- Brushed Metal Front Panel
- Am/Fm Radio
- Wake To Radio Or Alarm
- 0.9" Blue Led Display
- High/Low Dimmer Switch
Showing posts with label ihome ip90 dual alarm clock radio. Show all posts
Showing posts with label ihome ip90 dual alarm clock radio. Show all posts
JENSEN JCR-262 Sensor Snooze AM/FM Clock Radio
Metra 99-7503 Single DIN Specialty Installation Kit for 2003-2005 Mazda 6 -Black
- Install dash kit for Single DIN/ISO Radios
- Compatible with 2003-2005 Mazda 6
- Replaces entire climate control panel
- Retains full HVAC Functionality, Factory style hazard button, No need to splice factory wiring
- Designed and manufactured with precision tolerances, resulting in a gapless fit between the dash and the kit
It's overpriced, made with cheap material, and doesn't fit properly.
For example, the 3 AC/Circulation/Defrost buttons in the middle feel like buttons you would push on an MP3 player or cell phone. That itself isn't a big deal. But if you press even even the slightest off the center of the button (for example, just a few milimeters off the edge of the button), it gets stuck and will not reset unless you tap it or pry it back into place. Not good if the defrost is stuck in the on position and cannot be turned off.
The hazzard button is even worse. You have to put about 10-15 lbs of force on it before it even moves. When the lights begin to flash and you let up on the button, it gets stuck.
For those that think I was in a big hurry to get it installed, i was not. I took about 6 hours putting it together (going as slow as I could, as gently as possible, since I read other reviews that the paint on the unit scratches very easily... which is probably true, since it feels like it was painted with model paint you would use on a plastic model car).
Once completely installed, the unit did not sit flush with the dash (even with the radio removed). It may be because the tabs that hold it in place are too long.
It's sad that there are no other companies that make a replacement similar to Metra's. Because not, Metra can price it as high as they want, and design it as low grade as possible. If there was, Metra would sell hardly any of this product. Take this as a lesson in capitalism and competition. So in the end I reinstalled the old Bose unit and attached an external USB device instead.
I would not recommend buying this (unless you have spare cash and want to take the risk). I got mine half price, and they would not accept a refund, so I decided to just take it apart (simple) and look inside. I laughed and concluded that it must have been intern-week at the company, just letting the students from a local junior high school do the design and then just went with the results. After seeing the insides, it was no wonder why the product behaved as it did.
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Perfect fit, awesome look, very easy to install. Except the hazard button is a little hard to push, but works good none the less. Would have like to have more explanation to keep the factory clock and temperature display lit by using the oem connector from the factory radio.If you happen to have a 2004 Mazda 6 and looking to replace with aftermarket radio, seems like you gotta get one of these kits. I just gave a valiant attempt today and was very close to install until I did a validation check on the AC controls. Well, first I had a beef with the hazard button. It pretty much is a piece of crap, as well as the other push buttons on this thing. The actuating part of the hazard button did not work smoothly at all, and I had to adjust until I got it to a barely passable point (I really wanted to put in my new stereo!). When I mocked it up with all the harnesses in it, I found the rear defrost, AC, dash display, and hazards all did not work. In fact, when the hazard button was pushed in and the the AC button held down the hazards actually started working. Bugs anyone? The dash display did not display any AC controls temp, fan speed, vent direction. I did receive the kit from a 2nd party vendor, and the 2 missing screws on the hazard button may point to them reselling me a bad kit. I talked to the original manufacturer's Tech Support, and they were actually there and supportive, but could not help me with my cause.I'm contacting dealer now to get it replaced and will have one more go. Even though the buttons suck donkey cajones I really want the aftermarket stereo's ability to use an aux input.
all right...I returned my original and received a new one. Although the tactile-ness of the buttons will never be as good as the original OEM faceplate, this one does function perfectly AC, hazards, defrost, recirculation perfect. Therefore I bumped up my rating. Just inspect the faceplate when you receive it. The first one I received was already missing screws in the back.
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Works fine, but the LCD info display (temperature, clock etc) does not light up completely, with an Australian/European car.AVOID THIS DEVICE IF YOU LIVE IN AUSTRALIA OR EUROPE, THE LCD DISPLAY WILL NOT WORK!
Amazon happily refunded me and offered free return postage love amazon's service!!
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excelente producto recomiendo 100% buy buenos vendedores, facil de instalar de ecxelenta calidad, empresa muy cumplida y buen precio nada sobrelimitado
Bose® Wave® Music System with Multi-CD Changer -- Platinum White
- A bold new standard in audio performance. It may well become the primary music system in your home
- Easy to use: no buttons, credit card-sized infrared remote, and MP3 CD capability
- Distinctive and elegant design: streamlined styling with a thin, slot-loaded CD player
- Changer allows uninterrupted listening from up to four CDs in succession
- Single remote operates Wave® system and CD changer--extra remote included
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I love the sound quality. Just don't understand why a random shuffle is so complicated and I need to buy more hardware and download to an MP3 converter to compress. If I wanted an MP3, I would have just bought an MP3.Read Best Reviews of Bose® Wave® Music System with Multi-CD Changer -- Platinum White Here
sounds wonderful love the color had a dead battery on remote but easliy fixed.other than that wonderful. n thank you!Want Bose® Wave® Music System with Multi-CD Changer -- Platinum White Discount?
I was not aware that I was getting some used pieces... other than that, it sounds great. The remote looks very used. I wasn't aware that I was buying a refurbished radio... It seemed like the price was for a brand new one.
Haier "The Rise" Docking Station for iPod/iPhone
- Docking station charges iPod/iPhone
- Integrated speaker
- Includes Haier Rise App
- Dual alarm clock, Touch screen FM control, Weather forecast, Internet radio
Now for the bad.
-The connector seems very flimsy, and no little dock adjusters were included to hold the phone in place without depending on the connector to support the phone. I'm always afraid the connector will snap off of the dock, or the port on my phone will be damaged. All of the iHome radios I have seen have included these adjusters in the box.
-Is it too much to ask for Haier to design an alarm clock app with an option to play an actual alarm (instead of music) when the alarm goes off?
-If you intend to use the app as an alarm clock, remember to not close out the app before going to sleep. If you close the app, the alarm will not go off when you want it to (unlike the clock app embedded in iOS). If Haier really wanted to make me happy, then fixing this one bug in the app would do it.
