Please don't consider it overly serious, but..
Suppose there never had been a SqueezeNetwork except as a relay service.
The Squeezebox is marketed as a dual thing: You buy a player, and you buy a Hobbit.
The Hobbit is a mini-server device like that Raspberry Pi thing I've been seeing.
It's a cute little thing, it looks nice and shiny, or perfectly matte, and you just have to plug it into a router and a power socket. Immediately your player can find it on the network. It provides access to your player to a predefined list of radio stations and online services. With the Hobbit comes a usb stick.
You plug the usb stick into your computer and it autoruns a tool that says "Manage Hobbit" and "Install managing icon". When you click "Manage Hobbit" it just opens a webbrowser with the configuration webpage of the server software the Hobbit is running. The thing that's been discovered on your network. "Install managing icon" does exactly what it says, it provides convenient access to this configuration page served by the Hobbit.
On that webpage you can do everything you can currently do on MySB.com. But the config is saved on the Hobbit, not the player. You add radio stations, you set up music services, etc.
The Hobbit also has a usb port that can connect a usb storage device. Then it just serves the music it finds there. Alternatively you can use the config page to set up how it is going to be served.
You don't need to buy the Hobbit. The Hobbit just symbolizes and personifies the client-server architecture, so that it becomes tangible for non-tech-savvy users. You can 'integrate' the Hobbit into your PC or NAS by installing its software there. That is the third, not yet mentioned option, in the dialog the usb stick opens. "Install Hobbit software" it says. It's the same software the Hobbit itself is running. You just install it on a computer. Then you don't need the Hobbit itself anymore.
Anyone familiar with it would just download that same software and install it on a computer or NAS. The Hobbit would be inexpensive. Less than US $50, or EUR 40. Most users would just get one, unless they were planning NAS right from the start. It provides access to your online services and/or USB disk. It doesn't hurt to own one. And you can always give it away to a friend who is new to the platform.
Suppose there never had been a SqueezeNetwork except as a relay service.
The Squeezebox is marketed as a dual thing: You buy a player, and you buy a Hobbit.
The Hobbit is a mini-server device like that Raspberry Pi thing I've been seeing.
It's a cute little thing, it looks nice and shiny, or perfectly matte, and you just have to plug it into a router and a power socket. Immediately your player can find it on the network. It provides access to your player to a predefined list of radio stations and online services. With the Hobbit comes a usb stick.
You plug the usb stick into your computer and it autoruns a tool that says "Manage Hobbit" and "Install managing icon". When you click "Manage Hobbit" it just opens a webbrowser with the configuration webpage of the server software the Hobbit is running. The thing that's been discovered on your network. "Install managing icon" does exactly what it says, it provides convenient access to this configuration page served by the Hobbit.
On that webpage you can do everything you can currently do on MySB.com. But the config is saved on the Hobbit, not the player. You add radio stations, you set up music services, etc.
The Hobbit also has a usb port that can connect a usb storage device. Then it just serves the music it finds there. Alternatively you can use the config page to set up how it is going to be served.
You don't need to buy the Hobbit. The Hobbit just symbolizes and personifies the client-server architecture, so that it becomes tangible for non-tech-savvy users. You can 'integrate' the Hobbit into your PC or NAS by installing its software there. That is the third, not yet mentioned option, in the dialog the usb stick opens. "Install Hobbit software" it says. It's the same software the Hobbit itself is running. You just install it on a computer. Then you don't need the Hobbit itself anymore.
Anyone familiar with it would just download that same software and install it on a computer or NAS. The Hobbit would be inexpensive. Less than US $50, or EUR 40. Most users would just get one, unless they were planning NAS right from the start. It provides access to your online services and/or USB disk. It doesn't hurt to own one. And you can always give it away to a friend who is new to the platform.