iHome iP98BR Dual Alarm Clock Radio with Dock for iPod and iPhone (Black)

• Plays and charges iPod mini 1G; iPod nano 1G, 2G, 3G, 4G; iPod classic 4G, 5G, 5.5G, 6G; iPod touch 1G, 2G; iPhone 1G, 3G
• Wake or sleep to iPhone, iPod, playlist, AM/FM radio, or buzzer
• High-fidelity stereo drivers in specially designed Reson8 speaker chambers deliver astounding clarity, depth, and power
• Auxiliary input for connecting external audio devices
• Remote controls unit and iPod, including menu functions

Hi,

I bought this clock four (this is important) months ago from a brick and mortar store (not Amazon, which is selling it for about $50 less. Darn.)

The design is very good, and the interface is intuitive. It comes with a nice remote control, which is handy, although some of the buttons could be better arranged. My only other design complaint is that the tuning/volume "slide wheels" are made from the same slick surface as the rest of the unit. This makes it harder to turn with your finger than it ought to be. But these are minor quibbles with an otherwise well designed product.

Here's my real complaint: after about two months, I wasn't able to play music from my iPhone through the iHome, which let's face it, is pretty much the reason I bought it. I already had a very nice Sony alarm clock thankyouverymuch.

I really thought the problem was my iPhone, and it took me a couple of weeks for met to get to the Apple store and have the Genius test it out. He ended up trying the phone out on an identical iHome in the store, and bingo, the phone worked fine, which means my iHome was the problem (Strike 1).

I called iHome customer service, that afternoon, and they were closed (Strike 2). Apparently their customer service people aren't interested in heard from customers in California past 4 PM eastern time. Then I emailed them, and received a prompt reply the next day (better!).

It turns out that iHome products only have a 90 day warranty! HELLO? 90 DAYS? I was 95 days in. Even though the unit clearly failed during the warranty period, I was outta luck. (Strike 3)

I was giving the option to have the unit repaired for a $30 fee, which shipping both ways at my expense. By then, I'm halfway to the cost of a whole new unit.

The level of quality and warranty length are just unacceptable. I would not purchase this unit again, despite my happiness with the unit while it was working.

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Pros:

A convenient way to charge your iPod or iPhone on your night stand

Sound quality is a 4 out of 5 stars, with clear highs and and adequate bottom for a clock radio

Handles all iPhone audio (except calls), including video and internet radio

Clean and simple remote control with good across-the-room range

Backlit buttons and display have several light levels, dimmed at the touch of a button

Solid construction, compact

Line-in for additional source

Does indeed block out Edge/Wifi iPhone interference (in my personal experience, you milage may vary) as long as you're in iPod/iPhone mode. There is some inevitable interference when in radio mode. This is the nature of RF, folks.

Cons:

No internal AM antenna, so you'll need to use the included loop

Input select button cycles through AM, FM, and Line Input but not iPod/iPhone. The iPod/iPhone is selected as the source by pressing the play button or if the iPod/iPhone is already playing audio before being plugged into the dock. This is fine if you plan to use only the iPod functionality. If you're an internet radio listener, you'll need to get the station streaming before plugging in. Not a big issue, but worthy of note.

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Overall, this is a pretty good iPhone dock. I use this almost exclusively with my iPhone 3G,and so far it's done a good job. As an alarm clock, it's very full-featured, which is a great set of features. The sound out of it is far beyond most alarm clocks, but not quite up to the quality of some of the more expensive docks.

The remote works pretty well, although you kind of wish it could do a little more. It can really only handle the iPod functions. It would be great if it could control other apps, like Pandora for instance. Probably a limitation of the iPhone interface.

The GSM shielding works pretty well, I haven't heard any of the static I hear with other products.

Two big downsides for me which is why it gets 3 stars:

When I plug my iPhone in, it says that this accessory is not meant for use with the iPhone, and asks about turning on airplane mode. You can just say no, but it's really irritating for it to come up all the time.

Like all the other iHome products, the only thing holding the iPhone is the dock connector. This really has been fine for other iPods, but there are times I need to touch the top of the iPhone (say, when controlling Pandora) and the lack of any back support on the iPhone is really disturbing. There really should be more supporting it.

Overall, if you need an expensive alarm clock that will control your iPod's, it's a great product.

Update 3/28/2009: 3 1/2 months later, one of the buttons on top broke. Basically with normal use, the button kind of started to fall into the unit. Not the kind of quality I look for in a $110 alarm clock. And with a very short 90 day warranty, it's not going to get fixed.

At this point I'd say that, if it breaks beyond use, which seems likely now, it will not be replaced with the same model. I can't change my rating, but it would go down to one star if I could. A $110 alarm clock should last far longer than 3 1/2 months.

Update 12/12/2009: About a year later. More buttons are starting to break. The rotating scroll wheel now hardly ever actually turns. Very disappointed about the quality. A definite negative on the recommendation.

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I got this off my wish list for my graduation. I've used it for about a week now. I originally placed it on my wish list because I heard that this was the first iPhone-compatible alarm/radio system that eliminated the problem of cell signal interfering with fm signals. It's the really loud "bleep-beep-beep" noise that you hear when your phone is too close to the radio. I won't get technical in this review since I don't know much about why that happens, and I'll write this review from a point of an average consumer.

First, the system has pretty good sound quality given its compact size. The design is quite cute, not to many buttons and self-explanatory. The remote is very helpful. You can set the length of the snooze, have two alarms, set them to weekdays, weekends, or all 7 days, and wake up to radio or to music in your phone.

It's all good, except I still occasionally hear the interference when my phone is near the unit or connected to it. It's no longer the "bleep-beep-beep," rather it's more static-like noise, but still very loud.

