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

Ambient Weather WR-088-X2-KIT Emergency Solar Hand Crank AM/FM/NOAA Weather Radio, Flashlight, Cell

Ambient Weather WR-088-X2-KIT Emergency Solar Hand Crank AM/FM/NOAA Weather Radio, Flashlight, Cell Phone Charger 2 Pack
  • The Ambient Weather WR-088 Weather Band provides assured access to news, weather information and illumination whenever and wherever you need it. The rubberized finish makes the WR-088 splash-proof. This robust and dependable radio, with integrated LED flashlight, offers a choice of self-charge, solar and external recharge power options.
  • The WR-088 delivers complete independence from wall power or disposable batteries, ensuring sustainable access to vital information and the peace of mind that you'll never be without power. Ambient Weather's self-charge technology means unparalleled playtime performance, and the compelling design makes the WR-088 a great everyday radio, as well as the perfect companion in emergencies.
  • A must for any emergency toolkit or your everyday portable radio, the compact WR-088 is an AM/FM NOAA Weather Radio and a powerful 3 LED flashlight, with cell phone, MP3, MP4, Amazon Kindle (TM) and USB charger, all in one tiny package. The WR-088 is a five way charger - charge from a USB device (computer), AC or wall power (with optional converter), DC or car charger (with optional converter), hand crank, or solar panel. The Ambient Weather WR-088 is a radio that you and your family can depend on, anytime, anywhere, any weather.
  • The WR-088 sets itself apart from other crank chargers - you can fully charge the WR-088 through the USB/AC/DC adaptor, and when you need it, charge the cell phone/mp3/mp4/USB with no cranking. Other crank chargers require continuous hand cranking to charge a device. Optional adaptors are available for AC (house) and DC (car) charging. Includes mini and micro cell phone adaptor cables, which cover about 90% of the cell phone market. EXCEPTIONS: Does not charge Apple IPhones, Ipods and Ipads. Some cell phone adaptors sold separately.
  • The WR-088 will play for approximately 20 minutes at normal volume per 1-minute wind, and can be rewound at any time for as much playtime as you want. An LED charge level indicator tells you the best speed to wind. In direct sunlight the WR-088 will charge itself and play continuously - the internal Ni-MH battery can be fully charged from both the solar panel and an external USB charging adapter.

Bought 4 of these for our camping/emergency backpacks. I liked the cell charge feature, the rechargable battery, the solar and hand crank, and the price. We fully charged the units with the USB charger and then powered my son's dead cell phone enough to make a phone call or two. (Works with 3 of our 4 cell phones, Blackberry, LG Ally, LG cosmos, not my Samsung Alias2 which has a funky charger, but I suppose there would be some adapter you could get.) They are light but have a nice, solid, good quality feel. My son had great fun testing them and gives them 2 thumbs up.

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Buy this radio for the "hot" FM band. I have FM receivers costing 10 times what I paid for this but don't have the same FM reception. The radio is small but has a very good speaker. I was amazed. The AM band leaves much to be desired, but since I rarely listen to AM, it doesn't matter. The solar cell will charge the battery even if the sun isn't shining. It does for me even on cloudy days. I use one of my AC transformers in case I want a rapid charge of the battery. If you want some exercise, you can wind the crank! I checked to see if it actually would charge my cell phone. It did. Flashlight is OK.

I wish the weather band was selectable for any of the 7 NOAA WX frequencies, but instead it scans for the strongest one. I use my Kaito KA-500 to select the WX band I want. Only reason for rating it 4 stars was because of the mediocre AM. FM rates 5 stars +. If FM was its only capability, it would be worth the price!

Read Best Reviews of Ambient Weather WR-088-X2-KIT Emergency Solar Hand Crank AM/FM/NOAA Weather Radio, Flashlight, Cell Here

These were well worth the money for all the storms our country has been having. They do not need a battery and if you charge them in the sun, then you won't even have to use the crank. Sturdy and well made, with good sound on the radio. Would purchase these again.

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I have used this radio around the house and plan on taking on vacations and outside, it has great reception, sound, and is compact and small, the flash light is great and it charges my cell phone, one great radio to this point of use any way and would definitely recommend highly, still have to look at it to make sure this little radio is creating the great sound.

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These little gadgets deliver alot in a small durable package. One small area for improvement is the hand crank. It falls from it's storage location. I used a small piece of vecro to address this minor gap. I am completely satisfied with this product and the service I received from Ambient Weather.

Ambient Weather WR-088-TAN Emergency Solar Hand Crank AM/FM/NOAA Weather Radio, Flashlight, Cell Phone Charger (Wounded Warrier Project® Desert Tan)

Sangean ATS-404 AM/FM Digital Shortwave World Band Receiver

Sangean ATS-404 AM/FM Digital Shortwave World Band Receiver
  • Full Shortwave 14 Meter Bands
  • SW Meter Band Selection
  • 45 Memory Preset Stations
  • AM/FM and stereo shortwave reception
  • 45 memory presets
  • Carrying case and stereo earbuds included
  • Illuminated 12/24-hour display
  • Repeating beep alarm; volume increases every 15 seconds for 1 minute

The Sangean ATS-404 is a budget minded travel portable designed for the business or vacationer on the go who wants to take a small receiver along for the trip.

The radio is touted as an AM/FM stereo portable primarily, although the unit also is considered an entry level shortwave portable.

The AM sensitivity and selectivity on this receiver is only fair, and if you are close to a transmitter, the receiver can be overloaded and spurious (secondary) signals will appear as you scan the band.

FM is adequate, but the receiver is also prone to overloading in areas near FM transmitters, with stations appearing in places they do not belong.

The shortwave performance on this receiver indicates that band was an afterthought, much like some boom boxes used to include one long shortwave band for novelty value.

Even reception of strong signals available to North American shortwave listeners such as Voice of America, Radio Canada International, BBC World Service, Radio Havana Cuba and Deutsche Welle were not all they could be. The reception of good quality signals on shortwave requires a decent antenna, and the antenna on this receiver won't cut it. Attempting to hook up an external antenna overloads the receiver.

If you are looking for a travel portable with AM & FM reception, this is an adequate choice, but if you want a receiver that can competantly handle shortwave, choose a higher end Sangean model or a unit priced at $99 or above with digital readout. You'll be far happier.