Overall I think you're better off buying the $55 iHome iP11 Spacesaver Alarm Clock for iPod and iPhone (Black) if you want a dedicated alarm clock/iPhone dock for the bedroom (but you give up sound quality). However this little unit looks nice on a desk so it should be alright if you only want to dock/charge your phone and listen to your music.
Buy Haier "The Rise" Docking Station for iPod/iPhone Now
Bought this on sale. This product was a great idea that is poorly implemented.Pros:
* Small and compact
* Sounds OK for its size
* App works reasonably well
Cons:
* There is no Play/Pause button. If you have music playing and the app is running you have to leave the app to pause the music.
* Snooze / Dim button dims the display but does not set snooze when the alarm has gone off. Instead you have to press snooze on the iPhone.
* Radio starts playing randomly. The only way to get it to stop is to go to the app and stop it.
* Connector to the iPhone is flaky. If not plugged in exactly right you may not charge the phone or no sound will come out of the speaker.
Bottom line. I wanted to love the unit for its simple integration with the iPhone. However, it has too many technical problems. Have returned it to the store.
Read Best Reviews of Haier "The Rise" Docking Station for iPod/iPhone Here
I bought this as a birthday present and tested it using a an iPhone 4S. The free Rise App is amazing on its own, and when docked allows you to use the built in radio which is really sensitive, and Shoutcast internet radio. I loved the app because it also shows the weather which is something my girlfriend really wants to know every morning. It will wake you to ipod songs, but I am not sure it will wake you to radio as I have not been able to figure that out yet. There is no buzzer either.The Bad:
Even though it claims 3G compatibility, when you plug one in a message pops up that says "This iphone is not compatible with this accessory and may cause interference... blah blah." And the radio and button features simply don't work. I am going to upgrade the 3G to os5 tonight and see if that fixes the problem.
Bottom line, it has a lot of great features for the price and you can always just download the Rise app and enjoy it for free as a standalone without the radio function.
iMode Alarm Clock Radio iPod Docking Station (White)
- Made for iPodiPod VideoiPod Nano and iPod Mini
- Wake to iPod radio or buzzer
- LCD alarm Clock display
- PLL digital AM/FM Tuner Stereo Radio Sleep Control alarm clock
- iPod navigation from the remote control
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Bought this as a gift for Grand daughter: very disappointed that it did Not chaRGE HER IPOD. I would never have bought this had I known that it did not charge olded generation IPOD.Read Best Reviews of iMode Alarm Clock Radio iPod Docking Station (White) Here
I use a mine with a 3g iTouch and I don't have any problems with it. It sounds good and charges the iTouch with no problems.Want iMode Alarm Clock Radio iPod Docking Station (White) Discount?
I ordered the alarm clock from Amazon. The remote is missing from the box. The clock itself is not very user friendly without the remote.
Timex T156B Wake-up Shake and Wake Alarm Clock (Black)
- Colorful alarm clock with cool vibrating action
- Wake to seven different wacky phrases that will laugh you right out of bed
- Adjustable alarm volume
- Custom 0.8-Inch LCD display with colored back light for night viewing
- Uses 3 ?AA? batteries (included)
Simple controls. I can put it anywhere. Easy to throw in my bag when I travel. It's made to be able to fall on the floor.
The sound quality isn't the best, but it's just a silly little alarm clock.
I think some people are offended by it because most of the characters are exaggerated stereotypes There are youtube videos of it if you want to hear.
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I'm an eighteen year old kid and I still don't really know what to make of this device. It looks like an enlarged microbe and I don't know where I would put it. It does shake, but it will fall of of any table you put it on (which is notable if you like to hurl your alarm clock across the room). The alarm speaker itself isn't very loud and isn't very effective at all. It does say "wacky" phrases, but you can't switch the clock to simply beep and shake, the phrases are moderately offensive and probably wouldn't be the very best gift for any black or middle eastern person who doesn't like people making fun of their race... I would rather have a radio alarm clock if I were to spend 20 bucks on amazon, but maybe that is just me.Read Best Reviews of Timex T156B Wake-up Shake and Wake Alarm Clock (Black) Here
I'm a heavy sleeper and I bought this based the reviews I saw here. When it showed up I immediately tried it out and was disappointed at how quiet it was, but I set it that night, and gave it a go anyhow. Didnt wake me up at all.Three stars because it is what it says it , easy to use, and the phrases did make me laugh pretty well, but if you're a heavy sleeper I surely do NOT reccommend this, as it sort of defeats the purpose if it works, but fails to actually wake you up.
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I bought this on a whim and it was well worth it.It works as advertised and the voices are funny. A better way to wake up than an annoying buzzing or ringing sound for sure!
Some people are complaining that you can't change the voices to just buzz or ring...well, duh. that's the point of buying a talking clock, eh?
I'd recommend this if you have a sense of humor and want a good laugh.
It seems to be well made and looks tough enough to last (if you take care of it of course)
The numbers are big enough to see and setting the time/alarm is a piece of cake.
It's kind of a cute looking clock that stands out in the room. Yeah, it's funky looking. Like a friendly little tumor or jawbreaker that's gotten moldy. hehe
I don't get the complaints about it not being loud enough. How loud do you need it to be? It's plenty loud. If it were any louder, the voices would be shouting and that would scare the crap out of me! haha
As for it falling on the floor, well, it doesn't take a genius to figure you shouldn't let anything that's made of hard plastic to just fall on the floor repeatedly.
All you need to do is to set it somewhere where it won't fall and then it won't break. geez, really?
All in all, it's a good buy for a laugh and a different way of getting out of bed.
_____
EDITED TO ADD:
It's now Feb 2013 and this alarm no longer jiggles.
It stopped maybe a month ago or so?
The alarm part works great still. It wakes me up with a different voice, loud and clear. I don't sleep through it (and I wear ear plugs!)
But no longer does this jiggle (and no I didn't drop it!)
The look of it has kind of worn on me, not in a good way. It is ugly. Looks like a tumor. lol
But it still wakes me up, so what the heck.
