Showing posts with label i home radio. Show all posts
Showing posts with label i home radio. Show all posts

Sylvania SIP286 Rotating Speakerphone Docking Station with Clock for iPhone/iPod (Black)

Sylvania SIP286 Rotating Speakerphone Docking Station with Clock for iPhone/iPod
  • Play and charge all iPhones and iPods
  • Built in Clock for easy time viewing
  • Auxiliary input for playback of all audio devices
  • Digital Volume Control
  • AC Adapter Included

My son chose this item for his ipod touch. He was very pleased with the way it looks and it's ease of use. His only complaint is the clock on the display is in a 24 hour mode and can't be changed to 12 hour. It plays pretty loud and has a good sound. I think it was a bargain price too.

Philips AJ7035D/37 App-enhanced Aluminum Docking System for iPod and iPhone

Philips AJ7035D/37 App-enhanced Aluminum Docking System for iPod and iPhone
  • Play and charge your iPod/iPhone simultaneously
  • Wake up to your iPod/ iPhone music or radio tunes
  • Free HomeStudio app for enhanced wake-up and radio experiences
  • Dock any iPod/iPhone, even in its case
  • Auto clock synchronization with iPod/iPhone when docked

Just purchased this dock after researching all of them. This Philips unit really delivers what it promises. Deep bass and high note with plenty of volume to spare. I think it can be compared the the Bose radio. I like the fact that it has a FM tuner as well as Iphone/Ipod software app that gives you more options.The only downside was that it does not have a remote control. The design of the radio/dock is very modern and retro at the same time. I cant really find a better looking or sounding dock on the market for this price. Very Satisfied.

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My old clock-radio (iHome iA9SZC) sounded great, but started losing connection with my iPhone 4 and only woke to buzzing. It also was way too bright for my taste, even on its dimmest setting. So after finding this on sale at a local retailer, I decided to give it a try.

Pros:

Great sound quality

Free app has decent functionality (you can set alarms either in the phone or on the base)

Stylish looks

Cons:

Brighter than the Batsignal, even on the lowest setting

Can't use the radio without the iPhone docked to it

It's only a slight improvement over my old clock-radio. I'm still in the market for a clock radio, but it'll work for now. In the meantime, I have a sheet of rubylith over the time display to keep from going blind at night.

Sharp SPC127A Quartz Analog Alarm Clock (Black/White)

Sharp SPC127A Quartz Analog Alarm Clock
  • Quartz analog alarm Clock with easy to read dial
  • Snooze/light button to activate the back light and snooze
  • Luminous glow in the dark hands
  • Easy to see alarm on/off indicator on dial

Decent easy to read alarm clock. If you are bothered by ticking then don't choose the Sharp. Go for the Elgin 3675E instead. It has a sweep second hand and is nearly silent.

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Easy to see the clock face in the dark and without my glasses. No more worries about the electricity going out.

Read Best Reviews of Sharp SPC127A Quartz Analog Alarm Clock (Black/White) Here

This clock loses five minutes per day. Nice big face and easy to read, but it doesn't do what is is supposed to do: keep time accurately.

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Nice clock, exactly what I wanted. Large enough to read in the middle of the night without glasses. There are two LEDs instead of the usual one. Time set and alarm set are via two different knobs -you don't accidentally screw up the time while setting the alarm.

Two things that don't bother me but you might want to know: (1) It has a retro-Japanese look, right down to the cheap-looking snooze and alarm on-off controls. (2) It ticks louder than most.

I withhold the fifth star only because it is very light and scoots around on the night stand. Worse, the designers saw fit to put two rails on the bottom so it doesn't even have the full surface area to provide some friction. I am resigned that one of these days it will fall onto the floor, but when it does I will buy another!

I wanted an easy to read and operate alarm clock, non-digital that was lightweight and did not dominate the room with a big face and loud ticking--this clock was perfect.

