eKids Phineas and Ferb "Agent P" 30-Pin iPod Speaker Dock, by iHome - DF-H22

• wake and sleep to iPod
• dual alarm for separate wake times
• universal dock charges and plays docking iPod models, dynamic speaker for full range of sound
• gentle wake buzzer alarm, programmable snooze
• backlight LCD with time and alarm time

I was a little worried when my husband requested this as a Father's Day gift. There were some poor reviews on a similar item, so I didn't have high hopes as far as quality goes. Of course, Perry is quite cute. It states docks an iPod, but luckily it fits our iPhones too (and has other interchangeable docking plates). You are able play the music off your i-accessory, not great quality, but it is a children's clock. The brightness of the backlight is adjustable. Overall, it is a nice addition and better than I anticipated. Would recommend to all the Agent P fans!

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This is really cute and easy to set up. The only thing is, I have seen other clocks for iPod touches and iPhones that have a time sync, this one doesn't, but the time is very easy to set. You do need to make sure it is on the correct time zone before you set the time, also there is a switch that is -1hr and +1hr, which is for Daylight Savings, so you don't need to reset. It comes with 2 alarm clocks which are easy to turn on and off. Also, the time is backlit and there are 3 levels of brightens, which includes no backlight. My daughter really likes hers and has her iPod touch on it charging whenever she is not using it.

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My 4 year old uses this to wake up for school. The alarm is easy for him to set and turn off. He loves selecting his favourite songs to wake him up.

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Great sound, clear display and beautiful design.

Very well built, the only change I would like is a better support for the ipod device.

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We bought htis for our 4 year old daughter to use in her room to listen to pandora while she sleeps. She loves it. It is so easy to use and we love the sleep button which allows you to set your ipod to turn off in either 90, 60, or 30 min. It has two alarms which we have not used but maybe when she is older. The ipod volume and clarity sounds great through the speaker. Would highly recommend this to everyone.

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iLive IBR2807DP iPod Docking System/Boombox with Speakers, AM/FM Radio in White

• White iPod boombox with built-in iPod docking station
• Plays and charges all iPods with 30-pin dock connectors
• Integrated AM/FM tuner; blue backlit LCD display with digital clock
• Auxiliary input jack for connecting MP3 players; A/V output jack
• Measures 13.3 x 6.6 x 7.6 inches (W x H x D); 90-day warranty

This boombox has a nice design and quality appearance. My expectations were greatly exceeded given the item's size and price.

SOUND: There are no bass or treble adjustments but the bass is reasonable, if not powerful. The volume, however, can be set quite loud without distortion. I would describe the sound quality as equivalent to a good standard car stereo vs. a more expensive optional system; not the best but good -and a good value for the fifty bucks (on sale) I paid at Kohl's.

FEATURES-PROS & CONS: The boombox volume dial takes over the volume control from the click wheel on my 1st generation iPod Nano, but all the other iPod menus and functions work as usual. There is a play/pause button and forward and back buttons for skipping tracks.

The docking station charges iPods and comes with three adapters that slide in place to support both generations of iPod Nano and full-size iPods. There are output jacks on the back for S-Video and headphones and an auxiliary audio input jack. The power cord is normal (no power brick) and detaches from the rear of the boombox for portable use with batteries.

The AM/FM radio gets good reception. The analog tuning dial makes it easier to fine tune weak signals than pure digital tuners but the radio frequency is nicely displayed digitally rather than with an archaic tuner bar. When the iPod is turned on the radio display shows the time.

Two biggest drawbacks: the clock does not have an alarm, so you must use the iPod's alarm; the time/radio display backlight is far too bright for the bedside table and there is no way to adjust it. This boombox has been very pleasing even if I must put a piece of black tape over the display at night.

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Pros: Excellent Ipod interface. Very good fidelity. Cannot adjust bass or treble, but it does not need adjustment for most uses. Good price. Nice design.

Cons: Has AM and FM, but they are of poor quality. FM antena comes out easily and cannot be rotated.

Overall: If you want it for the Ipod, definately get it. If you also want a good AM/FM radio, find another product.

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I Had The Oportunity To Listen To This Compact,And Unique "Boom Box" Before I Actually Purchased One. It Was In A CD Music Store So I Had The Chance To Test The Volume Quality, And It Was Excellent. Lot's Of Sound At High Volume And Very Little Distortion . I Bought It And An VERY PLEASED With It. It's Sound Is EXCELLENT ! Well Rounded Sound With Clear High's And Moderate Bass. It's No Party Boom Box, But It Will Definately Fill A Room With Qualty Sound. The Radio Is OK,Reception Could Be Better, But I Got It For My IPOD And That Part Is Excellent!

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This unit has a great sound for it's size and the size is what I like. It is very portable. I like to take it from room to room as I clean. I found it easy to use and has increased my I-Pod usage 100%.

I got this for my daughter she has a nano. Her earlier iPod player broke because the iPod stuck up from on top of it. The cat saw the picture change when the song changed and pounced, wrecking the input jack on the player (not the iPod, thankfully). This one has the iPod sitting inside so it's much less susceptible to accidents. It comes with lots of different adapters so you can easily fit your iPod to match the slot on the box. Also, the box is sleek looking she loves it (she's 11) and is easily able to operate it, etc.

The sound is fine I don't have any complaints in that area. I'm sure audiophiles will want something "better", but for the rest of us, this one is great.

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Panasonic SC-HC20P-K Compact Stereo System

• Compact stereo system for the home or office; provides 10 watts of total power
• Integrated slide-out iPod dock for playback and recharging
• Plays CD, CD-R and CD-RW discs as well as MP3 files
• AM/FM radio (with 15 AM presets and 30 FM presets)
• Measures 8-7/16 x 15-1/8 x 4-13/32 inches (HxWxD); 1-year warranty

I was looking for an IPOD dock and found so much more in this little stereo system. I couldn't find any reviews on this but I own other Panasonic products and thought I'd give it a try and am glad I did. It has a recharging dock/player for an IPOD or IPhone, a CD player, a radio and a clock! Its sleek and good-lookin', small enough to fit on my dresser but has the power to send music throughout my second floor. I'm very picky when it comes to sound and was kind of worried that since I didn't spend over $100 that I wasn't going to be able to find something with great sound but this doesn't disappoint! Clear and crisp I've heard layers of music on this that I don't hear from my bigger, much more expensive stereo system. This is a great little multi-tasker!

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I had been looking at several compact Mp3 players and opted to go with the Panasonic because it included a CD player. From the picture it was hard to tell the quality and features, so I was very pleased when my purchase arrived. It is compact enough to fit on a 5" bookcase ledge when the ipod drawer is open it extends beyond that ledge about 2". Unit is solid, well made, functions well, and attractive. Sound is great for a unit this size very clear for radio, CD and Mp3, and includes ability to adjust tone with both preset EQ and individual bass and treble adjustments. Tuner for AM and FM works well 15 presets AM, 30 presents FM with external antennas supplied. There are not many buttons on the unit they're all on top, but it has a full feature remote you need to supply batteries. I am accustomed to small remotes coming with compact players. This remote is about the size of a TV remote 7x2x1". Display is adequate a little smaller than some, but does include dimmer. No adapter is supplied for ipod dock fortunately I saved mine you can dock your unit without adapter if you're careful. Some units I have used retain clock settings during power interruption. This does not. However, it does include a headphone jack and AUX input. I am excited with my purchase and will be recommending it to others. This link provides an overview of features from Panasonic:

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Needing a new radio I purchased this from a local electronic store, mostly based upon the reviews I'd read here. It's a good item and I kinda like it, but a few things seem to have been left out of the other reviews.

First, it's nice and compact. A little over a foot long and less than six inches thick, it can easily fit into nearly any space you want it to. The sound is good and the AM/FM antennas work great; we recently had some storms here in NY and it maintained the signal fine. The main issues I have are with the mp3 player and the remote control.

Thanks to the smaller size of mp3s, I routinely burn multiple albums onto a disc to save space. The LCD display can't show multiple files or folders so you can select them; you have to know the track number you're looking for to find it via the remote. But if there are multiple albums on the disc... yepyou gotta skip through every single one of the preceding individual tracks to find the one you want instead of just being able to pull it up.

And speaking of the remote control...it sucks! It has a circular D-pad for controlling menus but it doesn't do much. When an iPod is docked the remote can call up the menu, change settings, etc. The problem is that it can't scroll through anything; if you have a fair amount of songs loaded the remote can only move through one item at a time. Exif you've got ten cds on your pod you'll have to hit the button ten times to get to the last one. Same goes for the trackslooking for the twentieth song on a cd means you're gonna be a minute pulling it up. The volume and fast forward/rewind controls are fine, but unless you're all the way across the room and have your selection already cued up the remote is pretty useless for the iPod.

