Slacker Gives Up On Dedicated Hardware (G2)

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I love my Slacker G2 device, but apparently too few other people are buying the hardware to make it a profitable endeavor. The company is shutting down production. This is not a big surprise since Slacker has been making the rounds on other mobile devices for a while now. However, there are features with the G2 that are limited or nonexistent on other Slacker-enabled products. For example, the Blackberry app requires a USB connection to archive music, and the iPhone app drops Slacker’s killer offline caching functionality. In contrast, with my G2 and Slacker Premium subscription ($7.50/month) I can save songs I like with one click and listen to both my library of music and Internet radio stations offline. That’s a great mobile music offering.

Presumably the Slacker app will improve on other mobile devices, but for now the departure of the G2 is a sad loss. If you’re interested, now is probably the time to start G2 hunting on eBay.

5 thoughts on “Slacker Gives Up On Dedicated Hardware (G2)”

  1. I had the G2 for a little while, but ended up returning it. The sound quality was pretty poor. I also didn’t like the fact that only SOME songs in my library would appear on the G2.

    That being said, I absolutely love my slacker premium membership – no ads, and unlimited skips! Can’t be beat.

  2. This is sad news, but I can’t say I’m surprised. I have a Slacker G1 and love it, but once their Android app is released, I honestly don’t know how often I’ll use the Slacker hardware anymore. It’s just too convenient to carry one device instead of two. At least Slacker is migrating into other services, instead of folding entirely. Long live Slacker!

  3. I have G2 + Premium service and have liked it except the part where it keeps refusing to sync over Wi-Fi – it’s just stuck on Signing On screen. USB-based syncing doesn’t work on my home computers either – probably due to Windows Connection Sharing issues. It’s annoying to have to reset (i.e. wipe) the device to get syncing to work.

    Bottom line — they need to get their app on WebOS (incl. premium support and offline mode). Someone had already asked me if I had a Pre when I pulled out G2 :)

  4. Ivan- The G2 looks like a Pre!

    RE: syncing- I don’t have any problems connecting via Wi-Fi to refresh my stations, but I admit I don’t sync libraries with the G2.

  5. I’ve got a G1 acquired from a wootoff, and it’s been a nice unit. I don’t even have a premium sub.

    If they offer a Pre app, I’ll be happy about that too.

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