JVC KD-R210 4 x 50 Watts CD Receiver

JVC KD-R210 4 x 50 Watts CD Receiver
  • AM/FM radio, CD, CD-R/RW, MP3/WMA receiver
  • 4 x 50 Watts MOSFET amplifier with 2.5V subwoofer output
  • Detachable face with DOT display and red key illumination
  • Front-panel auxiliary input for connecting external devices
  • One-year limited warranty

I installed this myself (!) in my wife's 98 Rav 4; first installation for me, but with the Internet, you can do anything. The install was a snap, the radio works great, even plays our iPod using just a mini-plug cable. I thought it sounded pretty good, but my wife says it is much, much better than her factory radio that I replaced. My complaints are really minor: 1: You can't change the color of the display, and 2: If a station is weak you can change to monaural, but it changes all the stations to mono. I really recommend this radio.

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works excellent,very loud and clear,great features,plays mp3 Cd's,up to 150 songs on one disk is awesome,love the remote and red buttons,display is easy to see,aux is nice and works well,tuner works good,it gets pretty hot after a while of usage,i believe that's normal though seeing the mosfet supply and heat syncs are mounted along the back side. if i needed another stereo deck,i would highly consider getting another one. JVC is also a well known name brand and has been around for decades so you know your getting the best quality without sacrificing reliability.

Read Best Reviews of JVC KD-R210 4 x 50 Watts CD Receiver Here

Three words.....Japan Victor Corporation....JVC. Love these units, easy in, easy use, long lasting, reasonably priced. I did order a Sony for my son's car this time, but have had JVC for years and LOVE them! I think the remote is kind of a stupid thing, but all my cars are small and I just reach over and make change.

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I am loving this receiver so far! This receiver has all the basic features you would possibly need. It sounds great, even with factory cheapo speakers. I bought this unit mainly for the AUX input so I can play my iPod. Sure, you can get receivers that will control your iPod, but look how much more they cost! This is a better unit than one I bought years ago for $300! The remote is not very useful to me and is very small. It looks like it is made to go on a key chain. However, I did not buy this unit for the remote. The FM tuner works better than the factory unit. CD player works great and hasn't skipped a beat yet. At the time of this review, I haven't tried an .mp3 data disc in this unit yet. This unit does not come with a case for the detachable face, but I won't be taking it off anyway. I am not too worried about somebody breaking in for a $70 receiver.

My only con's about this unit would be the very small buttons and the volume knob is a little shallow and hard to grab . I have large hands so it is a little difficult to operate the receiver, but I will get used to it.

--Update 12/13/11 ---

Well, after owning this unit for just over a year, it is starting to have some problems. I believe it is starting to loose connection between the removable face plate and the main body of the unit. The sound is cutting in and out. moving the face plate will cause the audio to "kick back in" again but soon goes silent. I will try to clean the connectors, however, it may be time to start shopping for a new unit :(

I don't feel any difficult to install this car receiver into my Nissan Altima 2000 GXE. The sound is better than my original one. Easy to operated except the time adjustment because the instruction is not really clear. Otherwise this is the value receiver base on the price. I don't need expensive or fancy, the function is enought for me. Because i am install by myself, the hard part only I need to figure it out the wire system between the new and the old one.

Memorex MI7706P 30-Pin iPod/iPhone Speaker Dock (White)

Memorex MI7706P 30-Pin iPod/iPhone Speaker Dock
  • Powers and charges your iPhone & iPod devices. White, also available in charcoal black
  • Multi-directional speakers provide high quality sound to the entire room
  • Digital AM/FM radio with station presets, includes AM and FM antenna
  • Line-in jack to connect other audio devices
  • Includes AC adapter and rechargeable lithium-ion battery that provides 4 to 6 hours of continuous play

The Memorex Party Cube is awesome!! I love that it is very portable and light weight, but don't worry it's very sturdy. There are speakers all the way around the system so it puts out pretty good sound. There is also a radio with this sound system which you do not find very often with iPod sound systems. I also like that you can use this with a computer or other devices so it's NOT just for iPods which makes it very functional. This item comes with rechargeable batteries so you don't have a waste a lot of money on batteries like you do for some other sound systems. This sound system really is the ultimate Party Cube!

If you are looking for a sound system that is fairly inexpensive then look no further than the Memorex Party Cube. Please remember that it is NOT just for iPods!!

