Sony Dream Machine Auto Time-set Alarm Clock

• Fm-/am-radio With Manual Broadcaster Search Date Display Slumber Function (snooze) Green Led-display Mains Failure Bridging Through 9 V Block Battery.
• Wake-up From Radio Or Buzzer
• Dimensions: (w X H X D) 155 X 64,5 X 150 Mm
• Colour: Black-silver
• Operating Voltage: 230 V

Though this is a plug-in model, it also has a battery back-up. That means that if the power is interrupted, or if the clock is unplugged, it will be on the right time. My only concern is the brightness of the display it is near a bright-light window and the display is a bit weak to be seen properly in the daytime. It looks fine at night not too distracting.

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Nokia X3-02 Unlocked Touch and Type GSM Phone with 5 MP Camera--U.S. Version with Warranty (Metal)

I have always been a NOKIA fan for its long lfe batteries, strong & sturdy encasements and signal reception. This time I was making a maiden purchase of a Unlocked phone in US.

Over a year I have seen innumerable Smart Phones of different makes & of different statements for individuals but I wondered how many of us actually need a Smart Phone.Do you need to browse google map while driving on a FreeWay??..In 24 hrs we are connected to internet for 18 hrs either thru laptops,desktops,tablets OR ubiquitious phones. Hence, I thought..lets give it a break.

I needed a phone which was presentable, strong & capable to many activitied at the same time not provocative to my restless fingers. Lot of brands offer multiple phones..at range of $110-$200 & they are all basically entery level advanced phones..after evaluating all others for their look, style, comaptibility & speed NOKIA was again undisputable choice

X3-02 is Sleek, Slim, Super Battery life, Awesome Display & Camera...& Quite sufficient for those who do not need data plans( OR Free Way plans :) ) but are happy with Wi-Fi at hotspots/home..This phone is For you..You can watch Youtubes,work on Facebooks & likes..( although display might not be comparable to iPhone)

Do not compare to Smart phones of Apple,Samsung or > $200 range..if you like superfast,high resolution GUI & Apps go for iPhone..This Phone is not for you

Pretty sharp, especially for such a small phone (as compared to today's standards for touch screen displays). Part of me wonders why I feel like I need the physical keys my cell phone experience might be more enjoyable if I opted for a full touchscreen but in the end, I'm weird and I love having the physical keys, even though it's t9 entry and not qwerty. Anyway. If you don't want to read this all: Low priced phone with plenty of features, not a true smart phone but has enough to keep most happy, provided that you have small hands and do not require the extreme polish and power of the highest end phones.

Note: I have not set this phone up with a plan yet, so I cannot comment as to call quality and such. I will comment on everything else that I have experienced.

Handset has a solid, polished feel. Lightweight but not flimsy. Smallish unit, not for people with sausage fingers, fine for me. Size of display is respectable, considering the size and configuration of the device. Keys are enjoybly clicky. Clean, attractive design. I will say that I knew it was a small phone, but I hoped it would be slightly bigger. At least it fits into any pocket or armband!

The layout is a simple candybar, but hybrid style: physical keys plus touchscreen, no slide out. An odd combo or a match made in heaven, depending on who you ask. I like it, it's one of the main reasons I purchased it. On the negative side, it totally contributes to the smaller size of the display.

Battery cover is metal. A little tricky to remove sometimes (you have to simultaneously press two rather small buttons at either side of the bottom part of the phone to release the cover), but just enough so that it should never come off on its own in your pocket or wherever. MicroSD slot is unobstructed by the battery, which is convenient (see power up comments!). Cover is easy to close, you just have to make sure you get both sides at the bottom fully snapped in, or you may welcome dust and dirt inside.

Headphone jack is standard 3.5mm. A must, far as I'm concerned. From left to right as you view the face of the handset, this jack is at the top, next to the micro usb port and the charger jack. To sum it up, physically, this phone is attractive and user friendly for individuals with accurate and slender fingers/small hands.

Power on the handset and...of wait, IF YOU HAVE THE MICROSD CARD ALREADY INSERTED, half the time, the screen flashes and the handset refuses to come on. If this happens to you, no worries, I've figured it out. The phone does not like coming on with the microSD card inserted, sometimes. Weird, annoying, probably enough right there to warrant a replacement if you're under warranty, but it's endurable, check it out: if this happens to you, remove the battery cover and press the microSD card to release it, and you will be able to power on your phone. Then, press the microSd card back in and all is well. Everything is peachy keen once the phone is on. When turned on, it comes to a standard home screen which is of course configurable. I like that you click the time to get to the alarm clock, and I'm sure almost every phone in the world does this, but I love being able to set any sound that you record (or video, I think) as your wake up call (or ringer). Anyway, you can set the home screen as you like, putting whatever you want in a set number of spots arranged a la typical nokia home screen format, or going with the grid display. Definitely makes things more convenient for the individual user depending on what you use the most. I have mine set with my music and radio at the bottom, WLAN search above that, time and calendar above that, and fav contacts above that. Whatever you do, though, what you want is never more than a couple touches away.