These are two glaring problems that shouldn't exist in 2010. Remotes are for convenience and this thing is worthless for the iPod and playing mp3s. The mp3 player itself is fine but can't be properly controlledwhich are the main reasons I bought it. If you just want a radio to sit within arm's reach and don't mind setting your iPod by hand while its docked, then this'll be good for you.

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I purchased this for my bedroom, as I listen to soothing music or meditational CDs when I go to bed at night. It has a very nice sound and doesn't take up much space on the dresser. It has a remote if I care to use it, which is handy. I don't know if I will ever use the Ipod dock, but just as a CD player, it was a good purchase. The seller was very prompt in sending it out...I think I had it in 2 days.

I love to listen to opera while I cook, and this micro system fits perfectly on a shelf in my kitchen and delivers wonderful sound. There aren't a lot of small, no-frills systems out there, and I wasn't interested to going to a boom box. This is very attractive, very functional, and you can't beat the price.

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DBTech "TIME BAR" Huge 24 Inch Oversized Digital Blue LED Clock

• Easy to read in bright sunlight as in darkness.
• Very convenient for the visually challenged, shows clearly the hour, the minute and the seconds.
• Show AM / PM status with a light underneath the letters, no need to guess what the dot stands for.
• No need to be reset if it loses power.
• Powered by AC adapter (included).

This is a very large clock, over two feel long. Very nice, bright blue numbers are clearly visible from quite a distance. The colons between the hours, minutes and seconds blink for each second passing.

The clock comes with a close approximation of the correct time but it was very easy to set and has the option of a 24 hour clock setting or 12 hour (with an AM/PM indicator).

The clock does not have the option of running on batteries and I don't think I'd want to keep changing them out anyway. It comes with mounting screws and anchors.

This is a great clock for a business, gym, workout room, recreational hall, bingo hall, etc. The possibilities are endless since it has such great visibility and clarity.

I was provided a unit for evaluation and an honest review.

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Bought it for my gym it's HUGE I can see it from the other side of the room while working out, nice clock and very simple to setup.

Thank you

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I am at the age where I need reading glasses for things like looking at a wristwatch or checking the time on my phone. This clock lets me see the time at a glance, day or night, without putting on glasses. Also, I have a developmentally disabled daughter with poor vision who cannot tell time on an analog clock. I replaced the over-sized analog clock I had in the living room with this one. She loves being able to tell everyone what time it is. A small thing, to be sure, but such a pleasure for her.

First of all, it's BIG! It's 24" long and 8" tall and 2 3/8" deep. This is a substantial clock. The face is glass and the frame is a simple black metal. It features 3" tall, red LED numerals that are so bright you can read them from anywhere in the room. It shows the hour, minutes and seconds and also has LED backlit AM and PM designation. You can even set it to display in military time.

It can be wall mounted with the 2 included screws (and dry wall adapters) or set atop a ledge or bookcase. I have mine sitting on built-in cabinets next to the fireplace. It is electric so it requires placement near an electrical outlet. The included power adapter has a 6' cord. It also has a back up battery so it does not lose time in the event of a power failure. That is an exceptional feature, in my opinion.

It comes well packaged with plenty of foam packing inside the cardboard box. No worries there.

It has a rather industrial look that is surprisingly wonderful in my old, Craftsman-style home. I think it would be very attractive in all but the most ornately decorated rooms. Everyone who has seen this clock in my living room remarks on how spectacular it is. It's almost a statement piece.

Because it is so bright and you cannot make it dimmer, you probably wouldn't want this clock in a bedroom. But since it is easily read in even bright sunlight, it would be excellent in any other room.

The directions for setting the clock are pretty bad, but I got it set fairly quickly. It uses 3 buttons on the back labeled A, B and C to set the time. I would like to see this company produce a more detailed owner's manual because the single sheet of poor instructions just doesn't do this fine clock justice. Other than the instructions, I am completely delighted with this clock!

Note: I was provided this clock in exchange for my candid and unbiased review of the product. No promise was made or implied for a positive review.

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You have to see this digital time piece to appreciate its size two feet in length. There's not much documentation that comes with the clock, just a sheet with bare bones directions for setting the date and time. While I setting the numbers, I noticed they were already correct; the date was spot on, and the time was just a couple minutes off. Pretty amazing. I have the clock plugged into a receptacle with a wall switch for the time being; it'll eventually be on the screened in porch.

I've turned off the switch a few times for five or ten minute intervals. When I turn the power back on, the time comes back to the correct time automatically.

The clock is easy to set and easy to hang or position on a table. The cord is rather short, but it would be easy to attach an extension for a longer reach. With the red digital numbers visibility is excellent.

I think this clock could be a good addition for a business, perhaps in its lobby or an office. Actually any large room that could use the addition of a high visibility clock would benefit by having one of these clocks installed.

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One of the things that always frustrated people I worked with who had limited or low vision, was how to tell time. I purchased talking clocks, which could sometimes be a tad irritating. We'd be talking and all of a sudden we'd get *the* announcement, a computerized announcement that could be rather annoying at times. Mind you, this clock looks like something that could be at a track meet, but it serves the purpose. The 3" LED numerical display comes in either blue or red (I have the blue). Check out the measurements before buying.

Now, if you check around, Sears is asking considerably more for this very same clock so this is actually a bargain. This clock was already set when I received it. It does have a memory chip (atomic?) that has one advantage I find especially appealing. If the power goes out, you don't have to reset it. It's quite easy to set using three simple A, B, C buttons on the rear of the clock. The cord is not overly long, a fact that many people appreciate. If your plug is not close to where you want it, simply use an extension cord.

FEATURES:

** Easy to read 3" LED display for those with limited or low vision.

** Uses standard household current.

** Flashing colons which assist with viewing the hour, minutes, and seconds display.

** AM/PM are displayed to the left of the time (1/2" high).

** Can be displayed on any flat surface or hung on a wall (toggle bolts are included).

** The LED display is clearly visible both during the day and at night.

** AC adapter included.

DIMENSIONS:

8" H x 23 1/8" L x 2 3/8" D (20.32cm x 58.73cm x 6.03cm)

This is a nice, minimalist clock that would be a definite aid to those who need it. Naturally, this clock could also be used in any area that would have need for a larger LED time display. This LED is easily visible both during the daylight and nighttime hours.

Sample provided by the distributor.

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Nokia 5230 Quad-band GSM Cell Phone - Unlocked

After I dropped my wife's phone into a lake, it was time to get a new phone. Her phone was a prepaid T-Mobile, so we looked around for a decent replacement. Costco had this phone for sale for prepaid use at a very reasonable price, far less than above.

The good:

Free maps from Ovi Maps. Free navigation can be had by downloading maps and voice and telling the navigation program to work offline. Our phone came pre loaded with the entire US, which takes about 2 gig of the 4 gig card which was included.

Free access to the Ovi App store. We have been downloading some free apps and so far, no charges against our minutes... knock on wood.

Small size but very high resolution. It's about the length of an iPhone, but only about 3/4 as wide. The screen is 3.2" but has a resolution of 360 x 640 pixels. It only has a 2mp camera, but that's plenty to shoot great video.

Bluetooth is fully functional. You can transfer files using it, unlike some other phones that only allow earpiece or speakerphone use through BT.

It comes with a 4 gig card, but with maps and pictures and music and whatever else, I can see it filling fast. It can take up to a 16 gig card.

The so so...

It comes with a little "guitar pic" thing to use the pressure sensitive touch screen. You can use your fingers too, but sometimes the things you wish to click are too small for fingers, so the pic is the better choice. Time will tell whether the touch screen is durable.

No wifi. Wifi would have been nice, but I guess this is what you give up at this price. Oh well.

As a phone...

Calls are clear and no issues with call quality. It has a proximity sensor so you don't accidentally press buttons when you hold it against your face. Dialing or texting by feel cannot be done since there is no physical number pad, it's totally touchscreen. Dialing is easy though, I have not "fat fingered" a button yet.

This phone over all comes in at about a B-. The phone itself is great, excellent reception, sound and call quality. The interface isn't bad. People who cut down Symbian typically never gave it a chance, or used it. It is a FINE interface for just about everything you would need to do. It doesn't look as cool as the newer DROID or iPhone GUI, however look at the price compared to them, and you don't have to sell your soul to AT&T or T-Mo. Battery is OK. Email support is better than before. OVI Maps is really good for navigation, not so good for finding points of interest. I would recommend Google Maps as a back up for finding Points of Interest, getting that address, then putting them into OVI Maps and use it's navigation.