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This radio is very similar to a panasonic I purchased 7 years ago, though that one was $100 and had limited sw bands. For its price, this is an excellent deal.

None of the information I could find prior to purchase explained the sw band range, which is 2.3 to 26.10 MHz, from 11M to 120M. I'm giving this radio a "4" on the basis that some die hard SW enthusiasts would probably prefer something similar to the more expensive models available from Sangean, Grundig, and others. For my purposes though, this radio is more than suitable. Radio Netherlands, Deutche Welle, BBC, Radio China, Russia, etc.. are all easily heard.

Size overall is about 4" high, 6 or 7" wide and 1.5 deep. Light and easily portable for travel.

Other details has an alarm function, 9 am presets, 18 fm presets, and 18 fm presets. Also comes with "ear bud" head-phones and a nice case. A filter switch cuts out high end noise in the am and sw bands. Has a back illuminated light that can be turned on or off 7 seconds at a time. Has a stereo and mono switch for headphone use. An adaptor may be used instead of 4 AA batteries.

Sound projected from a small 3" speaker, but the clarity is very good without distortion. Very good reception.

In all this is a good way to own a quality SW radio.

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The Sangean ATS 404 is a good shortwave radio, especially considering its price. I like to listen to radio when I travel abroad, and over many years have discovered that the radio I use for that purpose works well as a bed-side radio for night-time listening as well: when all the talk shows are full of conservative blather, I can switch to shortwave bands and listen to the BBC or broadcasts from Germany, France, Russia, Australia, all in English. With multiple pre-sets, this Sangean radio makes that a snap, though it was easier to use the smaller number of presets on my previous radio, a Phillips model similar to this. The Sangean looks good, although it is, as other reviews have noted, perhaps a little too complex for easy use of all the devices. It has a light so one can tune in the dark; a dual time function so one can in travelling keep both home time and local time; a very simple tone control (Music-normal-news), which is more than one expects on a radio of this price with so many other features. It has (always useful) alarm and sleep functions for falling asleep and waking up to radio. As another reviewer noted, it comes with good quality bud earphones; as almost every reviewer noted, rightly, it uses batteries like SUVs use gasoline: inefficiently, at greater than expected expense. I use an AC adapter whenever I am not travelling.

So what's not to like, given that no other radio in this price range carries such a diversity of shortwave bands? Well, primarily, I don't find reception wonderful on either AM or SW bands. I'd like to use a simple shortwave antenna (known as a long wire, it costs almost nothing -it is just a long strand of wire) and greatly improves reception. The problem? There is no antenna jack nor connection screw. So using long wires or other antennas, including cheap but useful FM dipoles, are not possible. And the Sangean ATS 404's NOT providing a connection for antenna and ground seems, to me, a great flaw.

Still, it is a fine radio, with lots of potential for avid radio listeners, especially at this price.

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This radio is the best of its type for the money. The Sangean 505 gives you SSB and a nice fine-tuning knob, but it is considerably more expensive, and also quite a big larger. If all you want is a good, small, AM/FM, basic shortwave radio with a speaker and memory, you can't beat this.

I find its reception to be quite good, on all 3 bands.

As far as battery use, it works very smoothly with rechargables. It has a 3-segment battery indicator that displays when you first turn it on. When only 1 segment is lit, it means you are getting toward the end (maybe about 1 hour left). At that point, you can charge a second set of batteries and install them when it finally dies.

You can also just disregard the battery indicator and wait for it to die, and then charge the second set. As soon as the battery power gets too low, the radio shuts off, but still retains the time and memory station settings. It can run in this low-power mode for hours. In my case, I had 4 nicads in it that died, and it took me 6 hours to charge 4 NiMHs that I use as the 2nd set. The radio's time and memory settings were still intact when I finally installed the NiMHs (you have 3 minutes to make the actual switch). Very nice!

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I just got this, and am very pleased. I bought it for the AM/FM reception mainly. I live in an area where reception is poor. As soon as I plugged in the ear plugs, I could hear stations normally not on around here with my walkman. Great buy, ...

Philips DC315/37 Speaker System for 30-Pin iPod/iPhone with LED Clock Radio (Black)

Philips DC315/37 Speaker System for 30-Pin iPod/iPhone with LED Clock Radio
  • Supports most iPhone and iPod models with Universal Dock Connector
  • Play and charge your iPod or iPhone
  • Dual alarms with weekday and weekend settings let you wake to iPhone, iPod or radio
  • Gentle wake up with increasing alarm volume
  • Built-in FM digital tuner plus auxiliary input

I was looking for a radio that supports my iTouch and iPhone, looks modern, has a small footprint on my desk, and sounds good. I got all of those features. The only feature I did not get was an audio out so that I could plug in my external speakers. Hence, only four stars. I use Pandora and other iTouch apps that play music, and they all work seamlessly. The sound is remarkably good, especially considering the size. Also a plus is the support that stabilizes the iTouch when it is docked. You don't feel like you will break off the connectors when you push on the iTouch.

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There are plenty iPhone docking stations out there and some are quite expensive... so why not add a radio to it and a device from which you can easily use the iPhone as well?

Here were the criteria I went by:

1) Below $100

2) Easy to use Radio docking station

3) Slick design to put on my desk not too big but yet suitiable to put on the desk with decent sound quality

4) While listening to music from the iPhone the music should stop playing so that I can take a call AND after the call is over I want to get the music to be turned back on where it stopped

5) Easy to use the iPhone from the docking station to dial numbers without breaking anything (most of the docking stations are a bit clunky when you try to put in the iPhone and then try to call people you always have to use two hands to ensure the iPhone doesnt break anything on the docking connection).

After using it for a few weeks now all of the creteria are met in my opinion.

My biggest liking is actually how easy I can plug my iPhone into the radio docking station and can actually use the phone, look up contacts, do calls, etc with just one hand. Since it is right next to me I can simply use one hand to operate this little device. Unfortunatley (and I hope to see this feature in the future) the radio speakers are not turned on when someone calls... but I have the staion in arms length and the iPone speaeker do a good job or alternatlively I use the headset.

Also I use the iPhone as a wireless radio and with the iPhone in the docking station it becomes my wirelss radio so to speak. I have Pandora and other online radion service through the Apps provided by Apple. And in that instance the speakers do work!