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Memorex MI7706P Party Cube Sound System

When this speaker arrived I was very interested in opening it and trying it out. My intended use is primarily for lawn parties when the weather gets warmer to supply some background music (but not loud P.A. sound that would bother the neighbors). When I opened the box I was curious and pushed the "on" switch and was pleasantly surprised that the battery was already charged. Nearly every rechargeable item I buy must be charged a day or so, and you never want to run a ni-cad battery until it has had its first charge. This being a lithium battery (a huge plus) I did not have that concern and I plugged my iPod nano into it. The speaker system immediately took control of my iPod, allowing me to use clearly marked, very tactile push buttons for all normal functions. The nicely illuminated front LCD display was easy to read and gave me all of the information I needed, then discreetly went dim after a while to conserve battery power.

The sound quality is nothing short of amazing! It has a richness of sound that rivals a friend's very expensive "Wave Radio". A big plus for a unit of this type is that it emits sound equally from all four sides, perfect for those lawn parties, so everyone gets to hear the sound but it doesn't have to be cranked up so loud as to disturb the neighbors. The sound quality is very natural ... not a huge amount of bass but that is to be expected, a very clear mid-range and nice sharp high end.

When I listen to the same iPod through headphones each song's volume sounds relatively the same, however when I listen through the Cube Sound System, some songs are very low in volume and others are very loud. I'm not sure why that happens. It's not a dealbreaker, but some sort of automatic volume equalizer would probably be an improvement.

Build quality is impressive. It looks much more expensive than it is. The unit comes supplied with several adapters for different Apple devices (none for the iPod nano but there is an adjustable back support for whatever device is mounted to the connector and, since the nano is so light, I had no concern about it being loose or falling off.

There is a built-in AM/FM tuner with 6 presets, an input for an aux device like a CD, cell phone, etc. and an external AM antenna in the box, plus a larger-than-average recharging brick.

Packaging is minimal but protects the unit well.

There are tons of different iPod speaker systems on sale in stores, most cost more than this one. They come in all kinds of different styles. Many of them have very tiny speakers and are not much more than a humble convenience. The Memorex MI7706P Party Cube Sound System to me is more versatile than most, and will likely come with me to the beach, camping and other places.

One final note ... the specs claim 4-6 hours battery life. When I took it unit out of the box to test it I ended up letting it play all afternoon. That was 5 hours and the battery meter only was down one level. The next day I played it again for 2 hours until the UNCHARGED battery finally gave out. That's at least 7 hours! Kudos to Memorex for understating the battery life, I have no doubt that the Memorex MI7706P Party Cube Sound System can give me at least a full day of nice rich sound before it has to be recharged.

Read Best Reviews of Memorex MI7706P 30-Pin iPod/iPhone Speaker Dock (White) Here

Memorex MI7706P Party Cube Sound System for iPod and iPhone: It's a great little box! It's light weight, compact, easy to tote. Maybe it should've been named iBox or iCube. Okay, the pros: hooks up with all iPod models as a docking/charging station. Has AC access and has its on lithium battery that charges up like the batteries in your iPod/iPhone and goes for hours before needing recharged! Has controls on the box that interact with the controls for your iPod. Has an AM/FM tuner! Comes in white or charcoal. Okay, the cons: It's not a boom-box and the volume only goes so far. Not ideal for rocking the neighborhood on their dancing feet, but that's what your home stereo system is for, am I right?. But for one or two, out on the deck with a six-pack of beer or glass of wine for that ambient mood; or for a small group like a sleep-over and the kids need music while they giggle an chat over whatever, it's great. It's for when you'd rather not use the ear buds. It's a great little box!

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Nice accessory for the IPhone with clear sound and convenient long lasting internal battery. The cube does not take long to charge and holds the charge a good 4 6 hours. May not be the best for a large party but for a few guests sitting on the patio or deck it does a nice job.

I like the fact that my IPhone fits the charger/holder while still in the case I have. The cube comes with an adapter to hold the IPhone but it is unnecessary with the IPhone case. In fact, to use the adapter you would have to remove any protective cases. The adapter does not snap in easily either and looks like ti would crack if it was removed.

