Gpx CI109PK ALARM CLOCK IPOD DOCKAM/FM

• Dock plays and charges iPod
• AM/FM Radio
• Digital Clock with Alarm
• Wake to radio or buzzer
• Built-in speaker

I purchased this item from a local store for my grade school daughter. Got it home and absolutely could not set the time no matter what I did. The buttons are very cheaply made and do not do what they are supposed to do. Am returning it and will not buy another GPX product due to the lack of quality of the unit.

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I bought this for my grade school daughter because of the styling. The sound quality was never great, but it was fine for her. But now the clock LED has grown so dim that it's unreadable in anything but complete darkness and the radio tuner won't pick up a thing. Pathetic.

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This is nice and small and my 8 year old daughter loves it. Sound is pretty good. The only real downside I can see is that you can't choose the song or even playlist that you want to wake to. It just starts playing the first song on your ipod.

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I love the color plus it's a very good item for your desk. It fits very easlity into a small space. The sounds is good with alot of volume control.

This docking station is okay. It's not top of the line but still works great. When i got it however, it was a little scratched. Other than that the alarm clock and radio on it are great. I loved that there was a button to dim the light on the display.

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Tecsun PL-360 Digital PLL Portable AM/FM Shortwave Radio with DSP, Black

• PLL Synthesized AM/FM/SW Radio with DSP (Digital Signal Processing) Technology
• Patented ETM Tuning (Easy Tuning Mode) plus 450 memories
• Includes high-sensitivity AM antenna
• Alarm clock + sleep timer + thermometer + build-in battery charger
• 30-Day money back guarantee and 1-year manufacturer's warranty

I had some goals in mind when I purchased the Tecsun PL-360: I was looking for an easy to use, very portable, AM/FM/Shortwave radio for under a hundred dollars, that was not demanding on batteries and provided decent reception.

So, here is what I found when the PL-360 went to work:

The first thing I did with it, out of the box, was to scan the SW band with ETM. The Easy Tuning Mode button locates audible stations and then lets you flip through them with the tuning dial. This feature can be run at any time to update your location or add to the list with antenna changes. The Tecsun scanned the SW band indoors with just the whip antenna and locked onto 38 stations. 2300-21950khz continuous. Later, with the addition of an outdoor antenna, the PL-360 (during evening hours) using ETM, scanned and locked on to over 135 shortwave stations. Not bad and I felt that met my expectations for SW. I am not real fond of the clip-on antenna rigging. But, it will add to the ETM station count. ( Note: I got to my outdoor antenna by soldering a alligator clip to the bitter end of the supplied clip-on antenna wire. I am sure you are on your own when you do this since it is outside the design and not in the user guide.)

When the PL-360 locks on it is discriminating and holds the station well. Little to no bleed over or fade beyond the nature of the band.

AM/FM radio and features: Just fine & handy too. Stereo radio sound is surprisingly decent with my Skull Candy headphones. I also tried three other types of headsets; over ear and soft inserts with differing results. Basically, better phones improve sound. You get about what you would expect from the small onboard speaker.

Features are easy to access. Faceplate buttons are small but snappy and clean with room to disallow "fat finger." There is not so much clutter that it is confusing. Noted in one review was the tuning knob as being crisp and solid with good indexing. I agree with that. The buttons support a "short press," and "long press" action to manipulate features.

The little AM antenna that fixes to the body and makes it look like a TNT igniter is okay. In fact, it is directional. There is a signal strength indicator on the LCD and that responds clearly to movement of the bar antenna.

Holding the radio in the left hand allows my wrap around fingers access to the tuning knob and volume knob. In the right hand the thumb is in charge. LCD Display and button markings are easy to read at arms reach as if holding a book. The LCD screen lights when buttons or knobs are moved and turns down with inactivity.

Scan and memory features are handy. Very briefly: You scan using the VF button and the radio holds a station for a few seconds then moves on. You can use the tuning knob to stop the scan and fine tune. Also, there is an up and down button feature in the four button Band selector and Auto Tuning Storage section that makes gross moves from band to band while the LCD provides a quick band reference as you troll. The band you are on flashes for about two seconds. (It took me a while to catch this indication. Two seconds is kind of quick. So, you have to be looking for this.) So, if you like 31m, you just push the up or down button until 31m shows in the upper right corner of the LCD. You can then scroll through the band. A press of the memory button drives a station you like to one of the memory sets for later use by the VM button as a preset.

The Alarm (wake up) mode is easy to use and set. The auto off timer has a surprisingly large selection of time choices. A blinking sleep icon flashes in the upper left corner of the LCD when setting this feature. Also, the LCD shows ambient temperature. This is listed in Fahrenheit when North American step settings are selected for AM.

I did purchase NMH rechargeable batteries to use in the radio. The PL-360 needs to be told it has NMH batteries installed. I found the setup for this easy and the Intelligent Charging Feature handy. So far, the radio does not appear to be a power consumption hog.

Overall, the PL-360 is a nice surprise. I feel the radio met all the goals I had in mind and provided some very nice extras that made it well worth the price paid. Also, the learning curve is not too bad and even the user guide is compact as well as straight forward.

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This is an interesting packaging of the new DSP radios coming out of China. Don't expect miracles out of the very small rotating am/lw antenna or tiny speaker, but if you do not need ssb or selectable sideband and want a travel radio with am, fm and shortwave, this may be of interest.

There are multiple tuning and entry options, along with an interesting "seek" function that seems to work better than previous implementations of this idea.

With an external direct or passively coupled loop antenna, the am is on par with my DE1103 on the "wide" setting.

San Francisco and Vancouver BC stations are an easy catch most autumn and winter nights. I've gotten one or two East Coast stations.

