HD Radio

Showing posts with label clock radio large display. Show all posts

Sony ICF-C703 Dream Machine Clock Radio

Digital synthesized AM/FM tuner
5 station presets
Brightness control
Green backlit LCD display
Dual alarm

Don't be fooled by the slick looking design like I was. First of all, the outer metal shell is very delicate and prone to denting, thereby putting its "slickness" to a quick end. Secondly, the setting controls are not obvious nor conveniently located, especially if you are fumbling around in a darkened room and half asleep. Thirdly, and most importantly, it is unreliable. A significant amount of the time, the alarm does not come on even though all display indicators suggest that it is set correctly.

For $60, you can find a much better unit than this one.

Buy Sony ICF-C703 Dream Machine Clock Radio Now

I bought this clock because my other sony clock died on me. I always have had luck with Sony clocks, but after this experience Sony clocks are no longer for me. I couldn't program it, so I took it back to the sales person and he couldn't figure it out either. He suggested I get another one which I did. After one month the alarm has broken. No more Sony clocks!

Read Best Reviews of Sony ICF-C703 Dream Machine Clock Radio Here

I've had this clock radio for several years now and overall, I am pretty happy. It looks awesome and the buttons are all easily accessible. Once you've had it for a while your fingers learn which buttons to hit to turn the alarm on and off. The built in battery back-up has saved me many a time. My biggest complaint is I lost the directions about a year ago and I haven't been able to figure out how to set the alarm to wake up to a radio station since them. Somehow my settings got erased and now all I can wake up to is static. I'm sure it can't be that difficult but at present, it alludes me. The sound is fine for light bedside listening and the display has two settings (bright and not so bright) which is also a nice feature. It does have a limited viewing angle as stated in one of the previous review. Overall, however, I am pleased with the clock.

Want Sony ICF-C703 Dream Machine Clock Radio Discount?

To me this Sony product is a bit of a relief. I usually demand some level of aesthetic design in anything I buy. I figure if I'm going to spend money on beautiful vases, etc. for my home then why buy an ugly alarm clock to clash with all of that. I can see why some people don't care about this and I would recommend not buying this if you are one of those people. It is just a typical clock radio and has no real special features. But for me I could not stand owning one more ugly clock radio. I didn't care how much money it cost me. This radio doesn't have outstanding design but it is head and shoulders above anything else on the market. Seen the GPX clock radios? I had one of those for a while. Ugly and poorly made cheap plastic and shoddy construction. This product is well made, the interface is easy to understand even though someone pointed out they had problems setting the alarm, and it looks great.

sure, it's overpriced, but it's just so cool looking. hard to find minimalist, modern design in the "more is more" world of consumer electronics.

i find that it tunes in stations very well, and the sound is decent for a unit so small. as for the people who couldn't set the alarm, here's a novel idea: READ THE DIRECTIONS. actually, i didn't, and figured it out after a few minutes.

the buttons are sort of oddly placed, but i wake up the same time every day so i don't have to really worry about hitting anything but the button to turn off the radio. if you have someone else who needs to get up at a different time, it has duel alarms, which is a great feature.

the radio seems sturday enough, not that i put my clock radios through a obstacle course or anything. it's everything that i've come to expect from sony through the years; a fairly well thought-out, solid product.

hey, it's small, looks great on your nightstand, and wakes you up when you set it. what else does a clock radio need to do?

GenevaSound All-in-One Stereo for CD, iPod, iPhone, Radio Line-in (Large-White)

iPod+ iPhone Universal Dock compatible with all iPod® models. This has a 30 pin dock that will work with iPhone 4S and earlier
CD player - slot loading, with best class laser
FM radio with digital tuner; easy-programmable presets
RCA plug for all auxiliary audio - e.g., satellite radio, MP3 player, Shuffle, turntable, TV, computer, wireless streamer, and more
Stereo-mini input for all auxiliary audio - e.g., satellite radio, MP3 player, Shuffle, turntable, TV, computer, wireless streamer, and more

Previously, in my search for the ultimate "all-in-one" sound system, I purchased the B&W Zeppelin and Bose Sounddock 10 and put them head to head in my own home. The B&W zeppelin was the clear the winner of that comparison with clear natural sound that really brought out the beauty of recorded music. The Bose had more volume capability and slightly more bass in the lowest registers, but it struggled to bring out the tone, accuracy and depth of the Zeppelin and my refence system, consisting of Full range Dynaudio Towers and NAD amplification. Of course this led me to wonder if there were any other systems out there that could be better yet. This led to me to Geneva. The Geneva line of systems has been out for several years, but I had never listened to them before. Geneva has systems of various sizes ranging from S to XXL, and I went with one right in the middle, the L. When I received my Geneva L, I was immediately impressed with the packaging and the fit and finish of the product. The glossy paint was perfect and the system integrated perfectly with the brushed metal stand, an optional piece from Geneva. It was very easy to operate. I opened the wooden flap on top of the unit, plugged in my Ipod, and powered the system on. Within minutes I was listening to my playlist. Now it was time to see what this thing could do. I already had a playlist of about 50 songs encoded from my CD collection in apple lossless. This is the same list of songs that I used to evaluate my home reference system, the B&W Zeppelin and Bose Sounddock 10. I then played about 50 hours of music and full bandwidth pink noise through the system in order to break it in. I can't stress enough how much the sound changes in all of these systems during the break in process, the Geneva most of all. After listening to my playlist on the Geneva L, I was truly amazed. The sound was simply fantastic. It has the clarity and tonal excellence of the B&W with overall volume capability and deep bass that surpassed both systems. There were a couple of trouble tracks, such as Joss Stone's "Less is More" and Jack Johnson's "Taylor," which caused the Zeppelin to exhibit port noise and some loss of coherency. The Geneva L played both of those songs beautifully, at high volume, without issue. The overall impact of this system was something that completely took me off guard. Listening to these systems side by side also showed how much deeper the sound stage of the Geneva L was. In fact it projected a sound image that was nearly as wide and deep as my reference system. The Geneva did appear to have less punch with very low volume listening which may be due to less dynamic loudness in the DSP. I also very much enjoyed listening to CD's and FM radio which is all included with the Geneva L. It became obvious to me very quickly as I was comparing the Geneva to other Ipod docks that this was not really apples to apples. First, this is a more expensive product at $999, but it was also a lot more than an Ipod Dock. With CD, FM, ipod and such full range sound, the Geneva was the first system that I consider a true stereo replacement, and could easily be the primary music system in my home. It really has the sound quality, dynamics, and imaging of full size stereo system in one sleek unit with a single single power cord. This system is a unique product is an excellent value for all that it can do, and I look forward to enjoying it for some time to come. I hope this helps anyone who is on the eternal quest for an "all-in-one" system that really can do it all.

Buy GenevaSound All-in-One Stereo for CD, iPod, iPhone, Radio Line-in (Large-White) Now

There need be no complaints about any aspect of this system, especially sound/bass.

I play my, well-mastered/produced, CD's flat with bass/treble at "0"(listening to Dub Room Special right now)

and they all sound great. With a powerful enough amplifier, bass & treble controls are fairly unnecessary, IMO.

With each speaker driven with it's own 25W amp, there is plenty of power (some fine sounding systems do very well

with 25W per channel!). It actually sounds best with the volume turned up to about 75. No objectionable distortion.

I set my iPod equalizer to sound best with this system (an important step), which for my music is the "R&B" setting.

Full dynamic range, iPod or CD/FM. Everything sounds great and it sounds great no matter the listening position.

I took a chance with the red, not even sure if I'd like it. It's a beautiful, tough, red lacquer finish.

I've heard just about everything out there. Absolutely no regrets. No bull (and I'm no employee!).