And if I dont want to listen to internet or online radion stations I can easily switch with one button (the source button) to either an external MP3 Player, or the local FM radio stations.

The sound is quite descent but don't expect an super stereo and deep bass experience. But you can always attach bigger speakers later if you like.

So overall for $80 you get a stylish looking docking station for the iPhone and you can making calls from it, listening to online or local radion stations while charging your iPhone at the same time.

Read Best Reviews of Philips DC315/37 Speaker System for 30-Pin iPod/iPhone with LED Clock Radio (Black) Here

I bought this unit as a replacement for a Philips DC320 that I had brought home from a local Best Buy and returned within a week (you can find my entertaining review of that thing on the Best Buy site). The DC315 overcomes the major failing of the other unit by providing a readable display that doesn't flood the room with light. In fact the display here is rather beautiful with a nice color and an interesting but still legible font. Actually the entire unit is very attractive with the large glossy black face and the design motif which mimics and blends very well with the iPhone making you just want to look at it. It doesn't take up a lot of real estate, but the large face makes a dramatic impact nonetheless. The display has three brightness settings with a good range, but does not automatically adjust for ambient light. Fortunately even the brightest is not unacceptable to sleep with in a dark room, and the middle one is still very visible in daylight.

As with the other unit I like the alarm with it's ascending volume. It is the gentlest wake-up I've gotten from a machine. The sound is pretty good overall with some amount of bass and decent balance. However although the sound is better than a typical clock radio, it is not as quite as good as the DC320 in terms of detail and stereo imaging. But it is able to play louder than the DC320 without gross bass distortion. There are some other issues. One of the segments in the secondary display below the clock doesn't work. Fortunately it is in a position that is only used for radio frequency displays and I can live with it considering the annoyance of returning a mail ordered item (another review of a similar Philips item I read cites a similar display problem interesting). As with the other unit the snooze bar is right next to and feels exactly like the button to reset the alarm for the next day which is risky when you are half asleep and trying to get another nine minutes in the morning. I will probably modify one button somehow so it feels different. It requires a fair amount of force to properly seat the iPhone in the dock so that it will charge. Unfortunately with the physical design of this item the force required causes the entire unit to tip forward. Stabilizing it with your other fingers on the top of the unit always results in unwanted buttons being pushed. A small pad behind the iPhone (or iPod) adjusts in and out to allow the right angle and support to be achieved with the iProduct you are using. Unfortunately again the adjustment is by a cheap feeling plastic knob in the back which is quite loose and will not stay where you put it. It doesn't appear that the unit has a battery backup for power outages, although I haven't actually tested this yet. And last, and probably worst, the alarm only goes for a half an hour, including snoozes! So if you hit the snooze more than 3 times, then 3 minutes into the last snooze period the alarm simply turns off without warning, leaving you snoozing. Honestly I don't know where Philips found an engineer to design this who had never used an alarm clock.

So this unit certainly isn't perfect, exhibiting a quirkiness and so-so design quality that appears to be characteristic of Philips electronics. I could probably get a much more feature-rich and better designed product for a similar price. But the style is great, especially compared with other iDocks available, it is usable as an alarm clock, and the sound quality is really pretty decent. So I will keep this one I guess.

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I purchased this item at Target on an impulse. I'm reasonably pleased and will keep it.

Pros:

The sound really is surprisingly good, and gets fairly loud without distortion. This, combined with the low severity of the Cons, is why I'm keeping it.

The display is a nice color and brightness. The middle of three settings works day or night.

Overall it looks nice and is a little more understated than it looks in the product photos.

While it doesn't have a backup battery, it apparently has some kind of capacitor instead. I.e., it will keep time during a power outage, even without a backup battery. How long is anyone's guess, and it's not mentioned in the manual, but I unplugged mine for 15 minutes to position it where I wanted it and it kept the time. That's a good thing.

Cons:

The buttons are ridiculous. You simply must memorize where they all are, and you can't tell them apart by feel either. The whole top and left are covered in a bar of buttons (crazy because there are really only three on top and four on the left side), making it somewhat hard to dock the iPhone. Everywhere you want to touch to stabilize the clock is actually a button. Fortunately the unit weighs just enough that you can usually just push down on the phone, as long as you line it up carefully.

The build quality of the face is poor. The face is a plastic sheet that's glued on, and it's peeling up from the edges. It's not noticeable unless I look carefully, but it's not really reasonable on an $80+ clock-radio.

If you have the phone plugged in, and turn on the power (i.e., the speakers, as the clock is always on), it starts playing music on the phone's iPod app. If the power is on, and you plug in the phone, it starts playing music on the phone. There's no way to plug the phone in and turn the speakers on without the phone starting to play iPod songs. This isn't a huge deal, but I plug my phone in and go to sleep to a noise generator app (Ambience) and it's annoying to have to plug in, wait about a second for it to kick on the iPod tunes, and then hit the stop button on the radio. On the flip side, after I go through that nightly button-pushing routine, it sounds very good and fills the bedroom better and with more clarity and less plasticky boominess than the Sharper Image noise machine I used to use (and that machine was twice the size). And I can find the play/stop button now... with middle finger touching the phone, it's under the index finger.

So a mixed bag, but if you want something that looks pretty good and sounds good, you might like it. Certainly most of the other options are horribly ugly and often sound bad too. I just wish they had been smarter about the buttons, both how the work and how they are made. I use it to charge my phone at night while playing sounds from the phone, and to display the time. It works for that once I get used to its button quirkiness.

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Despite being one of the top items that appears on Amazon when searching for "iPhone 4 alarm clock", this alarm clock does NOT work with iPhone 4. If you are desperate enough, you can use the MP3link, but then you cannot use any of the smart controls, such as rewind/fast forward/stop/play. The MP3link will not charge your iPhone, so you will be draining away the battery during the night. So I'm not interested in using the MP3link. I will return it and try to find an alarm clock that actually works with my iPhone 4.

P.S. Someone mentioned how there was no difference between the Snooze button and the Alarm buttons (meaning you can accidentally turn the alarm off instead of Snooze), however, the Snooze button is significantly larger than the Alarm buttons. The unfortunate thing is that it is side by side with the Alarm buttons, so if you like to slap around the alarm until you hit the Snooze button, it may or may not be an issue. After looking at how much larger the Snooze button is, I decided I would be safe buying this alarm.