PROs

Cheap Unlocked Phone (For use with AT&T's 3/3.5G network)

Free Navigation

Decent Email

Sound Quality/Call Quality

No Contract Needed

Comes with some pre-loaded Apps

CONs

Symbian OS can take a little time to learn it is NOT difficult it is LOGICAL

Battery could be better for a 1320mah Battery

Small Data Cable

OVI Store Getting Better All The Time

OVI Maps iffy for POI's

Not the fastest phone/GUI out but ample even for a heavy user

NO Wifi But for it being so cheap you can't complain

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I have to say that this phone is an excellent value in every aspect. It has any feature you could want except wifi but this phone is NOT considered a smartphone by AT&T so you DO NOT HAVE TO PAY THE $30 DATA PLAN FEE and you can use the $10 per month unlimited data!! I bought this phone for my husband because it seemed like the best alternative to an iPhone and similar touchscreen smartphones without the issue of having to pay the ridiculous "Smartphone Plan" fee. The camera works great even though it has no flash. You just set it to night mode and can get a better picture in low light settings. The internal data is plenty generous and you can also add an SD card for more memory. My husband particularly likes this because it means he can use it just like an iPod or any other MP3 player and it also has the built in radio so he can listen to it while at work (he is a residential/commercial remodeler) if he doesn't want to listen to his stored music. You can still answer calls right from the earbuds while using the radio feature. The touch screen is great, the screen size is great. It has fast response time from input or touch. We have absolutely no complaints at all.

Some people might not like the idea of not having wifi, but if you think about it, if you buy any similar phone you're going to have to pay the stupid $30 extra monthly fee even if you do not use AT&T internet. With this phone you can just get the $10 unlimited data plan and be done with it. The internet works great on this phone and is fast in our experience. Very happy with the purchase and the price is amazing. Call quality is great as with all Nokias. No issues whatsoever and highly recommended!

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it works great in costa rica. i just put the sim card in and it worked just fine. i had a gsm sim card, but i upgraded the same sim card at the kolbi's ice celular office, it took them 3 minutes, i kept the same number and sim card and the phone its great. i love the nokia ovi store, many free application that work down here as well. its just a cool phone, i get clear and fluent reception everywhere i go including internet. overall, it was a smart and cheap purchase... if u like it, dont doubt it, go for it...

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Bought this phone to use it abroad. It works great with no problems. The interface is very responsive and quick. Sync'ed it with my contact on my computer and started using it immediately with no hassle.

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SVAT PI300-SD Covert Fully Functional Alarm Clock Security DVR with Built-in Color Pinhole Surveilla

• Covert DVR Disguised as an Alarm Clock; Fully Functional Alarm Clock
• Motion Activated Recording; High Quality MPEG-4 Compression
• Record over a month of Footage with the included 2GB SD card; 24/7 Lifetime Live Customer Support
• Easily Connect to a TV or Monitor; Compatible with High Capacity SD Memory Cards up to 32GB
• 24 Hour Scheduled Recording

This is a total piece of junk. The field of view is very tiny and it requires bright daylight to record anything. During the evening with normal household lighting it records nothing but shadows. No audio, just video.

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It looks and behaves like a normal clock. Programming only offers a 24 hour clock, not a daily setting. For example, I wanted to video M-T from 6am-6pm and shorter times on W-F so it would have to be reprogrammed or you risk running out of memory faster. I tried a larger memory chip, but the card gets extremely hot. You can't designate certain times for each day. This combined with the small memory forces me to empty the card each evening I found this to be inconvenient. It does work, but the image quality isn't great. Had to keep it on the lowest grade so it wouldn't consume the memory. Overall it performs good for the price.

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Bought it from Amazon. Item came earlier than expected super prompt delivery. This item was easy to set up for use as per instructions provided. Used a 16gb SD card instead of the 2gb provided and it work just fine. One comment though, picture quality under dim lights can be improved.

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The directions are not written well so I needed some questions answered. I emailed, no response. I called, they didn't call back. I plan on sending the unit back.

Nice product didnt realize I had to take the back off to remove the sd card. Slight inconvenience for the situation I am using the product.

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Acoustic Research ARS20i App-Enhanced Docking System for iPod, iPhone and iPad

• Docking station for iPad and iPod
• Portrait and lanscape views for different angles
• Two 1.5 inch speakers with radiator for bass
• Clock radio functionality

There are so many different docks on the market it's hard to make a decision. I purchased this based on specification, the reputation of AR and finally the price. I didn't expect much for an AR product at this price but boy I was wrong. It sounds amazing for its size. It's not a $1000 Bose but it's the best sound quality I've heard for $80.00 I love its ability to dock portrait and landscape. The app downloaded in seconds and is a very useful addition. Radio reception is 100%. Build quality is tops as you would expect form AR and it looks good too.

I purchased a second for my 16 year old Son who liked it as much as me.

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This unit provides a clean look with bright readout of time. It took me a few nights to get the dimmable screen to the right level to offer a "nightlight" glow. The digits are almost impossible for me to read at night, as I don't wear my glasses to bed. Glowing numerals on black background work better for this.

Sound is excellent, even at low volume. Programming the alarms are a chore compared to my old fashioned clock radio it replaced. Control buttons don't respond as well as they could. Once I got used to the system, though, this hasn't been a problem.

The App for the iPad needs work. It doesn't seem to address all of the elements needed to control the unit. I don't use too often except when doing work in the bedroom and using the iTunes. Screen would be too bright for me to have on at night. Also, I found myself in a mode where iPad started playing each time I inserted it into the cradle. Fixed this by revising commands on the App.

Overall, the unit is performing well and waking me to local news each morning. Sound is much improved over my old radio.

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Best of it's kind I've ever found or used! Excellent depth and richness of sound, easy setup and great value!

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Nice looking dock with decent sound but BUYERS TAKE NOTE: The description says it will work with iPads and iPods. IT WILL NOT WORK WITH THE NEW IPOD 5. We bought this for my son in law but his new iPod wouldn't fit. Evidently it has a different plug than the older iPods (I don't know much about this, I only have an iPad).

The sound is much better than through the IPad speakers. The sound is good, not hifi quality, but still decent. The unit makes a great place to store and charge the IPad. The electric rotate button is amusing. I am pleased with the unit.

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GrandStream GXV3140 IP Multimedia Phone With 4.3inch LCD

• 4.3" digital TFT color LCD (480x272 resolution), 1.3M pixel CMOS camera with privacy shutter
• SD/MMC/SDHC, USB, stereo headset with microphone, stereo audio output, video output, 2-angle stand, wall mountable
• G.711 (a/u-law), G.722 (wideband), G.723.1, G.729A/B, GSM-FR, G.726-32 (pending) voice codec and AAC, MP3, WMA, Real, Ogg-Vorbis audio codec
• Web browser, IM with Yahoo/MSN/Google, RSS feeds of weather/news/stocks, Internet radio, music/video streaming/playing from SD/USB card/Internet, Yahoo Flickr web photo album, alarm clock, calendar, games, music ring tone, etc
• Intuitive graphic user interface with customizable skins, multi-language, multiple virtual screens

Believe me I have been waiting for this long time.

5 Years back I was already considering a solution like the GXV3140.

At that time the devices came with some kind of VOIP account bundle. So I was skeptical.

Especially Grandstream as a budget maker has a long history for hit or miss products.

If Grandstream can pull this product of the right way, make it work and actually deliver on the promises the brochure gives then this will be a 6 star product.

Grandstream has been promising before features that didn't make it into later firmware versions. So when I heard the GXV3140 comes out with all this killer applications built in I was even more skeptical.

The GXV3140 is clearly a device that focuses towards "one size fits all" in other words quantity.

The GXV3140 must be Grandstream's answer to the Germans "Eierlegende Wollmilchsau."*

Skype

Twitter

Facebook

Google voice

Browser

IM (Gmail, MSN, QQ, Yahoo)

Weather

Calender

(Display of holiday names in local language)

Currency converter

Calculator

Stock ticker

RSS feeds

Mp3 player

Internat radio (streaming)

phonebook

3 sip accounts

TV out connection (audio/video)

USB port

SD slot

With this vast amount of functionality the device can literally fulfill "little" technical wonders.

As a sidenode: The "bigger" wonders are fulfilled by you during the configuration period ;-)

The key to this success is that after configuration the user can enjoy all those applications without PC knowledge.

With all this privileges comes of course a new level of responsibilities. So keep in mind that running so many applications on a network device naturally increases the risk of becoming unstable.