Read Best Reviews of GenevaSound All-in-One Stereo for CD, iPod, iPhone, Radio Line-in (Large-White) Here

I own a Geneva models L and XL. I was so impressed with my original purchase of the XL that I purchased the smaller L unit for my bedroom. First of all the customer service staff was awesome during the purchase. The shipping was easy and the produts were packaged perfectly. Arrival was swift with no damage and the set up was simple for both the XL and L models. The sound of course was the primary reason for the purchase, although the units in red and black look outstanding! The finish on these units is remarkable. Believe me you will be fully satisfied with the sound quality and integrity of these products.

Want GenevaSound All-in-One Stereo for CD, iPod, iPhone, Radio Line-in (Large-White) Discount?

1) Design: It's striking in its simple design the piano lacquered exterior complements any decor (immediate conversation piece) without clutter in a centralized component.

2) Quality: Solidly built (serious equipment) with European inspiration; sturdy and secure to ensure components are duly protected; packaging is impressive.

3) Sound: Can't be adequately described (beckons to be heard); obviously, rich and intense (imcomparably, the best iPod designed sound system on the market today) and adds a new dimension to all musical genres (even at high volumes).

4) Functionality: Clear and concise in usability; separate bass/treble to further broaden listening pleasure; remote is effortless and complete.

5) Price: Quite reasonable considering this as an investment piece (actually considering the Model XL for the sublime subwoofer addition).

Save $0.99 Off

I own a black model L. If you are considering buying one, then you already know that there isn't anything like it on the market, as least in terms of pure aesthetic quality. The black lacquered cabinet is as exquisitely constructed and flawlessly mirrored as a Steinway piano or '64 low-rider.

The sound quality is equally impressive, filling my large apartment with a depth and density of sound that is the envy of my audiophile friends. But what truly impressed me was when the company sent me a replacement model after I discovered a small glitch outside of the warranty period.

I only have one minor quibble, and for that reason I didn't rate this 5 stars. The remote control has a very narrow line of sight. In some ways, it's an unfair criticism; if there were an external infrared receiver like my ugly, molded plastic Bose, I would never have bought it in the first place. Not perfect, but damn close.

iHome iH56 Clock Radio with Dock for iPod (Silver)

Wake to iPod, AM/FM Radio or Buzzer
Removable dock inserts fit docking iPod models
2 extra grilles to suit your mood and decor
High-Fidelity stereo drivers in Reson8 speaker chambers
Multifunction LCD Display with adjustable back lighting

This is a great unit good sound and looks great. Ships quickly and easy. Highly recommed

Buy iHome iH56 Clock Radio with Dock for iPod (Silver) Now

I have had my iHome iH56 Clock Radio for well over four years now and it's still going strong. The large backlit LCD display is easy to see at night, even without my glasses or contacts. It's super convenient for keeping my iPhone charged. I just put it on the cradle at night before I go to bed and wake up to a full charge. It has excellent sound quality for a unit of it's size and price, and the included remote makes it easy to control my tunes. All in all, I am very satisfied with it except for one small detail.

It loses time. And by that I mean if you set the clock to the proper time, then come back a month later, the clock will be 2-3 minutes slow. So every so often, I have to adjust the clock; I usually set it a couple of minutes fast so I don't have to adjust it as often. But it's very easy to adjust and takes less than 30 seconds, so it's not that big of a deal for me. I still love the unit and if not for the inaccuracy of the clock, I'd give it five stars. Plus keep in mind that this is just a review of MY iH56 and not all them may have this same problem.

Hope this helps!

Read Best Reviews of iHome iH56 Clock Radio with Dock for iPod (Silver) Here

After having to accept tinnitus and hyperacusis as a fact of life, I started looking at white noise devices to play as I go to sleep. They are expensive, and the tracks are not very good rather canned sounding. Oh, and the tracks are short. They repeat every 10-15 seconds. Not ideal for someone who is already having trouble going to sleep (it's about to go back to the beginning...right...NOW. Here it goes again...).

Then it hit me. Get a bedside clock/radio with iPod and I won't be limited to 3 or 4 sounds! I purchased this particular iHome, but really any model will accomplish the same thing. There are tons of tracks here on Amazon or iTunes for your choosing (I recommend "A Day On Cape Cod: Babbling Brook". See my review on iTunes).

The downside to the iHome, and this has been mentioned on the other model reviews, is that anytime you set the alarm, or change the alarm time, there is a rather loud confirmation BEEP. That could be disturbing to anyone else sleeping in the room. Also mentioned by others is that the light on clock is a little bright, even at it's lowest setting. I got used to it. Unfortunately, at the lowest setting you can't see the time during the day by just glancing into the room from a hallway, for instance.

The sound quality is decent, but I really don't use it for anything other than while going to sleep. The remote is handy, I guess, once you learn the buttons.

Overall, this iHome has fit my needs perfectly. Again, I recommend something like this as an alternative to expensive white noise sound devices. You have all the flexibility that you need with this and you can find a million tracks under New Age or Atmosphere sections. I'm using an old iPod mini that had a battery that wouldn't hold a charge (which doesn't matter with this as it is always receiving power). I tried a 1st gen iPod nano and an iPod classic and they both worked just fine.

Want iHome iH56 Clock Radio with Dock for iPod (Silver) Discount?

The buttons on the top of this caved in within a year. I can no longer set an alarm so it's pretty much unusable.

This product does what it says and the sound clarity is excellent. Very satisfied!!

Cambridge SoundWorks i755 Table Radio with iPod Dock

?Large LCD displays song currently playing from iPod
?Charges iPod while it is docked
?Wireless remote operates iPod and all device functions
?Stereo headphone jack offers private listening option
?AM/FM radio with 16 FM and 8 AM presets

June 2011 update -My third replacement of this radio has been used occasionally as only a radio. Last week, the clock started freezing as the earlier models had done. Requires that I unplug and reset. Cannot rely on the alarm clock feature. I believe there is an engineering bug in the design; I'd never purchase another.

Earlier comments:

After waiting almost 4 weeks for a factory repair, they sent a second radio instead of repairing the first one. After about 2 months, the second radio has the same problem -the clock display freezes, radio stops functioning as an alarm clock, and the on/off buttons on the radio and the remote control do not work. Tech Support says to unplug, push the on/off button several times during two hours, and then replug to power. Same routine as for first radio; it worked for a while and then same symptom.

They will NOT give a refund after 30-days, even though the problem I called about was originally less than 30 days!

They will NOT give a refund!

What follows are notes from the first radio, that also failed in the identical way.

-------------

In

Light Bulb Wall Clock with Autolight Sensor

Automatic light up when it's dark for better visibility
ON/OFF switch for manual control

This is a really neat clock, the only problem I had, the big hand had fell off when I opened the package and I had to take the clock apart and put it back on. It works just fine, but when customers purchase what is supposed to be an assembled product, you shouldn't have to repair it before use.

Cobra CIR2000A Wireless Internet and FM Radio with USB Port, SD Card Slot, CD Player, Touch Sensitiv

Access over 10,000 radio stations world wide using the existing Wi-Fi or Broadband connection on your Mac or PC
Features: CD Player with Gracenote Music Recognition Service, USB Port, SD Card Slot, FM Radio, Clock, Alarm, and Sleep Timer so you can wake up to your favorite tunes
Includes LAN Cable Connection, 3.5mm auxiliary input jack for MP3 Players, and a 3.5 mm headphone jack for your favorite head gear or home stereo system
Full Function Remote and 2, 20W speakers produce crisp dynamic sound quality
Supports Real Audio, MP3, and WMA formats.

There are some redeeming qualities from this unit, but it just misses the mark of a nice product over all:

Pros:

Handsome looking. The shiny black looked very nice on my bookshelf in the living room.

Fairly simple interface (took a long time to figure out the "back" button) and remote control

Capacitive front panel was a nice touch and made a clean interface.

Nice small unit doesn't take up much space.

Interesting ability to get radio stations from around the world (listened to one from China for a while). Also can pull in some NOAA weather stations.

Speakers/sound was fine. Its not Bose quality, but its better than PC speaker quality. Its what I expected in this price range.

Cons:

CD made a dragging, hissing sound while the CD was spinning. I could "drown it out" with volume, but why should I? And is it scratching my CDs?