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There are a lot of lazy people in this world, and well, then there is my brother. Every afternoon I have to hear my mom screaming, trying to wake my brother up so he can go to college on time. Yes, he has an alarm clock, but since he is a heavy sleeper he usually sleeps through it. I decided upon myself to get him a new clock, hoping that it would tone down his laziness and help him out. I did a lot of research and decided to go with this clock. Now this clock is a very fun product. It turned out to be a perfect match for my brother because unlike traditional alarm clocks, this product use phrases rather than beep sounds. This clock has various different humorous phrases installed in it, and it sounds as if someone is screaming at you to get up. It's priceless seeing my brother wake up everyday confused thinking my mom is yelling at him when actually it's his clock. After all nothing is perfect, and this product does have some flaws. One major flaw is that the sound of the alarm isn't too loud, and it's possible that some heavy sleepers might sleep through it. Another con, well not to me but can be for some, is that this product runs on AA batteries rather than being a plug in. The phrases that are used as an alarm are quiet hilarious, but it can be offensive to some. Also the product doesn't feel very sturdy, so it might break really easy if it falls from a certain height. At the end of the day this is a little alarm clock for a cheap price, that is a nice alternative to everyday alarm clocks. I think it's a great product and hey if you have a lazy family member or you have trouble getting up yourself, give this product a shot.Hopefully I helped! if you have any questions/comments please let me know. Thanks for reading!
Duracell MN2400B2 AAA Alkaline Batteries (Pair)
It is an obsolete market gimmick to sell it for 1c (as of Mar 17 2005) while charge shipping PER ITEM. Plus, when you enlarge the product picture, it shows "best install by 2004".
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These batteries are pretty good. I have no complaints with them, though I suspect that these mass produced commercial efforts are not the best on the market. But for value for money I stand by them, and so do many other fluffy pink rabbits in my social group.Enjoy!
Read Best Reviews of Duracell MN2400B2 AAA Alkaline Batteries (Pair) Here
I've used these batteries my entire life in everything from Smoke Detectors, toys, flashlights...you name it! They are the unsung heros of electronic gadgets the world over.Want Duracell MN2400B2 AAA Alkaline Batteries (Pair) Discount?
Nokia 5530 XpressMusic Unlocked Phone with Touchscreen--U.S. Version with Warranty (Black)
I am a late adapter when it comes to cell phones. So refrained from Iphones and vu/touch phones as one was mostly tied to a provider data plan or had to pay a premium for the phone itself.If you dont care about 3g (read data plan 29.99 a month) or GPS there cannot be a better phone at this price range. Solidly built, some reviews complained about back cover. I do see an issue there as it get on the phone with little notches on all sides. But how may times you open that. Specially when SIM/SDHC is accessible from outside. The only time you need to open the back cover is when you install a battery.
What I love about this phone in order of preference.
Form Factor (It looks like a phone and not a PDA)
Not tied to a provider or unlocked so you dont have to be geeky searching for unlocking/jail breaking articles.
Wifi 54G (email is good on the run)
Quad Band GSM World Phone
Media/Music playback is excellent.
Can go upto 16GB Micro SDHC (plenty of music or videos) comes with 4Gig.
Speaker phone and in general call quality for me increasd 3-5 times. (I used Razr before).
Clear brilliant screen
Touch pad responsive enough
Picture quality @3.2MP is good in daylight and flash comes in handy for pictures in lowlight (subject @2-4 ft).
What I will look for in future revisions.
USB Charging capability
A little thinner (Not that is fat right now) but it would make it sweeter.
Total Alloy body including back cover for a more solid feel.
Maybe a more rugged look/feel (non piano black or non shiny finish for e.g Zune kind of finish or finish with more friction), I always get a feeling I am going to drop it.
1. a modern, sleek touchscreen design
2. an unlocked phone compatible with my SIM
3. a phone that works when it should and is easy to learn to use
The Nokia 5530 xpressmusic was all of this and so much more. I find it to be very functional I have not had a dropped call or any problems with the interface itself. The touchscreen is very easy and fun to use. Once you get used to it, you will be able to navigate the phone very easily. I find the screen to be very responsive, although sometimes I do like to use the stylus. However, I must say it is important to follow the user guide I have done that and the phone has been so much fun! It does not have GPS or 3G compatibility however, I was not looking for these things. I can live with 2G and actually a recent firmware update has made the phone run even faster, even online. It comes with a 4GB memory card which can be upgraded to 16GB so plenty of room to store things. The absolute best part of this phone, as the name suggests, is the music player. The quality of the sound is absolutely incredible and the phone was designed for music lovers in mind. In fact, one of pre-loaded videos even refers to the device as a "music player that is also a phone!". Music on this phone sounds better than many higher end models that my friends have. They are quite jealous! A set of headphones also come with the phone that I have found to be of average/slightly above average quality. The camera and video are also pretty impressive, not amazing, but still pretty good quality for this phone.
The only reason I knocked a star off is the battery. Battery life seems to get depleted quickly , sometimes way too quickly, so the phone must be charged each night or you risk having a dead battery by noon the next day. I have tried all of the optimization tricks to get more life out of the battery and still it is rather short.
So if you are looking for an affordable alternative touchscreen phone with some interesting features and easy interface, this phone has been a joy and is the way to go. An iphone killer? I wouldn't go that far at all, but with many similar features and similar touchscreen feel, it is a great choice for anyone who doesn't want to pay $400 for a phone.
Buy Nokia 5530 XpressMusic Unlocked Phone with Touchscreen--U.S. Version with Warranty (Black) Now
Been playing with the phone for several days and I absolutely love it for the $199 I paid. Of the features I was interested in, here are my opinions on them:0) very easy to setup this unlocked phone -I took a SIM card from a Tmobile prepaid phone and inserted into this nokia and it self-configured everything for me (a relief for me as this was my first time buying an unlocked phone). Now that I know the cell coverage is good in my brick-walled condo, I'll swap this SIM card for a cheap $30 Tmobile monthly plan SIM card, and fully expect this to be a quick swap
1) perfect size -fits in a shirt or pants pocket easily, is lightweight, and easy enough for my stubby fingers to hold and operate. hard to operate this with gloves on though (e.g., on a ski slope)
2) music player and FM player are *very high* fidelity, especially compared to other players out there. A couple of caveats though -the earphones that come with it are only average for sound quality, and I get much higher fidelity sound using my other set of compact Sony headphones. Also, from what I can tell, the FM radio only works with headphones on -you can't use the built-in speakers for radio. The built-in speakers are a lot better in fidelity than other phones/players I've tried, but obviously this device is too small to accurately replicate bass using its built-in speakers. Bass is fine with good headphones though.