Small enough to slip in a big pocket, and it has a mini-usb charging port for the three AA cells. You will need that, as this radio seems to run through NiMh battery charge very fast, at least compared to my DE1103.

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Tecsun has several DSP radios utilizing the IC Si373x from Silicon Labs of Austin TX. The AM/FM/SW/LW digital tuning radio is shaped more like a TV remote compared to its other DSP cousins. It doesn't standup easily, nor does it fit in your pocket well. I don't think this design lends itself to any advantage other than putting an antenna on the end of a skinny block.

The unique feature of this radio is the Medium Wave AM radio antenna input, and the supplied external ferrite bar antenna. Testing the AM sensitivity for me is not easy as I live in a high QRM (man-made interference) area of my city, with commercial buildings all around. For me the supplied ferrite bar antenna performed well pulling in stations clearly up to 50 miles away that I know are under 2.5KW. I also tried Tecsun's AN-200 Loop antenna with direct connect to the radio. Not surprisingly a noticeable increase in reception, with late PM full of signals I could not identify in the World Radio Tv Handbook. So with the right antenna, this radios AM reception is very good and allows for experimenting at a reasonable price.

The FM and SW receptions are surprisingly good using the stick antenna. However, I mainly purchased the radio for the MW input as I'm planning a large loop antenna to take to the Eastern Seashore for Trans Atlantic DXing. As one of many Tecsun Ultra Light Radios (URL) with Digital Signal Processing (DSP), there fun, useful, work well, easy to use, light weight, and priced right. I like Tecsun because of their DSP radios, highly recommended.

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This radio performs as well as the Tecsun PL-380, and some may prefer the PL-380 because of its more familiar dimensions and features. However, the PL-360 will accept substitute plug-in antennas if the owner cares to create one or more for experimental purposes.

The PL-360 has no keyboard for direct frequency entry, but that's not too big a deal. The radio is solid feeling and has much better sound than I would expect from a small speaker. DSP enhances the listening experience substantially.

Sensitivity and selectivity, especially, are good for a small radio.

The integrated circuit at the heart of this chinese-built receiver is made in Austin, TX.

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Received this rather quickly from Amazon even with free (slow) shipping. I think I ordered on Friday and it arrived on Tuesday. Not bad.

The build quality of the radio is okay. Though, it does not have a robust feel like my Sangean DT-400W which I also bought recently.

Your experience may vary, below are only my opinions:

Here is what I don't like:

1) Silly ferrite external antenna. Surely they could have fit that darn thing into the radio. There is a pouch that comes with the radio, but there is not a place for the ferrite antenna in pouch. I suppose you can stuff it in the belt loop, but it is not really secure. If this external antenna works better than it does, then I would not be picking at it.

2) Can the buttons be any smaller? You almost need to use an magnifier to read the label on the buttons. Overall, the buttons are not very responsive.

3) The instruction booklet is mostly in Chinese so it useless unless you know Chinese. I think there may be English translation of it on the web somewhere.

4) No numerical buttons for frequency selection so there is a lot of thumb exercise.

Here is what I liked:

1) It has a strange shape. Reminds me of an old walky-talky. Easy to hold one handed.

2) The speaker is decent.

3) FM reception is solid while MW and SW is marginal.

4) Uses 3x AA batteries (isn't 3 an odd number???). Can recharge NiMH in the radio. Haven't really tried this feature yet.

5) ETM

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Hi-Rice SD-813 Portable Metal Mini Speaker With LED Diaplay / FM / Clock / Alarm Clock Dual Speaker

This is a great tool if you want a good speaker for your Smart Phone, Tablet, Mp3 player, laptop or any portable electronic device. You can connect it to your device through a 3.5mm plug, It also has a Micro SD slot where you can add a memory card. I picked up an 8 gig Mico SD card with a separate SDHC adaptor and plugged it into my computer. I then clicked and dragged hundreds of my favorite songs from my ITunes music list to the memory card. Now I can play my favorite music to my friends and family at a park, on picnics or the beach like an old fashioned boom box for many hours. The nice part is its small size. It's only about six and a half inches long. It's not an Ipod or MP3 player with an LCD display of song titles or artists, but what do you expect for the price. It has a big battery inside that can be charged from your smart phone charger or off your computer. through the mini USB connection. It doesn't come with a charger. It does have a clock and an FM radio, but those are only minor accessories for me. The best feature is the great sound.

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Sangean DT-210 FM-Stereo/AM PLL Synthesized Pocket Receiver

• Receives AM/FM transmissions
• Pocket-size (2.5" x 4.25" x 1")
• 10 preset stations per band
• Stereo/mono switch
• Deep bass boost improves sound

It is said in radio engineering circles that all possible advances in improving radio reception reached a pinnacle decades ago. As anyone who has used some of the classic radios of ages past can attest, there are burled wood, chrome, hand-wired, and even vacuum tube examples with reception and fidelity that put modern units to shame. So in the 21st century, the age of portable entertainment and miniaturization, why isn't there a pocket example of a "pinnacle of engineering" radio?

Leave it to a small overseas company barely decades old itself to create the solution. The Sangean DT series of radios have long been considered the "pocket DXers" of portable radios, DX meaning distance listening, and this most recent design ups the ante and raises the bar by lowering the weight and shrinking the size. Weighing in at slightly less than a cell phone, with dimensions on par with an iPod, it's the device of vintage performance and modern size that many serious radio listeners have been waiting for.

And a serious radio it is. For example, The stereo-mono-speaker switch is a blessing on many different levels; weaker FM stations that cause most radios to bounce noisily back and forth between mono and stereo mode can now be forced to mono for a much cleaner signal. When you're ready to listen using the speaker, you can just leave your headphones plugged in they become the FM/TV antenna. Alternately, a length of antenna wire is included, plus the plug is standard mini 1/8" size (not the rare sub-mini size found on some other DT series units) which means that any antenna with a mini plug can be used for ultra-long-distance/rural listening.