CD also skipped the end of tracks about 50% of the tracks on multiple CDs. Might have been related to the dragging sound, but it was always the end of tracks (on a couple CDs). Wasn't skipping like a scratched CD, just jumped to the end of the track for some reason. This is the main reason I returned this unit.

Capacitive touch front panel was not very sensitive. I normally had to hit it 2-3 times to get it to do anything.

LEDs brightened and dimmed with user interaction, but the timeout was so fast, it kept going on and off if you were scrolling or going through a menu...More annoying than anything.

Radio station selection wasn't great. Limited to radiostationworld.com and shoutcast.com, but couldn't get all the radio stations on the CIR2000 that are listed on the web either. Most of the US stations are various versions of NPR (40%?), so that really limits variety. No Pandora either.

SD reader could not use my 4GB cards. It did for the 32MB card, but I didn't have anything in between, so I don't know where the cut-off is located. It did play music off the USB well. I wanted to load MP3s in a SD card and it should handle at least 4GB for that.

Conclusion:

If the SD reader handled larger cards and the CD player worked right, I'd give it 3 stars. Add more radio stations (or even better, handle Android Apps), this would be a 4 star (5 with Android) product.

Buy Cobra CIR2000A Wireless Internet and FM Radio with USB Port, SD Card Slot, CD Player, Touch Sensitiv Now

We are very pleased with this product. You can play music from an sd card or directly stream from your computer. You can locate virtually any station broadcasting via the internet. It was easy and intuitive to set up. I do not recommend using the user manual however...the flowcharts are misleading. The sound quality is very good considering the unit's small size. I am able to access radio stations around the world. If you were a shortwave lover in your youth, you'll love this modern version.

Again, Amazon delivery was quick and product arrived in perfect condition.

Read Best Reviews of Cobra CIR2000A Wireless Internet and FM Radio with USB Port, SD Card Slot, CD Player, Touch Sensitiv Here

A reasonable value. Appearance is good...CD feature is a plus. Sound quality is OK...The set-up was not seamless; some patience is required. The remote is important because the front panel is dificult to read. My only real complaint (minor) is the limited number of "stations" in their system. For example, I could not find "Show Tunes" (Broadway musicals etc) in their genre list and in some other genre categories choices were there but limited.

Want Cobra CIR2000A Wireless Internet and FM Radio with USB Port, SD Card Slot, CD Player, Touch Sensitiv Discount?

Well worth the money and the only unit of it's kind which incorporates an Internet Radio in it as well as a read capability for flash drives which appears to have no limitations as to number of files on the media it will recognize.

This item has been discontinued and I feel fortunate to have gotten one. The comparable models by Sony, etc all are limited to about 2500 titles (files) for recorded media and that is a real downer for me.

Update 3/17/2012.

Continue to think it is a fabulous value, especially now that it is available for $109.00 inc shipping. I bought my second one for a vacation home. Once again I searched for an alternative because i believed this unit was unavailable due to it being discontinued by Coby. There is NOTHING out there which comes close to the capabilities of this unit.

Primarily I use it to stream Internet music and play from flash drives and it handles both without a problem. The fidelity is ok for a unit its size and if you are looking for hi end sound you won't find it in a unit selling for just over $100 anyway.

It is always possible to direct wire the unit to an amp and then on to other speakers if you wanted a more serious sound. Even with the cost of an amp this would still be a good value based on all it can do.

Solid 5 stars

I wanted an alarm that would play list from a cd or other medium (not iPod)to the end, display the clock, and then play the same or a different list for a wake-up alarm. This unit did SOME of those things. What it would not do was play the list at wake-up time. It would only play a single track from any of the media: CD, SD card, or USB stick. It didn't like my CDR, although it plays fine on other players.

The controls were very slow to respond, so I would end up trying to do something and then canceling the operation by pressing the button twice. Most of the time, I couldn't get the lighted touch controls on the front to respond at all.

The front panel was way too bright. It also displayed only what was playing, when most of the time I wanted to display the time. The volume control jumped too far at low volumes. It was either inaudible or too loud. The remote buttons were tiny and dark. They also didn't seem to do anything much of the time.

It sounded great, though. Everything actually worked. It found my wireless internet connection with no problem and played music stored on all of the various media. It would make a great console set, but as an alarm, it was alarmingly complex to set up. I liked the idea of being able to use all the different media instead of just radio/cd/iPod. I don't have an iPod and don't really want to get one until I'm forced into it. I ended up with a Sony Dream Machine.

Onkyo TX-SR505 7.1 Channel Home Theater Receiver (Black)

75 Watts per Channel Minimum into 8 Ohms, 20 Hz-20 kHz, 0.08%, FTC (2 Channels Driven); 100 Watts per Channel Minimum into 6 Ohms, 1 kHz, 0.1%, FTC (2 Channels Driven)
DTS-ES Discrete/Matrix, DTS Neo:6, DTS 96/24, Dolby Digital EX, Dolby Pro Logic Iix
2 HDMI Inputs and 1 Output (1080p Pass-Thru to HD Ready Displays)
Color-Coded 7.1-Multichannel Inputs (Receive 7.1 Surround Sound from Compatible Blu-ray and HD-DVD Players)

-Start of 10/15/07 update --

I have now moved my home theater setup into the new 20x20 room. I installed the new 4 Polk Audio RM6751 surround speakers on the side and rear walls and reused the Energy speakers up front. I ran the receiver's Audyssey 2EQ automatic speaker setup which did a surprisingly good job at determining the size and distance of the speakers from them main TV viewing position. It was perfect, off by a foot for some speakers but very close. I proceeded to test the entire home theater using some action space sequences from Star Wars Episode 3 which has a Dolby Digital EX 6.1 audio track. All I can say is WOW. The new room and 7.1 speakers has really allowed this Onkyo receiver to shine. It sounded good in the old room but was somewhat limited by the poor room layout. In the new room it sounds nothing short of amazing. The surround effect sounds very well blended and non-localized as they should. This is an excellent sounding entry level 7.1 receiver.

The ONLY reason I didn't give it 5 stars is because of the quirky behavior of the HDMI video switching. Not because it doesn't switch audio over HDMI but because of the few problems it caused with my cable box and DVD player when they were connected through the HDMI of the receiver. I now connect them directly to the TV as I did with my old receiver and everything works great.

-End of 10/15/07 update --

I'll start by saying that overall I am very pleased with this receiver and I would recommend it to anyone looking for an full featured budget priced receiver. I am NOT an audiophile. I'm just a guy who enjoys watching movies in surround sound. As such I try to buy components that offer the features I need without all the extra stuff I don't need at a low price. This receiver fits that description perfectly.

This receiver is an upgrade from a 7 year old Pioneer VSX-D608 5.1 receiver. The main reason for the upgrade was that I plan to move my home theater system to a larger 20x20 room and felt that a 7.1 speaker arrangement would be really nice in that room. I'm currently using the new Onkyo in the old room with 5.1 speakers. The move into the new room is a few weeks way.

Since I'm still in the old temporary room I didn't use the Audyssey automatic setup system instead I manually configured all the speaker settings and distances. I found the controls and menus to be fairly easy to navigate and use.

When shopping for a receiver one of my top priorities is a clean low distortion amp which gives you very nice and detailed sound. Be careful when shopping. There are some receivers with 1% THD which IMO is too high. You can tell the difference in sound between 1% and the Onkyo's 0.08%. The SR505 is excellent in this regard.

The SR505 supports the standard formats like DD (Dolby Digital) 5.1 and DTS and also supports many new formats such as DD EX, Dolby Pro Logic IIx, DTS 96/24, DTS-ES, DTS-NEO6 and others. Even though many of these are 7.1 formats they work just fine in a 5.1 setup. The SR505 automatically handles the missing 2 speakers. These formats give a lot of versatility to the audio because they allow conversion of 2 channel audio up to 7.1 and 5.1 up to 7.1. It all works very well. It also remembers what listening mode you have selected for each kind of source audio signal. For example I have it set that when I'm watching TV through my cable box (digital connection to receiver) any channels in 2.0 stereo are converted to DTS Neo:6 and any HT channels in 5.1 stay in their native DD 5.1 format. As I switch channels the SR505 automatically uses the correct listening mode based on the source audio signal. The only negative is that the SR505 makes a 'click' sound whenever it changes listening modes. It's not really annoying but is loud enough to hear.

