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Showing posts with label digital clock radio alarm. Show all posts

Naxa NI-3103 Digital Alarm Clock Radio with Dock for iPod

Alarm Clock with docking cradle for various types of iPods
Wake up to alarm, iPod or Buzzer
Full Function Remote Control
Plays music from iPod
Charges iPod while Docked

This machine has been used every day since Christmas. My daughter loves it and it has been pretty user friendly. She is only 9 and has figured out how to operate it fairly easily. Good sound and quality for the price.

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My daughter received this as a gift this Xmas. It lasted about 5 weeks, until a part broke off. My daughter did not realize it broke and when she touched it, it sliced her finger. I emailed company to see if we could get the defective item replaced. I was even willing to send them the broken one back, but Naxa said no.. Because it was a gift. This is a poorly made item that will not last even 6 weeks. It is defective and dangerous and the company who makes it is rude. Trust me! Don't buy this.

Timex T313B Auto-Set Dual-Alarm Clock Radio (Black)

2-alarm clock radio with large snooze bar and 90-minute programmable sleep timer
18-program station memory with auto station setting (12 FM, 6 AM)
Wake to radio or buzzer
Auto time and date setting with 100-year calendar and auto Daylight Savings adjustments
Backlit LCD with 3-position brightness control

I bought this clock as a birthday gift for my husband. He really wanted a dual-alarm clock that had separate settings for weekdays and weekends. He also wanted one he could read at night without putting on his glasses. This clock does both and does them beautifully! It's a very intuitive design I didn't even need to read the directions in order to set it up. I literally plugged it into the wall and the clock set itself to the correct time. The clockface is easy to read at night. The radio works well and the whole unit takes up only about 4 square inches of space on the nightstand. It's a great unit and we are both very pleased!

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I didn't buy this for the alarm, though I do use it in a pinch. I bought this to replace an AM/FM radio, and I was amazed at the sound that this puts out. It sounds like stereo, and it's preset "equalizer" is just the right mix of bass and treble. FM sounds great!

And the auto time set is great. When that feature first came out, you were look at $75 minimum just for a clock. Now we use this one as the standard by which to set all the other clocks in the house.

And, again, it's only $30.

Read Best Reviews of Timex T313B Auto-Set Dual-Alarm Clock Radio (Black) Here

I have had this clock for years and it is the best alarm clock I have ever had. A few great features are: the radio sound is great, it automatically sets the time, duel alarms are perfect for my husband and me, weekday/weekend option is great, and it has a back-up system if the power goes out. We have the clock on our boat so the back-up system is wonderful for when we go out sailing for an extended period of time. It goes into a power saving mode and the batteries seem to last forever.

My one problem with the clock is a feature that used to be great and has become a problem. The clock is designed to reset for daylight savings time. When they changed the date for daylight saving it caused the problem. The clock now resets on the wrong date. So this morning my husband got into the car and found out that he is an hour late for work. Today is not daylight savings day; it is the day that used to be daylight savings time (that excuse is a little more difficult to explain). I am currently online to find a way to fix the problem because it is a perfect clock for me otherwise.

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I purchased this clock for my daughter because I've been using this same clock for years. It works great, aside from occasionally screwing up on the daylight savings time. The dual alarms are perfect and easy to turn on and off without having to reset for the following day and the clock itself is compact so it doesn't take up a lot of space on the nightstand.

This radio for the price performs great. I could have paid more, but this fit the purpose.

Samsung Galaxy Multimedia Desktop Charging Dock for Samsung Galaxy Phones

I just received this unit. First thing I noted is that it is labeled as followed: Samsung Galaxy Universal Multimedia Desktop Dock so it isn't specifically for the SGS3 but should work with it. Due to an error on my part with Verizon when I first ordered the phone, I also bought the one that says "For the SG3" so I can verify that they are exactly the same, just packaged differently.

It came in Samsung's retail packaging with the unit and the microusb/ac wall adapter. It does not come with a spare battery nor a compartment for one but it does have a battery of its own. It has a port for the microusb and a speaker line out 3.5mm jack. The bottom half of the unit as you look down on it flips open very easily and smoothly (having decent fingernails helped me) and has a slight soft click as it sets into place. The lid turns into somewhat of a backrest for the phone once it is plugged into the unit. It is not the best choice for placing the phone in landscape mode which boggles the mind how exactly is this a multimedia dock then? I think calling this unit a Multimedia Desktop Dock is stretching it a bit it is a dock with a ext speaker feature that has quirks.

I was envisioning using my headset for this while charging my phone but the instructions manual says 3.5mm headphones are not recommended to be used with the line out speaker jack, but it doesn't say why. It does say you can use external speakers. I don't know why it would exclude headphones.

It does allow me to use my bluetooth headset while the phone is docked so I can listen to tunes while I do other stuff.

It also says that data synching is not available if you connect your pc via usb and to not use usb to pc for charging.

Another warning says during charging or at high volumes, sound quality cannot be guaranteed.

I think the price on this unit is a bit steep for it's limited function, so if you can use your Amazon points to lessen it like I did, I would advise this.

I will update this review once I actually get to use it.

*****

UPDATE:

July 10 2012 actual use

The connection is incredibly flimsy! Have to be delicate and gentle the unit will move forward or side-to-side with the lightest wrong touch or movement of the dock this is really just for charging and light usage.

I am relieved the SGS3's screen is insanely sensitive to the touch which helps or this would be an absolute waste.

I cannot believe they list this as a multimedia dock. A real multimedia dock either cradles or holds your phone securely this does neither. Such a shame. I will still keep it for lack of anything better atm but I honestly don't see myself using it that often. It does help to adjust the setting on the phone to allow for a slight soft alert when the phone is correctly inserted into the dock since up until I did this, I wasn't quite sure if the phone was set in properly. (Settings>Dock>Dock sound checked)

I might consider buying the much less pricey but sensibly made (looking at the photos on the site you can see the proper support for the device) EXPANSYS Cover-Mate Dual USB Cradle for SGS3 can be found using google. I saw the one labeled specifically for the SGS3 and it is the same exact dock btw.

Update:

July 24th 2012 Bodyglove Dropsuit

So in my search for a case of my liking, I bought a Bodyglove Dropsuit (black). I have some pros and cons about the case but that's for a different section. I will say that because of the case, it makes the dock usable! The case is slimmer than most with similar protection and is not too bulky despite its ruggedness, but has more material than the Samsung flip cover. Surprisingly, when I dock the phone with the Dropsuit case, it actually fits snugly and doesn't wobble even when moving the unit and the ribbed texture in the back of the case actually gives the phone extra support while in the dock. This bumped the dock up 2 stars since it actually makes room for a case like this. This aspect is a strong pro for the dock and the case as I decide on 2 others (Otterbox Defender & Trident Kraken) that should be arriving within the next few weeks. As always, will keep everyone posted.

Update:

August 13, 2012

I have to say that I have been using this dock more while I am at home at my desk with the exception of when I am watching videos. I will then use take the phone out of the dock and turn it sideways and lean it against something for movies. It isn't because I like the dock, but I have it and it is here and I don't want a paperweight.

Every site with the exception of Otterbox's official site had very long shipping delays/ETAs with their black Otterbox Defender case. I suspect Otterbox did this on purpose so that consumers would pony up the $50 directly to get the case ASAP rather than test their patience with the much lower priced case offerings promised elsewhere. Unfortunately, I am not in the position to indulge my impulse shopping side so I am still awaiting its arrival. I regret to say that I had to choose between the more well-known Otterbox Defender or the Trident Kraken, so I won't be able to review how the latter works with this dock.

Updates on the dock with the Defender coming soon.

***Update***

Aug 16 2012

The Otterbox Defender case does NOT work with this dock. The dust protector cover over the charger port prevents this.

I hope this helps others decide. I will be posting my review on the Otterbox Defender case under the appropriate feedback section. Feel free to ask any question pertaining to my review or if you feel I have left anything out.

