Squeezebox Gets Apps

If apps was a disease (and we're not saying it isn't), it'd be a pandemic. Logitech sent out an email this week announcing a new upgrade to their firmware that introduces apps to the little streaming box that could. Now, all those people out there that have been languishing without an iPhone can enjoy the trendiest thing to hit the market since, well, the iPhone.

Oddly enough, the Logitech email was formatted in such a way that many users are reporting that it ended up in their junk folder. Not exactly heartened by this news we checked ours and sure enough it was there. While upgrading firmware that seems to be working perfectly well is something we usually think twice about (if it's not broke and all), we couldn't resist the allure of apps.

But Logitech had much more than that up their sleeves.

The new interface on our Squeezebox Duet not only includes the new apps functionality but a complete and total redesign of the interface. Everything from the graphics and loading screens down to the wallpapers available are new. The home page, once just text, now has icons. You can (this isn't exactly new to this update) select which items to include on your homepage though you still are unable to reorder them. One of the aspects we really like is the Diagnostics screen which tells you detailed information right down to the signal strength of at the remote's current location. That's information that you can really use.

But of course, the real story here is the apps. You can manage and add apps from your remote with the duet or you can do it online at http://mysqueezebox.com/index/Home. They have a wide range of free and pay apps available. The free apps are mostly links to sights like Pandora or Slacker that require nothing more than a free subscription. Other apps bring in Facebook, Flickr, Sirirus, and Amazon CD Store. These require a subscription or a pay per download depending on the site. The vast majority of the apps, however, are free.

Logitech really seems to be stepping up to the plate with this newest firmware update. Users will probably spend a lot of time rediscovering their Squeezeboxes. With our brief experience with the new update, it seems very stable and much more user friendly. We're looking forward to seeing what users have to say about their experiences with this new update as time goes on.