The vibration feedback is quick and just enough feedback, and you can of course turn it off to save power. Accuracy of the touchscreen sometimes seems off, but again, it's a smallish display. Also, you can calibrate it, of course, and that does help if you happen to have certain patterns in how you place your touches (i.e. if you tend to go low). That helped in my case. Also, compared to other touchscreens, you will sometimes kind of have to actually press it, as a light touch doesn't always do the trick. Swiping across the screen makes everything move as it seems it should, just make sure your initial touch is firm enough (note: I recently downloaded facebook for the device, which is different than how fb operates if you just go into it from the browser, and in this version, screen swipes barely move the screen. Weird. But visually, it's still more enjoyable than the stripped down standard browser version).

Display is sharp, clear. It's not an HD tv, though, in case that's what you're expecting. Decent view in the sun, not amazing, as with most phones.

You can play with this phone quite a bit without having a voice plan. I use my home's wi-fi to access the internet, which is a somewhat limited and of course small version thereof, but totally useable. Not a bit deal for someone like me who doesn't play on the internet much. Videos are surisingly enjoyable, in my opinion clear enough visually, good sound, no delays or jumpiness that I've experienced yet, though I'm sure especially high traffic sites and/or longer vids would cause that. With videos, you can opt for "full screen" (horizontal) mode, which of course helps.

5mp camera, without flash. Slight shutter delay, which is annoying, and I think the delay is what led to most of my early pictures blurry, since I get impatient and move. But once you are able to chill out for a couple seconds, you can get pretty good pics, as long as the subject is more than a foot away and the lighting is ok. I am somewhat surprised to say that even relatively low light pictures aren't horrible...but again, there has to be some amount of light, since there's no flash. Pictures look less amazing on the phone than they do when uploaded onto your pc, as is generally the case with cameras and camera phones (this is because the display is a lower resolution than the actual picture). I'm surprised at how many people don't realize this!

The music player is pretty nice. You might have some difficulties synching up from Windows Media Player or whatever (via usb), but once I decided to just synch to my microSD directly (with the adapter to the reguar size of an SD card), it was a snap. Playlists apparently don't tranfer, however. At least not from Media Player. When I synched, it pulled EVERYTHING onto the microSD card, including my wife's (no offense) awful music. Good thing I opted for the 16GB microSD card. :) Anyway, creating and managing playlists from the handset is a breeze. The one thing I haven't quite fugured out is if there is a way to remove songs from a playlist that is as easy as adding them. I haven't spent much time on this yet, but it doesn't appear that it works as easily in both directions, which may mean that you would be better off starting a playlist over if you accidentally put the smae song in twice, as I did. Or, just skip it when it comes on the 2nd time!

FM radio included. Cool. Have to have headphones inserted, though they act as antenna. And I believe there are apps available if you want to listen to practically any radio station available in the world.

Sound quality is good. Sound distortion with external speakers at highest levels, duh. Not a problem with the headphones though. There seems to be a pretty low limit on max volume, compared to what I expected. It's plenty loud enough for me, even when I use it while excercising, but you may be disappointed if you are someone who likes to blast your headphones so loud that your neighbors can hear it. I recommend special earbuds like yurbuds (seriously, look these up) or something if you find the headphone volume too low for you. Equalizer is a nice touch.

The included games are kind of lame. I mean the memory games and such are very simplistic but fun for dorks like me, whereas what you'd think would be the "fun" games, like the breakdancing one, sucks. Guitar Hero is a nice included game, sort of, but trying to move quickly and accurately on this size of display is difficult. Whatever, I barely play the games anyway. You can download many more games and apps from the ovi store.

Summary: I sort of love the handset, physically. It's just about perfect for me, ergonomically, and everything is easy to use in general. The power on/microSD conflict issue can be really annoying if you are in the habit of turning on your phone while on the go, but I can probably manage, or see about an exchange. I know that I signed my our fate when going for a phone with this type of hybrid layout, but the screen could stand to be slightly bigger. Also, this phone is so slim and small, they might have done better with the physical keys on a slide out. Nokia has models like that, but to me, they were not as attractive as the x3-02. Overall grade: B.

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PROS-

This phone is what you want if you use a PHONE.

I tried MANY phones -fromAT&T (and returned all of them) wanting a phone I could use for phone calls. ALL of them -would notallow me to call my WIRED TELEPHONE ANSWERER and pick up messages. These were called SMART PHONES but they -would notallow me to punch in a code for the answerer in order to retrieve my messages.