***Update***

9/4/2012

I did end up cleanly cutting away the charger port silicon dust protector from the Otterbox Defender case because it was very annoying to flip it open to charge my phone each and every time, but the case is much too thick for the port to make proper contact with this dock so they are not compatible. If you want a rugged case and this dock to work together, opt for the Bodyglove Dropsuit.

*** Final Say ****

3/14/2013

I have stopped using the dock altogether in all honesty & both are now just paperweights :(

What I use is a bendable/flexible spider holder as I can place the phone either vertically or horizontally for movies. I got mine in black from thinkgeek (.) com and last I looked they were out of stock but if you google: spider podium stand : without the colons you should see similar ones. It's not super sturdy but is very useful esp if your phone has a rubberized type outer case and you like to watch movies/youtubes.

There's even mini tripods that dual function for cameras and phones that hold the phone more securely, but I think companies completely missed a financial windfall by not manufacturing a truly versatile multimedia dock (both horizontal and vertical) that holds this phone in a decent grip.

The European market has come close such as the iBolt vehicle dock from the U.K. But I mean, come on, even Belkin created a dualfit armband for this phone ;) Sinjimoru's Sync Stand Charge Dock Cradle had the right idea but the design looks funky and still doesn't seem to hold the phone securely check out the reviews on it right here on amazon.

A desktop charger is usually one of the first accessories I purchase when I get a new phone. I am very dissapointed with this dock. It feels cheap and flimsy, and the phone basically balances on the mini USB port, which I would imagine after a few months of use would damage the port. They need to make these docks like the ones used with the Droid X which is solid and sturdy.

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I was concerned with all of the negative reviews and low scores about this item but I wanted a charger for my Galaxy S3. I bought it anyway and wow.....it is perfect!

People complain about the connector. It's perfect, especially since I don't have to take off the case to dock it, WOW!

People complain about the docking feeling flimsy or cheap. It's solid.

People complain it doesn't go to desktop mode when docked. It does everytime for me.

People complain it has no Galaxy S3 branding on it? Who cares! It says Samsung and that's good enough for me.

This is a good, quality product and I have no complaints what so ever.

Read Best Reviews of Samsung Galaxy Multimedia Desktop Charging Dock for Samsung Galaxy Phones Here

The actual packaging says "Universal Multimedia Desktop Dock." Nothing about the S3 is on it anywhere. That said the Galaxy S3 does fit (barely). It does not merge with the micro USB port of the phone very well and feels like it's scraping the bottom of the phone when trying to mate with the dock. It is easily knocked out/unseated from the cradle at the slightest movement of the docking station or when trying to handle the phone to access the UI. You have to be very careful to keep it docked just to unlock it or navigate the screen.

The ONLY PRO I have experienced here is that unlike the Galaxy S2 Desktop Dock ECR-D1D3BE you can turn on bluetooth and pair with devices while still docked! I can now leave the phone docked while paired with my Jawbone Big Jambox and listen to music. Could not do that with the Galaxy S2 Desktop Dock ECR-D1D3BE.

The 3.5 Audio out port is laughable.

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It does what it's supposed to do, but since it's a universal dock and not specific to the Galaxy S3, it's a bit on the wobbly side. (my coworker also tried his Galaxy Nexus and the fit was identical) The dock is made from plastic, which also contributes to it's instability. I'm not worried about it falling out of the dock, but when I actually touch the screen to use the phone, it bounces slightly and will even tilt to the side. If it sounds like this will bother you, then maybe look into a more expensive, phone-specific option. Overall, I'm good with it just wish it didn't bounce.

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Sony Speaker Dock/Clock Radio for iPod and iPhone - Black

Box Content - ICF-C1iP clock radio/speaker dock with attached FM wire antenna, power supply adapter, and installed battery, AM loop antenna
Power requirements - 120 VAC, 60Hz (Clock backup requires 3 VDC battery)
Output power - 3 W +3 W (at 10% harmonic distortion)
Frequency range - FM 87.5-108MHz and AM 530-1710Hz
Sound enhancer - MegaXpand, Bass Reflex Speaker System

UPDATE: Sony has updated this clock radio with a new model the ICF-C1PMK2 which has even better AM reception, a brighter display, and official iPhone compatibility.

Several weeks ago, I upgraded to a new 160GB iPod Classic. At the same time, I bought an XtremeMac Luna clock radio, which had good reviews. Unfortunately, I found that the Luna is incompatible with the new iPods it cannot wake them from deep sleep to play the alarm in the morning. A call to XtremeMac got nothing more than a note that my issue had been forwarded to their technical team.

Without any reviews, I took a chance, and ordered the Sony ICF-C1iP iPod clock radio, and am I glad I did! The Sony is fully compatible with my iPod Classic, and Sony includes instructions for using the iPhone as well. And, the sound quality and radio performance is remarkably better than the Luna or other iPod clock radios I've tested.

Sony has done a great job with the ICF-C1iP. It is an upright design, with most of the unit behind the iPod, in a slanted design with controls at the top. The iPod dock accepts universal adapters, but they aren't really needed as Sony has an adjustable supporting plate behind the iPod.

Unlike the Luna, which attempts to duplicate the iPod menus on its display, the Sony ICF-C1iP includes a remote control that lets you completely control the iPod menus as if you were manipulating the scroll wheel. Quite impressive.

Sound quality is very good for a clock radio with full bass and even midtones. Sony includes a simulated mode they call "Mega XPand" that in my experience made the music sound muddied and under-sampled. Your mileage my vary.

The blue-backlit clock is located in the iPod dock area, and 3 brightness levels are available. In my experience, even the lowest setting is a bit too bright, but not enough to disturb me at night. I wish that the display were slightly larger, although the high contrast lets me see the time without my glasses from a reasonable distance.

And, unlike most iPod clock radios, the radio reception is outstanding with an external AM antenna provided. The unit has dual alarms, which can be set to iPod (you can even select a wakeup volume), Radio, or Buzzer.

On the downside, the battery backup for the buzzer alarm and clock is a small expensive lithium battery. And, if your relying on just the buzzer to wake you up it's not very loud. You also have to be careful when changing the alarms to make sure that you don't accidentally turn the alarm off. But all of these are minor issues. However, these are all very minor issues that don't detract from the unit overall.

All in all, in my experience, this is the best iPod clock radio you can buy.

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I have been using the Sony ICF-C1iP iPod Dock w/clock for about two months now. I bought it for my office, so that I could listen to the radio and also play songs from my iPod Touch. As far as looks go, this Sony is quite attractive. The buttons, located on top of the unit, are large and arranged well. The clock is a nice backlit blue, and is quite pleasing to the eye. The iPod dock, itself, is well made and offers an adjustable back support, so that every iPod model will be held in place firmly. Overall, the style, design and features of this unit are 5-star all the way.

Now for the weakness, which is arguably the most important feature of any music playing device. The sound quality of this Sony iPod dock is very average; barely. There is just no low end (bass). Don't get me wrong, the music doesn't sound tinny or distorted, when played at reasonable volume levels, but it just doesn't have the full-bodied sound that I desire. I wasn't expecting Bose SoundDock quality from this item, but I assumed that it would sound much better than it does. Highs are fairly crisp, and the midrange is very pronounced, but notes and sounds cut off quite sharply below that. I cannot find the rated frequency response of this model but I'm sure the numbers are fairly unimpressive. The stereo soundfield is also extremely narrow, even with the included "MEGA Xpand" feature turned on.

The included remote control is nice, and it controls nearly every function of this device. However, all clock and alarm related features must be controlled from the dock itself. The unit is fairly large, considering that it is advertised as a clock radio. I don't know as though I would want this thing sitting on my nightstand. But I didn't buy it to be used as a clock radio, so I am not rating it as such. Overall I am fairly pleased with this device, as a means to play some low volume music in my office. However, for anyone that is looking to play loud music, and/or is expecting solid bass frequencies in your music, then I would definately look past this Sony ICF-C1iP dock. It does suit my needs here at the office quite adequately, and that is why I decided to keep it, but I certainly would not buy this unit for use at home. I paid just over $100.00 for mine (with tax), and for that kind of money I would exect much better sound. If it were only $50 or $60, I would give it 4 stars, but for the money that Sony demands for it I cannot rate it any higher than 3 stars.