The good thing (from security point of view) is most applications need to be started first before they can be used.

So first advice I would give is to update to the latest firmware.

(Users have been complaining about stability on earlier version.)

--Update June 2010: ---

Since the official GA release of Firmware 1.0.1.18 (GA) on 24th August 2009 the phone has come a loooong way.

It became considerably more stable and usable.

--Update November 2010 ---

Latest firmware version is 1.0.7.3

--Update March 20111 ---

Firmware was overhauled and Interface feels now fast and snappy.

Especially web browser seems to have been improved again.

--Update April 20111 ---

Linux Skype Ver. 2.2.xxx is now fully working with the GXV3140

This means that Grandstreams GXV3140 / Skype client now fully works with Windows / Mac / Linux Skype clients !!

Lets hope that next Skypes mobile client versions will include H.264 video.

Its pretty cool to have that much functionality after the initial 4 days of configuration.

So I don't need to startup my PC for smaller tasks anymore and my desk looks cleaner too.

My only complaint (for now) is that 3 sip accounts is no way enough for me.

(I would require roughly 6+). If you use 3 incoming DIDs (Tokyo, London, New York) with different providers and 3 others for outgoing calls than you already have an issue.

It can be an invaluable advantage to change the provider at a push of a button when the carriers voice quality varies. (as it does with many budget providers).

Having said that The GXV3140 has a remarkable voice quality even when the network is sluggish.

I am (still) a long term (5+ years) SNOM 360 user (and fan) and was buffled that the GXV3140 delivers even better voice quality.

The voice is literally crystal clear. Your partner will hear you taking a breath in and out. (and that's no joke !!)

I have to confirm yet if Netmeeting will work with it.

Ekiga does (think of it as a sip based Netmeeting) and there are other compatible softphones out there too like f.e portsip, eyeBeam etc.

Its pretty cool that you can receive PC calls.

This means that your partner does Not have to buy the GXV3140 if (s)he doesn't want to.

The video experience itself is pretty cool too, you can start to consider it a replacement for a video conference system.

For ADSL / SOHO users:

With Video Bit Rate : 256kbps it feels still like a web cam experience.

But, the video size is sufficient to confirm that its your mum on the other side.

That alone can make it worth if you live far away from people you care about.

I have read stories about it being used in health care as well.

For professional users:

With Video Bit Rate : 512kbps 1024kbps it delivers quality like a video conference system.

The video can be output on your TV screen.

The quality is so good that it will bring tears (not only) to your granny.

That stuff just wasen't possible not so long time ago.

The key to being able to enjoying it is the networks latency and that is where you (usually) don't have influence in long distance calls.

Nevertheless we have been running tests between Tokyo (Japan) and Frankfurt (Germany). The slower end of the line ran on a DSL 384 kbps SOHO connection.

We found that it gave us sufficient performance to make us want to deploy it further.

Summary:

Spending $250 on a VoIP phone is not cheap, but with this amount of functionality its well worth considering. You get the most used functions accessible from your desk for the fraction of a power consumption a PC has.

In addition it also offers non technical users accessible functionality in a new package.

If you think about being able to see the people that are close to you, whether or not they are within the same building or on the other side of the street, the country or the ocean, then this alone is a big time motivation.

While the video experience alone might be the most attraction for some, for me its really the combination with the other applications that pull each separate function together and make it a whole package.

Also note while most phones are not used when you dont call, this phone has a screensaver, digital photo frame function, mp3 player, internet radio streaming function, weather function, currency converter etc. all build in.

Have I even mentioned yet that the interface currently already supports 11 languages ?

English, French, German, Italian, Portuguese, Spanish, Chinese (twice), Korean, Japanese etc. (the last language I am guessing is either Russian or perhaps Greek).

Overall, in its current state I think its well worth 4 stars.

Three things that immediately got my attention:

First, upgrade your phone to the latest firmware.

Second, I personally would like to see the GXV3140 offer at least 6 sip accounts.

This way I could take all current accounts from the "old" phone over to the new phone.

Thirdly, I would loved to see the device design more elegant and in different colours than black. (f.e coffee cream or pearl white) perhaps at some time skins will be available in several colors.

* A fairytale pig, which in addition gives milk and lays eggs and with a skin made of wool. You get the idea ? ;-)

This product shows Grandstreams commitment to develop it towards a six star killer application.

--Stay tuned ---

Buy GrandStream GXV3140 IP Multimedia Phone With 4.3inch LCD Now

I bought several HT 486 ATA to connect my family all around the world. It was easy to set up the device with Sipphone.com. The voice quality is great most of the time. When it is bad, I guess it has someting to do with the internet Traffic.

Pro: good value, light weight (both the adaptor and the 110-240 power adaptor) Actually, it is the smallest and lightest power adaptor I have ever seen (less than two thumbs put together, and very light). Offers a PC port and a PSTN port (when your voip fails, this PSTN port is your backup for regular phone). Economic in postage to send the unit overseas. The manufactuer grandstream.com website is very useful.

Con: Only has one phone line capability.

Read Best Reviews of GrandStream GXV3140 IP Multimedia Phone With 4.3inch LCD Here

I bought 2 of these devices and both stopped working in a few months, whereas Handytone 286 that I bought 4 years back works without any issues.

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Before everything, let me say that I purchased this product mainly because of the "Certified for Skype" note on the manufacturers web site. Other features seemed impressive as well so I thought it would be a great solution with some added features. Also, let me add, before I begin, that I am an IT guy so I have some technical knowledge.

Certified for Skype proved not to be really true. Out of the box my phone came without Skype or even Skype support. Had to find out, by reading blogs and support site, that I have to upgrade the firmware on the phone in order to be able to use Skype on it. This was not that straightforward, and I guess it would be difficult if you don't have technical knowledge.

After that Skype started working fine on the phone. But....

After several months, the phone screen would simply go black after turning the phone on and going to the Skype screen. Tried calling the support and was extremely disappointed. They basically told me to submit the ticket on their web support site. I explained to them that I already did and that it has been a week and nobody has even acknowledged my question. After that I got a feedback on the support ticket but when I replied with all of the items that they needed from me, again no response from them. It went so far that my ticket was automatically closed because there was no activity on the ticket from them! I called again and I explained that I had no response on the ticket, that the ticket is now closed and that I cannot use my Skype on the phone. Their response was simply to use other options on the phone to call people, to stop using Skype on it !!!!

So I went back on the forums and blogs and somehow figured out that I had to again do factory reset of the phone. I did that on my own and the phone worked for a while but several months later, again the black screen. Another reset and again it works, probably until the next black screen. Oh, and every factory reset that I do, deletes all of your data and settings so you have to do it all over again after every reset.

Support web site says that this is a firmware problem that has been resolved by a firmware fix. The only problem is that that was more then a year ago since they released that upgrade and I am still continuing to have the problem even though I have firmware that is up to date.

In essence, if you want to use this for Skype you might not have problems, but if you do you have to figure out how to resolve them yourself as "support" is useless.

I have not used other features of the phone a lot but they seem to work great.

I got this for my mom who refuses to master any kind of electronics. She's happy with picking up the receiver and pressing digits to dial a number, and that's it. So this phone is perfect for my use case mom uses it in a way she accepts and understands technology (effectively using one of my SIP accounts unbeknownst to her), but I can initiate the use of extra features. Say, I can call her and chat via video with absolutely no action required on her part.

First, the good stuff. It works.

Video quality differs. Skype is okay, H.264 at 512k, SIP not so much, H.263 even at 1024k sucks compared to skype's video.

Speakerphone is probably the best part of the whole experience. It's clear, loud, with full bass and treble.

Camera is actually quite good. What's more, it has a mechanical wheel on the back of the phone that adjusts the angle. This, combined with two-angle positioning stand gives the phone a lot of flexibility.

You could use it as conference room equipment the composite tv-out with stereo works just fine, and you can assign a hotkey for switching between LCD and a TV.

Another thing that 'just works' (although setting it up is not easy at all) is a screensaver feeding of a flickr account. I just upload pictures to my flickr and they appear on the screen of my mom's phone WITHOUT ANY ACTION from her. Priceless!

Now for the 'not so good' stuff.

The phone (purchased in 2012!) came with NO SKYPE support, despite the box and the manual. The recommended upgrade route (via TFTP via Grandstream servers) doesn't work. I had to set up an TFTP server and upgrade via it. Didn't bother with the 'stable' version, went for the latest beta instead. Consequently everything positive about this phone is based on the latest beta (which is NOT available on their web site, I downloaded it off some obscure internet forum. Their support looks like crap.