Problems I found: Has a radio too but the accompanying antennas must be hooked up to hear it, making it somewhat less convenient. I would also change the volume control dial. Not a big problem but most people are used to a dial that is a bit more obvious with a knob to hold to adjust volume. The radio does allow for 6 present channels, a convenient feature so that favorite channels can be easily tuned.

Overall a nice unit that works well with the IPhone.

As my title says, there is no where in the description that says this DOES NOT WORK with a 4th Generation iPod. My daughter received this for Christmas and when I contacted Memorex they said it DID NOT work with the 4th

Generation iPod. Also, I don't think this unit ever worked at all. Turned the power button on, and then off and the light remained on. I could not get it to go to Radio mode either. Amazon was awesome and refunded the money immediately. Too bad it did not work out.

Portable AM/FM/NOAA Weather Band Radio

Portable AM/FM/NOAA Weather Band RadioExcellent sensitivity and selectivity plus pleasing sound quality in a low-cost radio. I particularly like the NOAA

weather band when I travel. It works well and is easy to use.

Motorola HD Dock with Wall Charger for Motorola Smartphones and Tablets - Retail Packaging - Black

Motorola HD Dock with Wall Charger for Motorola Smartphones and Tablets - Retail Packaging - BlackI am extremely dissatisfied with using this product as a desktop docking station for my Droid 4. It is unnecessarily large and bulky, because it was designed to support the weight of tablet devices as well as phones. Since it is somewhat universal, there are no channels to guide the device into the dock ports. This makes docking and undocking the phone very painful, even after you carefully dial in the depth on the dock. A major shock to me was that the USB port on the back does not carry data, rendering the dock useless for syncing media with a PC, which I fully expected to be able to do. Since the docking station port-replicates a micro-USB port, why in the world would it be designed not carry the data signal as well as power? I was expecting a lot more from Motorola after being very satisfied with the official dock for my A855. I have nothing good to say about the design of this product. Unless you want an outrageously overpriced charger, this is useless for a phone.

PROS:

The two connectors (mini USB/charging and mini HDMI) are on a sliding tray that can lock into position as required to fit Motorola phones including Droid 3 and Droid 4, or for motorola tablets. It also has inserts that can be removed when tablet/phone has a case. The knob on top is used to lock the sliding connector tray into place, as well as the spring loaded rear backing pad, so the device is held fairly firmly in place when locked down. HDMI cable carries video and audio out, plus there is a 3.5mm earphone jack for analog audio output. It triggers the various docking modes on my Droid 4 phone, but I haven't spent much time trying to learn or use them... they may work well, but I don't have a use for them. It's the only dock that can accept Droid 4 phone at this time.

CONS:

Will NOT charge motorola XOOM tablet since it does not have the separate charging pins that Xoom requires. Motorola Xoom tablet cannot charge through the mini USB port like most other phones and tablets. Wish they allowed a lower rate charge through this connector, but they cheaped out on the original Xoom. It might charge other tablets but I can't confirm this.

It does not rotate Droid 4 phone's home screens to portrait mode when inserted into the dock unless an HDMI cable is connected to a device that is turned on (such as a TV). However, the apps seem to rotate with the phone normally, so this is only a minor annoyance.

It's kinda tricky getting the connectors to line up when inserting a tablet or phone unless you are at eye level with the connectors.

It's a fairly large unit, so it looks pretty clunky on a bedside table. So far, it's the only dock for Droid 4, so I choose to overlook the large clunky dock on the nightstand. I wish they would come out with a small dock like they have for previous droids. I'll definitely replace this dock if a smaller one becomes available.

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I have had great experience with previous Motorola docks but not this one. There is a manufacturing problem. The two male plugs are not properly aligned (relative to one another) as they are placed in the plastic slide. The slide itself is adjustable to accomodate different devices (Droid, Zoom, etc) but the two plugs are fixed on the slide. One can look at the plugs and see they are not properly aligned. The two female openings in the phone are properly aligned. So the plugs on the dock do not align with the openings on the phone. At Amazon's suggestion I am returning this one and ordering another.