Read Best Reviews of Sony Speaker Dock/Clock Radio for iPod and iPhone - Black Here

My father bought this clock radio for me as a gift because he knows i love my ipod. I have tried several different clock radios now that would enable me to wake up to something other than a radio or buzzer like a CD or ipod. None of them have worked very well for various reasons.

As soon as I plugged in the Sony alarm clock, the time and date were already set for me to Eastern Daylight Time. I hardly had to read the instructions because set up was so easy and user friendly. The most impressive was the ability to fully control the ipod from the remote control WITHOUT having to buy a special attachment from the Apple store so that the ipod will recognize a remote.

In addition, I thought I would have to set not only the alarm on the Sony, but also set the ipod itself to go off at 7am. Instead, I found that the Sony "wakes up" the ipod to go off for 7am, so I did not have to set up the ipod alarm at all.

I love my new clock radio. The only drawback is that you have to place the ipod in the dock the entire night, which means that your battery is constantly charging the entire night. From my understanding, this leads to early burnout of the battery. I wish there were a way to turn off the battery charger, but still have all the other functionality.

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Best iPod Alarm Clock period.

Amazingly easy to set up, has 2 seperate alarms, and, unlike the iHome this is replacing, you can set the wake up volume. As an added bonus you can even set each alarm at a different volume!

I can't tell you how many times I've jumped out of bed due to the lack of volume control on the iHome (OK, so the iHome's volume is "progressive" it starts out too loud and works its way up to insane within about 5 seconds).

I just got this clock/radio/alarm yesterday and thought I would give some initial impressions. It has good sound for a clock radio and charges and plays the IPOD in addition to playing the radio which has five presets and offers an optional alarm buzzer or music wakeup.

For 2" speakers it has great sound. It is slightly large length wise as it barely fits on my nightstand. Sony could easily have made it 2 to 3" less wide but left dead room at each end of the radio for expansion in a new series later with larger speakers or is engaging in creative packaging meant to impress beyond the actual size of the speakers sort of like the large chip bags which are only half full. However, it does not provide sound even close to some of the Panasonic Micro Stereo PM series which have a music port for an Ipod or any MP3 player which however is substantially larger and will not fit on a nightstand like this Sony Ipod Clock Dock but will do very well filling up a medium size living room with quality sound.

Yes, the backlight display is a bit bright on its lowest setting and dimly lights the bedroom up at night. Sony also loves to show you a flashing colon between the clock numbers to show you it is working I guess which only anoys you if you look at it. Duh, it wouldn't be on if it wasn't working so enough of the flashing second colon already!

It also lacks a bass and treble control, although the overall sound quality for the size of the speakers is pleasing and bests most clock radios. The sound volume is adequate for a bedroom or kitchen, but will not be near loud enough for a livingroom stereo.

Overall I like the unit and its sound is decently good for 2" speakers. I wish they had either put in 2 1/2 inch speakers to match the larger case, or made it more night stand friendly buy cutting the length down about 2 to 3" which could have easily been done with all the dead space on each end. If they had done that, installed a bass and treble control, and had a darker option for the dimmer, it would have been perfect.

All the same, I recommend it as a Ipod Clock radio although it takes up alot of space unnecessarily on my night stand as the case is large, especially for the speakers it houses. I recon you could get a scrap piece of window tint and cut to fit the slightly bright display for a darker bedroom at night.

If you want a clock radio, be careful if choosing the Altec Lansing IM600 which although more portable and not quit as wide as the Sony, as Altec appears to be engaging in a little creative advertising when they say it can be used as an alarm clock as it seems not to have a clock at all, except for using the Ipod as one.

Sony ICFC414 Clock Radio

Stylish "floating" design
Automatic time set
Automatic daylight savings time adjustment
No power, no problem alarm system
Dual alarm
No power, no problem alarm system,Dual alarm
Snooze w/Extendable Snooze : Snooze

I bought this to replace my old alarm clock. It has a sleek design that takes up very little space. It has two alarms and can be set to radio, beeps or songs and has an adjustable snooze setting. The built in radio works well and there's a sleep setting so that if you like to fall asleep to the radio you can have it automatically shut off after a certain amount of time.

It has an adjustable brightness level, but I found its default/highest level to be suitable. At that level it's bright enough to see in the dark, but not bright enough to keep me up. The alarm is easy to wake up to and gradually gets louder on the beep setting. It automatically set itself to the correct time and date as soon as I plugged it in, all I had to do is set the time zone. It has a DST feature that can be turned off or on.

The only feature lacking is the ability to customize the alarm for either weekdays, weekends or both. It's not a big deal, especially with two alarms but it would have been nice. Overall I'm very pleased with this alarm clock.

Buy Sony ICFC414 Clock Radio Now

Decent alarm clock for the price.

Pros: inexpensive, preset time, dst auto adjust, battery backup for power failure, easy to tune radio stations, easy to read display, brightness of display is adjustable.

Cons: Alarm "A" can be set to chime or radio, Alarm "B" can only be set to chime or an electronic tune. Both alarms cannot be set to the radio. Cannot adjust or view the alarm setpoint unless the alarm is turned on, so when you pass the current time the alarm activates. Radio sound is poor but in line with the price of the alarm clock. The snooze can increased from 10 min to 20 min to 30 min etc, but if you hit the snooze button twice while initially silencing the alarm, you go straight to the 20 min snooze.

Overall: a good alarm clock for the price but I would have paid more for a full featured clock radio had I know its limitations up front.

Read Best Reviews of Sony ICFC414 Clock Radio Here

The item description is very accurate. If you want a dual alarm clock radio similar to those from 10 years ago, that is exactly what you will get and that is why I ordered it. Nothing fancy, just basic but with the Sony dependability. There are a few nice things though the time is preset, options for the dual alarms sound, adjustable brightness, battery backup, very easy to operate and the AM radio actually works well, unlike other clock radios. This clock radio has no frills but for the price, it is good and dependable.

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I have been using this alarm clock for 6 months now and I couldn't be happier. After years of searching for the right alarm clock I finally found it.

Positives:

1) I can see the display! I have moderately poor vision (glasses prescription is -3.75) and if I wake up in the middle of the night I can clearly see the time with this clock at my bedside. The green light plus the large numbers are very clear.

2) The progressive alarm wakes up even my heavy-sleeping husband. The first few beeps are slow and they gradually speed up to grab the attention of the heaviest sleepers.

3) You don't have to set the time! What more can I say? You set the timezone, plug it in, and it sets the time. It even catches daylight savings.

4) If the power goes out the small battery saves your alarm settings so when the power comes back on, the clock resets itself and you still have your alarms ready to go. This has saved me from being late to work more than once after a late night power outage.

5) The display light is adjustable. I've had green/blue alarm clocks before and the display was so bright it practically light up the whole room. The dim setting is fine at night, I can see it but it's not acting like a flood light, and I can still see the display just fine during the day too on the dim setting. Though during daylight hours I do have to get a little closer to the clock to see it.

6) I love the full 10 minute snooze. I don't understand why other clocks have a 7 or 9 minute one.

7) You can turn off the alarm when it's in snooze-mode, you don't have to wait for the alarm to go off again.

Neutrals:

1) The radio isn't great, lots of static and the speakers don't sound perfect. But I wasn't buying a radio, I was buying an alarm clock so that doesn't really matter to me. If you want a radio go buy a radio. *shrug*

2) The alarm isn't terribly loud. This is counter-acted by the progressive alarm beeping.

3) It's a little bit large, but for the big display numbers I assume that's kind of necessary.

Cons:

I really don't have anything bad to say about this clock.