Just forget about anything else but the SIP/Skype functions. The Grandstream engineers must have figured that once they've built a computer inside, it's a shame not to load it with all sorts of crappy buzzwords. Too bad, it's all unusable. The browser just hangs (with the rest of the phone) when I try to stream a flash-based TV channel, thank you.

While fb/twitter and even some IMs technically work, using anything but voice+video is a pain. Grandstream clearly hasn't heard about the interface design and usability. It all sucks big time.

Even the non-essential phone functions suck: phonebook is unusable (to dial you need to press some 10-12 buttons, COME ON!), and for a truly great laugh just go to youtube and search for 'setting up a conference call on GXV3140': you need a full-time operator to be able to set up a conference call.

Things that work are: speakerphone, redial, hold, video loopback and transfer. That's it.

I'm still very satisfied, however: for $147 I paid for it it's a steal. I'm considering buying another one, for myself, to replace my ancient Cisco 7940G.

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Pyle PLMRKT13BK In-Dash Marine AM/FM PLL Tuning Radio with USB/SD/MMC Reader

• AM/FM-MPX PLL Tuning Radio - 2 Channel RCA Line Out - Blue Illumination
• LCD Display - USB Interface (Decode MP3 WMA) - Clock Function
• Volume/Bass/Treble/Balance/Fader Control - SD/MMC Slot - 6.5" Speaker System
• 30 Station Memory - Aux Input - Weather Band Function
• Power Output 4 x 50 Watts - Remote Control Marine COating

This radio is unsuitable for use in a motor vehicle, as far as I can tell. I went through TWO of them, and both of them SHUT THEMSELVES OFF and FORGET EVERYTHING in the presence of ANY electrical noise. Since the intended application is Marine, one would think that this radio would be at least as robust as a CAR radio, but it's much, much, worse. DO NOT BUY THIS RADIO unless you are confident that you have a VERY LOW NOISE electrical environment. (My qualifications: Masters in Electrical Engineering from Cornell and many many years working with vehicle electrical systems.) I'd give zero stars but Amazon won't let you give less than one star.

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As a gift, my son can ride in his golf cart around the lake community and enjoy music from his iPod or just from the radio from a local station.

Read Best Reviews of Pyle PLMRKT13BK In-Dash Marine AM/FM PLL Tuning Radio with USB/SD/MMC Reader Here

bad

Reception = poor, often static even wiht good signal stations

Clock cannot be left as the visiable display'clock minutes apparently cannot be set (no instructions ant where on setting clock)

good

The box appears to be solid enough to return the unit... hopefully for some resaonalbe refund.

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works great, just what i wanted and more. the only thing i wish that it had with it would be a waterproof cover

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During the summer, we like to take the deck boat out to the middle of the lake and have cook outs. For a while we just brought along a little boom box, but I finally decided it was time to move up. I already had a receiver from a friend, and I just needed some speakers, so I bought these. These Pyles were easy to install, and since I've used them I've noticed that they produce a very high quality of sound. I turn the volume up to about 3/4 max capacity and have yet to hear any crackling or strain. They're supposed to be waterproof too, and although I haven't been unfortunate enough to see if this is true, it's nice to have that promise.

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GPX KC232S Under Cabinet CD Player with AM/FM Radio - Silver

• Under cabinet CD player with analog tuning AM/FM radio
• Flip down MP3 cradle for holding your music player
• Mounting hardware: 4 spacers and 4 screws included
• Remote control: requires a CR2025 battery (pre-installed)
• Powered via the built-in AC power cable

Easy to install and setup (includes a drill template and two sized cabinet gap extensions). Good radio reception and sound (don't expect boom box quality), but we were surprised to find that the product has an analog radio tuner, instead of digital. We had an older GPX which had digital tuning, so we were somewhat disappointed in this difference. A nice feature on this one is the programmable CD player you can choose which order tracks will play in or just choose random. And no problems with the MP3 player attachment/connection. Maybe I haven't figured out the trick yet, but the only minor complaint I have is that I can only rewind CDs with the back button, not skip back to the track start or choose previous tracks. The forward button works fine for both fast forwarding and skipping. If you want an easy to install and dependable little entertainment center for your kitchen or other work area, the GPX KC232S is a very good and economical product.

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I bought this radio on sale for $ 29.99. Thought I got a deal until I installed it and turned it on. It has the worst speakers of any radio I have ever heard. There are no adjustments on the sound . The GPX I replaced had better sound than this one. It is out from under the cabinet and back in the box for returning. Should have bought the Sony I was thinking about buying in the first place. Sometimes a bargain isn't really a bargain. Buyer beware.

Read Best Reviews of GPX KC232S Under Cabinet CD Player with AM/FM Radio - Silver Here

This is a piece of junk. It was easy to install and looked nice but the CD tray would not open. It has been returned. I guess you get what you pay for. The return for this company was a night mare. 2 weeks after they received the return I received the return shipping label and was told it would take 10 days to process the return. After I contacted them again I finally received my refund but not the shipping fee I originally paid.

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I bought this for my wife for Christmas. It's ridiculously easy to install. Kinda freaked me out that I was going to have to drill 4 holes that needed to line up. It come with a template and lining them up is no problem. The tuning is pretty sensitive but for fm stations it comes in pretty well. Am leaves something to be desired but we never listen to AM anyway. The speakers are those which you would expect on a $40 radio such as this. They sound good but not like a Bose system, and if you expect them to sound like Bose you need to get your head checked. The display can be the time or the station/input. The mp3 cradle gets pulled down from the back of the unit and spins. It's kinda funky but it gets the job done well enough.

Two knocks on this are the am reception and the sensitivity of the tuning wheel. But we never listen to am and we rarely change the station (at least for the radio this is replacing) so I'm not too upset about it.

After owning it for 2 weeks I'd buy this again. If you buy it expecting to look feel and operate like a $40 unit you will be happy.

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Cheaply made. Very disappointed with the tuning of the radio stations. No buttons for preset channels, so you have to tune your station in whenever you want to change it. The ability to tune the channels in is tricky...very touchy. The sound is poor. I will most likely be taking it back, even though I have to pay a 25% re-stocking fee.

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Sangean MMC-96i Multi-Function Remote Interactive iPod Docking Station

• Remote MultiFunction Interactive iPod cradle
• USB/SD WMA/MP3 Playback
• Can be used with all amplified speaker systems
• The MMC-96i supports SD cards and USB Memory devices
• Dock adjuster dial allows any size of iPod to fit perfectly in cradle

This little device is very nice for adding other music sources to an existing system. It can play Ipods via docking as well as USB flash drives and sd cards resulting in a pretty limitless music library at reasonable cost. MP3 information can be displayed for all 3 sources. No real cons on this item though of course it requires it's own power cable and a connection to whatever music system you chooes to use it with. I have 2 different 30 pin bluetooth receivers-neither works with this which would have been a nice plus-but not really needed.

An excellent device and I'm not sure why more maufacturers don't incorporate usb drives and sd cards into their systems.

Totally satisfied--bluetooth connections functioning would have been a plus but not really needed.

In my opinion Sangean makes excellent products and I'd recommend this without reservation

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First, let me say that as far as being an iPod dock, this is a nice one. It appears to be very well made, has a nice heft to it. Fit and finish are excellent, sound quality is first rate through external speakers. (It also has a very tinny internal speaker which sounds awful.)

But Amazon's description is not correct. This device IS NOT a clock radio, it has NO CLOCK and NO RADIO. It has only a sleep timer.

Also be aware that this device CAN NOT sync your iPod to a computer, because it has no USB port to do that. The one USB port on it is usable only to play music files from a flash drive.

These simple design omissions make this a less than desirable product. Sangean should be ashamed for leaving them out, since they would have cost very little to add, especially the missing USB port for a computer.

Overall I am very disappointed, and I can't recommend this item.

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Sony DSXS200X Digital Media Receiver with iPod Direct Control via USB

• AM/FM radio, MP3/WMA/AAC, USB, iPod receiver with Tune Tray for concealing media players
• 4 x 52 watts maximum power with 4V front, rear, and subwoofer preamp outputs
• Four-line white OEL DOT matrix display shows source, artist, track, playback time, menu, and clock
• Includes front-panel USB port, iPod control; SAT-/HD-radio-ready
• Selectable blue or red key illumination; one-year limited warranty

The iPod that I used testing this receiver was the newest generation iPod Classic 160gb.

---UPDATE---

What is the difference between the s200x and s300BTX? Nothing in appearance, or sound. They are the exact same thing except the s300BTX has bluetooth, that is it.

---UPDATE---

Here is my situation (this may similar to yours):

I wanted a new car stereo that:

1.