The SMART PHONES just would not allow me to enter the numbers and pick up messages. I'm no dummy and tried every way I could to retrieve messages. It seems they block key entry when calling.

This phone has a KEYPAD -anda TOUCH SCREEN. You can use EITHER, so you are not -locked outfrom pushing numbers after calling, yet you can use the TOUCH SCREEN to do other things.

The phone is VERY intuitive and allows you to do SMART PHONE things if you want.

The battery life is good, similar to my old Motorola.

The 5 mb camera/video is good but not excellent for a cell phone.

CONS-

The USB port -chargingis funky. The TOP indicator (on the phone) indicates you are CHARGING when connected but you may NOT be unless your PC -recognizesyour phone. So you have a CHARGE indicated on the TOP indicator but the phone POPS UP a message saying PHONE NOT FULLY CHARGED, kind of weird.

The Nokia PC software like Nokia PC Suite or OVI Suite are IMHO pretty much useless. They don't seem to work with this phone and get DRIVER ERRORS when I installed them. I contacted Nokia with no help.

The plus side is you can connect the phone to W7 and MANUALLY transfer most things. I'm not sure how this will work with my CONTACTS -ifI ever want to RESTORE them to a phone. The Motorola allowed me to do this very simply. I could keep a backup on my PC with little effort.

Except for the CONTACTS BACKUP this is a great phone.

Read Best Reviews of Nokia X3-02 Unlocked Touch and Type GSM Phone with 5 MP Camera--U.S. Version with Warranty (Metal) Here

Like many others, I have been a long time fan of Nokia phones, they are not always the most high end of phones like the current Iphone or androids but I myself dont really need to carry around a $400 dual-core processor android phone all day. That's what my laptop is for! I have gone through many phones with T-mobile and the prices of phones just get more expensive and they are just cheesy phones, In my opinion. When I first saw this phone I knew it was love at first sight. Something about the simplicity of the candy bar style design of nokia phones just intrigues me, especially with the design of this new x3 touch and type. Its refreshingly new and sleek. and almost as slim as my 4g Ipod touch which makes it easy to carry around in your pocket with no hassle. not like all those other heavy touch screen phones that mimic the Iphone. Its almost weightless, yet heavy enough to remind you of the quality. The quality of the touch screen is not high definition by any means, but very good considering it's a Nokia. Being able to text with the keypad and use the touch screen to navigate through menus and settings and such is a perfect combination on this phone. You really have to hold it in your hand to experience it. And its a nokia so the battery life is awesome of course. I read a few bad reviews on this phone before I bought it, but if your looking for a simple yet smart little phone that is very easy to use and reliable then this nokia is the phone for you! Anyone who likes the touchscreen feature but doesnt need all those apps and useless programs on the newer phones this is your phone!!!

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I bought this phone for my husband and he absolutly loves it. He is a type of person who doesn't like new touch screen phones. So to make this transition smoother for him I got him this phone that combines best of both worlds and he just loves it. It gives him ability to still use keypad if he'd like as well as slowly get use to touching technics. In addition, this phone is very "good" looking: small and modern looking, which is a big plus. Also, pics are great, talk hours are great(even though it is half touch phone, easily go for three days without charging). In general, great phone for people who still would like to use keypad.

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Soundfreaq SFQ-02RB Sound Step Bluetooth Wireless Speaker (Black)

• High Fidelity Sound Signature sound profile crafted for natural bass response and vocal clarity.
• Battery Power Rechargeable Lithium battery with 6hr+ battery life
• Composite Video Out Display video from iPad, iPhone or iPod device on external TV or monitor display
• Docking Apple 30-Pin Connector supports docking iPad, iPhone and iPod devices.
• Vocal clarity /2.1 Channel (2 x 2", 1 x 3" drivers), acoustically tuned chamber / UQ3 spatial enhancement processor enhancement processor.
• /2.1 Channel (2 x 2", 1 x 3" drivers), acoustically tuned chamber / UQ3 spatial enhancement processor enhancement processor
• Additional USB charging port provides variable power up to 2.5V to charge mobile and smart phones, headsets.
• Also additional USB charging port provides variable power up to 2.5V to charge for other portable devices with USB charging interface
• Bluetooth Wireless Pair & Play to wirelessly stream audio from any compatible A2DP Bluetooth device
• Compatible A2DP Bluetooth device including: iPhone, iPod, iPad, smart phones, mobile phones, tablet PCs, netbooks and computers.
• Docking Apple 30-Pin Connector supports docking iPad, iPhone and iPod devices Additional USB charging port
• Free remote control app available for iPhone and iPad.
• High Fidelity Sound Signature sound profile crafted for natural bass response and vocal clarity
• /2.1 Channel (2 x 2", 1 x 3" drivers), acoustically tuned chamber / UQ3 spatial enhancement processor enhancement processor
• Provides variable power up to 2.5V to charge mobile phones, smart phones, headsets and other portable devices with USB charging interface