One other note:

Some people have mentioned in their reviews that you cannot set the snooze back to 10 minutes if you go too far. If this happens wait until the snooze display clears off (takes a few seconds) then re-hit the snooze button, this will reset it to 10 minutes.

I feel like a complete goof for reviewing an alarm clock, but I love this one. I have had 4-5 alarm clocks in the past few years that I have either gotten rid of or just tolerated. The old alarm clock that I have been using for the longest time wasn't working properly so I bought this. I couldn't be happier. You can intuitively figure out how to program it w/o a manual. The plastic is a slightly shiny and nice looking; the face is very clear. The two alarm options were a requirement for me. The 1st allows a tone or radio and the second allows a tone or a weird melody tune.... thing. I like the buzzer because it is a little higher pitched than I have heard on so many alarms and SIGNIFICANTLY less jarring in the morning. It's not a ENNNNHHH ENHHH ENHHHHH!!!!; it's more of a beep beep... beep beep, similar to a watch. It doesn't jar me out of bed and immediately stress me out in the mornings like most other alarms. The time auto set to DST and is powered by some kind of cell battery that is included (no 9 Volts). Several brightness options are there. I would have preferred another slightly dimmer brightness setting because sometimes I am very sensitive to light, but that is a nit picky detail. Regardless, the lowest setting is lower than most other alarm clocks I have seen / used. The price was below twenty five, which was a bargain. The radio is clear and free of static, the tuning is adjusted vial dial (vs. buttons). The alarm programming can also be done both ways and fast forwarded in EITHER direction (vs. just fast forward and slow backward).

I would recommend this to a friend solely due to the more friendly buzzer, let alone the pleasant look and the ease of programming.

Samsung Verizon DROID CHARGE SCH-i510 Desktop Dock

What this does is stands your phone up as shown and opens the Desk Dock app. The app is lacking features and cannot be customized which sucks. However, you can just close the app to use the programs you want. It also overrides your home button to return to the dock app. The app doesn't do much but what it does great is darkens the phone on night mode and will start a screen saver of just the clock after a few minutes. It is easily readable and thanks to AMOLED screen does not throw anymore light than a standard alarm clock. I like to sleep in pitch black and it doesn't bother me.

As far as features it hides an extra battery charging enclosure behind the phone (No extra battery included). It has a speaker out in the rear. It also has two volume control buttons in the front. That is all the dock does. It should include more for the price but I am happy with what it does do.

The phone will not fit in the dock with a case on.

Edit: Upon getting an extra battery I learned there is a charging indicator light for the spare battery on the front of the dock next to the volume control.

Yes, it included the spare battery (standard). If you click on the link '... new from ...' which is in below the price, you can see the same dock sold by Amazon directly. Its price is a little more expensive ($37.49, shipping is free if you're prime member), but it includes the extra battery which itself costs about $20!

One thing I'm not sure is whether the dock can charge extended battery (2600mah) as well.

Buy Samsung Verizon DROID CHARGE SCH-i510 Desktop Dock Now

This is a nice looking, sleek Samsung dock for your Droid Charge.

However, there are some things to note about this "Multimedia Desktop Dock". I would actually call it more of a "Charging Station", because that pretty much sums it up. The dock has a speaker output in back and once docked the Charge will automatically start the Desk Cradle App. But some basic clock/radio type functions I expected are not there: such as being able to listen to internet radio/pandora/whatever through the Charge while docked. You can listen to stored MP3s easy enough, but it looks like it stops there. Fixing that may be as simple as finding a better app... I haven't figured that out yet.

The biggest issue is the dock design. The phone will only seat on the dock if it is naked, ie you can't have a cover on the phone. I have a thin cover, but there simply isn't enough room for the cover and the dock does not adjust. I went so far as to disassemble my dock and remove the plastic seat piece, but the phone still does not seat far enough down to kick on the Cradle App. I'm going to keep working with it. Removing the cover every night to dock my phone is not an acceptable solution for me.

So in short, if you don't use a cover and intend to use the dock mainly as a charger, this should be a good buy.

If you use a cover or want a richer mulitmedia dock, look elsewhere or be willing to experiment and possibly mod this dock.

Read Best Reviews of Samsung Verizon DROID CHARGE SCH-i510 Desktop Dock Here

I don't want to reiterate what others have said as to the cons of this dock they are all true. It does look good and fits the Charge nicely as long as you don't mind taking off the protector that is required for the belt holster every time you want to use the dock. I like that it came with a spare battery (I bought it from Verizon at a discount online). Why they didn't allow for a USB connection is beyond me. To copy any files from my PC to the phone I have to remove it from the dock and plug in the USB cable. As someone else said REALLY DUMB. Access the the HDMI port would have been nice, too. But no. So how can they call it a true multimedia device when it just has a tiny little mini-plug I/O?

My biggest complaint is that when the phone is sitting in this dock it seems to open and close apps at random, sometimes even rebooting the phone for no apparent reason. The amount of activity (screens opening and closing, display turning on and off) is sometimes astounding. I bought a new car with SYNC voice command via the cellphone's Bluetooth connection and could not get the phone to maintain Bluetooth pairing with the car's SYNC UNTIL I stopped using the dock overnight. Some weird things go on with the phone when docked that do not happen when it's just plugged into the AC adapter provided by Samsung. I haven't had the time to document them, it is just an observation sitting at my desk while the phone is in the dock. It is messing with the Bluetooth settings of the phone to the point that the phone can't seem to remember the car connection. I don't want to have to re-pair the phone with my car every single day so I've had to give up the otherwise neat little desk clock app the dock triggers. No biggy, but disappointing since the dock I had for my Motorola Droid was very functional and did nothing like this one does. So now I have a docking cradle that is only good for charging the spare battery. I guess it might just be my next EBay sale...

Want Samsung Verizon DROID CHARGE SCH-i510 Desktop Dock Discount?

(So sorry. I'll make it up to you by formatting this review in the time-honored pro/con tradition, despite the fact that such dichotomies do a poor job of capturing the nuances of human experience.)

Pro! I bought this dock for the purpose of turning my phone into a bedside alarm clock. It works well to that end, especially once the docking app native to the Samsung Charge is replaced with a (simpler, dimmer, equally free) app from the Play Store (formerly Marketplace). I guess that places me squarely in the "native dock app is too bright" camp, and I'll fight to defend that point of view till death, or till bedtime, whichever comes first. By the way, many of the Play Store apps seem to be called "Night Clock."

Pro! Judging from the reviews of those brave scouts who bought blind and reported back, the dock should come with an extra battery. However, it would seem that some unscrupulous sellers deliver the dock unbatteried, and, presumably, do something unmentionable with the orphaned lithium involving the shady and lucrative power trade. When in doubt, buy directly from Amazon. I can attest that my Amazon-purchased unit did indeed come in original packaging and with extra battery. Woohoo! No need to spend an extra $5 for an extra battery.

Pro? It turns out that I didn't really need the extra battery anyway. The dock sits on my bedside table, which means that I charge the phone when I get home in the evening, and it so happened that for me, docking the phone was more convenient than turning it off, exchanging the batteries, and rebooting. Nor was it appealing to walk around with two batteries. To add insult to injury (or shortcoming to bothersomeness), the presumably-new battery that came with the dock has a significantly shorter usage time than the one that originally came with the phone hundreds of charges ago.

Con? The phone sits snugly in the dock, and it is clear to anyone with an advanced degree in biomedical engineering that phone+case won't fit; ditto for phone+extended battery. Neither is an issue for me, as my phone is unsheathed and unenhanced.

Con. It would have been nice, given said snugness, if the docking/undocking action had been less rickety. The micro-USB plug doesn't always line up with the micro-hole in the side of the phone, and instead bonks against the phone's edge for a couple of approaches before docking is achieved.

Con! The dock's footprint is unnecessarily large. Even if you want that extra battery and a slot to charge it in parallel with the phone, surely you could have fit the lot of them more compactly. Bedside real estate is scarce and precious for me. You might sleep on the endless savanna, in which case you should invite me over sometime; I'll bring an extra battery.