Read Best Reviews of Motorola HD Dock with Wall Charger for Motorola Smartphones and Tablets - Retail Packaging - Black Here

There's an old saying "Jack of all trades but master of none". Which basically means if you try to do everything you'll end up doing nothing well. That sums up this dock.

I've had all previous droids and their docks, this one sucks compared to the others.

The dock is meant to allow use with multiple devices. I'm guessing it'll be just as crappy with any other models as it is with the Droid 4.

The first failure is the depth adjuster. Instead of having a cleanly sized 'socket' for your phone you're left trying to determine just how deep to set the dock yourself. This might be useful if you have a non-standard case on your phone. But if you're using the phone by itself it just means you're left with a loose, hard to align ledge.

The second failure is the double connectors. I don't need video out on my desk. I need USB charging. But since the dock has two connectors it's a hassle trying to line up both connectors. On other docks you just set it into the cradle and you're done. Not this one. Here you have to fiddle around trying to line it up. Scratching the side of your phone in the process.

Thirdly there's the hassle of disconnecting from the dock. The two plugs make a secure connection. This would be good except it means the dock gets pulled up when you trying to remove the phone. You have to struggle with it to get it loose. I have to imagine all this yanking around is unnecessarily hard on the connectors in the phone. So instead of being convenient it'll just end up breaking your phone earlier. Gee, thanks Moto.... NOT.

As a side note, it appears the D4 no longer uses a magnet to determine whether it's in a dock or not. This means third party docks won't be as available. Again, screw us much, moto? First you make a crappy dock and then engineer it so nobody else can make a better one?

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What an absolute useless piece of junk. Why would you have a USB plug that does not sync to your PC but is charger only? It don't matter what you plug in the back, they disabled the data channels. This thing is going right back. Previous docks by Motorola had no problem syncing with PC. Some genius at Motorola thought to themselves "hey people don't use docks with PC's". The funny thing is they did it with not only this dock but the more expensive dock too.

So let me see the scenario that they thought through (my tone is highly sarcastic). When you want to have a clock on your desk, or make a phone call use the dock. When you need to sync photos or something with your pc, pull the phone off the dock, get another wire and hook that into the phone and then do your syncing. Later when you are done syncing, put it back on the dock when you want it to look pretty. Seriously, duhhhhh.

If someone from Motorola reads this review, please do me a fave so I feel better: Close your eyes shake your head left to right rapidly, and start running at full speed (keep shaking that head).

Apart from that you cannot lift the phone off this dock without the dock coming right with it because the plugs are holding on so tight. On the surface the adjustable would seem genius, but what an absolute useless piece of junk.

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Jensen JIMS-211i Docking Music System for iPod and iPhone (Black)

Jensen JIMS-211i Docking Music System for iPod and iPhone
  • FM Stereo Receiver with Digital Tuner
  • Alarm Clock with Snooze
  • Wake to Alarm, Radio or iPhone/iPod
  • Time Sync Button - Allows you to automatically set the time using your iPod or iPhone
  • Output: 2 x 2.5W RMS

I bought this at a local store for $50. The packaging states it's a "Docking Digital Music System for iPod and iPhone". If I wanted an alarm clock, I wouldn't have gotten this (to address some of the other reviewers' complaints). If you want an iPod/iPhone alarm clock, I already have this one and would recommend it:iHome iP90 Dual Alarm Clock Radio with AM/FM Presets and Dock for iPod and iPhone (Black)

I was looking for a iPod Touch docking station with an FM tuner to sit on my desk while I work. I'm very happy with the purchase so far.

Some of the pros:

* Good sound quality for the price

* Digital FM tuner that gets good reception. Antenna is a 2 foot long cord rather than a telescoping metal rod.

* No problems docking or listening to my iPod Touch

* Comes with a remote

Cons:

* The controls on the system can be a bit confusing at first (such as using Channel +/to go through your preset stations).

* You should read the instruction manual rather than just plug it in and use.

