D-Link has launched its new D-Link Roq-it, an MP3 Jukebox that bears a resemblance, in function if not in form, to Apple’s iPod.
Though not nearly as stylish as Apple’s digital device, the D-Link Roq-it MP3 jukebox has a storage capacity of 10GB, and acts as an external USB hard drive. It provides over 150 hours of non-stop music and will run eight hours on a full battery charge (it has a built-in rechargeable battery). The iPod runs 10 hours or better.
Its specs say that it runs on Windows XP and Mac OS 9 “and above,” but there’s no official word on Os X compatibility. According to D-Link, when connected through the USB interface, the Roq-it will show up as a new drive to allow a user to employ drag and drop functionality from a Mac or PC to copy music to the Roq-it. No special music manager software is required, according to D-Link.
The Roq-it is compatible with MP3 (MPEG 1 Audio Layer 3) standards, which provides audio compression specifications. D-Link says the firmware is “fully upgradeable via the USB interface to support new features when they become available.”
It sports all of the programming modes that are standard on portable CD and MP3 players including: Repeat, Repeat All, Program, Random and Random All. Plus, the D-Link Roq-it Jukebox has preset equalizer modes for Jazz, Rock, Pop and Classic and showcases a user-definable preset equalizer mode that allows users to adjust the sound of the Roq-it to their particular taste.
D-Link says that five minutes of Electronic Shock Protection (ESP) are supplied by 2MB of DRAM buffer to ensure constant playing without skipping. Though, at US$229, it’s over $100 less expensive than the iPod, its USB connection (which is USB 1.1 compliant) means it won’t “sync” nearly as fast as Apple’s device. Plus, as mentioned, the Roq-it doesn’t have (or supposedly need) syncing software, such as Apple offers with iTunes.
Up, Down, Left and Right buttons on the face of the Roq-it control navigation to a particular song or album. A Key-pad Lock feature disables the use of all buttons so that the user can’t accidentally change any function. There’s also an infrared remote control. The Roq-it provides an audio jack for connection to earphones or playing through Speakers and a line-out stereo jack for connection to an external audio input.
What’s more, the hard drive compartment can be opened to replace the hard drive with separate 2.5-inch hard drives. The capacity of the hard drive is limited only to the capacity of 2.5-inch laptop hard drives available, according to D-Link.