American Red Cross FRX3 Hand Turbine NOAA AM/FM Weather Alert Radio with Smartphone Charger - Red (A

American Red Cross FRX3 Hand Turbine NOAA AM/FM Weather Alert Radio with Smartphone Charger - Red
  • Receives AM/FM/Weather band
  • USB smart phone charger
  • Hand turbine and solar powered
  • LED flashlight
  • Aux- input

I've had this radio for a little over a week now and have beeen putting it thru it's paces. All three bands, AM, FM and the weather band have excellent reception. I have no problem recieving the weather stations here in Western Massachusetts and both AM and FM recieve all the loca; stations perfectly. Audio quality which I admit isn't the primary reason to buy an emergency radio is really realy good. Sound quality is more than acceptable and volume is capable of being loud enough to be heard in a noisey room without distortion. I haven't tested the rechargable battery capacity yet but have confirmed that charging buy usb, solar or hand crank work as advertised. What makes this radio unique is the way it recharges a cell phone, instead of needing to use the hand crank, you charge the phone via a battery dump from the onboard rechargeable battery pack. You recharge the radio battery then plug in the phone which means you don't have to sit there and crank. After trying a few different emergency radios I find this one a keeper and I'm extremely happy with the purchase

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I just received this radio. I purchased it for emergency purposes. Here is a summary of the features: AM/FM/7 weather bands. The reception in my area for all 3 functions is excellent. It comes with a retractable antenna which tucks away nicely when not in use. The radio is powered in 1 of 4 ways: solar (takes 10 hrs of direct sunlight to completely charge the NiMH battery); an included NiMH battery which is what is charged by the solar panel & the hand cranking (90 seconds of hand cranking yields 5-7 minutes of radio use per the instructions). The NiMH can also be powered by plugging the radio into a USB port on a computer (2 hrs to charge the battery this way). The radio can also be powered by 3 AAA batteries (not included). In addition, there is an adapter for DC power, but no charger was included (I need to call the manufacturer to inquire). The radio comes with a clock and alarm clock. A cell phone can also be charged via a "dump" from the included NiMH battery--the built in battery simply trickles the charge from the radio to the cell phone. The radio is indeed plastic, but doesn't see "cheap" to me, and if basic care is taken, the radio should do fine. The crank is also made of plastic, but again, with common sense, should provide years of service. I paid $45 for this radio on Amazon, and plan on getting several more for family/friends. There is a simple 2 white LED light and a blinking red LED. Someone criticized this light, but seriously, if you want a good light, then buy a dedicated flash light!! The built in LED light is adequate for a simple task, but it's not an "uber-lumen" light--I would suggest a Steamlight or Surefire light for a great LED light.

Read Best Reviews of American Red Cross FRX3 Hand Turbine NOAA AM/FM Weather Alert Radio with Smartphone Charger - Red (A Here

I will just summarize this product:

construction is plasticI don't believe it is waterproof (not a big deal to me). If you drop it, it may break depending on the height it is dropped from.

It has a cable for charging and comes with a rechargeable battery.

It can charge an iPhone4s and a Droid X2.

the crank is plastic so be gentle. You don't have to have brute strength to crank it or to utilize the recharge function.

The antenna is retractable and metal. It is easy to break but you can keep it tucked out of the way. The reception is good and dependent on your location. (am/fm/weather)

There is a solar recharging cell on the handle and it works nicely.

The flashlight is a joke. It is best suited for reading something close-up. Your best bet is to also have a flashlight around for emergencies. The flashing red light is also a joke. Again, have a handy flashlight to accompany this radio for emergencies.

Overall, I don't regret buying this radio. It is nice and serves the functions it was designed to perform. I would buy another if I needed to.

Good value for the money.

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I own the eton FR160 Microlink, and the Kaito KA350 Voyager. Both are great for bug-out bags or camping, but I was looking for something for my home preparedness kit, and thought I'd like something a bit larger, with more to offer than the other radios. I was prepared to purchase another Kaito, mainly because it allows you to use batteries as a 3rd power source. But then I saw the FRX3 and after hours of research between the Kaito, the eton FR600, FR360, Axis, and the FX3, looking up the manufacturer's manuals rather than reviews, I decided to go with the FRX3.

The main feature that clinched it for me wasn't really even advertised. I compared this to the eton FR600 and the Axis. The FRX3 does state in the manual that it dump-charges like the Axis (and it DOES), but it's not really advertised anywhere else. The styling looks a little nicer too than the AXIS. But the FRX3 supports solar charging, and the Axis does NOT. They're both the same price, but an extra power source is a definite plus, especially if it's "free". You CAN tune the FRX3 with the knob, or the up and down buttons, a nice feature I stumbled upon. It also supports 24 hour time, but it's not in the manual. Just press SET for the hour, again for the minutes, and again for the 12/24 hour. The unit charges through a window even on a slightly over cast day, so I can leave it in the window and not worry about the battery going dead from non-use, or having to keep it plugged in. Compared to the eton FR600, you give up the shortwave capability, and the date on the clock, but the FR600 does NOT support the dump charge, nor does it use the USB input to charge a big sticking point for me all I need is a USB AC Adapter, a mini USB cable and a micro USB cable, and I can charge my phones, 2-way radios, GPS, and almost anything else I need, including the FRX3. Nice, instead of everything having it's own cable.

The flashlight it a little weak (I couldn't find a lumens rating, but it's only the top 2 LEDs, I'm guessing 50 less than a square lantern flashlight), but it's good as an emergency one until you find your main light. The red LED beacon is kinda goofy, but I guess it serves a purpose. Some do SOS, this ones does not.

This radio has everything you could want, except for the shortwave capability. Like I said, you can move to the FR600, but you loose the dump charge, which makes a big difference, and you can't use a USB cable to charge it. And it's $20 more.

The only downside I've found is that you can't turn the unit off. You get ON, or STANDBY, which leaves the clock on. I guess you'd need that for the SAME function, but I have a separate unit for that and would like to shut this off to save the battery. Otherwise, LOVE IT. If you're juggling a few, BUY THIS ONE.

