iHome iH27 Portable Alarm Clock for iPod (Black)

• Compatibility: iPod mini; iPod nano 1G, 2G, 3G, 4G; iPod classic 4G, 5.5G, 6G; iPod touch 1G, 2G
• Wake and sleep to your iPod music or buzzer, with gradual alarm
• Four Reson8 speakers (2 passive and 2 active) for superior stereo sound
• Auxiliary input for use with external devices; A/V output for connecting to TV/stereo
• Runs on AC or four AA batteries; includes protective carrying case

I can't imagine what they were thinking when they designed this thing.

Here's the problem. If you have an ipod in the unit you cannot wake up to the buzzer, only the ipod. If you go to sleep with the ipod on, playing some mellow music at low volume, this is what you will hear for your morning alarm. It's not going to wake you. You cannot use the buzzer for an alarm unless you take the ipod out. What's the point of having it?

Mine is going back.

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When my iHome iH27 arrived, I was dismayed to find that it didn't work. No sound from the dock or from the Line-In, and no light on the panel. It also didn't seem to be charging my iPod, whether it was in the case or not in the case.

After a tech-support email finally made the rounds (turn-around time: 2 days) I was told to remove the little built-in back-up battery from the device, wait 30 seconds, and then put it back in and try again. I was happy to see that this worked.

The sound is decent, the alarm is OK, and the clock works like-well-a clock. I don't really need this to be much more than what it is, and I don't really care whether the alarm is from my iPod or the clock itself, as long as it goes off as scheduled. What I really cared about was having a charging dock that provided speakers, and didn't start up iTunes and go through the sync like my PC does when I dock my iPod (and yes, I know I can disable that, but I want it to be automatic when I need to sync, and so I leave it that way). In terms of being a charging speaker dock, this works well. The speakers are sufficiently loud, the charging works as advertised. No complaints here.

However, there's one glaring issue that has plagued all iHome devices I've used, and that's the use of different-sized plates in the dock to fit all the different iPods. It's completely unfriendly to those of us who use slim-fit cases on our iPods, and there are a lot of us, judging from the number of them available and being reviewed online. I'm not snapping open the case every time I want to use the official iPod touch dock plate on this device, and none of the other plates really fit all that well, either. I can go without a dock plate, but that leaves the iPod sitting there without support, and that's not a great option.

I'm looking over at the iPad dock I'm using for my iPod touch... Now THAT is an intelligent design. Instead of needing a specific plate to fit each iPod, they just built up a slanted wall behind the dock connector, which lets my iPod touch rest safely and securely. Why couldn't iHome do that? Why not make a universal connection that doesn't require different plates? At the very least, why not make plates that take into account the extra millimeter of material for the vast number of iPods being protected by a close-fitting case or skin?

As it is, I had to take a razor blade to a spare plate, and cut out a bigger slot for my iPod touch to fit into it, along with the slim case I prefer to keep on my device. I would gladly have purchased a plate if they made them in the right size, but a look at iHome's website shows no plates that even support the iPod touch 4th generation, let alone plates that will support an iPod touch 4G with a case on it.

I'll also note that there was no iPhone plate in the package at all. None. If you have an iPhone, you don't get one. Sorry. You'll have to cut the iPod classic plate open, I guess.

On the plus side, the iH27 comes with a nice carrying sleeve (see, iHome? EVEN YOUR DOCK HAS A CASE!) and folds to travel easily. The folding worries me a bit because it actually folds down over the AC adapter port, and if you accidentally fold it down without disconnecting AC power, you might just bend your AC adapter's connection... I doubt this will be an issue, but it's a curious design choice, nonetheless.

Another curious choice was to have the black alarm clock unit gain its power from a white AC cord. So you have this black device with a stark white cable coming out the back of it, and it looks a little tacky. You could always use batteries, but I can't imagine they'd be a good idea for long-term use. Fine for travel, sure, but if you plan to dock your iPod a lot, batteries will surely drain quickly.

iHome told me that this product is discontinued, and so my review-though on a new item-is a tad late to the game. I can report that it works with the 4th Gen iPod touch (as long as you carve out your own docking plate for a good fit), but as it is an older model, you may want to be sure before buying it... Newer iPods may not be compatible.

I'd give it one more star if only the docking plates were more user-friendly and varied.

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this is an excellant investment! i was a bit tired of using my head phones and needed an alternative. along came ihome and i am at home with my ipod! when i got it i wasnt expecting much because of the small size but boy was i suprised! the sounds are deep and the midranges and treble does not overpower it as i had expexted it to sound like a speaker in a soupcan or something. the sounds are clear and the fidelity is rich and almost like one of the more expensive docks. the base does not sound like the speaker is farting. it is all around an excelent investment and i am glad i got oneIH27B Port Alarm for IpodSdi IH27B Port Alarm For Ipod (SDI IH27B)!

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I bought this thing last week and it said it would charge my ipod 4th generation but it doesn't! Also, the sound is very weak. I have it in my office and sometimes I have to crank it up to 15 just to hear it! I'm honestly thinking of taking this thing back.

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I have enjoyed previous iHome products, but I am not happy about this one. I got this one because it was one of the only alarm clocks that had an aux/out port which is important for iPod touch users. The problem is that the alarm will use the iPod if it is plugged in and not the buzzer. The buzzer will go off if there is not iPod charging (good luck if you just wanted to charge your iPod overnight.) There is no way to tell it to always use the buzzer when you have an ipod on the charger. I will never buy a iHome product again because of this, I have wasted too much money on them.