Khan! I have had neither occasion nor desire to plug speakers into the dock and use it as some kind of micro-stereo system. The phone's micro-speaker works just fine to rouse me from my slumber.

In the absence of other Samsung Charge docking alternatives, I'm glad this one exists. What else do you want me to do, tether my phone to a charging cord and lay it flat on my bedside table? What kind of Luddite do you take me for?

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LG Optimus Prepaid Android Phone (Virgin Mobile)

I had to abandon my ATT family plan in favor of letting my youngest daughter get on it and enjoy the free family minutes and unlimited texting, etc., which I don't use so much (already had 5 lines and they won't let me add another one). So, I was looking for the cheapest alternative to getting a 6th line, at least comparable to what I would have paid for the 6th line on ATT. I looked all over and all the individual plans where $40+ or so, without including texting. Then I came across the Virgin Mobile $25 unlimited data, text, web + 300 minutes and it seemed that it would fit the bill.

I got the phone on sale for $105 and it is just the best phone I have ever had, although I have not activated it yet (more on this later), at an awesome price. Why haven't I activated it yet? Well, it turns out, this android phone lets you install all kind of apps from the android market via wifi without activating the phone, you can pop in an 8Gb, 16Gb or 32Gb SDHC card and use this as a pretty awesome (and cheap) ipod/iphone substitute. I have installed apps for watching TV shows, read news (USA Today, NYTime, Bloomberg, etc), Pandora radio (sound through the speaker is very full for such a tiny device), GPS navigation/maps, calculators, MS Office documents viewer, a few games, GasBuddy to find cheap gas locally (pretty handy these days), etc. All FREE from the Android market. But, BY FAR, the best applications I installed are Google Voice, which together with SIPDroid (after signing up for a free GoogleVoice account and a free PBXes.org account) allows me to link them together and configure the phone to use VOIP to make my calls through the internet instead of using the limited 300 minutes I would get if I signed up with Virgin Mobile for $25/month, I can also use it to do unlimited free texting through my Google voice number.

I wanted to do this to make sure I did not go over the 300 minutes and start racking up a huge bill with VM once I activated the phone, but as it turns out, this has worked out so well that I am still undecided as to weather I will need to activate the phone and sign up for the monthly service. Granted, I can only make/receive calls when I am within WIFI range, but, WIFI is so prevalent these days. Many of the establishments a person does business with have free internet access for their customers: Starbucks, Dennys, Mcdonalds, Barnes&nobles, Homedepots, Panera bread, Hooters, highway rest stops, libraries, Krogers, Quiznos, Schlotzsky, FedEx offices, Hotels... the list goes on and on. I also installed a WIFI Analyzer App which shows if there is a free/open WIFI within range and its signal strength. You can get a nice directory of wifi spots in your area here-> which of course does not list all the available ones.

What happens when I'm outside WIFI range? Well, of course I can not make calls, inbound calls go to my GoogleVoice voice mail and as soon as I get into WIFI range and connect, my inbound text messages get delivered and/or I get a notification of a missed call which I can check right away. Obviously not something I would want to use as a business phone, but for personal use when you do not need to be available 24X7 this works great! You also get a great excuse when you don't want to answer someone, later you can say... "Sorry, I was not in WIFI zone...", you can even put that in your answering message. This setup would be great for students who live on campus where they have free access to the campus WIFI network (many of them provide free open WIFI all over campus). All these for $0 a month plus the cost of the phone.

If you feel you need capability to make calls from anywhere in case of emergencies, or for 24X7 availability, then just activate the phone and pay the $25/month. You would get many other benefits which would make this device a very capable business phone. I've read that once activated, you can install an app to make the phone a WIFI hub for up to 4 or 5 devices (supposedly there is an app for that, :-) pun intended, in the android market). This would provide internet service to your WIFI based laptop anywhere. I will investigate this more if/when I activate the phone. I have to admit, it would be fun to be able to go on trips and have internet in the car for my kids ipod touches or laptops while we are on the road. The more they can entertain themselves, the less "are we there yet?, are we there yet?" questions we will get... :-)

Summarizing, if you activate the phone, you get unlimited texting, phone web browsing, tv watching, internet radio, etc. + unlimited internet based calls using the provided unlimited data service + internet for your computer/ipod touches anytime/anywhere. All these for $25/month? Sweeeet! I don't think any carrier can beat that, the closer unlimited everything plan is cricket for $55/month for an android or blackberry phone. ATT, Verizon, etc? $70 and up... Virgin Mobile uses the Sprint 3G network, so, it's coverage (at least here in Houston) is pretty good.

I hope you find this useful.

Enjoy!

Nov. 23th. 2011 I finally activated the phone this summer which I spent away from the family working up North and they wanted 24X7 access... (great to be loved so much!). It is now even better. I have an app that shows how many minutes are left and when I'm getting close to using the 300 minutes, I can dial out using the internet and google voice through the data service from anywhere (where there is 3G signal). Came in handy to have Pandora on the phone when my car radio stopped working and it's great to be able to do everything I used to do only within WIFI range now everywhere. GPS worked great while I was traveling through the North East, except when cruising through the Adirondacks (no 3G service out in the sticks :-) ).

Virgin has raised the price of the plan to $35 a month for newcomers, (previous users are grandfathered in at the $25 rate) but even at $35, it still the best deal around as far as I know. Finally, Target has the phone on sale for $50 for the next two days...

After being a T-Mobile customer for 8 years I finally dumped them when I found the phone and plan I'd been waiting for: the Android 2.2, LG Optimus V with the Beyond Talk plan.

The Phone:

An Android 2.2 operating system powers the LG Optimus V (V stands for Virgin... the S is Sprint's phone, but both share the Sprint mobile network) and allows for zippy web surfing via the 3G network. Apps open quickly and transitions from one thing to another are smooth. The processor seems up to multitasking and I had no problem downloading apps and emailing at the same time.

The body of the phone is comfortable to hold with a slightly rubberized feel, and the screen is bright and clear. I did note the back cover of the phone is a tad flimsy, so be careful pulling it off and on to put in the battery. Bear in mind I'm used to a Nokia E71 phone, which has a metal back, so that may just be something that bothered me and won't phase anyone else about this phone. The four navigation keys on the front of the phone are sturdy and responsive.

The touchscreen doesn't seem to respond as easily as my iTouch does, but then again, it may be me and the way I was gingerly giving it an initial once over. I have texted and emailed using Swype (a cool technology included on this phone that basically allows you the ability to move your finger over a keyboard and have it intuitively guess at what you're trying to type without you lifting your finger) on this phone, and it works well. I'm pretty slow at it, but practice will undoubtedly help.

The camera is a 3.2mp without a flash. I'm not overly impressed with the quality of the photos I've taken, but I don't use my phone-cam as my primary camera anyway. You can also take video with this phone.

Charging this phone can be done by two methods: USB or travel adapter. The travel adapter (included in the package along with the USB to phone cord) attaches to the USB end of the cord that attaches to the base of the phone. You can charge your phone via either AC or USB AC seemed to do it a tad faster, but be prepared to have a full recharge take 1 to 2hrs.

This takes us to the downside of this phone: the battery life. If you are downloading or surfing the web, this phone sucks down the juice. There is a free app called Juice Defender, which will prolong your battery life I highly recommend it along with Hotspot Widget, which allows you to use Hotspots for Wi-fi. Talk time on the battery is estimated at 6hrs, with up to 3 days of standby time. This would only work if you never checked the web, emailed, texted or played with apps!

The phone weighs 4.69 ounces and is a tad thick, but not much more than an iPhone with a hard case on it. It ships with a 2GB micro SD card in it, but I recommend picking up at least an 8GB card or larger to replace it. Adding apps will quickly diminish the 2GB.

No flash player is yet available for this phone or so I've heard, thus 'flash' doesn't play on it. You can view YouTube videos and there are several TV apps, so not really an issue for me yet and probably something that will be fixed with firmware in the future.