Regarding video connections the SR505 does allow video switching but does NOT do any conversion between different types of video inputs. For example if you have a DVD and cable box connected to the SR505 with Component inputs then the SR505 will switch the video on it's Component output to your TV. However if the DVD was using S-Video and the cable box Component then the SR505 will NOT convert the S-Video up to Component. It will only output the S-Video over it's S-Video output. The more expensive higher end Onkyo models will do that type of conversion. You just need to decide if that feature is worth the rather large increase in cost. For me it wasn't worth it.

If you read other user reviews on the net for the SR505 it seems the HDMI switching is an area of confusion. The bottom line is that the SR505 will switch ONLY video over HDMI and NOT both video and audio. All this means is that in addition to the HDMI connection you will also need a separate audio connection between the device and the receiver. So between your cable box and SR505 you would need an HDMI connection for video and a coax or optical digital for audio. Full HDMI audio/video switching is available on much more expensive higher end receivers. Again the buyer needs to decide if this feature is worth the extra money.

I have also found the HDMI to be a bit quirky so I decided not to use those connections myself. For example, when I add my cable box connected to the SR505 over HDMI the display on my cable box would flash 'd00' every few seconds whenever the SR505 was turned off. I found the flashing annoying so I connected my cable box directly to my TV. The only other HDMI device I own is an upconverting DVD player. The player doesn't show any usual behavior when connected through the SR505 but I noticed that whenever the receiver is turned off my Sony TV forgets which wide video mode it was in for the DVD player input and I have to change it back manually the next time I play a DVD. I don't know if it's a quirk with my TV or what but it doesn't happen when the DVD player is direct connected to the TV over HDMI so that how I have it connected now. The bottom line is that I tried to use the HDMI switching on the SR505 but because of the unexpected side effects I mentioned above I decided to not use it and went back to direct to TV HDMI connections.

The SR505 includes a nice manual a fairly good remote which will also operate your other devices.

Overall I'm pleased with my purchase. The SR505 is a great receiver for the price. I have no regrets. Recommended.

Buy Onkyo TX-SR505 7.1 Channel Home Theater Receiver (Black) Now

I purchased this receiver because it offered all the features I required. My current setup is 5.1 but this system will allow me to easily transition to 7.1 It comes with three connections. My only gripe was that it required an additional conection for audio. The HDMI cable would only passthru the video signal, audio has to come through a separate connection. There goes the simple setup solution. Other than that, this is a wonderful unit that offers many highend features of more expensive units.

Read Best Reviews of Onkyo TX-SR505 7.1 Channel Home Theater Receiver (Black) Here

I hooked this up to a new Infinity speaker system (pair of Primus PC362s, PC350 center and 4 CS60 in wall speakers) for a 7.1 setup for my new basement home theater. Sound is absolutely amazing. You hear effects in movies and music that were not there before. My other setup is an older Sony model receiver with older Infinity speakers and this does not even compare.

The need for separate audio setups for HDMI connections is not a huge deal to me, I have the cables already so why not use them. Even so, to spend $30 in cables to save $150 on the receiver (compared to the Onkyo 605) seems like a deal to me. I personally would not be using the analog to HDMI up-conversion so that is another reason to go with the lower cost of the 505.

The auto speaker setup was a snap. Gone are the hours or measuring and tweaking speaker setups!

This system has more than enough wattage to rattle the windows in my house.

IMHO, unless you desperately need the up-conversion of the 605, get this model and put the money you saved into better speakers. Speakers have a MUCH longer life than receivers anyway!

Want Onkyo TX-SR505 7.1 Channel Home Theater Receiver (Black) Discount?

Again Onkyo has produced a low to mid priced unit that produces great sound and has very good functionality . The 2 main limitations on this unit have been mentioned a number of times in other reviews :

1) Only 2 HDMI inputs (1 HDMI output ,you only want 1 output)

In North America most devices come with high quality HDMI outputs nowadays . So a receiver takes all the HDMI devices into it's HDMI inputs and then sends the HDMI signal over the 1 HDMI output connected to the TV (HDMI output only accepts signal from HDMI inputs , component inputs will have to go out over component output). So you have only 1 connection to the TV (simple!) and switch between input devices in the unit ..HDMI 1 you're watching the DVD , HDMI 2 you're watching the HDMI enabled cable box .

As this unit has 2 inputs you can only attach 2 devices via HDMI ( fine with me = DVD and satellite box) . Extra devices will need to be atttached via another high quality input ..like component , and go to the TV via another quality output like component . Not a big deal but more cabling and switching TV inputs on the TV .

2) HDMI passthrough only

HDMI signal comes into the receiver from your DVD player say ..but you can't split the audio signal out and play it at that point as this unit just passes the whole signal (audio and video) to the TV . So you have 2 choices to get the HDMI audio back to the unit for playback :

a) Let the TV split out the audio and send it back to the unit over digital (optical) cable . Set the unit to "listen" to digital audio in .

Then ALL HDMI audio sent to the TV will play back over digial audio in . Simple ..IF your TV has a digital audio out . You'll want a high quality/fast digital/optical cable .

b) Send all sound to the unit via another audio input e.g component inputs on the unit and set the unit to "listen" to component audio . Works if your devices have the outputs but it means more cabling / less simplicity .

Summary

For around 250 bucks this unit is a steal bearing in mind the caveats above . If it doesn't work for you for those reasons then the 605 removes those limitations for 200 bucks more (and it's a little taller) .

My first receiver with the auto speaker setup feature--very cool. Has plenty of power for my basic set of JBL bookshelf 5.1 speakers with Yamaha subwoofer. Note: this version does NOT up-convert signals from one input type to another. Thus different sources (component, HDMI, composite, etc) must be switched at the TV. The 575 and up seem to convert signals if you need to do that. Plenty of inputs, automatically set up for my 5.1 system although it can do 7.1. Can do stereo in another room but uses two of the 7.1 channels to do it. I am very satisfied with this unit, good value in my opinion.

Curtis IP215 Alarm Clock Radio/iPod Docking Station

Plug in iPod and playback music
Digital AM/FM Tuner/Stereo Radio
Alarm by iPod/Radio/Buzzer
Remote control for iPod
Recharges iPod

I've had this iPod docking station for a couple of years, and it's probably one of the best purchases I've made. I don't know why people buy bargain speakers and expect theatre quality sound, but they do. Don't make that mistake with this unit. It will pump up the volume (exactly what I need!) but this is not a surround sound Dolby THX'ed Wonderdock. It's a clock radio with a place to dock your iPod so that you can play it and charge it at the same time.

I frequently move this between a couple of rooms, and I've dropped it more than once. I've also spilled stuff on it, and it works the same as it did when I took it out of the box the day I bought it. I don't use the clock or alarm, so I can't really comment on how well that functions, but the buttons appear to be pretty straightforward and easy to understand if I wanted to start. I occasionally listen to a local radio station on it, and I have no issues with reception.

There's a place in the bottom for a couple of AAA batteries in case of a power outage, and in the back there are in & out aux outlets, along with a "video out" port. I've never used the ports, but it does appear to be a versatile dock. There's also a switch in the back to turn doiwn the brightness of the clock display. The display is VERY bright at night and could double as a night light. I find the brightness disturbing to my sleep even at the low setting and stuck a label over it since I don't use the clock portion anyway.

The design is very sleek and modern looking, sure to go well with most decor, and it looks nice on a dresser (if you haven't spilled something on it like I have!). For the durability, sound quality, volume output, and apparent multi-functionality, I don't think there's a lot out there that can surpass this iPod dock. It's an excellent little workhorse for someone like me who plays their iPod 24/7, needs the volume output and is a little bit clumsy. I think overall it will please most users.

