2ND Bose Tabletop System Gets Wireless PC Streaming

By Joseph Palenchar -- TWICE, 10/21/2009

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Framingham, Mass. - Bose launched a second tabletop music system that streams music wirelessly from a PC.

Bose The $599.90 Wave music system.The $599.90 Wave music system - SoundLink, which incorporates AM/FM/CD player in a single chassis, joins the $549-suggested SoundLink music system, a single-chassis portable with built-in rechargeable battery but no AM/FM/CD. The portable system became available to consumers on Aug. 27.

For existing Wave owners, Bose also launched a $149.95 Wave SoundLink upgrade kit to add wireless streaming to an existing Wave system.

Both music systems stream PC-stored protected and unprotected music as well as Internet music sources accessed via the PC. From the Wave's on-board controls and remote, users send basic control commands to a PC's iTunes or Windows Media Player software, allowing users to skip tracks or play/pause PC-stored songs even when the computer is in a different room.

To simplify setup, Bose eliminated the need to connect to a Wi-Fi network. Both systems come with wireless-embedded USB key that plugs into a PC's USB port. With the Wave system, an included SoundLink adapter connects to a proprietary port on the Wave's back panel. To further simplify setup, Bose doesn't require consumers to load software onto their PC.

System range wasn't disclosed, but the company said the wireless technology penetrates most walls and extends to a home's yard.

To make the wireless connection more secure, a single USB transmitter pairs only with one music system. Only one USB transmitter can be connected to a PC at a time because the USB Key acts as a computer's sound card, and computers handle only one sound card at a time, the company said.