Pioneer Inno August 7th, 2006 | by Rebecca Day

Video Review

Full Review - Conclusion

Conclusion
           
I like the Inno. It’s a great size, has a readable, detailed display and is easy to navigate. Reception depends as much on your location as anything, and I put it through two pretty tough tests: cacophonous New York City and a tree-filled suburb. The signal cut out in both places when I’d move the device just a few inches from a sweet spot. But I couldn’t expect any more under the less-than-ideal conditions.
           
Live XM on the go is a very appealing feature. The recording function isn’t useful in that mode, however, unless you just want to grab a tune you like because you need a strong signal via external antenna to ensure high-quality recordings. Maybe that will improve down the road.
           
Inno’s flexibility is its biggest strength. It plays at home, in the car, and on the road. It’s not about being an iPod replacement so its modest 1-GB of storage doesn’t bother me much—in this generation. Sure, I’d like to store all of my music on one of these babies, but that’s down the road when storage costs come down. It’ll happen in time.
           
The negatives that stuck out were Napster’s finicky behavior and the Inno’s short battery life. Live radio sucks up a lot of juice. I got through a Cardinals’ game and a couple of hours of music before it was time to fuel up again. I won’t be taking Inno on my next trip to Tokyo, but I sure like the idea of being able to have my favorite XM channels with me wherever I go.
 
 
Pros:
 
  • Intuitive to use
  • Easy to carry
  • Sounds good
  • Smart design and idea
 
 
Cons:
 
  • Napster can be finicky
  • Short battery life

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