Buy Curtis IP215 Alarm Clock Radio/iPod Docking Station Now

I bought this clock because I wanted an inexpensive alarm clock that would play my iPod. My lamp fell over onto it, not enough force to damage the lamp mind you, and the thing has not worked properly since. It will not display the time if the radio is on, and it will not show the radio station number when I try to set the station.

I could deal with the previous issue and probably would not have written a complaint about it. However, this clock is VERY BRIGHT! Even set on the low setting, it is still much to bright and disturbs my sleep. I've resorted to throwing a shirt over the clock to block the light at night.

Do not waste your money on this clock!

Altec Lansing M402SR Moondance Glow Speaker System with Clock Radio, Snooze Remote, and iPod Dock (B

Compatibility: iPod mini; iPod nano 1G, 2G, 3G, 4G; iPod classic 4G, 5G, 5.5G, 6G; iPod touch 1G, 2G
Rear mood lighting provides a soothing, diffused lighting effect--choose your color and intensity
FM Radio with four station presets and wire antenna for superior reception
Dual alarms allow you to wake to your iPod, radio, or alarm; wireless snooze remote included
1-Year limited warranty

All in all, this is a great unit. It combines ipod docking station, radio with digital tuner and clock radio all together. Before I bought this, the potentially negative things I wish I had known are the following:

There are not a lot of buttons so it can be complicated to execute simple tasks. For example, to activate the alarm you have to scroll through all of the various alarm settings there is no simple on/off button for the alarm.

The remote control is really small. I worry that it will be lost or I'll fall asleep with it in bed and never find it in the sheets. It also takes a really tiny battery kind of a large watch battery. It's too new for me to comment on whether the battery life is good.

The remote snooze button is a really good feature if you don't want your docking station right next to your bed. Again, it has a small battery.

It's kind of hard to read the time on the display tougher than would be the case for a more traditional clock radio. And it's impossible if you (like me) have bought this unit because the remote snooze button allows you to keep the docking station in a more convenient place than beside the bed.

There are only 4 radio presets and I think you can scroll through the presets only with the remote control (not the main unit).

Sound quality is fine. Not as good as the Bose docking station but about what you would expect from a decent clock radio.

There are only three volume settings for the alarm low, medium and loud. I tried medium and it was quite loud so I've had to go with low. Fortunately, low is adquately loud, but you should know that there aren't a ton of volume choices to suit all tastes.

Although I really like having the features of this item, because of it is inconvenient to make on the fly changes to alarm settings and because of the difficulty reading the display I haven't got rid of my old clock radio (which I use just to read the time and if I want to set a one-off alarm).

Sorry for the long review, but this is the info I would have like to have known before making my purchase decision. I likely still would have picked this item, but with my eyes more open.

Buy Altec Lansing M402SR Moondance Glow Speaker System with Clock Radio, Snooze Remote, and iPod Dock (B Now

I also have the Logitech Pure-Fi Anytime Premium Alarm Clock, so I'll be comparing it with that. Although this speaker costs more, you get what you pay for. The sound is easily better in clarity, range, bass AND this alarm clock also has a lot more features.

First of all, I like how the AC is not a huge brick (I don't know what Logitech was thinking with their Pure-Fi!)

I also like that the radio antenna (it's the wired kind) can be removed from the speakers if you never plan on using it (for the Logitech, it's permanently attached. However, Logitech has AM radio that can be attached -but it's big and pretty ugly.)

If you plan on putting the speakers away from your bed, or fear hitting your iPod instead when waking up, the extra wireless snooze button will make a great addition.

However, the wireless snooze receiver must be attached on the back (it would have been nice if it was built-in). I thought the wireless snooze button was touch sensitive too, but it's actually just a plastic triggering the button on the bottom, so you'll need to have that on a flat surface (or press the button on the back).

* Actually displays the full date or the scrolling of song title.

* Button on the top is much more reasonably placed. (The Pure-Fi's button placement is a bit confusing)

* Save up to 4 favorite radio stations (only 3 with the Logitech, but you can select them through the speaker. The Altec requires the remote, so if you lose it, you're pretty much screwed.)

* Set two alarms and it will tell you exactly on the LCD.

* Wake up to the iPod, radio, or the clock alarm buzz (which can get really loud!)

If you set the sleep timer, the LCD displays "SWEET DREAMS... (and the minutes left until shutdown)". 5 minutes is the lowest that you can set it and up to 90 minutes. (to cancel the sleep timer, you have to power off and turn on again)

I think the "mood" feature, where you can choose from 17 different color backlight is pretty cool, but it would have been much cooler if it alternated by itself or flashed with the beat of the music!

I don't know what's the deal with all these alarm clock speakers, but it's not the most user-friendly to set the time, alarm, settings. You'll definitely have to sit down and read the manual and really get accustomed to it. To the set the time, it's actually a small button on the back of the speakers. For setting most of the options, you'll often have to be holding on to the button for a few seconds.

The buttons on the top are touch sensitive (or more like pressure sensitive), but that's another thing you have to get used to it. I think it could be a bit more sensitive to the touch. Sometimes you're holding down the button, but it's hard to tell if it's actually going to go through to the certain mode or not.

The remote could have used some tiny bumps or different feel on some buttons to be able to tell them apart in the dark.

Out of the Logitech Pure-Fi and iHome iH36, the Altec speakers definitely win in the amount of bass.

Pros:

Good bass for its size

LCD display (tells you sleep timer/alarm/etc.)

Displays the day/month/date/year, time, or song title

Backlight

iPod cradle can close in if you end up using other audio devices via AUX.

Set alarm to go off once, or everyday, or just weekdays or weekends.

Wireless Snooze Button

AC size/detachable radio antenna

Set the brightness of the LCD and mood lights.

Cons:

It's not too intuitive. Lots of holding buttons to set options. In other words, this clock is definitely not for your grandma (unless you want to constantly help her out on how to set things. Sometimes you'll have to refer back to the manual).

Need to point the remote directly at the remote sensor.

Generic remote.

Touch sensitive could be more sensitive.

Display will not be easy to read from across the room.

FM station presets only accessible through remote (no buttons on the actual speaker!)

No "mood" (light) button on the remote!

Can't set sleep timer/alarm through remote.

Nevertheless, this is a solid 4-star speaker. However, if sound is your priority then, you really should be looking for speakers that doesn't have all the fancy extra stuff like radio/alarm.

If you're really picky with sound, you're just not going to get that full surround sound depth with speakers that only have two drivers and only 5" or so apart. However, that being said, these speakers sound pretty good for what it is. I can say that it sounds better than Logitech's Pure-Fi Anytime Alarm speakers. I think the bass is pretty strong for its size.

As long as if you're not expecting 5.1 surround sound-like miracle, you'll be quite pleased with these speakers. If you're looking for an alarm clock for the iPod, these speakers are definitely worth checking out. Altec Lansing is a reputable speaker brand too.

Read Best Reviews of Altec Lansing M402SR Moondance Glow Speaker System with Clock Radio, Snooze Remote, and iPod Dock (B Here

This is a fine unit. It does everything advertised and does it well. The sound quality is fine, the production of the unit is sleek and attractive. The mood lighting works as advertised and has lots of colors. The remote works fine.

I guess I do have to point out the fact that there are other ipod clock radio's on amazon that are cheaper and better. Sony and iHome both have superb units that have better features and better sound that this one. If altec drops the price on this to below $99, then I would say its a much better bargain.

The mood lighting is surprisingly fun & my kids love it. The remote snooze however, seemed very over designed and I didn't even bother with it. I just don't know why I'd want a wireless snooze remote, isn't the point of an alarm to get your butt up in the morning? A wireless snooze seems, over kill, assuming most people will keep this bedside anyway?

