BBC's VoIP Social Radio Appliance

The BBC [1] has released plans for an interactive radio set that could be customized to allow listeners to make VoIP calls and allow users to send audio clips to their profiles on social networking sites such as MySpace or Facebook.

Olinda, currently a prototype and a patent-free design, is designed to allow listeners to see when their friends are on line and what are they listening too; call it a hybrid solution for the digital age. It features a panel of six lights which notify listeners when a friend is tuned, using the BBC Radio Pop website for sharing information.  Listeners would simply press a button to tune in and listen along to their friend's station.

Connectivity is delivered via Wi-Fi; other features include a push-to-talk button for VoIPing friends and a "Klippit" button for recording audio. There's also a connector on the side to slap on other modules (Bigger speaker?) for customization.

Internet radio concepts have been tried before; will an appliance approach with some VoIP and social networking functionality work? Or will people stick to their traditional PCs and multifunctional IM and web clients?

For more:
- Webuser writes up the Olinda [2] VoIP Social Radio
- A detailed description and pictures of the Olinda VoIP Social Radio [3]

Related articles:
WiFi-enabled Internet radio [4] arrives
DECT phones go VoIP [5] next year
AT&T dials up deal [6] with Pandora