----Controlled the iPod while bypassing the internal iPod DAC---(Digital Audio Converter)

which, in newer models (basically everything past the iPod Video 5.5g), has an inferior Cirrus chip (much discussed about with loss of quality outputting your media sound files). The s200x has a 24-bit DAC that outputs a life like sound quality (testing with ALAC--apple lossless) that just does this. More on this point: if you want your car stereo to bypass iPod's DAC (a must for any audiophile, or for the absolute best sound quality), then you will have to control the iPod through the stereo itself. Moreover, if you want to use your iPod/iPhone as a controller, you can just insert the USB sync cable into the front of the Sony. However, if you use the latter method, you will no longer be using the DAC bypass, resulting in lower quality audio from the DAC of the iPod/iPhone.

2. Almost as important as #1, and directly ties into above:

----A fairly intuitive navigation of the iPod through the receiver----.

The s200x loads up almost instantaneous (possibly 1 or 2 seconds), and changes tracks even quicker. Actually, it feels quicker using this receiver than it does using the iPod itself. Moreover, you can control everything, and I mean everything, from the remote. This helps because the dial in the middle of this unit is hard to press, and harder to press correctly (meaning, in the absolute middle). It navigates just like the iPod does through its own program. You can also search by Letter, so that you can limit tedious scrolling.

3. Again, as important as the above two:

----The ability to see the display in daylight----

Although sunlight directly on this device does saturate the brightness a bit, it does not enough so that you cannot read the display. More succinctly: when exposed to direct light, the whites are not as white and the blacks are not as deep, however the most important aspect still retains: The Display is readable in daylight.

4.

----Having a fairly sophisticated EQ. ----

Much to the chagrin of Alpine's x305s, this device lets you fine tune your sound environment within your car, without buying two hundred dollars worth of extra equipment, while not being inferior in sound. Yes, the Alpine has the Burr-Brown (name brand) DAC. Will you tell the difference if your sound files are converted, ripped, or compressed well? No.

So while you get nothing from Alpine without extra money when wanting to tailor your sound, the s200x from Sony will let you adjust Time Delay from your speakers (adjusted for the distance you are away from each speaker), the full spectrum of frequencies (low, mid, high), and your speaker's ability to either act as a subwoofer, or not (have 6x9's in your back seat but no independent sub? The s200x will let you turn those speakers into a sub, and a sub only).

5. And finally, not as important, but still a constituent with the s200x:

----Price----

Needless to say, you cannot go wrong with the features, and quality, of the s200x for well under 200$. Alpine's color display? Not much more than a low resolution LCD screen (the navigation and presentation of the s200x is much more fluid and appropriate).

What is more is that the 'iPod Tray' that I am sure you have read about, is a must, and a new standard. It is as ingenious as it is innovative. In light of the plethora of hanging 'USB' cables plaguing many a car, the Sony is like going completely wireless.

Oh, if you have not already figured it out by now this DOES NOT comes with a CD player. Hence the 'Digital Media Receiver' title. However, with the iPod tray, your Media Player takes it seat appropriately where a CD player would have went. Needless to say, you have never had a CD player that could play, or have access to, in less than a second, 20,000 lossless quality music files.

As I was looking around at every available receiver on the market, each one had a downside. Alpine did not offer anything to adjust the sound (except if you...ya know), Kenwood's controls were awful (which was the receiver I was replacing), and Pioneer did not offer a 24bit DAC and/or navigation was sluggish. With all of those features lacking in every other device, I, in a moment of serendipity, happened to discover the s200x.

What will your receive with the Sony S200x? Exactly what you want, and nothing less.

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Just got this unit installed, replacing a JVC KD-HDR1 receiver in my '03 Sentra. I have stock speakers and subwoofer as well as an additional amp and set of subs connected to the sub out of the unit. Here are my initial impressions:

Beep sound is very loud, and there doesn't appear to be a volume control for it. At least there's an option to turn it off, which is what I had to do. I'd like to have some audio feedback, but if it has to be that loud then I don't need it.

I hear static from my speakers, whether it's playing from an FM station or my iPhone. I would have at least expected the iPhone to be virtually static-free, but the amp in this unit seems to be rather noisy. On certain FM stations I also hear pops and clicks through my tweeters which are mostly noticable when the unit volume is very low. At this point they are much louder than the music itself. I thought I might have a bad connection, so I reconnected my JVC unit for a minute (using the same wiring harness) and there was no static or popping and clicking at low volume.

The dimmer signal isn't dimming the display. It worked on my JVC with the same harness, so not sure why it's not working on the Sony. They both appear to use the same pin for the dimmer connection.

You can't leave an iPhone's cell service on when putting it in the unit, unless you want to hear the GSM 'tones' that you hear when you put a GSM cellphone near any stereo receiver's amplifier. The phone has to be in 'airplane mode' in order to not be annoyed by it the whole time. Not a huge deal for me as I have an extra iPod Nano that I'll put in the unit instead, or maybe just get a cheap USB memory stick so if it gets fried I won't care.

There are at least 3 different places in the documentation they warn you not to leave a device in the unit and to disconnect the device before powering the unit back on. This is annoying since I mainly want to just keep a device inside it connected and remove it sometimes to update the songs on it. Seems like in particular they have the most issues with USB drives getting erased since they also mention making sure the data on the USB drive is backed up when using it with this receiver.

Menu system is reasonable, if you can figure out what does what. You HAVE to read the manual to know what some menu options mean, or even how to get to them. Maybe it's more intuitive if you came from a Sony receiver, but at least for me it'a s learning experience.

I'll have to play with browsing a songlist a bit more to get a feel for it. At least one of the modes didn't appear to be populating the list well (I think maybe by Artist mode had a lot of blanks for artists). This could be because not all my music came directly from iTunes and maybe some of the ID3 info isn't filled out.

Overall I'm not quite impressed yet. I'm going to be contacting Sony about the noisy output of the device as well as the dimmer not working.

Read Best Reviews of Sony DSXS200X Digital Media Receiver with iPod Direct Control via USB Here

I'm sure auto car stereo makers are asking, "Why didn't we think of that?" The biggest advantage is not having to plug and unplug a flash drive. Also not having a flash stick sticking out like a sore thumb. In addition, you can leave it inside the unit. That means last position, etc should be saved when you get back in the car. I don't plan on buying a Ipod anytime soon but it's yet another clever option.

It's a bold move to get rid of the standard Cd player but when I thought about how often I've grabbed on of my 500 CDs (which hasn't been very often), it makes sense. It's not that big of a hassle to rip the CD into folder files. I've bee burning CDRWs for the past 10 years and building of a few CD cases of songs under the seat. NO MORE! 45 Mp3 CDs which are 700MB each is equal to 1 32GB flash stick!

The only this I wish it had is built-in HD radio. Why on earth Sony didn't put HD in even the top of the line DSX model is beyond me.

Although the face is detachable, it's not the usual flat face but rather a somewhat big slot in the middle. If a thief knows about these models and what may be in the slot, it defeats the whole idea behind the detachable face concept. Let's hope they aren't that desperate or that smart.

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I bought this sterio for the soul purpose of getting rid of the the CD player and got a whole lot more! I have had this Sony player for 3 months now, and still find new things about it. The quality is what I expected with the Sony Brandhigh. This player blows my old Pioneer deck outta the water. Not only is it easy to use, it makes my speakers sound better than ever. I bought a 16GB USB and dragged all my itunes library over to it. Now I don't have to be paranoid about someone stealing my ipod, only a $30 USB drive. It is so easy to navigate through the songs with the knob dial. Its nice to have it Ipod ready incase I need a quick recharge on my ipod or iphone. Highly recommended. No regrets.

This is a great Sony product. Upgraded a Sony Model CDX F5700 FM/AM Compact Disk Player in my boat. Removed existing unit pluged in the new one and updated the splash guard. Now my 10 Disk Sony CD changer, XM Radio, and Ipod play on one compact unit. This unit does it all, and the tune tray is so clean.

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AR ARIR200 Tabletop Wi-Fi Internet Radio with Alarm (Black)

• Wi-Fi internet and AM/FM radio with built-in Wi-Fi and Ethernet connectivity
• Simple online setup and activation; free accounts with Slacker Personal Radio, Personal Portal and WeatherBug
• Clock radio and alarm functions to wake to your personal favorites
• Record up to 10-hours of internet radio or AM/FM radio
• USB connection for playing content from your flash drive or mp3 player

This radio is the same as the RCA Infinite Radio RIR200 which Amazon stopped carrying in favor of this Acoustic Research ARIR200, so I encourage anyone who is thinking about buying this products to ALSO read the reviews at the following link:

RCA Infinite Radio RIR200 Internet Radio with Wifi Connectivity and Slacker Personal Radio

In case the link does not work, put this number (a product number) into the search box: B0016OK5O0 (cut and paste because those are both O's and zeros). You can also look at the reviews for the RIR205 which is the same unit but it also includes a basic router for those who want a simple way to hook up their unit to the internet. Search for B0016OI1BY to get info on the RIR205

Some of the issues brought up in those reviews are still valid (e.g. the odd ergonomics of the controls, too bright illumination, etc.) and some issues have been fixed by firmware updates. Unfortunately, sometimes when they fix one issue in the firmware they seem to also "break" another.