Soundfreaq is a awesome company. One year ago, I was looking for a speaker with airplay/bluetooth and FM radio. Then I bought the SFQ1, extremely satisfied. Nothing more happy than playing the music in background while having my iPhone on my desk. Now, one year later, the company comes out a new product, which target consumers who want portability and space saving. Sound Step is 30% smaller than SFQ1, and the max volume is less louder than SFQ1. Sound Step is definitely more portable, but SFQ1 has bass and treble controls. So SFQ1 will have a heavier bass if you turn it up. Sound Step has the advantage that fit iPad/iPad2 right on the dock, plus a extra USB port. So the final question lays down to wether you want a portable speaker that fit iPad or a louder (about 15%) speaker with bass control.

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I had been searching around for a portable dock for my ipod touch that not only allowed for AC power but for outdoor use as well without having to worry about replacing batteries and after some researching I decided to take the leap and purchase the Soundfreaq SFQ-02RB. For me, Summer in Southern California means a lot of outdoor events which usually involves BBQs and other social gatherings, I was in need of a sound dock that allowed me to remove the AC plug and take it with me. The Soundfreaq SFQ-02RB allowed me to do this and much more. With so many people having smarthphones and various other mp3 players, the bluetooth connectivity is an awesome feature, I no longer have to remove the ipod from the dock in order to play music from someone's iphone/ipod touch. Also for me the bluetooth feature is great considering I have an android phone enabled with the google music beta and I carry my phone with me at all times unlike my ipod touch. As for the sound, considering it is smaller than most docks in its price range, it still has a good sound. I am happy with my purchase and wouldn't mind purchasing the larger Soundfreaq SFQ-1 Sound Platform as my main sound dock for my living room.

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The feature set is awesome, and it works well as far as that goes, but both my wife and I immediately noticed the poor sound quality. It is very "tinny" and has a very weak bass response. Even our old Philips DC310 clock/ipod dock sounds better. We are not audiophiles and frankly I am not usually very picky about my speakers, but the sound quality on this thing is actually distractingly poor to the point where it is irritating to have it on. It's going back.

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Soundfreaq vs. Logitech S715i, This debate is really amazing. First I gotta say the Soundfreaq is louder than the Logitech. I read both reviews, watched video's on both and was really quite surprised at just how many people like the Logitech. I did not find it really that loud or to have a great balance between the bass and treble. With really booming bass tunes like harder classic rock say, it sounded a little muffled to me, and you really don't get much volume at even 1/2 way up. Yeah it looks like a boombox but so what. It seems to have compatibility issues with newer ipods and battery problems as well. I also did not care for the docking area, one wrong move and you'll break off the connection port. I don't know about anyone else but I take my speakers everywhere, the yard, on the boat, in the woods anywhere I need it. So it needs to be tough. Plus when you review these speakers you need to be in a noisy place or at the very least a few feet back to hear what they can do. I mean where do you take these anyway, into the noisy world. I do think Logitech body is built a little tougher as it is all plastic vs. Soundfreaq's speaker cover which is regular speaker cover material, and snags and tears more easily.

Soundfreaq is a new company, and this is a pretty good attempt in this market. It is loud and does have the "stereo" ability, but as with the others the Bass needs work. Most songs are very low in bass and high in treble, you can make adjustment in your ipod music settings and also by turning off the UQ3 enhancement. But it gets tiring. The bluetooth ability knocks off Logitech right away for me, no docking issues or concerns, I also like the boxyness of it, it's more stable for in the boat but the front control panel sticks out a bit making transporting it a concern if you smack it. As no cover is included, not even a dust cover. It does seem to fill up the quiet house nicely, you just have to deal with the low power bass. As most of these "wireless" portable speakers can't support deep rich bass in such a small footprint. Remember the old adage, the heavier the magnet the better the bass? Still think it's true today, just pick up a Bose and see the weight difference as well as price! Soundfreaq has packed in quite a lot of features for the money, it is loud and you can fiddle with it. The bluetooth was the selling point for me, as I did try and weight all factors in comparing both units. I just think Logitech has the "hype" going for it due to some tech sites reviews. Nothing compares with side by side testing, in noisy areas and not being right on top of it. As they all sound good at 1 foot away plugged into the wall. To me Soundfreaq won the unplugged test, no contest. Logitech has a better remote but who cares, Soundfreaq's ability to use your ipod or phone as a remote ROCKS!!!