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The FRX2 AM/FM/NOAA Weather Radio with USB Smartphone Charger and LED Flashlight came out of the box with enough charge to run for about 45 minutes. I discharged it completely by running the FM radio loudly and in 45 minutes I began to run it through its paces. It did EVERYTHING it says it does, some things REALLY well. The bulk of my review describes my verifying all features.

Pros

* Does EVERYTHING is says it does, some things REALLY well

* AM, FM, and Weather Radio features are nice multiple options

* 3 x LED flashlight is power stingy, useful bright

* Handy footprint

* Sturdy feeling and solid crank

* Esthetically pleasing

* Lots of different powering options

* Comes with mini-USB to USB cord for running power from a laptop

Cons

* No gauge to indicate power level remaining or if fully charged

Considerations

* Does not come with external power supply (not meant to be day-to-day radio)

* Not waterproof (not advertised as waterproof)

* Documentation could be clearer (it is "adequate")

Having the right cables and USB adapters are relevant to charging this device, and using it to charge a cell phone. I suggest (and have done this myself) keeping your cables wrapped up and attached with a "twistie" to the lanyard that comes with the radio. That way when you pop this in your emergency kit these will be attached to the device for use. Put these all in a heavy-duty ziploc baggy and, throw in with your emergency kit at home, on your boat, in your car, or with your camping gear, and you're good to go.

SUMMARY: All features worked well and as advertised. For details, feel free to read below.

Powered with crank (my favorite feature)

While cranking, the green battery light comes on indicating the device is getting power.

Test started with device battery drained. The crank turns VERY easily and steadily and you can keep up a 1 revolution per second speed without fatiguing. I was able to use the radio and LED flashlight on crank power alone. The footprint of this device made it easy to actually hold it as a flashlight and crank easily at the same time. If there is no charge in this, you can still easily use it to pick up a radio station or supply light, or both. The ultimate emergency power supply.

To charge it, I cranked for 5 minutes, then ran FM radio fairly loud for about 8 minutes until it died. Running on a low sound will give you more radio time, and I got well over 10 minutes on low volume with 5 minutes of slow and easy cranking. Five minutes of cranking and the LED flashlight (by itself, no radio) lasted for 1 hour and 45 minutes (manual says 2 hours close enough for me). I cranked very slowly with little effort, but more, longer, harder cranking will give you (duh) a longer lasting charge.

Notice that the radio uses much more power than the light.

Powered using external USB (DC) input

While powered with external input, the green battery light comes on indicating the device is getting power.

Test started with device battery drained. I turned on my fully charged ASUS netbook and connected the supplied mini-USB to USB cable to the netbook and ran the radio and flashlight from the turned on netbook with no problem. When I used this connection to charge the unit (radio turned off), I found I got about 1 minute of loud FM radio for every 1 minute I charged it. Worked as advertised.

You can use this with an external "wall wart" power supply. I used the supplied mini-USB to USB cable with an AmazonBasics Wall Charger with USB Outlet( 2.1 Amp Output). Since this isn't marketed to be your day-to-day radio I don't find the lack of an external power supply critical (though it would be nice for charging purposes, say, before you took this on a camping trip). Almost any standard wall charger with a USB connection should work with the supplied cable.

Powered with solar "panel"

The green battery indicator light comes on while charging in the sun

Test started with device battery drained. This is a VERY tiny solar panel, but after discharging my unit I left it in the sun for about 1 hour just to verify that solar charging worked. Playing FM loudly I got about 12 minutes of radio play. Because of the vagaries of charging in the sun (including your geographic latitude) this is unlikely to be used much. But it DOES work. The manual says "10-12 hours in the sun will allow about 3 hours of play depending on volume levels." There's lots of wiggle room there for different performance levels.

USB Smart Phone Charger

I tested this with my BlackBerry 9300, battery indicator at 1/2, and using its own USB cable (USB to micro-USB). Just plugging the cable in to my phone and then to the USB port of the FRX2, my phone's "charging" light came on and blinked merrily. So, using whatever power you have in the FRX2 you can charge your phone. This is a very cool feature.

I discharged all power from the FRX2, and the USB to micro-USB cable as above, but this time cranking the turbine to supply power. As advertised, while cranking the FRX2 the green light came on, and my phone's "battery charging" indicator came on. I didn't want to test this feature too much because of potential damage to the phone (see the documentation) but all appearances are that, yes, this feature also works. In an emergency you should be able to supply power to, and charge, your cell phone. You should verify this with your own cell phone, and insure you have the right USB cables and adapters.

An easy 5 stars because I'm used to similar devices which promise the same things, but end up being cheap, barely useable toys. This radio is the real deal.

Jensen Jiss-10I Docking Speaker System With App For iPod/iPhone

Jensen Jiss-10I Docking Speaker System With App For iPod/iPhone
  • Plays & Charges iPod/iPhone
  • Auxiliary Input Jack For Connecting iPod Shuffle, Mp3 Or Other Digital Audio Players
  • 2 Built-In High Fidelity Stereo Speakers

I use this product while in my spare room doing sewing projects and my guests are able to use it to play music when staying overnight. It is a terrific product with good sound and easy use. Was shipped safely. Price was reasonable for a reliable product.

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This product is awesome for my desk and I love having the music! I would recommend it to anyone that has someone sitting next to them and they just want to zone out on their own music!

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This speaker gave me what I wanted. Small, easy to use and good sound, reasonable price. I had searched for a new room speaker that would work with my Gen4 iPod touch because my old speakers didn't work with gen 4. This unit also has an aux in and a pretty blue lite running the length of the speaker.

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I absolutely love the Jensen docking speaker system. I wanted something for my desk at work that was small, yet held my iPod Touch vertically so that I could easily see the screen. And it also needed to NOT run on batteries. This fits the bill. Great little sound for work, and so very easy to use. I did not install the app since I use it for Pandora or Songza and not iTunes. Would definitely recommend.

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Bought this around Christmas time. Use it every day at work. For the cost, it has good sound and I haven't had any problems.

Sangean DT-400W AM/FM Digital Weather Alert Pocket Radio

Sangean DT-400W AM/FM Digital Weather Alert Pocket Radio
  • Digital AM/FM tuner
  • 19 random presets
  • "My Favorite Station" select button
  • Optional 90-minute auto shutoff
  • Built-in speaker/clock

This is a fine radio with very nice improvements starting from its predecessor, the Sangean DT-200VX. It is a very light and small portable radio with very good battery life that can be taken almost everywhere for full as well as easy listening capabilities.

