Iona Cube WiFi radio with simple presets

There’s certainly such a thing as too much choice, and internet radio stations are just one such example - worst thing is, if you neglect to set your new-found favourite as a preset, it’ll take ages to find it again.  That’s just such the issue Cambridge Consultants set out to solve with their Iona ‘Cube’ WiFi radio; unlike other options, which pride themselves on having shed-loads of functionality but seem to forget that people actually just want to turn them on and get on with listening to audio, it eschews standard controls in favour of four presets, each selected by rotating the Cube onto different sides.

The fifth side holds the speaker, while rocking the Cube back onto its sixth side turns it off.  Rotating it left or right adjusts the volume, and they’re promising that it’s straightforward to set up the four presets.  Although just a concept, Cambridge Consultants have made some attempt to be realistic by basing the design on their own Iona platform, which has a mere $15 bill of materials, and which they demonstrated at CES 2007. 

Press Release [Cambridge Consultants]