If you’re a fan of the iTrip and also happen to have an iPod nano 4G, you might want to pick up this new addition to the range from Griffin, which is specifically designed for the player due to the fact that it fits perfectly beneath its already slim and stylish body. The new iTrip nano will admittedly work with any of Apple’s players, it just won’t look quite as good on the others, and though it offers a similar FM transmitter service to previous models there are a couple of new additions.Much like the range of transmitters offered by Gear4 last year this version offers a ‘Smartscan’ feature to automatically look for the three clearest FM channels in your region and assigns them to presets for you to browse through. There’s also ‘SmartSound’ technology built-in, which claims to improve audio clarity under real-world conditions with user-selectable LX/DX modes. Despite the abundance of FM transmitters on the market we’re yet to see one that works perfectly, though due to the nature of the beast it’s unlikely this will ever arrive. Provided these new features are capable enough though it should certainly make things more convenient. - Paul Lester [Griffin Technology] FM transmitter iTrip iPod

Roberts plies a good trade in all things radio, and recently announced another DAB model with a bit of a twist. The RDK-2 is a ‘kitchen radio’ designed for people without a lot of surface space and can be fitted underneath a cabinet or in some other appropriate place that’s tucked out of the way. It offers DAB and FM playback with touch-sensitive controls aboard an easy to clean control panel, so getting your greasy fingers all over it while you’re cooking isn’t so much of a concern. There’s also an egg timer to reinforce its status as a culinary accessory and an instant record function that’ll save a station to SD card and offer pause and rewind functionality like a PVR. It’ll hand Ṃ playback if you hook a player up to the auxiliary input socket or directly off an SD card and comes with all the fittings you need to attach it in place. Quite a nice range of features all in all, and it’s available now for just £99 which, if you’ll get enough use out of it, we think is pretty good value. - Paul Lester [RobertsRadio] Roberts radio DAB

While there have been a rush of budget DAB radios hitting in market recent times, the latest offering from PURE is not one of them. The Avanti Flow is for those that want everything crammed into one device. It’s described as a ‘high-performance’ DAB/FM/Internet radio with an iPod dock and some serious audio punch. The Avanti sports a 5.25in downward firing subwoofer, 2 x 3in mid range drive units and PURE’s Clearsound technology - an audio subsystem for producing better sound at higher volumes without using too much power. With onboard Wi-Fi, the Avanti allows for an overdose of radio by allowing you to tune into Internet radio stations, DAB digital radio, FM, podcasts, ‘listen again content’ and media streaming from PCs or network storage.You can register the Avanti on PURE’s radio and media portal, the PURE Lounge, which offers a simple way to access Net stations, organise your favourites and even download from a library of 100 ‘sounds′ designed to ‘set the mood’ or help junior doze off. Clad in glossy piano black, the Avanti Flow goes on sale soon for £280.-Martin Lynch [PURE] DAB radio music ipod

PURE is ramping up its Christmas offerings with the launch of some very brightly coloured DAB/FM radios. The new Mio retains the retro design look of existing Evoke DAB/FM radios but they’ve been dipped in some strong colours to brighten up your gloomy, winter kitchen. There’s chilli, chocolate, moss, candy and midnight, with a two-tone leather and cream suede effect finish. Most notably, it comes with an integrated rechargeable battery - not PURE’s usual “optional ChargePAK rechargeable battery” - which makes the Mio good for 24 hours of playtime per charge. Very handy indeed. The Mio sports an OLED (Organic LED) display which is “crystal-clear from any angle” and there are manual and automatic brightness controls. There’s an input for an iPod/Ṃ player, Intellitext and textSCAN for pausing and controlling scrolling text and storing information for browsing later, an alarm, kitchen timer and 30 presets. It due to arrive out in the coming weeks in time for Christmas and will set you back an equally colourful £150.-Martin Lynch [PURE] radio DAB news

If you’re after one of the most comprehensive audio solutions on the market today, something that can stream, supports DAB, plays internet radio and can make the tea in the morning then don’t buy the Tangent Duo as it’s pretty basic. Intentionally basic we might add, since the company is rolling back the clock to release a good old FM mono clock-radio. You’ve got to admit though, it does look pretty damn good inside its solid wooden cabinet that you can pick up in anything from ‘Startling Flame High-Gloss Red′ to ‘Totally 1950’s Walnut Veneer’. It features an analogue quartz clock, vernier dial manual tuning and a 3″ speaker pumping out 5W of power. Just so as not to totally ignore the modern world there’s also an auxiliary input for an Ṃ player and if you have a really chunky pair of headphones you can plug them in to the stereo headphone-out port so you can enjoy the news bulletins while Grandma’s watching her stories. We actually want one of these, pretty badly, but will have to find some way to avoid shelling out the £129.99 asking price, perhaps Santa will oblige. - Paul Lester [Tangent] Tangent radio retro

PURE has launched a new flagship DAB/FM radio, the Evoke-2S, to replace its award-winning Evoke-2XT model. The new model has had some nice cosmetic tweaks but now adds Clearsound Technology, the company’s own digital end-to-end audio subsystem. This uses an integrated high-performance switch-mode power supply, Class D amplifiers, digital audio shaping technology and custom-tuned speakers. Expect much improved dynamic audio and with 30W RMS power, the Evoke-2S should be able to rock out while retaining its green, low power consumption ratio.The 2S includes ReVu to pause and rewind live DAB radio, Intellitext and textSCAN, improved alarms and sleep timer functions and more presets. The OLED display is bright and viewable from any angle, and sports both manual and automatic brightness controls. There’s also an input for an iPod/ Ṃ player and it can be upgraded via USB. You can run the 2S off the mains or use the optional ChargePAK rechargeable battery which offers up to a week [or 20.5 hours] listening. Shipping next month, it will cost £170.-Martin Lynch [PURE] radio DAB news