PROS:

1) It has quite good reception on all bands (AM/FM and Weatherband). Now it also has excellent and almost completely static-free reception on all 7 US frequency channels of the standard NOAA weather-band. In addition, this radio also has the official NOAA weather alert detection capability to signal the user of impending weather disasters as well as other problematic situations such as child abductions, flash floods, earthquakes, etc. However, this NOAA alert capability is NOT the latest S.A.M.E. technology (Specific Area Message Encoding) that is available on some other table top units that can give a county by county area warning to individual users. Like its predecessor, this radio also has a monaural/stereo switch (bandwidth control) for FM listening improvement, but there is no RF (radio frequency) DX gain switch on the DT-400W as there is on the new Sony SRF-37W for example, but see Con below.

2) It has a very big and easy to read display with a battery level indicator, a lock display indicator, a 90 minute shutoff capability (that can be disabled during each listening session if needed) with an on-screen indicator, etc. It also has a clock and a backlit display, but see Con below.

3) There is a very nice arrangement (called My Favorites) for as many as 19 presets for any band in any order with simple retrieval of all presets, but only in order from the first one designated to the 19th one in a logical progression (it won't go backwards to find the previous preset for example).

4) Its deep bass boost is a very nice feature.

5) Automatic scanning capability and seeking capability, but see Con below.

6) It also has a nice and easily removable belt clip for wearing the unit for jogging or walking.

CONS:

1) Backlight cannot be turned off even in daytime and even in bright sunshine conditions. It is apparently an LED (light emitting diode) with an extremely low power drain, but it seems very illogical to me that it can't be overridden when it isn't needed at all. Apparently, it is actually only on briefly while tuning the radio and then it shuts itself off after a short time, but to not be able to disable it entirely when it is not needed seems absolutely counterintuitive to me.

2) It is certainly well built with a fully attached battery compartment door (requiring two AA batteries), but it is not as rugged as the Sony SRF-37W for example (and the latter only requires 1 AAA battery). Of course the reception and acoustics are better overall on the DT-400W so get a good case (like the Sakar International HS-10, a small hard shell case which it fits like a glove).

3) A 90 day limited warranty from Sangean America is way too short given that even the Sony SRF-M37W has a 1 year limited warranty (see my review of the SRF-M37W and also its product manual for details).

4) During automatic scanning/seeking, the audio is muted so you can't hear any stations as they are detected. Only the strongest stations are picked up during the scanning/seeking process. Of course during manual scanning the individual stations are easily heard so that you can readily pick the station you want to listen to.

5) Sangean chose to put the speaker controls on the same slide switch along with the Stereo/Mono (bandwidth) changing capability. In my opinion the arrangement was better on the DT-200V with a simple and direct push button Stereo/Mono switch on the front of the radio and not on the side with one other commonly used function.

6) As also discussed by others, you must connect the short trailing wire (that is supplied by Sangean) or else connect a set of supplied earbuds (or a more comfortable set of headphonessee below) in order to receive any FM or Weather-band transmissions at allincluding the weather alert transmissions.

7) The supplied earbuds are very uncomfortable and could also be quite dangerous given the volume output that this unit is capable of with 2 AA batteries.

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I wasn't happy with the FM on my tiny Sangean DT-180 and my Sony SFR-M37V provided similarly disappointing FM. But both were good on AM.

Wanting an upgrade, I bought the DT-400 on Amazon for $61 free shipping. You can choose the built-in speaker or go through the earbuds, which serve as the FM antenna. Without the earbuds or provided wire you will get zero FM reception. I replaced the stock buds with my V-MODAs and the FM was just as good.

The AM and FM of the DT0400 beat the reception of my aforementioned radios. The weather band is a plus as is the Deep Bass button. Also, with TV band obsolete in 2009, the DT-400, which replaces TV with weather, is an important update.

The sound is far better through the provided buds or my upgraded V-MODAs and I recommend using them over the built-in speaker.

Final verdict: Highly recommended.

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This is a decent AM/FM (stereo) weather alert radio with two exceptions you should be aware of.

Number 1: You will NOT be able to receive FM or Weather Radio without first attaching the supplied external antenna (a piece of wire that plugs into the earphone jack) or having the earphones plugged in. If you are counting on the radio as a weather alert radio and don't have the antenna with you or forget to plug it in, you won't get the warning.

Number 2: If you have the earphones plugged in and you are listening with the speaker turned off (there's a switch on the side to change from headphone to speaker listening), you'll have an antenna but the speaker will be off and you won't hear the warning unless you are wearing the headphones.

Also, don't pack this radio away in your emergency kit with batteries installed. The radio has a clock feature which continuously uses battery power so just when you need it, it may be DOA.

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I feel strongly compelled to add to this discussion and the comparison between the Sangean DT-210V and the newer model Sangean DT-400W pocket size radio.

First off... I have both in my possession as we speak. So I am a reliable source for what I am about to share.

Now I have owned the DT-210V for at least four years. I have loved this radio! Reception, sound, performance... is second to none in pocket size radios. I have purchased at least 4 of these over that span of time... telling friends of this great gem and they have loved it as I have! The earlier purchases came with a great set of ear plugs that rival named brands at $30 to $50 a hit. More recently, Sangean no longer ships these earplugs but a lesser quality replacement with purchase of the DT-210V (similar to one in picture above). That's a shame... but I have kept my originals and still use them regularly.

Ok... just recently, I purchased the DT-400W... and hear is what I can tell you definitively for comparison of each model:

1) Reception: No difference. Don't get caught up in the lame claims that AM is better or worse for either model. There is no difference for either AM or FM reception. The KEY is the sound that fills the ears... and the more "tinny" it sounds... the more pronounced the hiss or static becomes (i.e. I took note of a claim that the DT-210V was superior in AM reception over DT-400W by a post from Amazon). Which brings me to my next very important point.