3) WLAN capability is fantastic. With free WLAN everywhere, it's by far the cheapest way to access the net through the phone without a data plan (recall I'm doing this with a prepaid SIM card). Note that the phone supports 2G (and not 3G), but with WLAN being much quicker downloads (e.g., 2-3 sec delay to start playing youtube videos) and usually free, I'm not interested in 3G. video quality was surprisingly good for such a small device. Reading email on yahoo was pretty easy, but required a few too many clicks too navigate within yahoo -I wouldn't want to go through 40 email with this, but it's fine to scan my daily email and reply to just a few email. I had been planning on buying a nettop and WLAN scanner as well, but this phone already does both of those functions well enough for me so I won't be buying either anymore.
4) instruction guide that came with it could really use some work. if you're new to Nokia (like me), it was tougher to figure out than other cell phones I've used (sony ericsson, motorola, and panasonic). the back cover is annoyingly badly designed as others have remarked, and the instructions were nearly useless for getting that cover off and back on again. i'll probably seek out google searches for this device before i use the instruction guide in the future.
5) comes with 4G memory card, but the slot is in a bit of an odd place. my other phones usually kept it in the back with the SIM card and battery, but this places it in the side. it's really an odd design, but since I don't plan to swap memory cards all too often, not a huge issue for me.
6) battery life is average. my previous sony ericsson gave me a 10 hour talk time, and this phone probably gives about half that, and even less if you go crazy with WLAN, etc. so i'll probably end up buying a second charger so I can keep one at work and home (I listen to music all day at work with it)
7) phone lacks AM radio and GPS. sports broadcasts are often on AM -would have liked if they added that in. GPS would have been nice, but alas, all these things would have probably raised the price too
overall, i'm really happy with this phone given its price -it gives me all the features I really need without forcing me in to expensive cell phone data plans with the wireless companies. its music player capabilities beat out even the $400 phones/players, and if you're willing to live without a few features, this is a great phone for the price -plus you won't feel as bad if you damage itThis is a great phone! However, it took me a week to figure out why my battery life is very short. I was charging this phone every night and it runs out of battery at 6pm, the next day.
Double check:
1) Your RSS or Web Feed settings. This will activate your Wifi and drain the battery.
2) Your Mail for Exchange settings. I had this set to "check every hour" and my phone only lasted a day.
3) All internet settings. Make the apps ask for connection. If you have any apps that automatically check for updates, you will drain the battery.
4) Apps in the background. Like IM or Facebook.
5) Email automatic retrieval.
After I turned all of these automatic features off, my battery life is the same as Nokia's spec.
I really enjoy this phone.I have bought this phone for my wife and she loved it, but after a couple of months the phone was acting strange it would turned off randomly, the speaker mode did not work right, it was sometimes very slow.
Then I did some research on the web for problems whit that model and found that allot of people had those problems and they put comments to upgrade the firmware to fix dose problems and I did that I did the upgrade and the phone is working fine now.
If you have problems whit this phone go to
Nokia's are good phones but there's no perfect cell phone, all have problems.
Samsung GT-B2710, Dust and Water Resistant Unlocked Phone - International Version - Black
While I have only had this telephone for one week I have already used it in a variety of environments, wet and dry, and it does deliver as promised. This phone is solid, well constructed and can stand up to the elements. As for features, I don't want to get into too much detail as there are plenty of other resources online that you can use to find out the technical specs of this device. As for usability, in terms of signal quality, clarity and basic interaction with the phones operating system, I fell like this phone should last out my newly renewed 2 year contract and do what it is designed to do, function well in all environments. I was just coming off a contract with a Blackberry 8900, which I loved, but just didn't like paying for the extra data plan on when I decided to go smart phone cold turkey.One of the things I did like about this model was how the interface was very similar to some of the Nokia's that I had previously owned. This is the type of OS that only takes a click or two to access exactly what you need and with enough practice, can get where you want to by memory without even looking at the screen.
While we are at it, let's talk about the screen real quick. There are a ton of adjustments that you can make to the background, fonts, layouts, size etc. and I find the screen easy to read and very sharp...indoors. Outside, the screen can be a bit darker than I prefer but I wouldn't say it is totally unreadable, but is a bit dark, even with the brightness turned to max. I have heard some people say that this is a deal-breaker with this phone and if you live in a bright and sunny climate, you may want to reconsider, especially if you are outdoors a lot. I didn't feel like docking this phone a star because of this flaw because to me, as long as the screen is usable, I am happy. Like I said, indoors, the screen is sharp, colorful and can be configured in a variety of ways.
What I can't report on, however, is the efficiency of the web browser as I don't have any type of data plan that I can use without being charged. Like I said, I went smart phone cold turkey but I would imagine on a 3G network this browser would handle most basic cell phone apps just fine. It does have some options to set up e-mail accounts on it but I just use it for its basic organizer tools and phone calls.
I do recommend that you check out the youtube videos on this phone. For me, the proven durability was a major selling point as I was always extremely cautious with my Blackberry and want something not that I can abuse, but can drop and not panic over.
Oh yeah, this phone does have a built in flashlight and compass which work very well and while it doesn't look like it, I find the sealed keypad easy to use. The company that I go through for this phone is a regional GSM network that roams on AT&T but, any cell phone company that will let you bring in an unlocked GSM phone should let you bring this one in. As for the price, well I have always felt that cell phones have an unnecessarily high retail price and mine sells for $79.99 with a two year contract. I feel that Amazon's asking price is fair as you are buying a fairly rugged phone that should give you years of service.
Reception-wise, in the steel and concrete high school that I teach in, I always have at least one bar and overall have better reception than my 8900 previously did. Also, the battery barely goes down. I might go down one bar in three days with an hour or use per day. Of course, the battery is only one week old but the battery is rated with a decent amount of talk and/or standby time.
Hopefully, I have covered enough basics on this phone and may add to it if I think if anything else. Let's see, yes it can play mp3's and it does have a built in FM radio that comes with headphones that double as a mic for phone calls. I believe it can accept up to a 16GB micro sd card but again, you will want to look up the tech specs on your own.