EDIT:

I previously said this didn't work well with the iphone. Maybe I needed to restart the iphone but the next day and since then it has worked great with the iphone. The remote controls it nicely, but yes it is susceptible to cell phone noise but thats why its not rated for the iphone.

Want Altec Lansing M402SR Moondance Glow Speaker System with Clock Radio, Snooze Remote, and iPod Dock (B Discount?

I was looking to purchase a speaker/docking station for my sister for Christmas but was having a hard time finding one that was compatible with the new 5th generation Nano. I purchased this from an alternate Warehouse Store and it is compatible with the Nano. The sound is great and is fairly easy to use from what I could tell. I'm mainly posting this to those doing the same search I am!

First, I'm always skeptical of reviewers that don't state whether they have a relationship with either the manufacturer or product being reviewed or a competing manufacturer. So, let me say I have no relationship with Altec Lansing, or any other manufacturer of any kind. I bought this ipod player/clock for my college-aged daughter for Christmas, after reading internet reviews. Unwrapping it today, I was not disappointed. My daughter, who had not seen it previously, thought it was "cool." The unit has plenty of volume and pleasant sound without distortion. Its not going to replace a home audio system, but its more than adequate for a dorm or bedroom application. The clock display is not the biggest in the ipod/clock market, but the display is plenty bright (and adjustable) even in bright light. The display is clearly readable from at least 15 ft. away. The operating "buttons" on the top of the unit are touch activated and work smoothly. The unit comes with a small remote that uses a lithium battery, and works well from at least 15 ft. The unit also comes with a wireless snooze remote that allows one to activate the normal snooze function found on clocks, as well as to pause the music or turn the unit off. There are 2 separate alarms that can be programed for everyday, weekdays, once, etc. It comes with four ipod adapters, but frankly I don't think they are necessary or really secure the ipod any better. I used ipod nanos gen 1 & 2 with no problems. An FM antenna that plugs into the back is included, and the stations in my area were easily located and sounded as good if not better than the ipod. The mood glow function, which allows for a selectable color to be displayed out the back of the unit, worked but was not terribly impressive. From a seated position, and viewing the unit head-on the color was nearly impossible to see because it is displayed on the rear-side of the unit. No big deal, I didn't buy the thing for the mood glow.

Insignia Clock Radio Model NS-C2111

AM/FM RADIO WAKE TO RADIO OR ALARM
COMPACT SIZE FOR PORTABILITY

Gained about 30-40 minutes for every hour it ran. Didn't notice at first because I was only around it for short periods. When I was next to it for about 90 minutes I noticed it was way fast. I thought maybe I had set it wrong, but about an hour later I had the same issue.

I bought mine as "Like New, Open Box." Your mileage may vary. It's cheap enough that I didn't want to put in the effort of returning it. But I definitely wouldn't try it again when there are so many OTHER inexpensive products that do exactly the same thing.

Buy Insignia Clock Radio Model NS-C2111 Now

Got the clock and the time moves much faster than the normal time. So time is inaccurate.

Read Best Reviews of Insignia Clock Radio Model NS-C2111 Here

The NS-C2111 continues Insignia's tradition of clock radios that represent the pinnacle of fine craftsmanship. Its handsome design and ergonomics pick up where the excellent NS-C2110 left off, and the state-of-the-art electronics make using it a delight.

But Insignia is best known for their audio fidelity, and the NS-C2111's is no exception. Pour yourself a glass of Chardonnay and invite a few friends over for rosbif and canapes and marvel at the richness of tone and the tightness of spectrum. Luxuriate in the audio's "presence" and let the chromatics take you away. Really treat yourself! Here Insignia have produced not a clock radio but a work of art.

Nokia E72 Unlocked Phone Featuring GPS with Voice Navigation - U.S. Version with Full Warranty (Zodi

I upgraded from a Nokia E71 (which was an unbelievable upgrade from my previous experiences with Blackberry), and for some reason I was expecting that same leap from the E71 to E72. However, I soon realized, after using my E72 for the past couple days, that the E71 did in fact spoil me. The E72 is still no doubt an amazing phone -along with the E71 and other top Nokias, it's still in its own little league above the Blackberries and other smartphones -but I'll admit I was slightly let down.

If you are looking to buy a Nokia (or any phone) I'd definitely recommend the E72. If you are a huge Nokia fan, then fine, upgrade. If you're happy with your E71....then I'd really think about it (or at least get your hands on one in person). The E72 is much faster, the camera's awesome, and it's still a beautiful phone. BUT you should know a couple things:

-The construction is not quite as top-notch as the E71. It's a little lighter, with some metal replaced for a sort of heavy, hardened plastic. I've heard of the battery panel being loose, but I haven't run into the problem. Mine was made in China, while my E71 was made in Finland, although it seems there can always be problems no matter where it's made.

-The optical pad is a nice touch (it takes some getting used to) and, occasionally, it can misinterpret your choice to click to the side for a sliding movement. But overall I'm getting used to it (and if you really don't like it you can always switch it off).

-I do notice the slightest high pitched buzz when the volume is turned up and the sound coming from the other end of the call is on the loud side. The E71 never had this problem. I take it the speakers were either downgraded or because of the extra plastic there's some sort of vibration (could just be my model). UPDATE: Seems the speaker just needed some "breaking in" (strange, I know). This problem is no longer present. However, still not the best volume in speakerphone mode.

***Overall, I'd say if you're looking at the E72 compared to any top smartphone, this is an excellent choice***

IF you're looking at the E72 and E71 side by side, it is THEN that you start to notice the little details that I mentioned above. True, there are a few more plastic pieces than the E71, but when I think about the Blackberries and iPhones, you're never going to get the same quality you got with the E71, and the E72 is just a notch below that.

E72 is a 4.5 star phone. E71 will always be the best phone I've ever owned.

With one word: NO.

After owning and E71 for over a year, which for me was by far the best phone that I have ever used, I was really excited about getting the new E72 since it featured a 600Mhz CPU which seemed to be my main and only issue with the E71. However the CPU was the only upgrade in this unit and almost everything else seemed to be in fact a downgrade. As mentioned by another reviewer this phone has serious stability issues. The FP2 OS is extremely buggy and crashes, reboots and freezes several times a day. Nokia really needs to work on a new firmware to correct this. Below is every quality of the phone that I could think of as compared to the E71.

HARDWARE

-----------------------------

BUILD QUALITY: Definitely not as solid of a feeling compared to the mostly metal E71. The D-pad feels like cheap plastic and it has some free play. The back cover tends to move occasionally when you are holding the phone to your ear.

SPEAKERPHONE: Very poor quality compared to the E71. There is very noticeable buzzing near the maximum volume, even with high quality music files. Calls on speakerphone at max volume are plain annoying due to the buzzing. On top of that the speaker is not as loud as the one on the E71.

CALL QUALITY: Excellent call quality except at the maximum volume where the call speaker also becomes distorted.

KEYBOARD AND TOUCHPAD: The keyboard feels slightly better than the one on the E71. The buttons seem to give out somewhat of a better feedback. However the E72 is slightly wider than the E71 which makes it a little harder to type on with one hand. The new track pad navigation provides a very inconsistent performance and it is not even close to the one on the newer blackberries. Scrolling up and down is perfectly fine but scrolling sideways becomes an exercise. The good news is that the original directional pad like on the E71 is still there so you can just disable the touchpad if you hate it just as much as I did after a week of usage.

CAMERA: It is still a cell phone camera so keep your expectations low. It takes decent pictures and the quality is about the same as the E71 but with 5 megapixel images and slightly wider lens. The camera application now has built-in panorama mode. Video at 640x480 is plain horrible. The flash on this phone is actually pretty decent. One thing that was very annoying to me is that it uses a very bright focus light(AKA The flash) which makes focusing at macro impossible if you are trying to take a picture of something with brighter colors that reflect more light. There is no way to disable the focus light either, not even in macro mode. Nokia should think about this as well.