2) Quality of sound: Hands down, slam dunk... the DT-210V wins by a mile. I Could not believe the difference in overall quality of sound. I have always been impressed with the DT-210V's ability to sound like a concert hall in my ears... coming from a such a small device. Now... mind you, I am comparing these two pocket size radios using the SAME set of quality earplugs that came with my original DT-210V purchase (How nice if one is lucky to find these earplugs with a future purchase of the DT-210V. However, if not... you can always go and purchase better earplugs seperately but one has to understand... it will only sound as good as the unit that is pushing it out. Which brings me to the DT-400W). There is no debate regarding the nice additonal features of the DT-400W model, with its enhanced updated memory presets (easier to use after setting), the updated weather band, the LCD light, etc. But... the SOUND of this radio is a BIG disappointment when comparing with the DT-210V. It sounds flat and un-impessive to the ears. Easily... inferior in quality of sound to the DT-210V. I guess something has to be sacrificed when a company adds features. I can do without... if it means sacrificing the most important thing.

Now, if all you are looking for... is a good weather band and AM talk and sports, then by all means... the DT-400W is a very nice purchase. But... if your priority is FM sound and reception from a pocket size device, then I HIGHLY recommend the DT-210V. It blows away the DT-400W for overall sound quality (via earplugs or external speaker which both have).

Of course, the DT-210V's nice feature for TV sound will become obselete very soon. I haven't used it enough to care. I thought the weather band would be nice to have, but I can live without it... if it means sacrificing overall quality of sound to the ears.

For me... when you're plugging something into your head... it better sound real good! The DT-210V is far and away better than the DT-400W in comparison for this category. Reception is no different... regardless of what you might hear. I tested with same earplugs in use for both.

In summary, I was excited over the purchase of the DT-400W (with its additional features), until I did the comparison of the two radios. It's not even close to me.

I am taking the DT-400W back. Not because of its quality of reception that is Sangean's trademark. Simply because I already have a pocket size radio (DT-210V) that provides the same quality of reception... but quality of sound that is easily superior.

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There is little I can say or add that previous fine reviewers have not covered other than this little wonder just accompanied me and my family through hurricane Ike and it performed spectacularly.

Normally I wouldn't be anxious to hand over $60 for a "pocket radio," but this ain't your father's pocket radio. I'm into my sixth decade on this planet and have seen any number of "pocket radio" variations in that time, none of them as complete a package as this. I'm currently also a talk radio buff and hail the return of AM radio for that format. I also love old analog radio dials but you can't beat a digital with pre-sets for quick tuning accuracy, especially on a radio this size. Because of its size the speaker sound is on the sharp side but for someone my age with a degree of high-end hearing loss it's great.

I cannot find a single fault with this little jewel. It is frugal on batteries even though a small LED illuminates the display for about 7 seconds whenever a function button is pressed while the radio is on, which is especially helpful when you're in the dark without power.

Read the features list everything on it is real and works as advertised. I couldn't be more satisfied.

Bose Wave Radio - Clock radio - platinum white

Bose Wave Radio - Clock radio - platinum white
  • Rear FM 75 ohm EXTERNALantenna connector

If you haven't heard this little beauty, you should. It is a design and engineering gem. And small. The best part is the sophistication of the design that has and will last for years. I've owned one for about six years. A new one is the same and for good reason, it needs no changes. I suggest one thing: buy the wave radio, not the CD wave radio. For the $150 you save you'll have a sleek unit that lets you add, say, an inexpensive slim progressive scan DVD, CD/mp3/WMA, etc. combo player that you can always update. You gain expandability and can use this setup as your sound system for movies and music in an apartment, or another room in the house to compliment a main Home Theater projector/Plasma Digital Audio setup. Trust me, even years from now the full rich sound will amaze you.

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It really is hard to believe that the sound is coming from this small radio.. it fills the room and doesn't sound harsh or boomy. On the back are input stereo jacks so that you can play back music from a CD player, tape deck, portable cassette or MP3 player, etc. I hooked up a small Sandisk Sansa MP3 player through the Wave radio and it was pretty amazing, sounded like a full size stereo system. The other thing I really liked is how easy it is to set, change, enable or disable the alarm, you don't have to get the manual out to figure out how to do it. There are two available, I set one for week days and used the other one for weekends when I didn't want to get up as early. You can set it to music, a buzzer, or both and the music gradually comes up in volume from any preset radio station you choose. There are 6 presets available and they are really easy to store; again, this radio is user friendly. Hit the snooze button if you aren't ready to get up, it's larger and easy to find in the dark. That reminds me.. the radio automatically dims the display when the room lights go out so that the display doesn't bother you trying to sleep. Even if the power goes out, the alarm will still go off from the battery back up, which also stores other settings like the time, stations, etc. The remote is small, clean, easy to use with a single surface.. no protruding buttons that can get dirt in them and it works great too. Everything about this radio was thought out and done right and it looks good too. I think this is the best Bose product they ever made.

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Okay, I had to eat a bit of crow about this little wave radio but it was worth it! My spouse had been saying he wanted this Bose wave radio for ages but frankly, I just couldn't understand why a radio needed to cost so much especially since it doesn't have anything else included. No CD, no nothing.

Well, not only has this stood the test of time but it's remained a household favorite. The fact that is doesn't contain a CD means it hasn't become obsolete like most other electronics. The plugs on the back allow it to be expanded and remain versatile and flexible despite the age/years. The sound is friggin AWESOME. The footprint is small and keeps us both happy...no bulky boxes sitting around, no tangled mess of wires everywhere...just a small little box with a really big sound.

It's simple to use, versatile, flexible and really a top quality item. Sometimes less really is more and this is the perfect example of that adage in action!

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My Bose Wave radio is about seventeen years old; we've used it every single day. The radio is amazingly simple to use, the buttons are intuitive. The sound is very warm, rich, and somewhat un-Bose-like in that the highs aren't overboosted. The sound fills the room with very little stereo effect (the speakers are very close so there would be very little imaging). There are no treble or bass controls; Bose seems to know better than the user about tone control. This is a very high end clock radio, not an audiophile piece of gear. The tuner works reasonably well two external antennas are required for AM and FM reception). For me, the sound has never disappointed. The clock automatically dims depending on the room light, a very nice feature. My biggest disappointment with this radio was its high original price, but seventeen years of sound is pretty darn good in the long run.