I give AR/RCA credit that they are at least supporting the product with firmware updates (as of 3/2009 they have released a version during 12/2008 and 3/2009). Right now, in my experience the product is a bit buggy with the current version of the firmware and I have been experiencing some random crashes where it either locks up or reboots itself. This is a real pain because it loses the security key for the WiFi when this happens and thus it has to be reentered. There is also a base level of white noise through the speakers, even after turning the radio off, that I find annoying (hint: after going standby, turn the volume dial all the way down and it will disappear with a pffft then spin the volume back up to the normal position so that you have volume the next time you turn the radio portion on). This unit is better than the iLuv unit I reviewed elsewhere and could be quite good if they ever get a good version of the firmware going.

One of the best resources for information on these radios is the message archives at the following group at Google groups: Acoustic Research ARIRC200 Internet Radio . Just do a search at Google Groups and you should find the group (I don't think Amazon will let me include the link, but here goes: http://groups.google.com/group/acoustic-research-arirc200-internet-radio?hl=en )

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My wife bought me this for my birthday. She probably wishes she didn't. I keep her up at night as I go through all the internet stations each evening. I guess you could say this is the "world's worst alarm clock". I lose at least an hour's sleep each night, playing with the RIR200. It may soon replace my XM radio as my favorite radio. Seriously, the RIR200 is just awesome. Setup is fairly simple. You setup an account online (free), which takes about 5 minutes. You can customize some favorite options if you like. You use your Slacker password if you have one, and the radio will automatically log into Slacker. A free 4 year subscription to WeatherBug is included for instant weather and alerts. After you setup online, you turn on the RIR200 and follow the quick setup guide. Connecting to my WEP wireless network was no problem, and I had the radio up and running in a few minutes. All in all, I just love the RIR200. It performs well. The sound is very good, but by no means Hi-fidelity. If I had to say a negative thing about it, the AM and FM performance is nothing special. No big deal because I'll probably never ever listen to them on this radio anyway. Also, I wish the lowest volume setting wasn't as loud as it is. It's a little loud when trying to fall asleep. The radio isn't perfect , and does have its bugs. None of which I consider major. I haven't had any major issues. The firmware is updated in occasion. The most recent update added access to MP3Tunes, and fixed many of the previous bugs. It also introduced a few more, but they're working on fixing them too. If they get all the bugs out, I'd easily give it 5 stars.

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I bought this as a second internet radio, mostly because it is pretty inexpensive compared to other radios. (My other is a Squeezebox Boom, which cost ~ $250.) At $90-$100, the AR Infinite Radio is a steal. It's kind of small, and has smallish speakers. There's no remote, either. But, the device works as advertised, and it's hard to remember why other companies charge twice as much for an internet radio device. It was very easy to get it on my WPK2-protected wifi network, search for my favorite stations, and away we go. This radio is great for my office.

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BUYER BEWARE: IMPORTANT CONSIDERATIONS BELOW!

Having owned both the AIR200 and AIR205 models for almost two years, I've had plenty of time to evaluate them. The AIR205 is the same as the AIR200, except the former includes a wireless router, which is useful for those who don't already have a wireless router or don't know how to connect to their existing router.

Firstly, these units are NOT made by Audiovox. This is a classic case of an American company going to a Chinese manufacturer and stamping their logo on an existing product. The EXACT same unit can be found under the RCA brand name. Hopefully RCA had higher quality standards than Audiovox!

I originally purchased the AIR200 as a gift for my non-technical mother. Big mistake! She was totally lost and gave up on it quickly. I have a computer degree, so I didn't mind fiddling around with the unit. At first, I overlooked the flaws because it was such a great thrill to dial into thousands of stations around the world. Classic rock, retro 80s, you name it. I even rushed out and bought an AR205 for myself. That's when I started paying attention to how badly designed these things really were.

The built-in software has the most bugs I've ever seen in any commercial product. It appears they released this with absolutely NO bug testing or usability testing WHATSOEVER! There are so many issues, I don't know where to begin.

It often takes two or more tries to connect to its own router. I have to unplug it and then plug it back in again to get it to connect. If I leave it plugged in, it often turns itself on randomly during the night, even if the alarm isn't set on the clock radio. Sometime it turns on to the previous radio station; other times it turns on to no station at all -I just wake up to light static/buzzing from the speaker being powered on.

The menu was very poorly thought out. Let's say you want to listen to KROQ in Los Angeles. The way to get there via the menu is as follows: choose Internet->By Region->North America->By Country->United States->By State->California->By City->Los Angeles->KROQ

That means you might have to click on TEN menu items to get to the station you want!!! Plus, you have to click the "down" button through each item in each menu to get to the one you want. Some menus have up to 50 to 100 items, so you'll be click-click-clicking quite a bit. I'm not sure how long these buttons will last. They should have used the volume dial to scroll through the menu. That would be much faster. In fact, voice commands or a search mechanism would have made more sense.

OK, so let's say you're back listening to KROQ. If you want to go to another station in Los Angeles, you'll have to go through the menu all over again because the "back" button usually forgets where you were. The preset buttons and favorites are helpful ways to create shortcuts, but they sometimes get confused and fail to connect too.

It appears to be impossible to remove a dead station from your favorites list because the remove option is only available [after] the station connects successfully, which it won't if the station no longer exists. And here's the kicker:

IF YOU LIVE OUTSIDE THE USA, MANY STATIONS WILL NO LONGER BE ACCESSIBLE DUE TO CBS'S NEW GEO-BLOCKING POLICY.

When I first bought this radio, I was able to access thousands of US stations, which made all the flaws worth overlooking. However, CBS (who handles the streaming for most US stations) has since blocked access to non-US IP addresses. While there are still thousands of world-wide stations available, over half the US stations are now off-limits to many customers. Unfortunately, this means most of the best stations, in my opinion. This isn't Audiovox's fault, but it is a shame.

I don't have a problem with the sound quality. It's fairly clear for a small clock radio. Even a low-quality 48kbps stream sounds pretty darn good. It's a shame they did such a poor job on the software because the radio feels solid and sturdy.

In closing, I couldn't possibly recommend this to a non-technical user. Despite several firmware upgrades, none of the aforementioned bugs have been fixed, and I doubt they ever will be. I also think this has lost a lot of value for non-US residents due to the blocked stations. I'd probably begrudgingly buy this radio again because it's still nice to listen to internet radio without having a laptop or desktop computer in the room, but there are probably better products out there.

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I've had this radio for over a year. It was a great purchase. It entertains me every day and wakes me up every morning. Yes, it looks a little funky-but don't we all? You'll grow to like it's looks, I promise. Yes at times it can be a bit hard to program-and the buttons could be laid out a bit better. But again you get used to its quirks. Right now it's like an old friend, not perfect, but a good companion to have around. By the way-the radio's internal circuitry produces FAR better sound then the speakers can reproduce. There's a headphone/audio output jack on the back. Connect this to your stereo with a $5.00 patch cord from Radio Shack and you'll be amazed!

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Oregon Scientific WR8000 Hand Held All Hazard Radio

• Handheld weather/hazard alert radio monitors U.S. Emergency Alert System
• Rugged, water-resistant expedition style--perfect for hiking and camping
• Digitally tunes all 7 NOAA weather/hazard channels
• Freeze alert audible/visual warning
• Digital clock with alarm/snooze

In the year since I received the Oregon Scientific weather radio, its price has dropped dramatically, making it an even more attractive addition to an outdoorsperson's backpack or vehicle. As an avid hiker and camper, I bring along this weatherproof radio on weekend trips to receive weather information and alerts. While the reception has proven limited for some areas I visit, such as state parks not located in close proximity to a NOAA transmitting station, and national parks such as Big Bend -too remote for me to have even bothered to bring the radio along, the reception within or near cities where most users will in practice find themselves using it, is perfect. The radio is also handy to have around the home, particularly if you don't have any other battery-operated weather alert radio at your disposal. When the power goes out and the weather starts turning nasty, it's extremely handy to turn the radio on Standby so it can alert you to weather watches and warnings in your area.