I suggest purchasing a case to protect it, as none is included in the phone package. LG Optimus S and T cases will work with this phone. Deals with a case, charger, screen protector, etc... like this: LG Optimus S LS670 Full Diamond Bling Black Zebra Skin Hard Case Snap on Cover Phone Protector Sleeve + Mirror LCD Screen Guard Film w/Cleaning Cloth + Free Biodegradable Screen wipe are available on Amazon.

The Beyond Talk Plans:

No deal out there comes close to this one. Yes, the phone is an initial chunk of change, but it's an Android phone that will offer excellent call quality on the Sprint network and data at 3G speeds unlimited data, text and email for $25 a month with 300 anytime minutes. GREAT deal! A bump up for $40 a month gives you 1200 anytime minutes a month and unlimited data, text and email, or for $60 a month you get unlimited everything. NO CONTRACT. You can pay via gift cards you purchase with cash, or have a debit or credit card on file with Virgin Mobile. You can choose to have them take the plan fee out each month, or you can tell them you'll do it yourself via the online payment section. Really, really easy and no taxes or hidden fees. If you go over your minutes it's an additional 10 cents a minute, and minutes don't rollover to the next month.

Virgin Mobile coverage maps are available on their website. Check it with your address to see coverage in your area prior to buying the phone. There's a way to check voice coverage and then click over to data coverage.

'Porting' Your Number (Keeping Your Old Number):

If you want to keep your same cellphone number (the one used by another carrier) you need to keep these things in mind.

1. You have to be in the same area code to do it.

2. You cannot cancel your previous service prior to calling Virgin Mobile to set up service.

3. You cannot activate your LG Optimus V on Virgin Mobile's website, you must call them to tell them you want the same number.

4. You need to have your old number, account number for the other provider, and a bit of time (up to 72hrs, although it took VM only 1hr to port my number...) to switch the old number to your new phone.

5. You must have your LG Optimus V charged to be able to receive a text letting you know the number has been switched and your old service has been cancelled.

6. Calling your old provider to make sure your service has been cancelled and to pay off any lingering debt with them is advised.

Call to 'activate' your Virgin Mobile service after the number has been ported to your new phone. They will ask you how you are paying for your service and have you do a test call.

If you don't have an old number, you can either call Virgin Mobile to activate the phone or do it on their website.

The LG Optimus V phone is my first android smartphone and so far, I'm very impressed. GPS, email, web, checking in on eBay and Amazon... all very exciting and something I thought I'd never be able to afford as I couldn't justify spending $70 a month for it with T-Mobile or ATT.

In a few months the purchase of this phone will pay for itself and with no contract I'm sure I'll feel good about having the option to change, even if I never do. If you don't want to be under contract, but want to enjoy the perks of new technology at a reasonable price per month get this phone and the Beyond Talk plan. Heck, get them for the entire family! You won't regret the purchase.

UPDATE: March 13, 2011

Found several FREE apps in the 'Market' of note.

1. ShopSavy: uses scanner technology to scan items in the store and then give you the best price for that item online or locally. Works very well!

2. GasBuddy: gives you the current prices on fuel at different grades. Type in a zip code or name of a place to get the listings. You can also add a price as you see it to assist others using the app.

3. Speed Test : gives you the current speeds of your internet upload and download. Noted that my wifi is much, much faster than the 3G network, thus when home I switch my settings from mobile to wifi.

4. Amazon Kindle: read all content on your Kindle, also on your phone.

5. Radar Now: shows current weather maps as shown on your TV weather report (satellite maps) in real time, via GPS.

6. HP Photo Print: found my home network printers and printed photos taken on my phone after uploading to the printer via this app. Also can use Photoshop Express (also free) to tweak the photo prior to printing.

7. SilentBoot: once downloaded an on, this allows you to turn your phone on and off without any noise.

8. AVG free antivirus: still a good idea to run an antivirus whether it's on your PC or phone.

9. Google Sky: really fun app that shows you the night sky (stars, constellations) and moves with you according to GPS location... play with this one!

10. Quick Settings: very easy way to turn on and off wifi/gps/mobile... and a host of other things like uninstalling apps you no longer want.

11. Zedge: lots n' lots of wallpapers and ringtones for free.

12. Memory Booster lite: frees up unused memory to use by the processor.

13. JuiceDefender: runs in the background to save your battery from draining too quickly.

14. World Newspapers: just like the title implies, access to worldwide news via newspapers, but also magazines, webnews, social networking, etc... fun to browse and in many, many languages.

15. Tune In Radio: allows you to pick up radio stations and podcasts by state. The 3.5mm headset jack (standard like on iPods and other MP3 players) is great and this app plus your music library on a SD card means you can choose to leave your music player at home as it's all on your phone!

Battery drops quickly with a lot of app use, but without it the phone holds a good charge for several days. I simply keep topping the battery up whenever I'm home and near the charger. The manual says not to let the battery be completely discharged.

Also on the subject of 'battery': The battery also is somewhat loose in my phone. Not sure if that's all Optimus V's or just mine. Sometimes my screen goes black and it's a loose battery. A small bit of tape fixed the problem and is unseen under the back cover of the phone.

The Voice Recognition software on this phone seems to be fabulous! Both voice dialing and voice input for texting (instead of typing) seem to work great for me. One suggestion for texting via voice: make your sentences short. This seems to give me the most accurate input.

Overall I love this phone and look forward to using it and Virgin Mobile for a long time! Call clarity is great and so far the Android Experience is all I would have wished it to be. I've watched lots of YouTube videos, emailed, msg'd, all with great ease. The calls have been clear on both the sending and receiving end, and I've yet to find an area where I have not had service. That's a pretty big deal considering I don't live in a major metropolitan area. Great find, and happily discovering new things I like about the phone every day.

UPDATE: 9/27/11

Phone continues to give great service, but occasionally freezes when trying to dial. I end up taking the battery out and reseating it, which seems to solve the problem. Did I mention you can't turn the phone off either? I'm considering a new battery for it...can get it off of Amazon for about $13. Anker 1600mAh Li-ion Battery for LG Optimus V VM670 (Virgin), LG Optimus S LS670(Sprint), Optimus One P500, Optimus T, Optimus U, Optimus C LW690, Optimus M MS690 Fits LGIP-400N White

Service for the phone has gone up in price from $25 a mo to $35 a mo for 300 minutes with unlimited talk and text. Fortunately for me, as I got in with the $25 plan, my price DID NOT go up. Thought that was darned nice of Virgin Mobile! Hope it lasts.

UPDATE: 1/25/12

Received a text from Virgin Mobile today informing me that Internet speeds would be reduced for Beyond Talk customers if they go over 2.5GB of useage per month. The Internet speeds for 3G with Virgin Mobile have been spotty lately, which makes me wonder if that's part of a transition to this new policy. Time will tell if I will stay with Virgin Mobile or switch to something else. I don't use much data, but it bums me out that Virgin Mobile is going the way of several other providers and doing this now. The phone is still a good one, and the plan is good for the money, but definitely not for those who don't want to wait too long for Facebook to load!

UPDATE: 8/29/12

Over the past two months or so the LG Optimus V has been acting fussy. The touchscreen became less responsive, sometimes the phone wouldn't turn off, and hanging up from a call became impossible without taking out the battery! I have been very gentle with the phone and it's only been dropped twice, while wearing an Otterbox case. 3G speeds are excellent in the right location, but terrible in others. I don't blame the phone for that one.

I read a bunch of phone reviews and decided that for my budget, Virgin Mobile is still the best deal out there next to Tracfone which has such a poor phone offering I can't convince myself to jump ship. Today I purchased the HTC One V Prepaid Android Phone (Virgin Mobile) and can activate it with my current number online, once I log in to my Virgin Mobile account. I chose the One over the HTC EVO V 4G Prepaid Android Phone (Virgin Mobile) because the EVO is $100 more and I don't have 4G coverage in my area, so paying for that option when I can't use it seemed wrong for me.

