Philips ShoqBox PSS110

July 25th, 2005 | by Rebecca Day

Setup and Use

ShoqBox only plays tunes ported from the bundled Musicmatch software.  Once Musicmatch has pulled your music into its library, you can either automatically sync tunes to the device or make manual selections one at a time.  Our unit, even when fully charged, couldn't be recognized by the Musicmatch software unless it was connected to AC power.

Music storage is organized by artist, album, genre and playlist.  Playing music is straightforward, using the four directional buttons on the left of the display to navigate through albums or artists, then tapping the Play button on the right.  A separate source button switches you through radio, music and line-in sources.  Navigation is blissfully simple. 

Setting presets on the radio portion are more complicated.  The multiple-step operation requires the manual, which is only available on the installation disc, which you're not likely to take with you on vacation or a business trip.  You also need the supplied pigtail antenna to get reception, an accessory that's sure to wind up on the forgot-to-do list.

As an alarm clock, ShoqBox works well enough, but you'll want a dry run before relying on it the morning of a command performance.  You learn only from the manual that hitting any button once puts the alarm in snooze mode for an additional 10 minutes.  Hit any button twice, and that shuts off the alarm for good.  The problem there is, if the volume level was too loud from the night before and you try to turn it down, hitting the volume down button puts the alarm in snooze mode and you lose the music altogether.  Why not just add a snooze button?

The PSS110 tells time only on the 24-hour schedule, which is inconvenient when you're living on a 12-hour clock.  You can wake up to radio, music or buzzer but not to a line-in source.  You have to remember to unplug any line-in sources that are connected to the unit, since the alarm won't work if another MP3 player is plugged in.

Within music mode, you can choose to wake up to an album or artist, but you can't drill down more than that.  That means you could wake up to a song from the Beatles's Sgt.  Pepper album, but you can't choose the song “Good Morning Good Morning.” The selection process should take it to the next level. 

Image Courtesy of Philips