In short, I would definitely recommend this to anyone looking for a radio with docking capability, such as for your office/desk, kitchen, etc. Based on the other reviews for the product, it's not the best choice for an alarm clock.

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I purchased the Jensen JIMS-211i Docking Music System after finding it on sale at a local store, and I am very pleased with my purchase. I was looking for a docking station that would securely hold my iPod Touch 4th Gen, play my music clearly, and work as an alarm clock since I am currently using my cell phone. This was the perfect product that met all of my needs. To address the alarm volume issues from other user comments, I found the volume to be adequate to most alarms on the market, in actuality my cell phone alarm is much louder than the alarm on this unit, and I often have to turn the volume down on my cell phone as it can be too loud at times. The alarm for the Jensen station is a series of several "beeps" which are loud enough to wake a heavy sleeper, but not too loud to startle a light sleeper. I did not find the volume to be a negative issue in either the alarm function mode, or the iPod/radio song mode.

After reading reviews, I was apprehensive about the unit securing my IPod Touch as it states it supports earlier iPod versions, however, my iPod Touch 4th Gen fit into the unit perfectly, charged with out a problem, and I moved the unit several times while my iPod was connected and it didn't wobble inside the holder at all.

Overall I am pleased with the unit, the ease of set up, the volume for the alarm and the stability of my iPod in the docking station. I received a great product for a great price, and I am thoroughly pleased.

Read Best Reviews of Jensen JIMS-211i Docking Music System for iPod and iPhone (Black) Here

I also received this for Christmas and used the alarm for the first time this morning. I had it set to radio and it blew us out of bed. There is no way to adjust the volume for the alarm feature. I will also be returning it. :(

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For the Love of God, avoid this thing. The readout is difficult to see, the buttons are confusing and not intuitive, and the iProducts don't dock very easily in it. I can forgive all that. But if you use this for an alarm clock, be warned, you cannot change the volume you wake up to. I repeat, you cannot change the volume you wake up to. It starts around 20, and ends up at 24.

It's not "extremely" loud, but it is annoyingly so, and being bereft of choice perturbs me to no end. I give it one star because maybe there's someone out there who is hard of hearing and enjoys being shocked awake by some cheesy radio commercial or an awful heavy metal song from the dark recesses of their digital music collection. If you are that person, you may enjoy this product, but only maybe.

Similar products on the market offer significantly more features for the price. Features like ease of use, dual alarms, legible readout, and buttons that don't leave you reaching for the user manual to figure out how to turn it on.

I'd hire a mariachi band to wake me up every morning before I use this piece of junk again. Two thumbs down, way down.

I got this iPod docking station for Christmas. It was on sale for $50. While it has some nice features and is a good size, it has serious flaws...

Pros:

decent sound for the price (cheap)

nice size

good clock radio functions

Cons:

ipod docking is terrible. Connector is not reliable. Some of our family iTouch's could not connect at all. Other times it was tricky to get my iPhone to connect.

Clock numbers become invisible if your head is below the face of the clock

No instructions on using a ipod with the docking station

conclusion: if I cant connect my iPods reliably to the Jensen then what is the point. Returned product.

Sony ICFC180 AM/FM Clock Radio

Sony ICFC180 AM/FM Clock Radio
  • AM/FM Clock Radio w/ Dual Alarm
  • Automatic Time Set
  • No power, no problem! (Alarm will sound even if power is out)
  • Weekend Alarm Mode
  • Easy Alarm Set

My wife and I have been using the same clock radio for the past 20 years It's a dual alarm Panasonic and it still works pretty well. Some of its features such as individual up/down alarm/time set for the minutes and hours are not even available on clocks today. And it has a 10 minute snooze not nine minutes, another feature hard to find these days. But it's lacking in other areas such as no battery backup. So we decided to replace the old clock.

Some research was necessary. For the most part, only Timex, RCA and Sony have competitive products. My requirements were simple AM/FM dual alarm, battery backup, 10 minute snooze, easy to read display, and not too bright. I did not need a CD or MP3 option. Here's why I bought the Sony ICFC180 and rate it so highly:

Form Factor and Buttons: This is not a large clock radio it's about six inches square. The case is pretty much all white. Buttons are well spaced and nicely shaped. You can easily learn to use this clock in the dark or by feel alone.