I will update again when I activate (I'm waiting for Amazon to ship my OtterBox 77-20718 Commuter Series Hybrid Case for HTC One V 1 Pack Retail Packaging Black before I do so. I'm optimistic that the LG issues will not be present on the HTC phone, and since the LG Optimus V has been replaced in the line-up with the LG Optimus Elite Prepaid Android Phone (Virgin Mobile) which gets so-so reviews, I feel good about this new purchase.

I'll also let you know if a phone call to Virgin Mobile won't help me keep my grandfathered in $25 a month with the new phone. Fingers crossed!

UPDATE: 12/2712

Been using the HTC One V Prepaid Android Phone (Virgin Mobile) for about 4 months now had to upgrade to $35 plan to get it to work and I love it! It's a huge step up from the LG Optimus in both speed and features. The LG Optimus was good and I'm glad I bought it initially, but the HTC One V is great and what I would recommend over this phone at this time for 3G users on Virgin Mobile's network.

Buy LG Optimus Prepaid Android Phone (Virgin Mobile) Now

I have never had a cell phone plan, and I don't plan on having one any time soon. When I first started using cell phones, the curse of prepaid services were the phones. Companies like Net10 had fantastic deals, but the phones were always cheap and disposable, which of course is the great part about prepaid service. I'm not stuck with a phone for two years and if I need one, I'm not worrying about the price.

Another great part about prepaid service is that I will never have to speak with a representative. Virgin Mobile is an easy set up and upon start up, the phone was quick to activate and start my service. This two reasons are high on my list for why prepaid trumps contract phone plans.

When this phone was announced, I was a bit skeptical. I was worried that it would be a watered down version of the LG Optimus S, but I am happy to report that it is essentially the same device. The following will mention the look, feel, and speed of the device.

The touch screen: Nimble! Going from screen to screen is fluid, transitions are visible. For every single touch and swipe, the device is right there with you. There is no lag to be found. However, there are times when I'm playing Angry Birds, and there is considerable lag. It usually happens for the first thirty seconds of the game.

Screen resolution: High quality but with the plastic front, it cheapens the device. However, I am not complaining. Zooming in and out on a webpage, you might notice that it's a little pixelated when you get close to the text.

3G capabilities: Testing this against my friend's iPhone, it's very fast. I was incredibly surprised by the responsiveness and how quick I could go from webpage to webpage. But, I will say that there are times there is absolutely no service. After looking through forums, one easy way to fix this is by activating the phone again. I did this once, and it helped tremendously.

App store: Although it's not as big as Apple's app store, it has everything one would need. The great thing about Android is that if there's something you don't like, you can change it. Widgets are absolutely one of the best features about Android's app store. You can even change the web browser if you don't like it!

This phone does not support Flash, so don't be disappointed.

Navigation: A dream. It works better than my Garmin, the voice is loud and concise. I will say that after plugging it into my auxillary connector that it does sound a little muffled. But I'm not disappointed at all. The maps are amazing. There was one time the directions were a little funky and another that it was taking a while to acquire satellite.

Camera quality: I have to say, the quality of the camera is amazing. With auto focus, it's great. And with the camera apps, you can create some great effects.

Overall, this phone is a great value. I talk a lot, so I use the unlimited everything plan for $60.00. It's not a bad deal considering I would be paying well over $100.00 anywhere else.

There are a lot of other prepaid services you might want to consider if you want to go prepaid. If you aren't someone who talks a lot and just need a phone, Net10 is the perfect service. But if you do talk a lot and browse the internet, then services like Boost Mobile, AT&T GoPhone, Straight Talk, and Virgin Mobile are great alternatives to the high cost of contracts.

The problem with prepaid still? The phones need a lot of work, but this is the first I've seen to make a huge step toward a great future with prepaid service.

Update:

I love this phone. It has efficiently replaced my iPod and GPS Navigator. Put in a 16gb micro sd card, and you're set. Apps like Double Twist make music listening a great experience (and for $4.99, you can sync your music wirelessly, listen to radio stations, AND podcasts)

If your car as an auxillary connector or even a tape adapter, connect your phone, and you can listen to Navigation WHILE listening to music. I know it's a weird thing to obsess about, but I always thought it was one or the other. Directions are precise, so I'm not constantly looking at my phone wondering where I am.

Streaming on Pandora and NPR is great. However, after a few hours, it completely stops and you have to get back into the app. It's not terrible, but I like to listen while I'm at work.

The Android App Market has everything you're looking for as long as you know how to search. I would recommend joining forums, because that's how I found out about different apps. One I love in particular is the WiFi Hotspot widget. With a simple click, you can connect your laptop and computer to the phone's 3g network. Other apps like Car Home allow you to travel and easily find navigation, music, and manage what apps you need on the go.

Depending on where I am, Youtube can lag a little. I expected this. But for the price and the fact that I have completely replaced a few gadgets I own, this is totally worth it.

FINAL UPDATE:

I have had this phone for five months, and I thought I would give my final impressions of the device.

First off, the battery life isn't amazing, but I've found that turning off data while I don't use it is really helpful. The phone lasts for days. If I need to check something online, I quickly go into my settings, turn it on, and check what I need to check. Before I started doing that, I realized that the phone would last MAYBE six or seven hours.

Web browsing has actually gotten a lot better. I was a little worried after three months in. There were times I couldn't get on a web page at all, but I feel that the problem has been resolved.

GPS is still reliable and better than my Garmin.

I actually no longer use this phone as an mp3 player. Even with Double Tap, I felt that it lacked organization.

I have experienced a few dropped calls. One time in particular, I was calling a friend, and our call was dropped four or five times within the hour. I'm not sure if it was his phone or mine, but it had never happened before, and it hasn't happened since.

This phone is really your best bet if you're on a budget yet want to experience a midrange smart phone. Does it have the capabilities of an iPhone or Droid? It's actually pretty close and for the price, I can't complain. $60.00 a month for unlimited everything and a quality phone is fantastic. If I decide I never want to see this phone or this company again, I'm not forced to pay a fee for having a choice. I can easily go online and cancel my services, and I'm not waiting on the phone to speak to a representative. In the five years I've used prepaid phones, I've never had to speak to one person regarding my phone, terms of service, etc. That alone is worth the price in saved time and frustration.

A DEAD PHONE:

So, my phone died after days of being unable to hold a charge. I'm not sure what the problem was. I had to keep it connected at all times, or it wouldn't turn on. Then even while it was connected, it just died. It's a shame, because I truly loved the phone and was sold on Android until I experienced numerous problems with the device. Don't get me wrong. I love Android and their innovation. However, I seem to notice that while their phones are amazing devices at first, they cannot stand the test of time. I was looking forward to keeping this phone for quite a while.

Internet seemed to be incredibly slow as well as time progressed. I generally like to use data if I'm lost or need to check my e-mail. I found that it was faster finding someone polite enough to give me directions or just wait to go home. This could just be a defect on my phone, but my raving reviews about it in the beginning are a thing of the past.

This phone is great for someone just getting into the smart phone world. That person was me. I'm not sure if my demands or wants got higher, but I am switching over to a contract phone. Yes. Even after all of my talk about how much I hated contracts. But if you look at it, you're paying either way. Do I want to spend money on a new phone every few months with spotty service? While I can't predict whether or not I will be left with a lemon is up to fate. Until then, hello Verizon Wireless.

Read Best Reviews of LG Optimus Prepaid Android Phone (Virgin Mobile) Here

This is a truly great phone. We have been with TMobile for several years and finally got tired of the bill and our Blackberrys. VirginMobile has a plan that can't be beat. I wish I had switched over sooner!

Here are some of the features I like about the LG Optimus V:

Voice to text is awesome.

You can speak an email or a text or a search on the internet and this phone almost always gets it right. I never used texting before. I don't have time, patience or skill to hunt and peck on a tiny keyboard. Voice to text makes this so easy. Just punch the microphone button on the keyboard. I'll say it again, awesome.

