Work to be done

Like any first-generation product, the WMA has its share of annoyances and missing features, such as its inability to display files with the JPEG extension. It's not that the WMA can't handle that file format, but simply that it expects to see it with a JPG extension. I hope Linksys fixes this silly omission pretty quickly since both extensions are valid.

File selection is also pretty elementary. You can choose an entire folder of content, or a specific file, but there's no ability to build music playlists or image slideshows by picking and choosing multiple files. If your music files are coded with Artist and Genre, however, you can select by those attributes - but again, it's an all or nothing choice.

Diagnostics are virtually non-existent, except for the readout of wireless signal strength displayed briefly during boot-up. During testing, I pulled the plug on the WMA's network connection to see what would happen, and all I got was a "Waiting for Host" or "Waiting for Application" message depending on when I interrupted the connection. The WMA was smart enough to eventually get itself back to the main menu once I reconnected to the network, though.

Finally, I would like to see an alternative user interface that doesn't require connection of a TV or video monitor, so that the WMA can be used in audio-only applications.

Wrap up

This was my first experience with a digital media player / adapter, so don't have any other points of comparison. But I'm sure the Linksys name, widespread availability, and relatively aggressive price will help the WMA11B end up in the shopping carts of buyers who are looking for the capability that it provides.