We expect a 2.0 product to be deep with features, but the radio SHARK 2 lives on the surface.

Digital video recorders radically changed the way people watch TV, so why not apply those tricks to radio? Griffin’s radio SHARK 2 is a USB AM/FM radio tuner that lets you record and play radio content on your Mac. As DVRs do with video, the radio SHARK 2 buffers the audio so you can rewind and pause live shows. But it lacks other important features, such as solid Internet radio integration and dual tuners.

When it comes to scheduling recordings and regularly capturing radio shows, the radio SHARK 2 works as advertised. After each recording, files in AAC or AIFF format are added to iTunes in a special playlist for easy syncing to an iPod. Unfortunately, the over-the-air reception is merely adequate, pulling in most commercial stations clearly but suffering way too much fuzz on stations with less powerful signals.

The included iFill utility adds Internet radio recording, but it works as a stand-alone application, which is less convenient than if that feature were integrated with the radio SHARK software. iFill captures streams from a thousand SHOUTcast choices, storing songs directly on an iPod, which is required. iFill can even dice the files into individual songs with track information.

Overall, the radio SHARK 2 left us wanting more. There’s a PC-only utility for adding track information to AM/FM recordings. It would also be nice if the software could chop radio shows into individual songs, rather than recording each one as a single file. And we’d like a dual-tuner option to record two stations simultaneously.

The bottom line. The radio SHARK 2 fulfills its basic promise—recording scheduled AM/FM radio shows—but little else. iFill, normally $19.99, is a nice surprise and adds value for iPod users, but doesn’t make the radio SHARK 2 worth 50 bucks.

COMPANY: Griffin Technology

CONTACT: www.griffintechnology.com

PRICE: $49.99

REQUIREMENTS: Mac OS 10.3 or later, USB

Schedules and records AM/FM radio programs. iFill utility captures Internet radio. Sleek fin shape.

Merely adequate reception even with included external antenna. Doesn’t split radio shows into individual songs.