This particular clock radio has really simple inputs it predates the iPod world. The Auxiliary in is two RCA jacks (the red and white jacks on stereo receivers); it is not line level in, but headphone level in. The trick with these inputs is to use a mini-jack to RCA adapter (like this one: Cables To Go 03180 6ft 3.5mm Stereo Male to RCA Male Y-Cable), they are inexpensive and work very well.

For the first sixteen years, all was bliss with this radio. Now in its seventeenth year, the unit needs a bit of work. Turns out Bose made a strange design decision. Instead of turning the power to the tuner and amplifier off, they simply used a circuit to mute the volume. That means the amplifier and tuner have actually run turned on for almost seventeen years. When components are left on for this long, bad things can happen or weak components show up in Bose's case, the capacitors in this unit will leak. Once that problem starts, things go very wrong from no sound, to humming, to snapping during volume change.

There are three options with this radio: Send it off to the recycler and purchase a brand new clock radio (iHome makes some very nice units). Pay to have somebody else repair it (there are several companies that will repair any problem with a Bose component for a flat fee myboserepair is one of those companies). Or try to repair this yourself. The cool part of the DIY attempt there's nothing to lose and everything to gain. There are a lot of capacitors in this unit, something like over fifty. They are all easy to get at, and none are so big that you risk a shock from stored electricity. The parts are around ten dollars and fairly easy to buy. YouTube has some great videos on how to replace capacitors and there are a couple of excellent videos on how to open up these radios.

If the unit has been refurbished, it is highly likely they replaced all the capacitors, and the voltage regulator the most common problems in this radio. If the work was done properly, the radio will work for another fifteen years. If the radio should stop working, it is not very hard to fix with a soldering iron, some capacitors, and a little bit of time.

The reception has not been very good. I am disappointed.May be it will help to move it around.I hope so.

Coby DP356BLK 3.5-Inch Digital Photo Frame with Alarm Clock, Black

Coby DP356BLK 3.5-Inch Digital Photo Frame with Alarm Clock, Black
  • 3.5 inch TFT LCD
  • Displays JPEG photo files
  • Plays MP3 and WMA music files
  • Photo slideshow mode
  • SD/SDHC card slot , USB port for fast file transfers

As the title says, it's a great alarm clock but it's really not meant for displaying your photos because the screen is too small. This is an Alarm Clock with benefits. It wakes you up in the morning and you can glance over in the evening to see one of your photos and you'll say, "I remember when I took that."

Pros:

3 alarm tones

Displays your photos

Lots of settings

8 minute snooze

Easy to use

Automatically turns on/off

Cons:

To small for displaying your photos to others. (who cares, it's in your bedroom)

Goes into Slideshow when I turn it on. I would rather it be Calendar mode.

Other notes:

Music mode is decent.

Snooze stops working after the second time you press it. May be a good thing or a bad thing.

It forces you to get up or you could fall asleep after second snooze and be late for work.

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I bought this compact Coby picture frame to take advantage of the many digital pics that we take on vacation and at family gatherings. All too often they sit on the PC not doing much of anything. This would give me a nice alternative to the traditional picture frame. Its strength is also its shortcoming. The small footprint on this mini picture frame allows you to place it almost anywhere. But its certainly not the showplace that many larger digital photo frames might be.

To maximize your enjoyment of this little wonder, you'll want to have an SD card on hand. It doesn't need to be huge. In fact, if you've been looking to upgrade the card in the family DSLR, this might be your chance. A simple 1 gig card should me more than abundant for a decent stream of photos.

There are a few other onboard features in this compact picture frame. The calendar mode is effective as a calendar, period. If you squint really hard you'll see there is a thumbnail slideshow, with images smaller than a traditional postage stamp. Not really sure why the folks at Coby even bothered. There is also a passable music player that will allow you to provide an mp3 soundtrack to your slideshow. Its not going to replace your trusty iPod, or even your favorite FM radio. That said, I was able to listen to a ripped CD without any real gripes. Again, a nice compliment to the office workspace, as it will provide you your own personal soundtrack without annoying fellow co-workers.

Gripes are minor. In addition to the peculiar micro slideshow in calendar mode the slot for memory leaves the SD card hanging out and exposed. The base certainly seems deep enough that they could have enveloped the whole card or at least slid it further into the frame housing. A curious choice in my estimation.

I feel this little frame delivered some nice bang for the buck. It capably displays my personal photos and offers some additional features, all at a very reasonable price. Glad I discovered it.

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When I found this while searching for a alarm clock I was really impressed. An attractive looking LCD picture frame with MP3 & alarm clock for less then many regular clocks, what a deal! When I opened it I was much less impressed. First off, even though I used a ruler to try to visualize the size of a 3.5" screen, once I opened the package and placed it on my nightstand it just looks tiny. Then I tried to use and within 10 minutes I decided to return it. As a picture frame that you would put on your desk at work, maybe it is not too bad. Even though the screen is small, in just picture mode it is not terrible. The screen is clear & bright, and the resolution is pretty good for what it is.

But as an alarm clock it is terrible. You have 3 mode to display the time: a rendering of an analog clock (that only uses 1/2 of the screen so it is microscopic), a full month calendar mode, and a clock/date readout with a thumbnail photo. To look at the pictures shown in the Amazon description they all look pretty good (magnified on my 22" computer monitor). But in reality, on such a small screen you need magnifying glasses to read the time in any mode. Then I tried to set the alarm. You have to go through 2 sub-menus and scroll down through 10 different options to set it. And pushing the completely non-intuitive buttons requires quite a bit of force and they make a rather loud (low quality) clicking sound that will wake the kids in the next room. For instance, if you want to change the time from 6:30 to 7:15 literally takes a few a minutes because you have to hit the buttons like 30 times to get into the menu and scroll down to where you set it, then once for the hour and 45 times to change the minutes (holding the button down does not let you scroll through the numbers). In addition, it also displays the indoor temperature and even though I let it sit on the nightstand for several hours it always read 10 degrees higher then the actual temperature.

To sum it up:

As a cheap digital frame; Good

As a alarm clock; Bad

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Pros: It does what it says. The display is nice and crisp.

Cons: Choosing different options in different modes in awkward. When it starts it always goes to the menu rather than clock or photo view. You can't pause the photo slide show and keep listening to music.

I gave this as a gift to my mom who is always wanting prints made from her digital photos. She loves this frame because now she can look at the photos any time she wants! And she loves that it plays music too!