Orb MP-1 streams audio using iPhone as remote

Even in 2010, streaming your digital music from a connected PC is generally either complicated or expensive. Orb's new MP-1 streamer is looking to hit the best of both worlds by offering up simple audio streaming for just $70.

Although the company's graphic says you only need three devices for the system to work, to access your digital music collection, you really need four: the Orb MP-1, a home audio device to connect it to (like a tabletop radio or anything else with a minijack input), an Orb controller (there's an iPhone app; Android support coming), and a PC running the Orb Media Server program. Once you get past the initial setup, you just need to fire up the app and pick your music. The Orb app also supports multiple MP-1's on the same network, so you can choose between streaming to say, the den and kitchen.

In addition to your home music collection, the Orb MP-1 also supports Pandora and Sirius. While more expensive options like Sonos and Squeezebox offer many more streaming services, basic Pandora streaming will be enough for many buyers just looking for basic music streaming capability.

Whether or not the Orb MP-1 is a bargain at $70 largely comes down to how easy it is to use in practice--which we won't know until we do a full review. We've put in a request for a review sample, so we'll report back when we get our hands on one.