For the money, I don't think you can go wrong with this little, durable device. The only defect I have noticed with my radio in the year that I've used it is the channel buttons occasionally get stuck and have to be pried out using a pen cap or other small instrument. Annoying, to be sure, but the radio continues to work as expected. Battery life with normal AA batteries is good, although I tend to leave my radio turned completely off unless I suspect weather is approaching or am heading off on a trip.

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Very useful but does not have S.A.M.E technology that newer versions have. Difficult to find the right channel for your area unless an alert is being broadcast. The battery door on mine broke due to a fairly small plastic tab snapping off. User interface is not intuitive (setting channels and time is not easy without the user's manual).

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Have to agree with Jeff S. The battery compartment on my radio has to be taped shut. And you must have the manual to configure it. Only worth buying if you can get it well below MSRP, or better still, free.

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I purchased 2 of these items, on one of them, the LCD display does not work perfectly (the 0 as a part of 12:00 pm is missing a line of the 0 on the displaysee my submitted pictures) but this is no big dealthe item still works OK.

The other product arrived damaged since it has a battery compartment door that is made of cheap plastic at the bottom of the unit and UPS damaged it during shipping.

It took me filing a complaint with Amazon just to get a response from this company, and the situation is still not resolved, they have not offered to send me a free return label to send it back to them.

I will never order from Elmosworld again. Terrible customer service.

This radio is insanely over-priced. You can get worse, but you can't pay more for it.

The Oregon Scientific WR-8000 is a true piece of crap. Do not purchase it.

I bought mine brand new in the box for two dollars at a church yard sale. Boy am I glad I didn't pay more for it.

The Oregon Scientific WR-8000 is cheaply constructed all the way around. Everything about this shoddy radio is cheap cheap cheap. Want poor reception? You got it! Want brittle plastic that breaks easily? You got it! Want a compass that doesn't work? You got that too!

Be prepared to do quite a bit of research to find an emergency radio worth owning. If it says "Made in China" avoid it if you can. If China does make anything worth owning they certainly don't export it to the USA.

"Oregon Scientific" is another term for cheap piece of Chinese crap.

You will regret it if you buy this radio.

Caveat emptor.

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Sony MHCEC709iP Mini Hi-Fi Shelf System

• Powerful 360-watt (RMS) music system
• Two-way bass reflex speaker system
• Works with iPhone and iPod--charge, play and control
• Single-disc CD Player plays CDs and CD-R/RW recorded in audio or MP3 file formats
• Audio-in lets you easily connect MP3 players, PCs or other devices
• Powerful 360 Watt (RMS) music system
• Single Disc CD Player; CD, CD-R/RW playback recorded in audio or MP3 file formats
• Works with iPhone, Made for iPod;charge, play and control

This system is great. The only reason people are complaining about this system is because they didn't do the research before they bought the product, and I did. I'm currently in college in a Music Production program, and I bought these speakers to set up as my own "home studio." Everything you need to know is on the box, but for the people who complained about this, let me elaborate. The iPod dock ONLY, I repeat, ONLY works with a 2nd Gen iPod touch! If you don't have one and are buying it primarily for iPod connectivity, either don't buy it, buy a 2nd Gen iPod touch online (they're pretty cheap now), or be the smart person and buy an 1/8th inch to 1/8th inch cable (that means the headphone adapters), that way you can plug in your MP3 player, whatever it may be, without any complications. Note: make sure you get stereo, if you buy mono without looking at the details and only the price, you'll be disappointed, you need stereo so you can get the correct panning, mono won't do that. I actually have 2 different adapter cables, one for my laptop/iPad, the other for my TV, and it works great. Now, the speakers are actually really good, and I'm not surprised. The cables are thin, which isn't too good for the stability of the cable, but as long as you are careful with moving the speakers around then you're fine. I don't even move my speakers, they haven't moved since I got them (2 months ago) and I have had no issues. Now for the review about a headphone jack so you can plug your headphones into the system...look, if you buy a speaker system like this you shouldn't even think twice of plugging your headphones into it. It's a speaker system, either listen to your music over the speakers or over your headphones plugged into the device that has your music. If you plug headphones into a speaker system like this you'll just look like an idiot anyway so save yourself the embarrassment.

Now that I've talked about the other reviews, let me give you my opinion. These speakers are GREAT!!! They have great sound quality to them, it gets quite loud, and it's perfect for any application. I use it for listening to music, playing sound over my TV, and watching movies. It goes up to a volume level of 30, and I've used it on 13 with my laptop at full volume and my neighbors have complained about the booming sounds coming from next door. Everything is very simple to use, and it even has this DSGX setting. I don't know what it stands for exactly, but it makes the sound seem fuller, along with adding a TON of bass. It also has several EQ settings. I use the Rock EQ, because I listened through all of the EQs and chose it. You don't even really need the EQ changed though, only if you're picky, like me.

If there was one complaint I had about this system, it would be that some bass notes cut out. These speakers are excellent with most low, mid, and high frequencies, but once the bass notes start to get reallyyyyyyy low, it likes to cut them out. It's a little upsetting, but it doesn't happen that often, and for the money I spent on this system I couldn't be any more content with it. This system is a really great buy, and if you do your research and find that this is the one for you then great, get it! If not, then go your own way. If I had just a little more money when I went to go buy mine, I would've goten the next level up for 50 dollars more (the one with 3 speakers instead of 2, since the extra speaker is really for a bass boost and most definitely would've gotten me those missing bass notes). But either way, I'm glad I made the decision to buy this and you will be too.

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I brought a Thievery Corporation CD to Frye's and tested every system in there. This had the best sound for the money BY FAR. I like my music to have powerful base and thought about getting the same system with the sub woofer, but the highs and mids were not clear on that one. This unit had great comprehensive sound--clear mids and highs with great base. All of the other systems in this price range couldn't handle high volume and had around 150-170W, but this one maintained good sound as loud as I could turn it because of the 360W. The only drawback is that it's a little bigger than I wanted for a shelf system.

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This stereo looks great and sounds great for the money yet suffers from a couple of bad design decisions.

I bought this unit for the computer room to add a little boost to my computer sounds and to allow me to play my iPod through.

Here are my thoughts on this stereo

The Good:

For sound quality: The sound on this unit is rich and deep and LOUD. It works perfectly with my iPod classic, the remote may be a little tricky at first, but you will get used to it, and with games and movies passed through it from my computer.

For Construction quality: The unit feels sturdy and well made and looks amazing.

The Bad:

For reasons I cannot fathom Sony's engineers decided to go against several decades of stereo design when they made this unit. As has been pointed out by other customers there is no headphone jack on the machine, which isn't a problem for me, but one must wonder why this classic staple of just about any other stereo ever made was left out. The second design issue is that the main stereo unit is quite long so although this is marketed as a "shelf unit" I do not know a single person with book shelves deep enough to fit this unit. To add insult to injury Sony decided to put two computer style fan exhaust ports on the backside of the unit which adds another inch to its length and means there must be a clearance of at least 15 centimeters behind the unit and the wall. So Sony has made the first "shelf unit" stereo that cannot be used as one. Oh well no matter, I'll just put the main unit out of the way somewhere and just run some longer speaker wire to the speakers which I can put where I like. Whoops. No I can't. Again it seems Sony's designers have decided to ignore the last 50 odd years of stereo history and instead of the usual "alligator clip" style connectors where you could use any length of wire you like, they have hardwired some very cheep wire to the speakers and added a special plug device at the end that connects to the unit, which are very much like the power connector of a computer fan. This means that the speakers can never be more than about 5 feet from the main stereo unit, and if a wire happens to go bad you are S.O.L.

Sony tragically missed the mark on this one.

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I wish I had known that that there is no headphone jack! (Ronnie's review came too late for me, unfortunately). I was very pleased with this system -nice and loud so I can play drums with it with earplugs on, nice bass and overall sound quality. Then I discovered that there is no headphone jack. I didn't even think to see if it was included -a headphone jack is a most basic feature that should be on every stereo. So, if you never ever use headphones, this is a great stereo, especially for the price.

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This stereo looks and plays fine. That said, Sony really missed the mark. They didn't bother to include a headphone jack on the system. The audio input is a mini jack not standard RCA audio jacks, it's marked "PC", and its use is not really covered in the instruction manual. The speakers connect with flimsy mini plugs similar to cordless phone battery connectors, so you have to cut and splice if you need to increase speaker separation. And finally, the factory manual is a generic document that's not specifically tailored to this unit. If not for the looks and the sound I would give this horribly awkward unit a one-star rating!

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