Sensitivity is nothing without selectivity, which is the ability of a tuner to pull in a weak station that's right next to a strong one on the dial. This is where the cost-saving measures of other manufacturers become annoyingly obvious, and where the little Sangean shines. Here in Southern California on the FM dial, between 88 and 90Mhz there are at least *ten stations*. In the space of 2Mhz! I had no idea prior to owning this radio that so many were there. Any other radio might be able to pick up a scant few of the more powerful stations with some antenna positioning and tuning trickery, but the Sangean gets them all casually, no hassle or drama. AM reception is similarly impressive; KOA Talk Radio out of Denver, Colorado, nearly a thousand miles away, comes in audibly and regularly without the aid of an antenna.

Once you've tuned that rare station, you'll want to enjoy the listening experience, and the good news continues here also. The small speaker is nicely balanced and seems specifically designed to bring out the human voice, so that when listening to a weak/distant station, voices stand out from the static. The real joy begins when you use headphones the included earbuds are cheap (as they should be, the purchase price should go towards the actual radio, not earbuds) and only adequate, but a quality set of headphones will produce an amazing high-fidelity sound. The bass boost helps balance out cheaper earpieces, and with better sets, pushes the bass into DJ territory.

There are a couple negative points the interface relies on a single set of up/down keys, which means a third button has to toggle between tuning and memory presets. It's a little stilted and requires some practice before you can scan presets without looking. Also, using the headphone input as an antenna means you can't listen to FM or TV without something plugged into it. But these are small issues in light of pure tuner quality.

So is the Sangean right for you? You don't have to understand any of the technical fine points or jargon above if you notice a difference in reception between your car radio and your portable, or if a friend's radio seems to get a station you can't, you're ready for the DT-210V. Fifty dollars for a pocket radio might seem steep, but then other portables don't provide fifty dollars worth of performance. If you take radio listening seriously, it's time for an equally serious radio you can take with you; the Sangean DT-210V nets my highest recommendation.

(Six month update Despite hours of use daily and a few rough spills, my DT-210V still looks, works, and sounds the same way it did the first moment I took it out of the box. Using the same rechargeable batteries I picked up when I purchased the radio, I haven't spent a penny more on powering it, either. I attempted to make a short list of AM stations I could receive with the DT-210V, only to find days later that I've thus far pulled in 126 stations from 12 states and 2 countries [best catch so far: KOKC out of Oklahoma City, OK, 1,135 miles away and as clear as a local station some nights]. Incredible!)

(One year update No change. 1000+ hours of use and my DT-210V is unfazed. I've since gotten a pair of professional studio monitor headphones and have found that songs played on FM music stations are EQ'd identically to the same songs played from a reference CD player the 210 is perfectly balanced and actually makes a great portable reference receiver!)

(Two year update I've since replaced my Sangean with a Japan-only Sony SRF-T615, which is smaller and has better-yet reception. But I'll definitely be holding on to my DV as it has better audio quality, can be turned up louder, and is still only half the price of the Sony.)

(Three year update My DV is now pulling classical-music-for-infant duty; Thanks to the diminutive design of the 210 combined with the wire antenna, it easily tucks away inside a bassinet with the antenna either hidden under the mattress or suspended outside the crib, so the entire setup is completely out of the way of both child and parent. I've tried a few other, cheaper portable radios in this role, but inconsistent reception and concerns about a metal whip antenna near a crib made them a non-option. The DV easily and dependably pulls in the local classical station, providing quiet and faithfully reproduced nap time music for baby.)

(Five year update I still prefer this radio for working outdoors, thanks to the great reception and loud speaker; I turn it up and place the radio facing outwards in a cargo pants pocket presto, the sound follows me wherever I go, no headphone wires to get tangled in. This model has since been replaced by the DT-400W, and long-distance listening with powerful portables like these is now a hobby called "Ultralight DXing", the enthusiasts of which regard the Sangean DT series among the best.)

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I am a daily radio user, and carry this unit around with me everywhere. I listen to baseball & football games, music, talk radio, news, weather, AM & FM, you name it. I've now purchased two Sangean DT-210V's from Amazon in as many years, but the second one is currently dying the same death that ended the first one. The design is very user-friendly, and I use every feature; presets, headphone/handsfree, station scan, etc. I would put the reception this unit gets up against any other portable on the market. It's great, even in remote areas where others lose it. But the chronic problem which I thought was unique to #1 is now afflicting #2... the power button. On both units I've owned, it slowly begins to malfunction, then stops working altogether. My second one is currently in its final stages. Sangean, if you ever get a copy of this review, please redesign the on/off switch to be more durable. Maybe less plastic and more metal parts, if only at that point of contact. You have a loyal customer here, but I can't afford to replace this gem of a radio once a year. It's sad, because the reception, the clarity, the ergonomics of the radio want to live a longer life, if not for the on/off switch.

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I had my eye on this radio for a few days and purchased it when it came up as a Gold Box Special. I'm very glad I did.

This little radio does a great job, especially for AM purposes, where my favorite newsradio stations are. I had no trouble tuning in on my favorite stations (AM and FM) including one station that broadcasts from Tampa, FL that I'm able to pull in from the opposite coast. The TV does quite well, but my area only uses 3 or 4 channels within the 2 to 13 range, so I hardly use that band area.

The only surprise (for me) came with the needed use of an antenna for the FM and TV stations. Normally, the wire for the ear buds works as the antenna, but if you use the on-board speaker (which works great) you'll need to use the included antenna wire which plugs into the ear bud jack. But that's not a big overall deal.

