Haier "The Rise" Docking Station for iPod/iPhone

• Docking station charges iPod/iPhone
• Integrated speaker
• Includes Haier Rise App
• Dual alarm clock, Touch screen FM control, Weather forecast, Internet radio

I recieved this as a gift for Christmas. Aside from depending on the docked phone to tell time, this is a simple and effective little dock. Ready to go out of the box, and it will even take you to the download the app in the Apple app store the first time you dock it. Sound is great too, no problems with that.

Now for the bad.

-The connector seems very flimsy, and no little dock adjusters were included to hold the phone in place without depending on the connector to support the phone. I'm always afraid the connector will snap off of the dock, or the port on my phone will be damaged. All of the iHome radios I have seen have included these adjusters in the box.

-Is it too much to ask for Haier to design an alarm clock app with an option to play an actual alarm (instead of music) when the alarm goes off?

-If you intend to use the app as an alarm clock, remember to not close out the app before going to sleep. If you close the app, the alarm will not go off when you want it to (unlike the clock app embedded in iOS). If Haier really wanted to make me happy, then fixing this one bug in the app would do it.

Overall I think you're better off buying the $55 iHome iP11 Spacesaver Alarm Clock for iPod and iPhone (Black) if you want a dedicated alarm clock/iPhone dock for the bedroom (but you give up sound quality). However this little unit looks nice on a desk so it should be alright if you only want to dock/charge your phone and listen to your music.

Buy Haier "The Rise" Docking Station for iPod/iPhone Now

Bought this on sale. This product was a great idea that is poorly implemented.

Pros:

* Small and compact

* Sounds OK for its size

* App works reasonably well

Cons:

* There is no Play/Pause button. If you have music playing and the app is running you have to leave the app to pause the music.

* Snooze / Dim button dims the display but does not set snooze when the alarm has gone off. Instead you have to press snooze on the iPhone.

* Radio starts playing randomly. The only way to get it to stop is to go to the app and stop it.

* Connector to the iPhone is flaky. If not plugged in exactly right you may not charge the phone or no sound will come out of the speaker.

Bottom line. I wanted to love the unit for its simple integration with the iPhone. However, it has too many technical problems. Have returned it to the store.

Read Best Reviews of Haier "The Rise" Docking Station for iPod/iPhone Here

I bought this as a birthday present and tested it using a an iPhone 4S. The free Rise App is amazing on its own, and when docked allows you to use the built in radio which is really sensitive, and Shoutcast internet radio. I loved the app because it also shows the weather which is something my girlfriend really wants to know every morning. It will wake you to ipod songs, but I am not sure it will wake you to radio as I have not been able to figure that out yet. There is no buzzer either.

The Bad:

Even though it claims 3G compatibility, when you plug one in a message pops up that says "This iphone is not compatible with this accessory and may cause interference... blah blah." And the radio and button features simply don't work. I am going to upgrade the 3G to os5 tonight and see if that fixes the problem.

Bottom line, it has a lot of great features for the price and you can always just download the Rise app and enjoy it for free as a standalone without the radio function.