BATTERY LIFE: There is simply nothing like it. Except the E71. The battery life on the E72 is also exceptional. I am able to get 2 to 3 days of very heavy usage on it, including 2 to 3 hours of talking, 2 hours of browsing and some text messaging. I have not seen any other phone in this category which gets even close to these stats.

GPS: Works great and it gets a position fix generally within 5 seconds. It seems a little faster than the E71. The E72 also has a compass.

SOFTWARE

-------------------------

This is the bad part.

FP2: Aside from unifying various internet connections I really did not see much if any of an improvement in this version of the Symbian OS. In fact it features some ugly menu transitions and it has a lot of stability issues. You would get out of memory error with a subsequent freezing at least a couple of times in a day and reboots and total freezes which require battery removal are not uncommon either.

APPLICATION UNLOCK: Yes, the phone is hackable with HelloOX 2 and up.

WEB BROWSER: The browser is definitely improved from the E71 afar as rendering and navigation goes. However I was never able to complete even ONE single browsing session without this thing crashing and just exiting in the middle of something. It would have been great if it did not crash.

E-MAIL: About as bad as the client available on my first T-Mobile Pocket PC with Windows Mobile 2002. Although that one was a little better than what Nokia has provided. It is almost 2010 and Nokia still does not have an e-mail client which supports in-line HTML. The Nokia messaging software and service is plain horrible. After 3 days of usage I just cancelled my account and went to using webmail. It is really that bad and this is unacceptable for a supposed "business" device. As an alternative, I would recommend Emoze. Their software even partially supports in-line HTML. If you have Hotmail, you can download Windows Live for Symbian. It works really well.

PODCASTING & INTERNET RADIO: Missing!!!???! Very disappointing.

SIP CLIENT: Missing!!! The SIP settings are there, but there is no client. So forget about gizmo or any similar service unless you are using a third party client like Nimbuzz or Fring.

OFFICE APPLICATIONS: This is one positive category. Quickoffice features a free upgrade to open and edit Office 2007 documents. Nokia has also added Wpresenter, Multiscanner and Font Magnifier as standard applications.

--------------------

Overall the E72 is a mixed bag for me. It delivers on speed and the browser is well improved but the stability issues, missing software and some other quirks make this device seem like a downgrade. If I was aware of these issues it is likely that I would have stayed with the E71. So if you are in doubt, my advice would be save your money or at least wait for a firmware update which fixes the stability issues. I hope this was helpful.

Buy Nokia E72 Unlocked Phone Featuring GPS with Voice Navigation - U.S. Version with Full Warranty (Zodi Now

The E72 is one of the best phones ever created.... I am a proud owner of tons of phones and tons more over the last 10 years. The Nokia E72 is a beast.... and I save that category for the rarest of gadgets. Let me explain why (briefly).

Right now I have an Iphone 2g, Ipaq 910, Bold 9700, and the E72. All of my phones serve a purpose in my ever changing lifestyle.

The Iphone is probably the best pda device ever madeemails, sms, mms (now), apps, shortcuts, games, and ease of use. But its still lacking, to me, in various areaslagging, running multiple apps, camera quality, and battery. Most importantly, I hate going in and out of appswhen closed its closed.

The Ipaq 910is probably one of the worst devices ever purchased; yet when running, its the king of pocketpc's. It was tethering at speeds of 10.2 almost 3 years ago. Now everyone is trying to include 3.5g speeds. Sadly, the battery life sucks and it crashes more than a toddler on training wheels. I still have it and refuse to part ways.

The BB 9700 is hands down bb's best effort to me; I would say its the best mobile device on the market. I even added the droid interface and the droid ringtone to spice it up. The track ball is gone and the track pad is even more addictive. It now has a 624 processor and all the bells and whistles, needless to say the best email system going. However, I just get bored with it. I cant figure it out.

Now E72 is my second Nokia... I bought the N97 in June but the price wasnt worth keeping. Nonetheless, it was a quality device. I read about the E72 recently and fell in love with the specs.

Pros-

Battery lifeis unbelievable! None of the aforementioned phones can last a day without dragging out a car charger or a wall charger. The E72 can last 2 days with running: emails, taking pics, creating videos, tons of sms, apps, and tons of phone calls.

Camerais great. I love the quality of the 5mp pictures. The quality changes at night I might add. I almost forgot the front facing camera too.

Phone qualityunbelievable calls...with headphones, bluetooth, or device calls.

smssure its not threaded sms but there are programs that can change the UI if needed.

Operating systemyes its outdated but its solid as a rock...I will take that all day long. Whats worst than having no phone? A phone that crashes... the symbian 60 is like a old BMW, period.

Track pad/clickertrack pad is not as good as the bb but combined with the usual Nokia E series clicker pad make a great combination.

Web Browserexcellent.. The best in its class.

Video Callingrecently Fring added skype video calling... I was blown away.

Audio messengingevery now and then when I am in a hurry I like to record audio messages oppose to sms...great addition.

Contacts, calendar interfaceits smooth...if you can marry with google sync...its even better.

tetheringno need to purchase a program, it does it for you. You can even add a 3rd party program to make it a hotspot....

3.5gits the fastest phone its class... and if you can buy it unlock, you can take advantage of the various network speeds. No need to buy wifi while traveling.

3.5mm headjack outletI ran my jbl desktop speakers and last.fm... unbelievable.

Nokia Office is a great program with Office and Pdf capability...

GPS with OVI maps is superb... now that its free, its a must have with any Nokia.

OTA upgrades,no more using the usb port to upgrade....

Cons-

*Email interface is cumbersome... but now that there is Nokia Email, its a lot better. However, I added Seven push email and its comparable to having BB push service.

*Email Links from BrowserI hate that I cant email a friend a good article from a website... maybe I am missing it some how.

*Nothing is in alphabetical order...when changing apps... Most are all over the place.

*LED flash is on the keypad not the top...I kinda miss the blackberry flashing light.

*On screen function icons too small-like sending a text or email, alarm, and bluetooth... are too small and if you need to know if a email is sent, you have to pay close attention to the sent icon or check the outbox...

*Must use signed aps if not, you can forget it unless you spend hours trying to get it signed...

*Usb jack and phone charger jack different....

Overall I still say this is the best gadget phone out...its a thinking mans phone because a lot of the capabilities are hidden and require work. However, once you have mastered it, you have a mp3 player, an entry level 5mp hotshot, great phone, pda, pocketpc, video camera, great gps, social networker (Nokia Facebook and Twitter Gravity, video caller, and a hotspot.

I highly recommend the Unlocked version oppose to ATT bloatware crasher versions....

Read Best Reviews of Nokia E72 Unlocked Phone Featuring GPS with Voice Navigation - U.S. Version with Full Warranty (Zodi Here

I was waiting for this phone since last 6 month after it was announced in Singapore. I had E51 and wanted to upgrade to a QUERTY business phone. I liked E71 and when i was about to buy e71 I found the news of E72.

I was one the first few to purchase this for almost 450$, But i am very happy with it till now. The features i liked most are

1. The digital compass. This is the most essential hardware/software you require if you really want to use GPS.

2. The Optical nav pad, This makes the scrolling really easy and enjoyable.

3. The latest 600 Mhz processor which makes it the best performing mobile.

4. The camera, finally Nokia's cameras are going to be useful. (I never liked Nokia's camera quality).

5. The accelerometer which can be used in step counter software.

6. The host of all the E series features.

Want Nokia E72 Unlocked Phone Featuring GPS with Voice Navigation - U.S. Version with Full Warranty (Zodi Discount?

Coming from a Windows mobile phone (HTC tilt), I love this phone. I have been considering the Tilt2, but wanted to try something other than a WinMo (I didn't find myself using a lot of WinMo features/apps that called for another similar one). iPhone was out of question as I wanted tethering, better battery life and dedicated keyboard. I have been using it for 3 weeks now and liking it more day by day. Few things before moving to Pros and Cons of the phone This phone is not for people that like simplicity of touch screen phones (like iPhone). There is a learning curve in using this phone's features and the shortcut keys. But, imo once familiar with the functions/shortcuts one can do things a lot faster than a touch screen phone.