The first day I used it I accidently dropped it on the brick floor with no ill effects. One battery popped out from the impact. It still works fine just a few tiny nicks in the front.

I'm glad I didn't buy a cheaper radio, which is what I had originally set out to do. I like this radio. It's easy to handle, it's already taken a beating, and it works really nice. I look forward to using it for years to come.

UPDATE: Five months later and I have fallen deeper in love with this darling little radio. It's been dropped and slobbered on countless times (on tile, brick, and concrete flooring) by a 1 year old toddler. It still looks and runs great. (The lock feature comes in VERY HANDY when dealing with a curious toddler. Super feature.) My husband has complimented me on choosing this radio...it's helped us through Hurricane Charley and helped beat off boredom the days without power afterwards. I do not regret buying this radio and would gladly buy it again and again and again if I had to.

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I've been a radio broadcast engineer for almost 25 years. I've been an electronics experimenter and radio nut for even longer, since I was 12 years old. I've had quite a few small radios through the years, but this is the best performer so far. I was disappointed by other "Walkman" type radios. This has the best AM & FM reception of anything I've owned. Here is what I like about it. The mono/stereo mode switch for FM is great. I would rather listen to a clean mono signal than a noisy stereo one. This is especially useful for public radio news/talk programs. I don't know why NPR stations don't program their audio processors to go into mono mode during talk programming, they would increase their fringe area coverage and make a lot of cheap noisy portable radios sound better. The FM stereo reception is slightly better than the Sonys I have. The Sangean is one of the very few that lets you select the mono FM mode, a big plus for me. Also, many small radios get overloaded by strong local transmitters. This tuner is much better near one 50,000 watt FM transmitter I work near. I can still tune weaker farther away signals when I'm 3/4 mile from the 50kw tower. Someone complained in another review that it doesn't have a local/distant switch...it doesn't need it. The AM tuner is excellent, especially considering the small size of the radio. If it has a ferrite bar antenna rod, it must be small. They must have some very low noise high gain semiconductors to get such a good signal-to-noise ratio with a tiny AM antenna. The AM tuner is very sensitive and selective. I can listen to WWJ 950 AM from Detroit during the day, about 80 miles away. You can barely detect a station on 950 with my Sonys. At night, I can DX many AM stations. I was listening to hurricane Katrina coverage at night on WWL 870 AM in New Orleans. I live 20 miles north of Lansing Michigan. The TV audio reception works great, but I haven't really used it. I can get channels 5,6,8,10, and 12 where I live. The audio is weaker on TV, probably because the deviation is only 25 KHz instead of the 75 KHz used on FM. They should design these so the audio gain increases about 10 dB when tuning TV audio. That way you wouldn't need to turn up the volume when going from AM/FM to TV audio.

Someone complained about the power switch...mine works fine. The earbuds are good for listening in bed. I use headphones while walking my dogs. The box says it has 25 presets, 15 FM and 10 AM. Mine doesn't. It has 10 FM, 10 AM, and 10 TV. A minor issue. The 10 presets for TV are stupid, since there are only 12 VHF channels. It's easy enough to use the +/tuning to get the TV channel you want.

The audio sounds great with plenty of level to drive headphones. The small speaker works OK, but you can't get much volume without clipping distortion. 95% of the time I use heaphones. The "Deep Bass Boost" (DBB) works fine with headphones, but I prefer a flat response.

I think the DT-210V deserves 5 stars, simply because it's the best pocket size radio I've tried. The reception almost equals a car radio. That's respectable for a tiny shirt pocket radio operating on 3 volts.

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This is a great radio. I had earlier models of this radio for many years and I was pleased with them. When I first this new model, I was a little concerned. The radio looks flimsy at first, but I have used it daily for several months and it is more sturdy than I first thought. Also, unlike previous models from the same manufacturer which used an earplug with a "mini-plug" that was hard to find, this radio uses a regular earphone. It receives AM, FM, and the sound of TV channels 2-13. I use it all the time and am very pleased.

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iLive 2.1 Channel Cherry Wood Speaker with Dock for iPod and iPhone (Brown)

• Beautiful Cherry-wood Finish
• Black Cloth Net Speaker Cover
• Charges iPhone and iPod
• Remote Control

I got this to use for my iPhone 3GS running iOS 4. It is very easy to use and I am able to keep the case (ifrogz) on my phone when it is docked. It charges the phone when it is in the docking station. The sound is clear and is loud enough for a bedroom or office. Overall a great deal for $39.95.

It has a video output that you could run a cable to the AV on your TV, but that feature doesn't work with the iPhone. I believe that feature may just work for the iPod.

A few other things you might want to know:

1. There is a little red light that comes on when the speaker is plugged in but the power is turned OFF. It is behind the black speaker cover so you don't see it until the light is on. To me that seems counterintuitive and when I first set it up I thought it wasn't working but really the power was not on. If you read the directions first, it does point this out!

2. When you first dock the iPhone you sometimes get a message on your phone saying it isn't compatible. It is. Just continue and it goes away.

3. The remote lets you operate the usual things, play, pause, shuffle, repeat, mute and volume. There is no visual for the volume level you just have to use your ears; when it doesn't get any louder you have reached the max! There is also a Bass Boost and a Loudness button on the remote. These are not really noticeable unless it is playing at higher volumes.

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This is an amazing ihome, and for the price who could go wrong? I have only had it for a day but the sound quality is very nice the shipping was also very speedy, thank you amazon. I would recommend this to anyone but especially to people who dont have the cash to go out and by hundred dollar ihomes. 37.99 (40.99 with tax) is a very commendable price. 5 out of 5. Get it!