Display: The backlit LCD displays not only the time, but both the alarm settings, each in its own quadrant. This is a great feature. The time is large enough to read from across the room although it could have been a bit larger. The alarm displays are smaller, but fine for viewing bedside. Viewing from different angles seems fine. It has two manual brightness levels and here Sony cheaped out a bit an auto dimmer with sensor would have been nice. The high level is fine for the day and the low level is acceptable for the night, but who's going to move the tiny switch each day? I leave it on the low setting. I really like the room dark when I sleep and I would have preferred the low level to be a bit dimmer. The display is mostly green, with orange for the weekday alarms. The green is fine, but the orange is just a bit too bright. But again, it's acceptable.

Time Features: Auto time set well not really. The auto time set feature prominently displayed on the box is a bit misleading. Unlike other clocks (such as from RCA) which can set the date and time and change daylight savings automatically, this clock is just set at the factory and uses a lithium battery to keep the time. If you happen to live on the east coast of the United States, then the time is correct when you first plug it in. Otherwise, you need to adjust the time zone. Since the clock doesn't know the date, daylight savings is also manual, but here at least Sony provided a single button to change the 1 hour offset. My only complaint is that the daylight savings button is on the top and could be accidentally pushed the display does show an icon for the 1 hour offset, but it's really tiny. I would have made the daylight savings feature a toggle switch (not a push button) and put it on the back you only use it twice a year.

Radio: Old style analog display and thumb wheel for tuning. Digital with presets would have been nice, but let's not forget, this clock only cost $25. The tuning wheel is stiff enough that it won't be accidentally changed when pickup up, moving, or just dusting the clock.

Alarm: Here's where this clock really shines. The box says it has two alarms, but in reality it has four individual alarms! The thinking by Sony is that two alarms are for the weekdays and two are for the weekends, but since the weekday/weekend feature is a manual push button, you can really use the alarms however you wish. My kids have Timex clock radios with a 7-5-2 feature which lets you determine if the alarm should be used for weekdays, weekends, or both. This is nice because it's automatic, but on the other hand you only get two alarms and have less flexibility. I think the Sony solution is excellent. The clock also makes it totally clear which alarms are active orange background for weekdays, green background for weekends, and no display in the quadrant when the alarm is off. Setting the alarm time is also very easy with a separate twist knob for each displayed alarm. The time can be adjusted forward or backward one minute at a time. Holding forward or backward changes the minutes quickly and after a few seconds, switches to 10 minute increments. This is a much better solution than just increasing the speed as most other clocks do. In fact, the only other clock that works better is my old Panasonic which has separate forward and backward buttons for both the minutes and the hours. Regardless, this clock has excellent time set controls!

Snooze: What is it with 9 minute snooze alarms? My theory is that increments of 9 are much harder to add in your head and all that thinking wakes you up but in reality I think it harks back to a limitation of the old mechanical alarm clocks. Anyway, I needed a 10 minute snooze and this clock has that. Plus, if you continue to press the snooze button (which is big and easy to find without looking), the snooze can be increased in 10 minute increments up to an hour a nice feature. The clock even blinks the alarm set time after you press snooze to indicate you're beyond the original wake up time.

So that's about it. There are some other features (nap timer, alarm melodies, no power no problem), but I haven't really used these much. If you're looking for similar features and also need a CD player, Sony makes another Dream Machine alarm clock (ICF-CD843V), but that one costs $70 and looks like a weird space helmet. All in all, this is an excellent clock radio with well designed controls, tons of features, and a low price.

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After my dog spilled water on my last Sony clock, i was on the hunt for the new one... What sold me on this was compact size, "no power, no problem" and the fact that you can see what time the alarm is set at right on the front and know that its on or not... no guessing....

The bonuses that add something extra is the ability to set two alarms each for both weekdays and weekends and each has their own optional melody instead of radio or buzzer. I also like the way this buzzer works, which starts off infrequent and builds up to more annoying the longer it goes off... that gives me a chance to turn it off or hit snooze before it goes hog wild.