Go to gsmarena.com for more details on this phone and don't forget to check out the youtube reviews. All in all, it has been rough kicking the smartphone habit bit this phone is making that transition a little bit easier.
UPDATE: If you want to see just how durable this phone is, look it up on gadgetstress.com and you will be blown away by the durability of this device. It rates 94 on a 100 point scale. Basically after the apocalypse three things will be remaining...cockroaches, Twinkies, and the Samsung b2710!
UPDATE #2: I just added a 4GB Micro SDHC card to this unit and...my PC refuses to recognize it without any software. So, I popped the card in the larger adapter and then into a Sandisk reader and I was able to drag and drop albums from my music folder (WMA format) and the phone had absolutely no problems reading them. I have several options such as artist, album and genre view while using the phone to play mp3's.
Unfortunately, the headset is proprietary mini USB and I honestly haven't checked to see if there are any aftermarket ones out there, but the supplied headset (which is also used for hands-free talking) puts out pretty good sound. A decent amount of bass and they were loud enough for my taste. The phone also supports album art and I may actually use this phone as a substitute MP3 player instead of my old 30GB Zune that has faithfully served me for the last 3 years. The loudspeaker puts out pretty good volume for listening without the headset, although if you want to use the FM radio, you need to have the headset connected as I would guess it functions as an antenna. With the headset attached you can also play music through the built in speaker.
Really, this phone is almost like the Swiss Army Knife of cell phones. Yeah, I am sure that there are smartphones out there they have many, many more features and as a former recovering Blackberry abuser, oops, I mean user, it is nice to have a slightly more limited set of features that you can use really well instead of being inundated with a ton of Apps they you probably wont use anyway. Oh, hey, could your smartphone survive a dip in the pool, lake or ocean for 30 minutes or more? Didn't think so.
I still get stellar battery life with maybe one bar out of five disappearing after 3 days of average use (around 45 minutes of talk time per day).
Finally...
Pro's
Rugged quality build
Good battery life
Colorful screen
Lots of features
Flashlight and compass
Good 2MP camera
Large easy to read keys
Shockproof
Waterproof
Dust-proof
Simple OS
The Hummer of cell phones
Con's
Dim outdoor screen
A tad heavy
Speakerphone doesn't get as loud as I would like in a noisy environment but is usable.
I don't know what I will do when this model disappears because if you are someone who wants a fun, simple to use, regular cellphone, that can survive a tumble off the table, or down the stairs or the occasional roll down the side of a cliff, you really don't have a lot of options.
I've sorted my various comments on this phone into numbered sections below:
Package Contents:
The package includes the phone, a manual each for English and Spanish, an AC wall charger (a two-prong CEE 7/16 Europlug, supports 120-240 volts and 50-60 Hz, also comes with a Europlug-to-US-plug adapter in the shipping box), and micro-USB stereo headphones with a built-in microphone (for phone use) and an integrated antenna for the phone's FM radio function.
Data/Charging Connections:
The phone can charge with any standard microUSB power source. I have connected it to my PC, a different brand USB charger, and the phone's included charger and all of them were able to charge it without complaint. Please note that the trim around the charging port on the phone is such that standard-thickness microUSB plugs may have some difficulty fitting. The included charger has a permanently-attached microUSB plug with much thinner trim so it fits properly. A standard-thickness microUSB cord I had lying around the house was able to fit for charging and data-transfer, but it didn't seem as securely attached as the thin-trim one. Using the Samsung Kies software (downloadable from their website) and the standard-thickness microUSB cable, I was able to connect the phone to my computer, charge the battery, and synchronize contacts.
There is no need to buy the special "Samsung Data Cable" listed at the time of this writing under the "Frequently Bought Together" section for this phone. That cable is not microUSB and will not connect to any port on this phone. That cable seems to be for older, non-microUSB Samsung phones and is not needed for this phone.
To use the microUSB port one needs to open a small, gasketed flap on the side of the phone. Thus, the phone is not dustor water-resistant while plugged in.
Call Quality/Reception
Call quality on T-Mobile in the US is quite good. The built-in earpiece in the phone produces crisp, clear sound. The microphone is also good (somewhat better than other mobile phones I've used), but is not on-par with landline phones. Considering that the microphone is water-resistant, this is is not a major problem.
Reception in the Phoenix and Tucson (Arizona, USA) metropolitan areas on T-Mobile is excellent and comparable to other phones. There are a few dead spots on the interstate between the two cities, but this is also the case with other major networks like Sprint and Verizon and other model phones. Outside my apartment in Chandler (suburb of Phoenix), the phone displays "full bars" of service. Inside, it is about half of the outside coverage, depending on which room I'm in. Call quality in either case is the same.
The phone supports four GSM bands: 900/1800 MHz (used in much of the world) and 850/1900 MHz (used in the US and Canada), and so can be used anywhere in the world that has GSM service for voice, SMS, and GPRS. Additionally, the phone supports UMTS 900/2100 MHz for faster 3G data speeds. If my understanding of frequency allocations is correct, 900/2100 MHz UTMS service is not available in North America and nearly all of South America and so this phone is not capable of 3G data speeds in these areas.
There is no option for disabling GPRS/EDGE/UMTS if one doesn't desire to use these networks.
I'll be moving to Switzerland in the next few weeks and will update the review accordingly to see if UMTS service is available there.
Battery Life:
Battery life seems excellent, going several days of light-to-medium usage between charges. The phone comes with a 1300mAh battery.
User Interface:
The rubberized, water-resistant keypad is easy to use. There is a very slight raised dot on the "5" key to help identify it by touch, but it is subtle. Other than the keypad (which includes the directional button for navigating the interface), there are three external buttons: the two-button rocker switch (used for turning the volume up and down and for zooming with the built-in camera) and the LED flashlight button. The flashlight button is not affected by the "keypad lock" option in software, and so may turn on while in one's pocket (this hasn't happened to me yet, but it's possible).
The top of the phone has the LED flashlight and a built-in loop for connecting the phone to a strap or other restraint (nice touch!). The loop also extends to the back of the phone, which has the camera (no flash for the camera), the speaker (for speakerphone, ringing, etc.), and the locked door for the battery compartment/SIM card/microSD card. When viewing the front of the phone, the flashlight power switch is on the top of the right edge of the phone, while the volume rocker switch is on the top of the left edge.
