Nokia Home Music HD-1

Sink Testing

From there, you're away. This piece of kit has spent a solid couple of months in a testing environment: the kitchen. How did it shape up?

Nokia Home Music in battle conditions: on the large size for a kitchen radio

Two scroll wheels on the front panel feel cheap and plasticky, but make navigation and adjusting the volume straightforward. The small colour display (240x320 pixels) looks just like a Nokia S40 phone. The choice of home, favourite and back buttons also increases the sense of familiarity; the back button could be bigger, but you'll be able to explore most of the functions without the manual.

The same controls are replicated on the remote control. Unfortunately, the remote keys aren't illuminated, so navigating in the dark is harder than it needs to be.

Along with six preset buttons on the front panel, there's also a Favourites section

The initial menu provides top-level access to Podcasts, Radio, a Favourites list and what's called 'Jukebox'. It's a little odd that Podcasts receive such a prominent display, since the device doesn't store them locally, but streams them live. They're really a bookmark.

Podcasts are streamed, not stored

Nokia has pre-selected a bunch of popular podcasts, including some strange choices. These include some extreme eco-activist broadcasts from Grist and Treehugger. This contains some quite hateful stuff - and isn't likely to endear Nokia to many potential users. Nokia: get a grip on your Swampies.