Unlike other reviews, I think the back lights are perfect... the dim at night and bright during the day are exactly how I would like them, although I noticed that my backlight is orange where the one pictured is green. Maybe that makes a difference. One last bonus is I found this at Target as part of the "liv" series which are tan in color... usually you are stuck with white or black and the earth tone was a nice touch.

Overall, I'm glad my dog ruined my old one!

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I've had a Sony radio alarm for about 15 years. I got it from my Grandmother for Xmas, and it has served me well. I decided it was time to upgrade and Sony has earned my loyalty over the years with things from computer monitors to a 27" Trinitron from 1983 that still works like new.

This clock radio does what it advertises, but it isn't awesome. The controls for alarm adjustment feel like they will break eventually, and the display is hard to read if you don't have eagle eyes. The radio tuner is weak, even near my window, I can't tune in all of the stations that I want.

However, those are they only downs that I've found thus far. The radio has a small footprint, which is very nice in my closet-sized room, and the dual alarm feature is great, as is the push on/off feature. As mentioned above, the knobs used to set the alarms feel somewhat cheap, but they are nice because you can go up and down, as opposed to some alarms that only allow you to move forward. The display brightness can be adjusted, which is nice because on full blast it is VERY bright. The controls are logical and simple to use, and the audio quality is marginally above average.

Two features I really enjoy are the sleep button and the 'weekend' function. The sleep button increases the minutes each time you hit it, which is great for those of us that need an extra hour but don't want to program the alarm for it. The weekend function turns the alarms off, but keeps the setting saved... pretty cool.

Overall this is a fine alarm clock. It wasn't too pricey, it works well for what it needs to do, and it is attractive and small.

Edit:

After a few more months of using this alarm I've come to realize that the viewing angle is only good if you are at eye-level with the clock, or you are above it. This means you can't have it up high on a dresser because the LCDs will be unreadable and very faint. Otherwise still happy with it.

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I've been through a lot of clock radios, even trying some vintage ones lately just for variety. But the dial light burned out on my 1970 Sony and I decided to get a modern one. I found this one at the big discount store with a bullseye logo. Mine is identical except the large LCD is orange, and the alarm ones are green. Oh and it was cheaper. This clock is great for a budget clock radio. Average radio reception and sound quality (I don't expect much), very easy to set the alarm, and it automatically sets it own time from the factory. It addresses all the issues of other clock radios: small footprint on the nightstand; 2 alarms; a powerful, replaceable backup battery that will preserve the alarm all night; reasonable lighting on the face (some think it's too bright, for me it's just this side of acceptable, maybe the switched colors made a difference); and the numerals are visible when viewed from a lower position. They dim somewhat, but are still visible and actually help tone down the brightness a little. I'd say that so far, it's one of the best I've ever owned.

I bought this alarm clock to replace a Coby dual alarm clock. I was always annoyed after a power failure when I had to reset the clock and my alarms. Here's a summary of what I like a dislike about it:

Pros:

-4 alarm times! The clock has the usual 2 alarms plus a weekend mode for 2 more alarm times.

-The alarm times are very easy to see. They are displayed in their own section which makes it very easy to tell what time the alarm is set to.

-The alarm time is only lit up if the alarm is on, making it very easy to tell if you turned it on.

-The knobs on the sides make setting the alarms very easy. Rotating a knob quickly back and forth advances the time 1 minute at a time, while holding a knob makes the time advance by 10 minute intervals.

-the display is dimmable

-The radio reception is decent (better than the Coby I had)

-The snooze bar is nice and big

-There is a 'nap' setting which counts down 90,60,30,15 minutes and then sounds the alarm

-There is a choice for alarm sounds: radio, buzzer, and a melody ("Morning")

Cons:

-Just one, the degree of visibility could be better for the display. With my head on my pillow, I see the clock at an angle and can just barely make out the time. Not a huge problem since I know that if the alarm isn't going off, I should be sleeping.

I really like this alarm clock. I would recommend it to anyone whether they need a dual alarm or not.