The display can appear somewhat dim in bright sunlight, and is completely unreadable in sunlight if one is wearing sunglasses (tested with non-polarized sunglasses). The screen is perfectly readable indoors or at night. The brightness control is entirely manual: it will not auto-dim indoors, or automatically brighten outdoors like some other phones. There are options to adjust the time the backlight of the keypad and screen stays on. The menu system is usually quite good, but there are some quirks: the Bluetooth settings is listed under the "Apps" menu, while the GPS feature is under "Settings/Phone".
The "Apps" menu can have items added based on your carrier and SIM card. For example, my Orange Switzerland SIM card adds an "Orange" App to the menu, which includes things like information about sports, finance, etc. while my T-Mobile USA SIM does not.
The very top of the main menu shows the signal meter, EDGE/UMTS status, and indicators for Bluetooth (enabled/disabled/transferring data), microSD (indicates whether the card is present and flashes when accessing the card), current sound profile (Normal, Silent, etc.), a battery meter, and the clock (hours/minutes only; seconds are not displayed). The remaining portion of the main menu can be customized in various ways. It comes by default with the "Smart home" enabled (which includes options for text messaging, contacts, displaying the calendar, etc. on the main menu), though one can switch to one of several simple clock displays if one wishes.
Language/Localization:
The phone supports numerous languages, including German, English, Italian, French, Spanish, Portuguese, Turkish, Dutch, and several other languages I do not recognize (each of the languages is displayed in that language). As the phone seems to be made for the European market, the English text has a distinctly British feel (with text such as "Synchronise" rather than the US spelling of "Synchronize", along with "Organiser" instead of "Organizer"). There is no option to use a localized dialect of a language (that is, there is no US English option).
The date format can be set to several options: DD/MM/YYYY (Europe), MM/DD/YYYY (US), YYYY/DD/MM, YYYY/MM/DD. It can display the time in 12or 24-hour modes. There is the option of automatically setting the date, time, and time zone from the network; doing so also respects your date/time display preferences. One odd language quirk: The "Downloads" option on the main menu always displays its contents in Spanish, regardless of the chosen language (I've tried both English and German).
Due to the various formatting of phone numbers used worldwide, the phone does not attempt to display phone numbers (either dialed directly or when stored in the contact list) in any particular style. For example, if one wished to dial toll-free directory assistance in the US, US-specific phones would display "1-800-555-1212). This phone simply displays the numbers as "18005551212" with no formatting.
Navigation:
The phone has a built-in GPS receiver which can, after acquiring satellites, display your latitude, longitude (both in DDD.DDDDD° format), and altitude. The altitude is only displayed in meters, and there is no option for displaying it in feet if one wishes. It takes about two minutes to acquire satellite signal and acquire a position fix while outside with a clear view of the sky. It does not appear that the phone caches GPS data between uses (presumably it completely powers off the GPS receiver when not in use), as if one gets a fix, closes the GPS application, and immediately re-opens it, the phone still needs to go through the time-consuming acquisition process again. Unless one has a map with detailed latitude/longitude grid squares, the GPS receiver is useless for navigation. It does not allow one to enter waypoints or coordinates as a destination, but simply displays its own current location.
There is an included Google Maps application (as well as Facebook and Twitter), but this requires use of data services which I do not have on my T-Mobile subscription, so I have not yet tested them.
The phone also has an application for accessing the built-in magnetic compass. After a simple calibration procedure (turn the phone as depicted on the screen), the compass is reasonably accurate. However, it is extremely basic and not really suitable for navigation.
Bluetooth:
Bluetooth connections are easy to set up, and I was able to transfer 144 name cards and several digital photos to and from my other mobile phone in about two minutes. Due to the lack of a data plan on my carrier, I have not yet tested the phone as a data modem.
Text Entry/Messaging:
In addition to regular text entry, the phone also supports T9 predictive text entry which can make text messaging faster. Not all text entry fields support T9: composing an SMS message does, but entering names into the contact list does not.
The phone can store 1300 SMS messages on internal memory. My T-Mobile SIM can only hold 30. It does not appear that one can store text messages on the microSD card.
microSD Storage:
I installed a Kingston 8GB microSD card in the phone (it fits under the battery, next to the SIM card, rather than in a slot on the side of the phone). After being formatted by the phone, I am able to access the card as expected (saving photos, sound, etc.)
From the box, most of the phone's internal memory is filled with the included ringtones, images, themes, etc. I highly recommend using a microSD card.
Multimedia:
The phone has a simple MP3 player, which works as expected. It's not really a substitute for a proper music player. The phone can play MP3 ringtones. The built-in 2MP camera is ok, but not great. There's no flash for the camera.
Interestingly enough, the phone has a built-in FM radio. The antenna is built into the included microUSB stereo headphones/microphone cable, and so the radio is useless if one doesn't have the original headphones (which are not bad). It can auto-scan for active frequencies, so one doesn't have to scan through static. It can also record audio from the FM radio to a sound file on the phone's internal memory or microSD card. If the station broadcasts additional data (e.g. station name, artist, song name, etc.) on a sub-channel, the phone will display this information.
Data:
I don't have a data plan with my T-Mobile pay-as-you-go prepaid service, so I cannot properly evaluate the data features of the phone.
Conclusion:
This phone is only slightly larger than most phones and is built much more ruggedly. It's reasonably priced for an unlocked, unbranded quad-band phone, and appearance-wise it looks nice (it doesn't look as "chunky" as other ruggedized phones).
It's a refreshing change from feature-rich yet fragile smartphones with a one-day battery life. It won't win any beauty or feature contests, and there's a few minor quirks as noted above, but this is a solid, everyday phone.
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Update #1: August 27, 2011: Greetings from Switzerland! As expected, this phone works great on the various Swiss networks (I've used it on Orange and Sunrise, and it works on both their GSM and UMTS/3G networks without problems. It's a shame that the phone won't work on UMTS frequencies in the US.). Call quality is good on either network, and battery life is in the "more than one week" range (though I habitually charge my phone when it reaches about 1/3rd charge, just so I'm never stuck with a dead battery).
As a test, I immersed the phone in a sink filled with water for several minutes, and the phone worked as normal (though it did bubble ominously for a short while; this is normal, and is just air bubbles between the waterproof inside and the outer shell escaping). Similarly, I've made calls in the rain without any problems.