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I purchased this speaker with dock for my parents for Christmas. They wanted something simple that they could use at their desks at work. I was nervous about ordering something from Amazon without any reviews, and I couldn't find any by googling. Here is the first one:

First impressions: It is packaged very well. It comes with a small remote, the power cord, the speaker and a small instruction manual. The wood grain effect is subtle, and nicely done. I like that there aren't extra buttons on the top besides volume up/down and the power button. Very sleek and modern.

Pros: Upon first impression, the speakers sound great for their compact size for songs from my radio. I also loved the charging capabilities as my parents will be using these at work, I don't want their phone to die half way through the day. The remotes functions worked well when the phone was docked. You can search through your menu, set it to shuffle or repeat, skip songs, etc. Nice touch to not have to scroll through the phones menu by hand while it is docked. I also like the option to use AV audio cables or a 3.5mm male to male headphone jack. They don't charge your phone when using it this way, but that is expected.

Cons: It took me forever to figure out that my case was just not compatible with the dock. I have the iPhone 4 with a Speck Candyshell case on. This was an issue because my mom has the same case. It also is not compatible with my boyfriend's Otterbox case for his iPhone 4. My father has the same case. See where this is going? I ended up buying a cable dock extender for the iPhone and it should fix this problem. It was also a little confusing to figure out the "Source" button to switch between dock mode and the mode to use the headphone jack. I also noticed some interference when music wasn't playing, but couldn't hear anything when the song was on. Not sure if the fact that I was sitting on the floor in a corner near electronics had anything to do with this also.

Overall impressions: It is a beautiful dock, one of the nicer-looking models that I have seen. It will be easy for my parents to use and I love the added functionality of the remote. Because this didn't fit with either of the cases that I own, it was a bummer that I had to spend another $15-20 on a cable attachment. I did not want to pay $100-150 for a dock, so I feel that for the price it does a nice job.

Note: Sorry for not speaking more about the sound. I did a 10 minute test to see how the unit worked in order to teach my parents. I have no long-term or high-volume experience with this unit. They will not be using it at high volumes since they will use it primarily in their cubicles. If there are any problems in the future, I will update my review.

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I had planned on using this mostly as an alarm-clock speaker. Turned the bad boy on and all you hear is hisssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssss. Maybe if your into the white-noise thing it'll work out for you, but don't get this if you plan on putting it next to your bed and leaving it on at low volume.

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I liked the look of this item for my office. Unfortunately aesthetics is where iLive apparently stopped. The speaker worked for about a week, and then stopped working. To be honest, that is not what bothered me as electronics are prone to problems, and most reputable companies recognize this and offer warranties. After speaking to a customer service rep at iLive, I was told that a replacement piece would be sent out, however only AFTER I sent the defective speaker back to them and that I would be responsible to pay postage to return the unit. After I explained that it is ridiculous that I should have to pay MORE for an item that is defective, he stated that the company's policy was not to pay shipping when exchanging defective merchandise.

That a product is faulty is understandable, however the fact that the manufacturer does not stand behind their product is not. Fortunately, Amazon stands behind their vendors. I returned the product (Amazon does not charge for postage on returns.) I will not purchase another iLive product, nor would I recommend them to anyone.

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American Red Cross ARCZG100W ZoneGuard Weather Radio (White)

• S.A.M.E (Specific Area Message Encoding) Technology to receives alerts for your area
• 3 level High-visibility color alert light bar (Green - Watch, Orange - Warning, Red - Alert)
• AM/FM/NOAA Digital Radio with6 preset stations
• Digital Alarm Clock
• Elegant, thin form factor with angle stand and wall mounting options

This is a really nice radio....BUT only after you have it set properly!!

I highly recommend people to have 3 new AA batteries for setting this up. It does not come with batteries. Comes with an AC adapter, and a plastic stand you install in the back to have it "sit" upright. The reason I recommend batteries is that it will be much easier moving it around for setting it up.

Also set aside a good 30 minutes to program this radio. As I will go into, everything is there in the book, but it can be puzzling on moving the arrows up, down, left, right, menu to get everything done properly.

Next, you had better have good lighting as the directions are VERY small. A magnifying glass might help. You can go to the homepage of ETON:

there you will find PDF instructions you can print and/or which you can enlarge.

The alert settings can be confusing. A menu button followed by four directional buttons around it are what you use to set the alerts for the weather alerts which are voice, siren, or silent.

It ships with ALL counties around you to be alerted for weather alerts. However you can set it for your county single, or whatever counties you prefer.

Here is where Eton makes no mention of what they mean when they say "codes." The average person is not going to know what they mean by "codes." When Eton says "codes" they are referring to the NOAA Weather Specific Area Messaging Encoding (SAME) codes that are available for all of the counties in the United States and it's properties and marine. You can find the county codes at the NOAA website listed state-by-state.

When you program the codes (see instructions) the screen defaults to the number 1 through 25. Meaning the first would look like: "01Code"

second

"02Code"

Setting up your local NOAA radio is simple as there are only 7 to choose from, then you click the memory button.

Also you can listen/store AM/FM radio channels. 6 AM and 6 FM presets.

Telescopic antenna that rotates.

You can store 25 SAME county alert locations.

I think it's terrible for Eton not to give any detail on how to find them or give a description other than saying "codes" in referring to the weather alerts. And also to give instructions in such small lettering. For all of this I'm taking away one star. Otherwise it would be a five star radio!

It is a great radio to notify you of storms! You are always one button away from your local NOAA radio.

The screen is a bright blue screen. You may need to hold the radio at various angles as the lettering is block style, not all connected.

The speaker is good. The volume is very good. Just at a 2-3 is loud enough.

The top of the radio flashes and lights up various colors depending upon the weather alert. Red for the Warnings, Yellow for Watch, Green for Advisory.

Siren goes off for about 5 minutes. And it's loud enough to wake (most) people.