Use GoogleVoice and GrooVe IP for free minutes.

With VirginMobiles Unlimited Text and Data with 300 minutes plan you can place and receive calls without using any minutes. Set up a google gmail account and add google voice. It is a really simple process. Buy GrooVe IP from the Amazon App store for about $5. Setup takes less than 5 minutes. When you are near a good wifi connection, GrooVe is exceptionally clear. You can make calls even in places where you are not able to get cell service. Forget Sipdroid and all those other difficult apps. GrooVe is simple to set up, simple to use and it works!

Great price for VirginMobile plan.

We were paying over $75 per month per phone. Virgin mobile is cutting that by about half. $35 per month for 300 minutes and unlimited text and data. By the way, there are not a bunch of fees on top of that like other carriers. My total is under $39 with all taxes and fees.

Free 60 minutes when you sign up with a kickback code.

As you set up your phone, you will burn through some minutes with you voice mail setup and trying it out. When you activate your phone on the internet you can use a kickback code to get 60 extra minutes for free. Here is a code you can use: 8TE0VXNQ (note, the 4th character is a zero)

Tips:

Download the pdf file for the LG Optimus User Guide from the VirginMobile site. Along with the Basic Guide booklet that ships with it, this will help you get the most out of your new phone.

My favorite apps besides GrooVe IP are Amazon Kindle, Gas Buddy, and ShopSavvy. There are several apps preloaded on the phone. GoogleMaps is my choice for best. It gives spoken turn by turn instructions and a street view of the address you are looking for. This is a lot better than my TomTom.

All in all, this is a great phone with a great plan.

If my review was helpful, please give it a click below as helpful. Thanks.

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I purchased this phone at my local Radio Shack a couple days ago, and it has been awesome so far! The performance of the phone is zippy, and it actually performed faster than the Samsung Intercept, which is also from Virgin Mobile, and has a faster processor. Also, the screen is much clearer and colorful than the screen on the Intercept. It's glass covered instead of plastic, unlike the Intercept.

The phone looks great, it seems to be built very well (especially considering the low price), and it looks like a more expensive phone.

Most apps on the Marketplace work, and there are some that really add to this handset's functionality.

The camera is great, takes awesome images for a 3MP shooter.

Get this phone, you will not be disappointed, especially for the price!

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Craig AM/FM Alarm Clock Radio

Craig AM/FM Alarm Clock Radio.
.6 Inch LED Display.
Snooze Alarm Function.
Wake to Alarm or Radio.

Great little clock! It does what I bought it to do which is to tell me what time it is and to wake me up. It's easy to use and works. If you don't want to spend a lot and just want a clock that WILL do its job...well then this is it. Great clock!

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I love it it works great. It tells the time and the alarm works so it's what I wanted. It also has a radio.

'Jensen Jims-225 Universal Ipod Docking System With Built-In Subwoofer (Home Audio / Docking Systems

I've had this for a few years, and I LOVE IT. the subwoofer (even though its only 4 inches) Provides decent bass and clear sound. I listen to this almost every day and I'm still Happy, I don't want a new Ipod dock, as long as this one doesn't break (which I've had it for 2+ years) I don't see myself buying another Ipod docking station for quite a long time.

Sony 100 watts Hi-Fi Stereo Audio Sound System with iPod & iPhone Dock, CD Player, AM/FM Receiver wi

This hi-fi stereo sound system is compact yet powerful and sounds great in any room in the house or workplace. Featuring a powerful 100 watts and a 2-way bass reflex speaker system, impress everyone with its rich and accurate sound grounded by deep, full-bodied DSGX boost bass. Dock your compatible iPod or iPhone and charge it while it plays. Listen to any of your favorite CD's or tune into the radio of your choice easily with the 30 station presets.
Alarm Clock with Sleep Timer - have the time always displayed, plus set your wake up alarm to any Radio, CD, or iPod Tunes or talk shows you like. Imagine awaking or falling asleep casually with sweet classical music or some interesting conversation from your favorite talk show host, or the latest news. Falling asleep or awakening to the sounds of your choice just makes the day better.
Remote Control Included - Control all the basic functions of the stereo system, CD, Radio, or iPod/iPhone playlist navigation, with the included compact and easy to use, remote control from the comfort of your couch, favorite chair, bed or anywhere in the room.
Child Lock function lets you keep the children away from using the sound system without permission or from arguing about what to listen to. Most important, it makes sure that the baby won't turn the volume up to the highest level, especially when others are sleeping.
Total Dimensions: 23.5"W x 12"H x 13.25"D - Total Weight: 17 lbs - Compatible with iPod touch 2nd, 3rd & 4th generations - iPod nano 3rd, 4th, 5th & 6th generations - iPod Classic - iPhone 3G, 3GS, 4 & 4S

This is a great system. If you are a "Bassy" person then you will definitely want to own this unit.

It has the utmost base sound that I have ever experienced. Love the unit! Very nice looking as well. It has it all!

This unit is very attractive. The remote device is awesome.

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Bought for my 12 year old daughter for Christmas. She loves it!! Great sound and lots of features. Fits nicely on her dresser. I have nothing but good things to say about this product

HELLO KITTY KT2053 AM/FM Stereo Alarm Clock Radio with Top Loading CD Player

AM/FM stereo alarm clock radio
Top loading CD player
Multifunction 0.6-Inch red LED display with dimmer
Wake to CD, radio or alarm
Skip/search forward and back

Purchased this Alarm Clock in May for my 5 year granddaughter for her birthday which wasn't until July, she was starting kindergarden in September, well the CD player doesn't shut off at the end nor does it replay, it just keeps making noises. The alarm just would not work. No one tried all this until September and of course her parents don't have the box and it's been over 30 days so I can't send it back!!! Paid way too much for it, but she's my pride and joy so I didn't mind the price, but now I'm so upset with the product and the parents for not trying it out long before the 30 days were up, but I never had any problems with anything else that I've order from amazon so I assumed that there would not be problem with the alarm clock, shame on me.

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We bought this product for our 2 1/2 year old daughter to use in her bedroom. The controls are fairly intuitive and the sound quality while not great, is definitely in line with the price-no complaints there. Everything works as advertised and the best part is that the daughter loves it and has no problem working the major controls herself.

The first one we received quit working after about a week but no worries, the vendor (J&R Music and Computer World) was very courteous and took care of all the return paperwork as well as getting us a new one fairly quickly. I was impressed with their customer service and I'm not easily impressed.

Overall a good experience with both the product and the vendor.

Read Best Reviews of HELLO KITTY KT2053 AM/FM Stereo Alarm Clock Radio with Top Loading CD Player Here

This is for my 7 yr old daughter's room. Just what we wanted for her, with the CD player and clock radio. Not high quality but good quality for the price. There is a wire antenna attached whick makes it easier to pick up radio stations compared to most clock radios. CD player works good and easy enough for 7 yr old to use.

Would definately recommend.

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Bought this in December, Its March now and it is almost completely unusable. CD player skips badly, sometimes CD's refuse to start, and you need to turn it off and start over again. Was purchased for my 4 yr old because she loves Hello Kitty and it was pink to match her room. Next time need to get function over form unfortunately.

Need to see if I can find the warranty card as J&R only covers 30 days after purchase :(

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I usually don't make a habit of writing a review unless a product is really great or, in this case, really bad. I would have given it 0 stars, if I could. The sad thing is that this item got mediocre to poor reviews to begin with, but I couldn't help myself and went for stylish instead of functional. I bought this for my daughter and its clock-radio-cd function. I use all three, but the CD player was most important, since we put our daughter to sleep with music. I bought this in February (it's now August), and the CD is skipping so badly that I have to set it upside down in order for it to play--sometimes it gets stuck. I imagine that its only a matter of time before its unusable. The clock and radio portions seem to work fine. Given the high cost, I recommend spending half and getting a much better product!

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