The built in camera is not bad for a phone camera. Nothing to write home about, but I'm satisfied.
My requirements for a phone are simple: place and receive calls, send and receive the occasional text message, and occasionally use the camera when I don't want to carry my "Look at me! I'm a tourist!" Nikon DSLR (or when it's raining out). I don't browse the internet, check my email, or do anything like that with my phone. For these purposes, I've been quite satisfied with this phone.
Buy Samsung GT-B2710, Dust and Water Resistant Unlocked Phone - International Version - Black Now
The many highlights and pitfalls of this phone are outlined in previous reviews. My intention with this review is to provide a quick check list of items that will allow you to decide if this phone is appropriate for your usage needs. Also, further down, I have provided the settings I used to enable the multimedia messaging features of this phone for the AT&T network.Who this phone is for:
People unhappy with the current United States tough phone selection. It is highly limited on AT&T.
People who are looking for primarily a calling and texting phone. Advanced media features are here, but not always available (if you are using AT&T, you cannot get 3G speeds) and also clunky compared to true data featured phones. If you are on AT&T and want data, this phone is not for you. If you are on Verizon, this phone will not work. If you are on T-Mobile, it would appear all features should work (however, I cannot attest to that statement personally).
People who do not wish to renew their 2 year contract, but still get an affordable phone. This phone was only slightly more than renewing my contract with AT&T with a far inferior tough phone the Samsung Rugby.
As a previous user of the Samsung Rugby, I love tough phones. I use my phone for calling and texting. That's it. So the fact that this phone cannot use high speed data on AT&T is of no consequence to me. If you are like me, and looking for an affordable and practical phone -this is it.
I love to go into the woods and not worry about my phone. And I love being able to leave my phone out around my nieces, nephews, and dogs and not worry if it will be broken. This phone is more than capable of handling all that abuse and more. Call quality is good, texting is very simple with T9 predictive text, and it boasts a wealth of little extras that make using the phone enjoyable. I'd recommend this phone over the Rugby hands down. Product arrived very quickly (less than 1 week) and boxed appropriately from HassleFreeCell. They included a US power adapter in the box, as the adapter that comes for this phone is not suited for US outlets. NOTE: There is no data cable in the box, but you can easily swap files with any Bluetooth enabled device.
Now, unlocking the multimedia messaging takes some finesse. And here are the settings I used to get it to work on AT&T.
Go to: MENU > SETTINGS > NETWORK > CONNECTIONS
Create a new connection.
SET NAME: Media Net
ACCESS NAME: wap.cingular
AUTH TYPE: Normal
USER ID: (leave blank)
PASSWORD: CINGULAR1 (all caps)
Protocol: HTTP
HOME URL:
PROXY ADDRESS: 66.209.11.32
PORT: 80
LINGER TIME: 300
ADVANCED SETTINGS
STATIC IP: Off
LOCAL PHONE IP: 0.0.0.0
STATIC DNS: Off
SERVER 1: 0.0.0.0
SERVER 2: 0.0.0.0
Traffic Class: Subscribed
After you save this, go to APPLICATIONS > MESSAGES > MULTIMEDIA MESSAGES > MULTIMEDIA MESSAGE PROFILES
And select the Media Net profile you have established. That's it! You should now have access to send and receive media text messages.
UPDATED: Note I have encountered a quirk with this phone on the AT&T network. Common with unlocked phones, I am unable to turn off the voicemail notification icon. I have no voicemails, and have tried all the usual phone tricks to remove it. After some searching, this seems to be an issue I'll have to live with.
But it is a MINOR issue, as call reception, battery life, and durability have all surpassed my expectations.Great phone but after using it for 2 months, I've found out a few things. The default phone firmware is a bit buggy. I haven't tried to update the firmware yet. Texting with T9 causes the phone to lock up periodically while composing messages. About three weeks ago, after getting the phone wet while kayaking, the microphone started to act up. People complain they barely hear me or hear a lot of static on inbound and outbound calls. I thought it was because water or sand got into the microphone port. I checked the microphone port a week later with a magnifying glass and the port is dry and debris free. All o-ring seals are intact and clean. The internals are totally dry with no trace of water exposure. The only workaround for now is to use a bluetooth headset. Other than the microphone issue, the phone has performed like a champ. It's slipped out of my hand while cycling and I didn't have any problems. The gorilla glass is tough but I recommend putting on a screen protector. The screen scratched while washing car with my phone and keys together in my trouser pocket.
11/14/12 Phone is still going strong. Battery life is still admirable. However, the latest firmware updates still haven't resolved the T9 input crashing issue. I also noticed that after syncing my Google contacts using Kies in June 2012, the phone would start hang randomly for several minutes and then continue to operate as if nothing happened. The hanging was getting so frequent that I decided to factory-reset the phone a few weeks ago. After loading up my pre-Google sync contact list, the phone has been operating normally. The phone doesn't seem to either like the Google's formatting of the contacts or the sheer volume of contact info. The phone will detect a Rocksoul bluetooth keyboard but will throw up a "Unsupported Device" error.I'm an architect and I work largely at construction sites. So the B2710 looked like just the kinda thing that could be handy for me, I wasn't looking for a "smart" phone with a 20-inch keyboard, just something to make calls and stand up to tough work conditions.
On "ruggedness" of the phone I was impressed. It feels sturdy and its already survived some close calls although the screen did scratch after just a few weeks from putting it into and out of my jean pocket.
My biggest complaint is the samsung user interface. I used to own a Nokia and the OS on the samsung just sucks by comparison. There is a VERY noticeable lag-time between pressing a button and the screen reacting, which causes a lot of wasted time trying to get through menus. The engineers at samsung get a Cfrom me for overlooking small things like menu customization and ease-of-use.
The other thing I'm not happy about is that for a "dumb" phone its pretty clunky, not to the point where its my top concern but a few milimeters would've made a big difference.
Bottom line, if I could do it all over again I would NOT buy this phone!
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Sangean AM/FM Multi Powered Water Resistant Emergency Crank Radio
Sangean MMR77What is most impressive about this radio is its relative freedom from power issues. This radio is very conservative in its power consumption whether one is using an external 3-Volt power source, a set of "AA" cells, or the supplied 2 x "AAA" cell internal-rechargeable pack.