Pros

****

1. Looks sleek and professional. Call quality is excellent and plenty loud.

2. Keyboard feels very good even though the keys are slightly smaller. They have a nice feedback when pressed.

3. Shortcut keys! There are quite a few shortcut keys on QWERTY keyboard to control phone functions and inside applications. While this feature has a learning curve, I found it very useful once learned.

4. Snappy performance. Very fast and responsive.

5. OVI MAPS for Free! this is simply awesome. Now you can have a GPS with maps for as many countries as you need, for free!. Below is a mini review for this feature to explain it better.

a. The GPS locks on the position very fast while using A-GPS. Most of the time within 10-15 sec I have a lock on the signal.

b. GPS interface is very good and user friendly (I have used the latest Garmin and Magellan).

c. Features include lane assistance, auto zoom in/out based on turns/directions, voice guidance, Speedometer, 2D/3D maps, route overview etc.

d. The map size while getting driving direction is a bit smaller on E72, due to smaller screen. Pretty much only 2x2 inch space is used to show the

map and rest is used for other information. It might look better on Nokias with larger touch screens. In spite of this, the auto zoom in/out makes it

easier to view the map details.

e. I compared it side by side with my Magellan and found it to be pretty accurate. E72 was faster in getting the signals (perhaps due to A-GPS)

6. Wifi Works wonderfully and connects to my home network with WPA2 security without any problems. Once connected, I can turn off scanning to save battery Life

7. Screen is very bright and readable in direct sunlight.

8. Battery life I can wait for 3 days (may be 4 if I wait for the phone to die on me) before I have to connect it to charger. I use Push emails (18 hrs a day) and stay connected to my home wireless network most of the time and occasional use of phone for talking. Even with heavy use I expect it to last at least for 2 days.

9. 3.5mm headphone jack

10. Comes with a 4GB micro SD card.

11. Decent 5MP camera and nice outdoor photo quality. Indoor photos are just OK (most cellphone cameras are the same).

Cons

****

1. Screen resolution is not great when compared other similar type phones (E.g. Blackberry bold). Would have been nice to have higher resolution on such a bright screen

2. Speaker phone volume is not loud enough

3. Mail for Exchange The version on phone is not bad, but it could be better. This is the only application that runs slow on this phone. It takes good few secs for it to open a mail. As it does not load the mail in HTML format automatically, the readability suffers. I had to scroll 2-3 pages to read a few liner mails. Got Roadsync (version 5) for discounted price from OVI store and loving it. It addresses all the problems with Mail for Exchange.

4. Optical trackpad is not very useful (even after setting sensitivity to high). I found using the D-pad quicker.

5. Micro USB connector and shortest cable the USB cable that came in the box is approx 7inch long. For such highly priced phone it would have been nice if Nokia included a good quality longer cable. Also, I would have preferred a Mini USB instead of Micro. Micro USB feels a bit fragile and I feel like I might break it if I'm a bit careless when connecting. Perhaps, the thinner case was a limitation to include a mini USB.

The phone crashed only once till date and that was when using the Mail for Exchange. I blame it on the application for the crash and not the S60 platform. Browsing experience is not as great a touch screen phone/phone with larger screen. But, there is always a compromise on size vs. features.

Midland 74-250C SAME Handheld Weather Alert Radio

Recieves All NOAA Weather Channels
S.A.M.E. Technology
Large LCD Display
56 Different Watches or Warnings Displayed
Clock with Dual Alarm and built in Thermometer with Freeze Warning

Alas, the problem is that none of the handheld S.A.M.E. radios are very good. The main problem is short battery life -the best units run perhaps a few days in monitoring mode, the worst a few hours. This one runs for about a week if you don't touch it, but manipulating the controls consumes the batteries in less than a day.

The other problem is the user interface. Why do manufacturers insist on overloading controls to the point of idiocy? I have to read the manual every time I want to change a setting on any of these radios -the interaces are completing nonintuitive.

Despite these caveats, the Midland 74-250C does its job -a reasonably sensetive receiver and clear alph-numeric LCD display. I had to buy one of every handheld S.A.M.E radio available for a product review, and this one is the winner.

Buy Midland 74-250C SAME Handheld Weather Alert Radio Now

Like others have said, this radio performs poorly with respect to battery life. The display is good, reception is fine, but put it in warning mode where it is just listening for alerts and batteries are lucky to make a week. The controls are not hard to use but the quality is poor and I have buttons that stick on occasion. So, you need something to dump in an emergency backpack for use after an emergency this is great but if you want to monitor for events you want wall power combined with batteries.

Read Best Reviews of Midland 74-250C SAME Handheld Weather Alert Radio Here

After receiving the radio, it took way too long to get it set up for use. The directions could have been written in laymans terms for someone who is not that familiar with all the newest gadgets. I dont like the fact that there is no on and off switch either. It does eat batteries like there is no tomorrow, and even though the directions do mention a charger to be used with Ni-Cad betteries, none was offered as an optional purchase.

If I had to do it over again, I would look for one that has a on/off switch, and one that comes with rechargable batteries and a charger.

Want Midland 74-250C SAME Handheld Weather Alert Radio Discount?

I consider myself to be fairly computer literate -I chase storms with a laptop hooked up to a GPS unit attached to a virtual COM splitter feeding into several mapping and radar programs, all while sucking data down via EVDO on my mobile phone. I've been using computers since before there were graphical user interfaces. That said, figuring out how to even change the channel on this radio was like learning how to defuse a bomb built by a dyslexic, colorblind spidermonkey. Doing anything requires pressing a recursive set of buttons in a specific order, and each button press is accompanied by a loud, shrill beep that will kill mosquitos and make everyone within 20 feet of you begin stabbing each other in senseless anger. I swear to god whoever designed the user interface to this radio was angry with the world and was misanthropically looking for ways get back at the universe that created him. The feeling you get once you manage to actually figure out how to set the time, station, and SAME code on this radio would be akin to the feeling one gets after summiting K-2 without oxygen, sherpas, or legs, if only for the fact that deep down inside you will realize that you are not cool and you will never see K-2 and that the sum total accomplishment of your life is getting the cheap, plastic piece of junk you hold in your hands to turn on. The AA batteries run down after about a week even if you never turn the actual radio on, and the settings all go away when you replace the batteries, so you are sure to have hours of fun several times a month rexplaining your radio with six digit random Navajo code numbers exactly where you live.

The plus side to this radio is that the cheap speaker hides the hiss of static fairly well, which you will hear often due to the extremely poor reception. The stylish "eyerape" yellow will go great with your Mexican Hornet wrestling costume, and handy belt clip-on will be sure to attact muggers who will beat you for your expensive radio and then come back and beat you again after they spend three fruitless hours trying to program in the SAME code for their cardboard box under the bridge.

In summary, I suggest that nobody ever buy this radio. The only useful purpose I can devise for these units are to mark land-mines, since surely a field full of these radios would be enough to deter people of any nationality from approaching.

First time I've got a NOAA Weather Radio. Read up a little online beforehand so I knew I wanted one with S.A.M.E and this looked to fit the bill.

I was attracted by the portability. and by the extra features of a clock, alarm and thermometer.

It was a bit of a pig to set it up, not at all intuitive. The instructions weren't very clear. I don't usually have any problem with technical stuff either.

The radio works fine for me, but the local weather station is a very few miles away, so not able to test it further afield yet.

I use re-chargeable batteries in everything I possibly can, and have a stock of about 30 AA's. Way cheaper than buying alkaline. I have both home and car chargers.

The volume isn't very loud on maximum. Fortunately I have a multi-way charger that has varying voltages and a set of different sized plugs...

I listened to the broadcast for quite a while when I first got it to work (as I said, it's my first one), but after a while I turned it off, and left it on standby. The battery low warning flashed after about 9 hours.

I'll probably keep this one for mobile use, and get another one for in the home.

Blog Archive