UPDATE: Bose came out with the soundlink. As much as I like the Soundfreq speaker, it just can't compete with Bose sound. I really wanted to like it more, at 1/2 the price of Bose. But sadly Bose is smaller, more portable and not made of plastic. The Bass you ask, well it can be booming depending on song, and so far it really is the best portable speaker on the market. Soundfreq is hitting the ground running thoughin it's price range it is the loudestipod set on flat optionand it does sound ok. Would like to see a more durable body for outdoors.

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Have used this speaker system daily for 2 months, both plugged in and on battery. Love the sound, portability, and well designed capabilities. IPAD 2 and IPHONE 4 plug in and charge flawlessly, even with cases on! The extra USB port is a great touch to make this a useful charging station. Free APP for IPAD and IPHONE works flawlessly (simple and elegant). Bluetooth connects quick and is stable. The SoundFreaq staff are most helpful and a pleasure to do business with. One of my favorite current devises. I have many! Battery life is 7hrs+

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Onkyo HTS680S 6.1 Channel Component Home Theater Audio System (Silver)

• Power Output -100W/Channel; 750 Watts Total (100 Watts x 6 channels) and 150 Watts at the subwoofer
• Built-in Dolby Digital EX, DTS-ES, DTS Neo - 6, Dolby Pro Logic IIx processing, for surround sound from DVD, VHS, and stereo sources
• THD (Rated Power) -0.08 percent (all channels) / Frequency-Response-20 Hz-20,000Hz
• 6-channel amplifier (100 watts x 6)
• Wide Range Amplifier Technology WRAT - delivers amplification consistently throughout the frequency-response range

I bought the system one grade above this, the Onkyo HT-S780 ($499 vs. $399) system. But the spirit of my comments apply to the HT-S680 as well, and it looks like a decent option if you want to spend less money, so I'm posting for this system also. Or drop one grade down to the HT-S580 ($299). The cheaper systems have lower power output, and the progression of surround sound is 5.1, 6.1, and 7.1. I figure that 5.1 is probably adequate surround sound for modern program material, so I wouldn't necessarily buy the larger systems for more than 5 speakers alone; it's the higher power and better speakers and subwoofer that is tempting. Anyway, remember that the following comments are about the S780, not the S680:

I'll let others comment on their subjective reactions to this system versus other systems. Those comments are extremely important; however I don't feel qualified to offer contrasts, because I haven't carefully compared the systems. Instead I'm going to offer some broad observations, and you can get other insights elsewhere.

With multi-channel sound becoming common, I became interested a sound system that could render it, but I wanted a flexible system that was neither expensive nor junk. After surveying the turf, I gravitated towards the Onkyo boxed systems. Here's why:

First of all, I did not want a system that included a DVD player. It struck me as a bad idea to tie the sound system to a specific DVD player. I figure a DVD player, being mechanical, will have a shorter lifespan than a receiver. And I'd like to be able to upgrade my DVD player with a recordable unit or BluRay or whatever. So it's best to buy a separate DVD player, rather than a boxed system with an integrated DVD player. Let's focus here on decent audio rather than extras.

It would also be preferable to have a theater system where the individual components are not tied together. That is, I'd have the freedom to use different speakers or the like. It makes the system more flexible if the components can stand on their own. By way of contrast, I had looked at some of the Panasonic systems, such as the HT-15 or HT-17. I rather liked the look and convenience of these systems (e.g., integrated speaker stands); however I noticed that the speaker amplifiers resided in the subwoofer enclosure. There's nothing wrong with this, and in fact you might even prefer it: Your controlling pre-amp box is smaller and generates less heat, while the clunky amplifiers are set off in the corner. But this means you don't have the option of upgrading your subwoofer unless you're replacing the sound system entirely. (Of course, the logical extension of this idea is to buy separate components in the first place; however being a newbie to the theater idea, I was tempted by the all-in-a-box package.)

I'm amazed to see how cheap some of the low end home theaters are. For under $100, you can have 5 speakers, a subwoofer, and a receiver or maybe even a DVD player. Wow! Of course, these cheapest systems look sort of like toys. The speakers are tiny and have only a single driver, and the power isn't high. They probably won't produce great audio. But the price is very appealing. My worst concern is the cheapest units have cut so many corners that they'll fail soon, and the entire system will be trash.