Also there is a digital clock on the front. And it has an alarm feature you can set.

There is a battery indicator on the upper right corner of the screen.

Lightweight, easy to carry.

There are holes in the back for you to mount it on a wall (screws are not included).

Keep in mind the alerts are 24/7. So if you have the siren on and you have a tornado warning when you are sleeping, it will wake you up. Could save your life. Also if you have it set for ALL counties, it will give you alerts to neighboring counties which you do not care for. And here is why the SAME codes are important.

Also if you click the RIGHT arrow at anytime, it will scroll for you previous alerts or say NO ALERTS.

It "holds" the information you program it to for a few seconds. I tested it by removing the batteries, then putting them back in. I'd say it took around 20 seconds. My advise is to always keep batteries inside it (regular batteries, NOT charging type as it does not charge batteries), and you can keep it plugged in.

This radio would come in very handy during a severe storm. As long as you have power and/or batteries you'll be able to listen to weather alerts, and AM/FM radio.

Again, if the instructions were larger and gave more detail. And details on the SAME codes were either provided or an Internet address was provided for them I would of given it five stars.

Buy American Red Cross ARCZG100W ZoneGuard Weather Radio (White) Now

I like the basic design of this -the small sleek size, nice layout of buttons, large display. The radio reception seems to be decent, although mounting it on the wall is not possible in my area, since I have to turn it various directions to get a couple of local AM stations. Weather band reception is OK, as is FM reception.

That's about where my positive feelings for this little radio end.

It is way too difficult to set up, NOT with regard to the physical aspects of hitting the correct buttons in the correct sequence, but rather in terms of deciphering and understanding the instructions. The instruction leaflet, such as it is, is written in such small type that it's nearly impossible to read. I finally went to the Eton website and downloaded the instruction manual there, then "zoom"ed it so I could read how to set the time, store radio stations, etc.

Then there's the issue of the S.A.M.E. codes. I had never heard of this technology before I got this radio. NO WHERE in the included instructions is there any mention of NOAA, or even the "S.A.M.E." designation. On the Amazon product page, there is a mention of "S.A.M.E." in one of the product features bullets, and "NOAA" in another product feature bullet on the product page here on Amazon, but nothing that explains what "S.A.M.E. codes" actually ARE. The instruction manual tells you how to "Select the county" -OK, so what does THAT mean? The instructions don't tell you that "Select the county" really means "enter the NOAA S.A.M.E. codes." You're not "selecting" anything; you need to know the S.A.M.E. code(s) for the desired area(s), and then ENTER those according to the instructions.

This was my first weather radio -and I'm generally fairly good at figuring things out -but this had me confused for a good 15-20 minutes while I searched via google for "county code," "weather county code," etc. Finally found the NOAA site and the codes, and entered the one for my county.

And I STILL don't know what "Setting Defeat" means. I mean, I know how to set it, and I can read what the manual says, but it doesn't really tell me WHY I might want to enable or disable "defeat," and what, precisely, it enables or disables ("ENABLE: Alert when receiving a message. DISABLE: Displays the message on the LCD when receiving a message" -does that mean that when it's enabled, you DON'T get a message displayed on the LCD when receiving a message? What kind of Alert happens when it's enabled? the flashing light? the siren? what, precisely, am I "defeating" with this??)

I have no idea if the weather alert part of the radio works. We've had one National Weather Service-issued high wind warning here in the Pacific NW since I received and programmed the radio, and it didn't set off the alert -no light flashing, no "message," nothing. I intend to take this along on an extended road trip this summer (reprogramming the S.A.M.E. codes along the route), and I figure I'll probably encounter some sort of "alert-able" weather event along the way. I'll update this review then if that part works.

Meanwhile, I'm giving this 2 stars -it works pretty well as a compact "clock radio," doesn't take up a lot of space, and has decent reception. But Eton REALLY needs to do something about the instructions. The ones included with the product are useless, and the copy on the website isn't much better.

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The American Red Cross ZoneGuard Weather Radio made by Eton is unimpressive at best. It feels cheaply made, and just doesn't work all that well. For my rural area, the reception is horrible when compared to my Midland WR-300 unit. Where the reception of my Midland unit is crystal clear on the local station and 2 other nearby stations, this American Red Cross radio only picks up the local station with so much static it is barely understandable. When the alarm does manage to go off (it misses 4 out of 5 alerts when compared directly to my Midland unit), it does not auto-shut off; the weather broadcast will keep playing indefinitely until the radio is manually reset back to standby mode by the user.

The one nice thing this radio does have is a slim design with keyholes that allow it to be mounted to a wall, but with the radio failing to function in a reliable and useable manner, it is rather a moot point. I would recommend looking to other models with better reception if you rely on weather radio for your alerts. NOAA WX radio are the alerts direct from the proverbial horse's mouth the instant they are made, so having a weather radio actually capable of receiving these alerts is a good idea, just make sure you get a model that has good reception.

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The radio is a radio...not great sound or anything fancy. The weather band picks up clearly and works fine seemingly. We haven't had any alerts for me to see the colors flash, but I am currently in Pittsburgh, so it unfortunately won't be long. The directions are super tiny, but I found them to be easy to understand and was able to program the radio with little difficulty.

I consult for a parking company and knowing the weather and road conditions is important. The office is horrifying and disorganized. Mounting this flat radio to the wall was perfect. The weather now plays softly in the background and you almost don't notice it unless there is something that piques your interest.

I would recommend this radio especially for the very low profile and the ability to hang it so neatly on the wall. The functions aren't super high tech, but this is an inexpensive weather radio.

I am a fan of Eton products and trust their durability and quality.