Reading the pre-sales description of this radio one may mistakenly assume that it plays for only thirty minutes from the internal rechargeable batteries. In fact what is being claimed is that one-minute of cranking the dynamo results in 30-minutes of playback. Cranking for two minutes will result in one hour of playback. The longer you crank the longer it plays. When fully charged the internal rechargeable pack will operate the radio at a reasonable volume level all day and on into the night.
The radio has a built-in replaceable "AAA" plug-in battery pack similar to those found in wireless phones. These batteries are recharged by the dynamo. This pack is accessible and replaceable, after 300-500 recharge cycles, by removing six-screws at the back of the case.
Further two "AA" batteries are easily replaceable through an access-port at the rear of the cabinet. The radio can also be powered by an external source, solar-cell, wall-wart, or what have you, through a socket located under a splash-proof cover on the left-side of the radio.
The dynamo handle is sturdy. The left-side of the case is partially cylindrical in shape. The left-edge of the speaker grill is actually a rubber grip. The radio is well balanced and easy to hold while cranking the dynamo. The dynamo can be cranked in either direction facilitating use by either Right or Left handed people. Lefties will not be able to see the green-LED which illuminates to indicate that one has reached adequate dynamo cranking speed. A minor inconvenience.
The bottom of the case has four rubber-pads which when combined with the radio's weight cause it to grip well on flat surfaces. No tipping. The overall build quality, fit and finish, of this radio is very-good.
A splash-proof earphone port is located next to the external power-port. Both earphone channels are driven, monaurally. The radio's internal speaker is only two-inches in diameter. This is not a boom-box, but the sound that emanates from the speaker is very accurate within its effective range. Classical and Jass music sound fine. If you are a heavy rock-listener you may yearn for more oomph in your everyday listening.
The primary purpose of this radio is to provide information when the lights go out, but it makes a useful everyday radio as well, with the previously mentioned exception for rockers.
There is a small incandescent bulb that illuminates the slide-rule tuning-dial and provides enough-light externally for small-tasks such as reading your watch or a business-card. The lamp is illuminated through a small push-button on the front of the cabinet. There is another small push-button on the top of the cabinet. This button activates a chirping sound through the speaker. The sound is similar to that of a smoke detector, but not as loud. This does not seem like a very useful feature but perhaps some of you will think of a use for it?
Another switch on the top of the radio selects between the AM and FM bands. A switch on the back of the radio selects between the internal dynamo powered batteries, or the replaceable "AA" battery and external power options.
Most importantly, in addition to all of the above, is that this radio has very good sensitivity and selectivity characteristics. Analog-dial radio tuning may be a new experience for any of you that were raised on digital-dial radios. The Vernier slide-rule dial of this radio is relatively small so one has to tune slowly and deliberately to isolate stations. However, once a station is tuned-in, one is rewarded with solid drift-free reception. The audio is free of noise or distortion, has surprising fidelity, and good dynamic range, within the limited range of the small speaker.
I recommend that every household have one of these radios, and another in the trunk of the car. When disaster inevitably strikes the prudent use of this radio as a source of current information could allay further personal-suffering, or loss of life.
The Analog tuning is not real sharp but sufficient
I am not a "tunes" guy, but the FM seems good and the audio good
It runs forever on two AA cells
The charger (crank) seems to work as advertised
Don't even try to find a better unit for fifty bucks!
Buy Sangean AM/FM Multi Powered Water Resistant Emergency Crank Radio Now
This is a well-built little radio. It has the basic features that you want in an emergency.For daily use, insert two AA batteries, and flip the dial on the back to "battery." In an emergency (when you don't have batteries), use the crank to charge the built-in "dynamo." At that time, turn the dial on the back from "battery" to "dynamo."
I bought this to replace a junky "Eton FR-350" that I found on Ebay. Don't even consider that radio. Struggling to open the battery compartment caused me to cut my finger on the sharp plastic.
Read Best Reviews of Sangean AM/FM Multi Powered Water Resistant Emergency Crank Radio Here
I was looking at several emergency radios from eton, gundig, and sony, and did mucho research. This one blows them all away.The quality, fit, finish, and performance of this radio is top notch. The reception is excellent. It works off the crank, alkalines, or a/c adapter(not included).
This radio makes the eton/grundig emergency radios look like toys. No regrets at all! Highly recommended, don't waste time with other emergency radios. I did not need a cellphone charger.
Everyready makes an emergency battery pack for about 20.00 bucks no cranking and works great. Buy one of these instead. We lost all cell towers on the last hurricane anyway. Don't bet your life on a cell phone, the towers may be down or overloaded.
I live in Hurricane country Florida and needed a real emergency radio not a toy, this is it. I thought I wanted a NOAA band but AM is the official emergency frequency. I found NOAA to be slow and over-rated.
Love the radio, use it daily, buy it. Nuf' said.
Want Sangean AM/FM Multi Powered Water Resistant Emergency Crank Radio Discount?
This was my second attempt at finding a portable emergency radio. I previously bought a Kaito KA1102BLK radio, sent it back and bought this. I think I found a keeper.On the plus side:
This is a solidly built, simple, radio. Sound quality is good, and the unit feels just right in the palm of your hand, the crank seems like it will last. The tuning is easy to see in the dark.
A few cons:
This radio picks up interference very easily on the AM frequency when near other electronics. I can't use it anywhere near my computer or I get whistling sounds. As an emergency or bedside radio this won't be an issue however.
It doesn't come with a 3 volt AC power adapter. For $40 I think it should come with an AC adapter, I hate when manufacturers do this. So you're stuck buying a separate universal adapter, unless of course you want to run on dynamo or batteries all the time.
The volume sensitivity is a little twitchy, it jumps very quickly in volume level at the low end.
Besides these minor issues, I'm happy with it. The reception and sound is adequate, the size is just right, solid build, and good ergonomics. I'm tough to please, so I think most people should be happy with this radio.
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Side Note: While writing this, I decided to try out several AC adapters that I already owned for other electronics. It turns out that this radio will work with less voltage than stated in the manual. I hooked it up to an adapter for a Norelco beard trimmer rated at 1.6volts, and the radio works great! (The light and buzzer won't work with the 1.6 volt adapter however, they require 3volts.)