So my eye was drawn to the Onkyo systems, which offered separate components that appear respectable. Note that the receiver included as part of this package can be had as an individual component, the Onkyo TX-SR503 (retail $299). I liked this receiver; it felt solid and its control scheme and buttons struck me as relatively intuitive. And the 7.1 speaker combination is also sold as a package, SKS-HT530, for retail $279. The subwoofer is a solid unit, with 230 watts and a 10-inch down-firing woofer (when buying a subwoofer, size matters). The front and center speakers are 2-ways, each with 2 midrange drivers and 1 tweeter; the rear and surround speakers are also 2-ways with a single midrange and tweeter. The speakers and subwoofer are in wood cabinets, larger and heavier than the plastic that's more typical. This perhaps makes them more "real" but less stylish. The whole package (made in Malaysia, by the way) seems a good deal, by price per pound if nothing else. Onkyo includes a 2-year warrantee, which is encouraging; nobody else offers more than a year.

I agree with others who note that upgrading to heavier speaker wires is a good idea. No point in paying for the Monster brand name; wire is wire as far as I'm concerned.

Bottom line is you end up with a respectable small audio system that should give you decent surround sound, and you can later upgrade or replace the individual components if you choose to.

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After heavily researching all of the home theater's in the 300 dollar range I found this one seemed to be the best bang for the buck. After receiving the stereo in only 3 days with the Shipper Saver! I was completely impressed with the clarity of sound and the theater like sound. Everyone i bring over is completely blown away with the crisp lifelike sound. I thought there would be no difference between 5.1 and 6.1, but the rear speaker adds so much to the surround effect. There are a multitude of sound options to choose from on the receiver and you can individually select each speakers db level. I replaced the speaker wire that came with the system with 16 gauge wire from RadioShack before I even hooked up the system. This is the best system I have ever purchased and can definatly push an amazing amount of sound out of it. This stereo is sufficient for the largest rooms (24' x 24'). Would recommend to anyone buying a budged home theater.

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In looking for a first home theater, I sort of stumbled across this one and liked it because it did NOT have a DVD player included. Sounds strange but I have DVD players already and found that so many offerings of HT systems made you take one with the package. So much for my idiosyncracies. I found this Onkyo system to be just what I needed.

Some notes about the purchase process. Delivery (free via UPS) was earlier than Amazon's earliest promised date. A special note about the package. It really does weigh 70 pounds and has nothing to grab onto so some preplanning for the arrival is in order. A handtruck helps unless your delivery guy is especially cooperative.

The packaging of the system is the best I've ever seen for electronic equipment. The outer carton is of especially thick stock. Inside are three separate styro moldings surrounding the 20-pound subwoofer, the receiver (with paperwork), and the six speakers (with cabling, antennae, etc.). Six bundles of molded, color-coded, 2-conductor speaker wire with pre-stripped and tinned ends are supplied. The three rear speaker wires are 30-ft. long each; the right and left fronts are 15-ft. each and the front center wire bundle is 10-ft. long. The powered subwoofer preamp RCA cable is about 8-ft. long. Matching color-coding is present both at the speakers and at the connection points on the receiver. OK, this is probably standard practice but, this being my first HT purchase, I was impressed.

The 55-page manual is well written and is well illustrated. I was a bit taken aback by the number of alternative hookup arrangements but I found that I had inadvertently shortened the process by my selection of other components. My TV is a 42-in., 1080p LCD model with three HDMI in-ports and a digital optical out-port. The HD cable box, HD DVD player, and DVD recorder are all connected by HDMI to the TV. Due to this use of HDMI, the TV's innards contain the full spectrum of sound (as well as video) of anything that is sending program material. This results in the happy circumstance of being able to transmit full sound spectrum down a single digital optical cable to the Onkyo receiver. Pressing the right buttons on the receiver enable sending all the program sound to the speaker/subwoofer array.

At first turn-on, a press of the Test Tone button on the remote sends a white-noise signal to each speaker, in turn, to ascertain balance at the viewing position. Imbalance is corrected manually, again from the remote, by adding or subtracting db's to or from each speaker. These settings are displayed on the receiver's LED screen. I was sure I would get a hiss or buzz from the system due to the rat nest of wires in back of the setup but the sound is pure as can be.

I was a total newbie to HT, yet was able to get a great sounding system up and running in a short time with this 6.1 Onkyo HT system. I contacted Onkyo support by email twice with questions and received prompt, literate and helpful answers.

Oh, BTW, I got a copy of "Home Theater for Dummies" by Briere and Hurley (also from Amazon) for a security blanket. It helped.

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Wow! Im a teenager and an audiophile. This system has the makings of an excellent buy. The price point is wonderfull for starters! The only problem would be the lack of HDMI imputs. I, however use the system as a audio system and never hooked up the video so thats never been a problem. The abundence of presets turns digitalized ipod music into a more lively output. Digital coaxial imput from a CD player gets great sound. The OR-EQ feature makes the whole thing unbelievable. It's a great buy. It does sound better than Bose (shiny junk). Anyways have no hesitation to purchase, Ive had it for a year with no poblems, now stop reading my review and buy it!