Let me start by saying that we have a regular weather radio that works perfectly and doesn't have all the bells and whistles. My 7yo son is scared of extreme weather and always asks a million questions when ours says something, so I thought this would be great for him in his room. I loved the idea of the color changing light bar, so that he has a clue what is going on without having to immediately freak out. I also liked that it could be programmed to only make noise for certain things.

Well, the excitement stopped there for me. It showed up with a tiny instruction booklet with an even tinier font and unclear instructions. So, I came here to see what other reviewers were suggesting and from there went to the website and understood a little better. After a little time and frustration my husband was able to get it set up for our area and where it would only actually make noise when there is a tornado warning. We keep it in my son's room so that he can look at it whenever he wants. As far as how often it goes off, there has been no extreme weather at all around here in the last month, so I can't say how it does in those situations yet. I put batteries in it so he can unplug it and carry it around with him for the music or even take it to his safe place in a storm. I'll update my review whenever we have bad weather and it sounds the alarms.

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Pyle PLMCA40 Weatherproof Speakers System

• FM Radio/AUX Modes - Built in FM Radio Electric Auto-scan Tuning - Up/Down Auto-scan Tuning System - FM Coverage : 87.5-108.0MHZ -
• Easy Mounting Brackets
• Dot Matrix LCD FM Frequency - Volume Digital Control - Mute Function
• Remote Control Unit - Mini Amplifier Suitable for 12 Volts Motorcycles/Scooters/Boat/snowmobile/ATV/Waverunner
• S/N: >50dB - 3'' Dual weatherproof Speakers

I have installed this unit on several motorcycles and haven't had a single complaint. The sound is good, all the features are great and the speakers look good. The FM radio works great and picks up all the local radio stations perfectly. The only thing Pyle could do to make this unit better would be to be able to turn it on with the remote. Mode, volume, mute, and changing channels or bumping to the next song works great.

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I purchased this particular system for my 2002 Softtail Standard Harley after reading several of the reviews. I had contacted someone about doing the install but for $140 I thought about installing myself. When I got it I was very excited and went straight out to garage to try and install myself. Installation was a breeze and I was listening to music from the FM tuner within minutes at a very loud volumne in the gargage. I put a few songs on an SD card and verified that worked just fine. I finally took it on the road and was able to hear without a problem doing surface street riding. Highway riding I had to crank it up a bit but still sounded great. The speakers are deceptively large to but not overbearing on the handlebars. Now wife wants me to order her one and install on her 2008 Sportster.

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The Pyle PLMCA40 sound system mounted easily and provides good sound as described. I would recomend this unit to anyone seeking an affordable sound system for their bike. I especially love the USB port. My tunes are saved on a memory stick that goes with me every time I ride.

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I just installed my Pyle plmca40 motorcycle radio and i must say this thing rocks. The speakers sound great at about 9 on the volume when running around town, Then at 12 on the highway doing 70 no problems at all hearing the music. With this new radio I could ride my motorcycle for miles and miles.....Well done Pyle, if I were to do anything it would be an external antenna for better radio reception.

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I got this system for my 49cc moped and had to mount it in an unusual way because it couldnt be on the handle bars (no room to mount to) but it works great has been in the weather quite a few times bus still goes as stong and loud as when i first got it....my only complaint is that the remote function buttons lables are wearing off and the remote doesnt turn it on.

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iHome iA9BZC App-Enhanced 30-Pin iPod/iPhone Alarm Clock Speaker Dock (Black)

• Wake or sleep to iPhone, iPod(docking models), custom playlist or AM or FM radio.
• The sync button syncs clock time to always-current iPhone time settings in seconds , and charges and plays iPhone or iPod while docked.
• Dual alarm with weekday or weekend 7.5.2 settings that allow you to set alarms for a full week, work week.
• Or weekend with separate wake times or alarm sources to suit your lifestyle , plus programmable snooze time.
• Customize and update your iA9 with advanced iHome apps by using the free iHome and Sleep app to tailor your alarm.

Just got this today and played around with it for a while. I was thinking of buying the iP9 last week, but am so glad I didn't because this one has been listed on Amazon since then at almost the same price.

I've tested the alarms, which work as they should. While the unit itself has the 2 alarms similar to the older version of this (iP9), the app, which is free to download through the app store, can have many more alarms. The features I really enjoy on the app are being able to choose "bedtime" music, and choose specific songs to play to fall asleep to or wake up to, and you can even set the volume on your individual alarms. The app also has things like the weather displayed on the alarm screen, which is always nice to know when you wake up. What I also really enjoy about this when compared to the regular iPhone alarm is being able to set the time for the snooze. The unit comes with the docks to support multiple devices, but I like that I can also plug my iPhone in without there being a dock since I have a pretty thick case on my iPhone. Another great feature is that by the press of a button on the device, you can sync the time on the clock to match your iPhone time. The one con I have found in the few hours I've had this is that the time does not remain synced, but is not off by more than a minute (this is stated in the user manual as well).

Overall, the fact that I can set the alarms and more from an app makes this alarm clock definitely worth it. The sound quality is also really great and doubles well as speakers in the bedroom.

The app is called iHome+Sleep (FREE), and there is also another one that you can use to wake up to internet radio stations (iHome+Radio) which costs $2.99, although I haven't tried that one out yet.

UPDATE 11/29/11:

I've had this for a few months. I'm not as impressed with the App as I was at the beginning. I've found bugs in it and it's failed me a few times (luckily I was never late). The alarms on the unit itself work very well. Maybe I just haven't figured it out perfectly, but the app alarms haven't really worked smoothly for me. Regarding other things...I love the nap feature that is both on the app and the unit. Also to note, the alarm DOES go off when the phone is on silent.

I reduced the stars I gave it from 5 to 4 because of the app, but I still recommend this iHome, especially since the former version that has fewer features is more expensive now as it's being phased out.

