The face of the de100c (as well as the stylized remote control) has three main buttons (CD, library, and Internet radio) and navigation buttons. There are also basic control buttons such as play, stop, and forward/rewind. If a CD is inserted, the de100c will go online via the 56-Kbps modem to fetch CD information from the Gracenote database. (Info can be edited off-line, too.) You will also connect to the Internet when streaming radio stations or other content from Real. If you have broadband, you'll never need to continually connect, which we found annoying.

The current firmware version will allow CDs to be ripped from 96 Kbps to 256 Kbps (in MP3 format). Ripping a five-minute track took under a minute, which is slow when compared to MusicMatch Jukebox Plus. Still, once CDs are ripped, you can manage the files with ease with the ability to browse based on artist, album, and genres. You can even create playlists, which is a good move if you want to transfer music to a portable device or burn tracks to a CD.

Although you can network the de100c to a PC for file transfer, we found it much easier to burn a CD with MP3s and then "record" them to the hard drive within the machine.

The Internet Radio screen displays three RealNetworks-featured stations and more options to browse any of the hundreds of radio stations, which are broken down by genres such as pop, reggae, and even webcams. The Internet Guide page displays more featured Real content (which may include video) as well as a way to purchase CDs online. Unfortunately, you won't be able to download tracks to your hard drive -- at least, you won't unless Real upgrades the system to work with the MusicNet subscription service, which now seems likely. Whatever the case, the de100c was designed to connect to the Internet and download updated content and other information while you sleep.

Take songs with you

Probably the best feature of the de100c is its ability to burn audio CDs or MP3 CDs. The built-in HP CD burner performed well, burning a 15-track audio CD in under 10 minutes. The only complaint here is the short gap left between tracks, which can make dance mixes stutter. There is no way to disable this.

The de100c is currently compatible with the Rio 500, the Iomega HipZip, and the SanDisk ImageMate flash memory reader. You'll have to wait for drivers if you want to transfer to any other devices. HP tells us that the system will soon be compatible with the Rio 600 and the Rio 800.