This is better than a 5.1 and a lot more feasible than a 7.1 today. It's compatible with my 6 disk Onkyo DVD player and hooks up to just about any new TV for great surround sound system. Terrific versitility and the best bang for a buck I could find.

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Disney Toy Story Little Green Alien Clock Radio

I started a Toy Story 3 collection, with my favorites in the movie. The aliens were of course something I wanted! But here I got lucky. They are in their spaceship. Yes it is a clock-radio but I bought it to display with all the other Toy Story friends.

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IQ Sound IQ-1307 White Digital Alarm Clock AM FM Radio iPod Docking Station

• Black iPod Docking Station for Various iPods
• Digital AM FM Alarm Clock Radio
• Plays Music from iPod and iPhone - Charges iPod While Docked (except iPhone and Shuffle)
• Hi-Fi Stereo Speakers for Premium Sound
• Auxiliary Input and Auxiliary Output

It was actually black, but notwithstanding that our daughter loves it, it was easy for her to use for the first time, but of course she's a teenager, so it would be easy!

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I put this in the kitchen where I occassionally want to listen to the radio. The sound is alright, but somewhat muffled. If I listed to it a lot, I would be discontent. But it is adequate for use where there's only limited space and you want AM / FM radio w/iPod option.

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Pyle AM/FM-MPX CD/MP3 Player w/USB/SD Input & Motorized Slide Down Detachable Face

• AM/FM-Tuner CD/MP3 Player - CD-R/CD-RW for MP3 Playback - 30 Station Memory: 18FM/12AM - Remote Control
• PLL Synthesizer Tuning - ID3 Tag Information - Audio Control: Volume/ Balance /Bass/Treble/ Fad - 240 Watts Maximum Total Output
• Motorized Slide Down Detachable Face - Electronic Anti-Shock for CD/MP3 - Local/ Distance/ Mono/ Stereo Button - Unit Dimensions: 7''W x 6.75''D x 1.96''H
• DSP: Pop/Rock/Classic/Flat - Pause/Intro Scan/Repeat/Random - Loudness/ Mute/ Clock Button
• Auto Best Station Memory/Preset Scan - Mode Button: Radio/CD/MP3/USB/SD - RCA Preamp Output

Have had this stereo for a couple weeks now & am fairly happy with it. Though I'm no prof. audiofile, I think the sound quality is great. I love the USB option & it seems to work perfectly so far, as does the radio & CD player(no skips so far). There don't seem to be very many stereos out there that boast this USB port feature & I don't know why not. I think it's a lot handier than having to burn MP3 cd's(which this model will play also).The only drawbacks that I can see are not being able to remove the face plate when the car key isn't in the on or ACC position(since the display is motorized), the preset buttons aren't marked very visibly & the silver buttons around the volume knob aren't lighted at all which makes it a little hard to navigate a CD or the USB drive or change radio stations @ night. For under $100 I think this stereo is a great value & would recommend it.

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I've only had this player for a week now, so forgive me if I have yet to detect any problems.

First of all, unlike other folks out there, I've not experience any cd skipping while driving or parked. I've also been able to get my U3 memory stick to play music with it. Interestingly enough I plugged my Ipod nano into it(was curious) and was able to play BBC podcast 'Digital Planet' and some other tech shows on it. I was pleasantly surprised about that one. I did not check deep into navigating the Ipod via the radio to see how easy that was.

As for the other 'features' I haven't really messed with them much either, because I was just looking for a basic radio cd player but the usb feature caught my attention. Figured I could hold more music on a 2gig stick than carrying aroung multiple cds in the car or having to bother buying any cd changer.

So I'm happy with it and I hope this review was helpful to somebody......or yeah make sure your stick is in a FAT32 format. Both usb memory sticks I tried were configured that way.

Ok six months later review is as follows: USB no longer works and had to open the set to retrieve a cd. Apparently one of the spindles broke and it was not allowing me to eject, while at the same time forcing me to reset the radio to have it work. Highly annoyed at that (broken CD spindle)since I rearly used the cd. I definatelty wouldn't recommend this product again. Well, unless it was for your mother inlaw or something.LOL

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Got this unit because this was the one of the few with an USB port. I figured with the convenience of USB flash memory it might just be the best way to store, transport and play music than any other digital media out there. The USB port works as specified provided it is formatted as FAT and not as NTFS. However the type of formatting is not specified in the manual.

Secondly, the AM/FM tuner does not resolve frequencies toward the start of the FM frequency band(~87-90MHz) in both Local/DX modes.

Pros:

USB port(for USB flash drives formatted as FAT).

Has dual channel line in/line out and S-audio ports though it is seldom used.

Easy install.

Cons:

Mediocre sound quality.

