wood cabinet enhances sound quality.) The speaker drivers are also smaller than those of IR608.      Ming Lok indicated that both IR608 and IR706 would sell for around US$75 in volumes of 2,000~5,000 units. The high end MC609 would sell for around US$135, in volumes.      Ming Lok commented that Europe is the region currently showing the most interest in Internet radio products. The advantages of using a standalone Internet radio, as opposed to "tuning in" Internet radio stations on a PC, include sound quality. Using a radio, there is no background noise from a PC's cooling fan.      Hip Shing Electronics is an OEM/ODM supplier, shipping some 5,000~10,000 Internet radios a month. The company has a website at www.hipshingelectronics.com. New product for Qanstar      Qanstar began pilot production of three Internet radio models, WF630, WF800 and WF810, at the begining of this month. These units, according to Qanstar marketing executive Daniel Chan, are built around modules from Frontier Silicon, and they have been developed at Qanstar's facilities in China. Qanstar in Hong Kong handles the overall design and exterior casing. Otherwise, the electronics, which are similar for all three models, are designed and manufactured at Qanstar's facility in Huizhou, China. External appearance and speaker size are the basic differences beween the three models.      Chan commented that Internet radio appears popular in Europe, and the industry does expect Internet radio to displace traditional analog radio, in time.      Explained Chan, 5 station presets can be programmed into the modules from Frontier, and the configuration can be updated via a PC and Internet connection. Each radio has a unique identifying number, and each unit can be registered online, to facilitate the update process.      The end user can choose between a cabled or WiFi (wireless LAN) connection to the Internet. The wireless LAN option is at the 802.11b/g standard. The end user will also need a router to enable a cabled Internet connection. All three models support DAB radio, and model WF630 also retains an FM radio funtion.      Music can also be streamed from a PC, and there are sockets for headphones or speakers, and also an Auxiliary audio source.      Volume pricing is around US$70, and Chan indicated that retail pricing could be around three times that figure. Older consumers are the target market.      Qanstar Development Ltd. has a website at www.qanstar.com.hk. King Champion      King Champion (Hong Kong) Ltd. is an OEM/ODM supplier of consumer-electronics products. Three Internet radios are among the product offerings, all three also functioning as an audio playback device.      Internet radio model MX-80i, from King Champion, can connect to the Internet via both a wireless and a cabled connection, although a wired connection is optional. End users can set up to 5 pre-set "radio" stations on the unit itself, and a total of 99 by the Remote control.      Model MX-80i can also function as an audio player, and it supports the playback of sound files in the MP3, WMA, AAC, OGG and Real Audio formats.      MX-80i can also function as an FM radio receiver, and there is a telescopic external antenna in support.      Additional functions include a Time and Date display on the unit's 2x16 dot-matrix display with blue backlight. There is also a Clock Alarm (with Snooze). Dimensions of MX-801 are 176x110x102mm (LxWxH).      King Champion's Internet radio model MX-200i has very similar specifications to MX80i. Again this model can connect to the Internet via both a wireless and a cabled connection, with the latter an option. Where this model does differ from MX-80i is its lack of an FM radio function. (As a consequence there is no external telescoping antenna.)      Again, as with MX-80i, the unit can function as an audio player supporting the MP3, WMA, ACC, OGG and Real Audio formats. The 2x16 dot-matrix display with blue backlighting again is able to show Time and Date and there is an Alarm function. The unit is accompanied by an AC power adapter, and a full-function infrared (IR) remote control. Dimensions are 164x98x98mm.      Internet radio model MX-60i is very similar in features and specifications to the above two models, but in this case there is a 130x64-dot LCD external display with blue backlighting. There is a USB host port, and an internal WiFi antenna supports Wireless LAN connectivity. Dimensions are 230x135x135mm (LxWxH).      King Champion has a website at www.kchampion.com.