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I am a speaker "connoisseur." Therefore, I know and have used many speakers before. The i-home is a great product for so many reasons.

1.) It is very small and fairly light.

2.) The system has a form of an operating system, that can be updated through your ipod or iphone.

3.) There are adapters so your generation or type of ipod/iphone will fit nicely.

4.) You can set 2 alarms, with advanced settings such as:

the time

choose weekends/weekdays for it to go off

alternating buzzer or a choice of a digital am/fm radio station

can set a volume for the radio alarm

5.) Day Light Saving setting

6.) there is an mp3/auxiliary jack on the back

7.) great sound quality for the price!

8.) Equalizer that changes:

treble

bass

Turn off/on 3D sound

3D sounds fills the room

gives the music for depth and quality

9.) easy to set up

10.) Digital clock and radio

11.) Change the brightness for the LED screen

The Sound:

The sounds is great for what you are paying for. The speakers can be heard from my room on the third floor in the kitchen on the first. The iHome has the great 3D sound setting and Reson-8 speaker chambers with a bass export on the back. Therefore, the speakers music fills the room and the bass has some punch. I have hooked up mine to my dual subwoofer, so the sound is phenomenal. I have actually replaced my old sound system for the iHome and my woofer! Though, these are small speakers, so don't expect to get too much bass with these. They are perfect for alarm clocks, but if you want to use it as a speaker system, use a subwoofer and attach it to the iHome via the 3.5mm aux jack on the back. A problem is that the treble can be a bit "tinny" for a few songs, but only on 3/300 songs on my mp3 player does that happen.

Overall:

I would recommend this product to anyone looking for one of the best alarm clocks on the market (especially for the money)! If you would like to use it as a speaker system, i would recommend adding a subwoofer, since the small size of the speakers tend to indicate less bass. This is probably one of the best products (that have to do with music) I have ever purchased.

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This thing was easy to set up, looks very slick, is quite compact but it has a HUGE sound. Who would have thought a clock radio with bass and treble control! Well, I guess IHome did... Love the dimmable LCD and backlighting on the buttons. I've been laying a handkerchief over my previous clock radio because it was too bright next to the bed. One word of warning.... The "App-Enhanced" is something that is NOT built into the radio, it just means that it will play apps from the IPod/Phone when it's plugged in. I have an IPod Classic which is not connected to the net so I will not be able to listen to internet radio as I expected. I compared this unit to the Logitech Squeezebox and probably would have spent the extra dough to access Spotify and other streaming music sources. Oh well, I'll keep it because it sounds so good.

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I bought this unit to replace a Sony ICF-C7iP clock radio that stopped charging my phone when it was docked. To my surprise when I got this radio & tried to dock my iPhone 4S to it, the same thing happened. My iPhone will not charge when docked to either clock radio. The funny thing is that the iPhone will play music through the iHome with no problems. I tried re-seating the phone with no luck. I tried cleaning the contacts with compressed air thinking that there maybe was lint preventing a clean connection. No dice. But when I plug my phone into a standard sync cable or a syncing dock, it will charge fine. I had also tried plugging the iHome into a different outlet with no luck either.

I believe the problem is with the latest iOS upgrade. I upgraded to 5.1 and I believe this is what's causing the problem. Very strange how an upgrade like that would stop something so basic such as charging from occurring. I think that if you have iOS 5, you're OK. So you can do a few things to prevent this from happening if you have yet to upgrade your iOS:

1. Keep your phone on iOS5. From what I understand, once you upgrade your OS on your iPhone, you can't revert it back. I tried doing a restore several times with no luck.

2. Wait for iHome to release a firmware upgrade for the latest iOS. I emailed their tech support asking for help and hope to hear back from them soon.

3. Wait for Apple to release a new upgrade to iOS which will hopefully fix the issue. I wouldn't hold my breath on this one as companies like Apple don't care about aftermarket companies' products (iHome, Belkin, etc.). If they're going to release an update, it's going to be to fix various bugs & to offer enhancements on the iPhone, not to fix incompatibility with aftermarket products.

Other than that, I like this clock radio very much. It was very easy & quick to set up and customizing the alarms is a very nice touch. I like the fact that you can adjust not only the snooze time (1-29 mins), but can adjust each alarm's volume. I also like the volume buttons and the tuner buttons...they are much easier to use than the stupid dials that the iH9 has. Plus it's very reasonably priced...can't beat that!

Overall, this is a nice unit. I am disappointed that my iPhone does not charge on the clock radio which is the primary reason I bought this. Once that gets fixed, this will be a perfect clock radio.

One last note. I also have an iHome iH9 clock radio which charges and plays the iPhone with iOS 5.1 no problems. So if you're in the same situation as me and are in the market for a new clock radio, you might want to look at this one first. Yes it's a bit more expensive (at least on Amazon) but it might be worth it since you most likely won't have any compatibility problems with it.

The "iHome iA9BZC" is a very good, full feature radio alarm clock and dock for iPods (including our 3rd generation iTouch). We already own (and like) the iHome iP9 Speaker Dock with Clock Radio for iPod and iPhone (Black), but like the enhancements they made on this model. Here are my observations:

+ iPod Dock Makes firm connection using the included inserts

+ AM\FM Radio Good reception on both bands

+ Dual Alarm Clock A nice feature since my wife and I both use this clock

+ Remote Control Full function remote control

+ Audio Quality To my untrained ear, this unit sounds very good for a nightstand clock radio

+ Brightness Control sets the display brightness

We have not installed the free app that provides additional alarms and control options since my needs are more basic. There is also a paid app available that allows for the addition of Internet radio stations when the iPod is attached.

Overall I am very pleased with the iP9BZC both as an iPod charger and as full featured clock radio.

Highly Recommended!

CFH

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