Dim display hardly visible in daylight.

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Gave the unit 1 star because zero is not an option, wish I would have read the reviews before buying. Looks pretty but it is junk. Will not read all MP3 formats, but you don't know that until you read the owner's manual and it TELLS you it won't. My sandisc 4gb unit plugs and plays in everything but this unit. The motorized face is cool, but it's so stupid because it automatically retracts when you remove the faceplate, meaning you have to "clip" (cram) the face on every time you want to use it again (that's in the owner's manual too). My unit immediately gave me CD player problems even after resetting the system numerous times, using numerous discs that played in numerous computers around my house. Save your money and don't buy this, seems like in less than 6 months every single person has had problems with this. The only effective thing it will do is AM/FM.

Did I tell you you not only have to pay the return shipping, included with your unit you must send PYLE a 15 dollar check for return freight to fix/replace your 60 dollar player?

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The unit never worked out of the box... MP3 files played from CD or USB flash drives skipped continually. Pyle replaced the unit with another identical unit with the same identical problem. Pile then replaced the unit with another similar model. This unit also skips MP3s when played from CD. The USB works marginally better, but still encounters issues.

Do yourself a favor, be kind to your ears and your wallet... DO NOT PURCHASE ANYTHING FROM PYLE AUDIO!!!

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PYLE PLCD70MUB AM/FM- CD/MP3 and SD/MMC/USB With Bluetooth Wireless Technology

• AM/FM-Tuner CD MP3 Player - CD-R/CD-RW for MP3 Playback - Mode Button: Radio/CD/MP3/USB/SD - RCA Preamp Output - 240 Watts Maximum Total Output
• PLL Synthesizer Tuning - ID3 Tag Information - 30 Station Memory: 18FM/12AM - White LED Multi Color LCD Display - US/European Frequency Compatible
• Motorized Slide Down Detachable Face - Electronic Anti-Shock for CD/MP3 - Audio Control: Vol/Bal/Bas/Tre/FAd - 1 Bit D/A Converter. 8X Oversampling - Face Plate Carrying Case
• DSP: Pop/Rock/Classic/Flat - Auto Power Loading - Local/Distance/Mono/Stereo Button - 3 Beam Laser Tracking - Unit Dimensions: 7"W x 6.75"D x 1.96"H
• Auto Best Station Memory/ Preset Scan - Pause/Intro Scan/Repeat/Random - Loudness/Mute/Clock Button - Remote Control

This car deck has many great features, yet what good is it if the deck doesn't work properly. For one, the face off plate does not snap in easy at all. It almost feels you have to force it in. Secondly, why does a stereo needs a reset button?!! I had problems with some buttons which were doing something they shouldn't, as if it was programed wrong. For example the volume knob was also a button to scroll between the bass and trebel... well each time I pushed the button, it would turn up the stereo. I hit the rest button, yet it didn't work. In my experience, a deck that has a reset button must have problems from the get go! I had to return two of these brand new decks due to malfunctions. I don't suggest this deck at all!

Lastly, it's difficlut to read the screen. My dash slants slighty which causses a slight glare. There is no brightness control at all.

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I also found that the face plate was a little difficult to snap in. This doesn't bother me as I'll never take it out. The radio was a snap to install and it worked just fine the first time. All the features work. One thing; when you first start up the unit, make sure you put it in stereo mode. It took me 15 minutes to figure out why my left speakers weren't working. I love the bluetooth. The sound is great over the speakers and the microphone picks up your voice just fine. Unlike other brands, you cannot call for tech help if you run into a problem. There is no phone number to call in the instructions.

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Purchased this radio on April 10 2012,received it on or about April the 18th.Installed it the next day and it played great except,if the key was turned off and then turned right back on the radio would not turn on until the reset button was pushed,which was aggravating,but not worth taking it out.But on July 12th.i backed the car out of the garage shut it off went back in the house,when i came back out and started the car,no radio,so i pushed the reset button but nothing.it was dead,so i removed the radio after checking the fuses to see if a wire was broken.no broken wire,everything was as it should be but the radio was dead,no power,still no power,so i reinstalled my old radio which works fine.So take my advice if you are thinking of buying a new radio for your ride DO NOT buy a PYLE.they are junk.this page will not let me finish until i rate the item so i gave it one star but i would not have given it any if this would have finished without it.

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This radio was DOA and Amazon quickly replaced it with another radio. A few months later the Radio had a mechanical failure that was beyond repair and I could not return it to amazon because it was outside the return window. This was a terrible radio from the start and I regret this purchase.

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My husband's birthday was coming up soon, about the time I won the gift card so I wanted him to pick out something for his birthday. This radio is what he picked. He put it in his 60s Nova and he really likes it.

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