The interference is not as frequent as I hear in my car stereo, but the fact that it still occurs really bugs me. It's very sporadic too. I'll hear it in succession (say, 3 times in 30 seconds), then not hear it for an hour. I haven't been able to find a pattern.

So it seems like i'll have to wait again for another product that will solve this problem. Because this one hasn't yet.

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I was excited to have an iPhone clock radio so was eager to buy this product.

First problem was that the interference problem was not completely solved and sometimes it didn't recognize it as an iPhone accessory so I still get the prompt to put the phone into airplane mode.

Design problems are many and it just seems they didn't really think it through. The wheel controls are illogical and the light dimmer is annoying. You have to go through 7 brightness settings to get it to the lowest brightness. If you miss, you have to go through all 7 again. That's usually still to bright so I turn it all the way off. In the morning the radio comes on to wake me up and since the dimmer switch is also the snooze bar I have to turn the radio off to see what time it is. There is more, but the short summary is it's poorly designed.

As for quality it's a wreck. One wheel no longer turns so I can no longer control my iPhone through the device. But that doesn't matter because the doc connector now no longer works so I can't even plug my phone into it. I've had this for 3 months and it's pretty much completely useless at this point.

Very disappointed

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Sony Slim Under-Cabinet FM/AM CD Kitchen Clock Radio

Had been looking for a while for a nice undercounter unit as an anniversary gift for our son and his wife. This unit had everything that we were looking for to include an interface cable for an MP3/IPOD player. Very impressed.

The CD play part is great with good sound. But radio part has problems with some of freqencies. For example, when i switch to 99.5 frequency, it has lots of noise. Since I use it primarily to play CD, i just ingore the radio part.

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This is exactly what I was looking for to use in my kitchen. It's nice that it doesn't take up any counter space. It has an adapter for an iPod. At first I was concerned because the adapter cord is very short, but the radio comes with an iPod holder that attaches to the side so it doesn't have to reach far. The magnetic remote is also nice because I can stick it high on my fridge where the kiddos cannot get to it. I am very pleased with this purchase :)

Thanks!

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Replaced an older Emerson under the counter C/D radio that finally died, and decided to upgrade and try the Sony model.It is thicker and bulkier then Emerson, has same features and sound, and cost double. The worse is this radio has terrible reception. The cord is suppose to act as an antenna and just does not work. Even attached an extension cord with no improvement in reception of some local stations. Defeats the purpose of having a radio. Would not buy this radio.

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Just received the under cabinet radio by Sony. I was really interested in getting certain features but the quality of the sound was most important. This radio delivers nice sound volume and quality for its design and size. I am very pleased with the audio and would recommend it to those with similar concerns. I was also pleased with the capability to have 10 preset FM bands and 5 presets for the AM band. I really like the the MP3 integration feature even though it doesn't charge my iPhone while playing. It's a simple economical design with a removable side tray to hold the device when plugged in. I had no issues installing from underneath, using the template, because there was no room to use my drill above the cabinet due to height restrictions. It all worked first time. It's easy to set the clock and even has a timer. I think this was the right selection and there aren't really that many quality devices to choose from it seems.

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Pyle PLR14MPF In-Dash AM/FM-MPX MP3 Shaft Style Dual Knob Radio with USB/SD Card

• AM/FM-MPX/USB/SD MP3 Stereo - Classic Car Audio Replacement Allows For Zero Dash Board Modification using Shaft Style Opening
• Built-In USB/ SD/ MMC MP3 Player (2 Gig Max - Adjustable Shaft Knobs from 4.65''-6.5')
• Volume/ Balance/ Tone Control - Mounting Hardware Included
• 1.2 Volt RCA Line Out (Amplifier Line Output - DC 12 Volt 3 Amp Power Consumption
• Clock Function - Unit Dimensions: 7''W x 4.72''D x 1.96''H
• - 2 Channel Output 80W x 2 (160W Max)
• AM/FM-MPX/USB/SD MP3 Stereo -
• AM/FM-MPX/USB/SD MP3 Stereo - Classic Car Audio Replacement Allows For Zero Dash Board Modification using Shaft Style Opening -
• Classic Car Audio Replacement Allows For Zero Dash Board Modification using Shaft Style Opening - 2 Channel Output 80W x 2 (160W Max)
• 2 Channel Output 80W x 2 (160W Max)

UPDATE 9/26/2011 In a nutshell don't buy this. Not even worth it even if it was free with free shipping. Now that the MP3 player is dead on top of the other issues this unit has had since installation my best advice to people is not to bother. Read my original review and see that I liked it at first, but over time and really not that much use, it's a dead piece of junk waiting to be removed.

Be sure to read my update at the bottom of the review because many of my first impressions changed after living with the stereo awhile:

I got my stereo to install in my 1968 Plymouth Fury VIP. My criteria was for it not to cost too much and to blend in as much as possible with my 1960's interior. The price from Onlinecarstereo.com was only 25 dollars plus shipping which seemed too good to be true. So far it has been money well spent.

Pros: Very simple MP3 player controls and the use of an USB thumb drive like a micro 8-track. Handles up to 2 gig drives which if full, I could drive all day and not repeat a track. Read my thumb drive without issues. Did not try the SD card feature as I prefer the USB thumb drives. I like the old fashioned manual tuning and it pulls in FM signals surprisingly well. I was picking up low power local stations my digital JVC in my Dodge was not getting. I have not tried the AM part because I rely on my original 1968 radio for that. The sound for the price is also surprisingly good though if you really want to blast the windows this is not the unit for that. You can add an amp to it with the RCA line outs but I don't really need it. I find that it plays as loud as I want it to because I'm old enough now I don't need it THAT loud anymore. I will add that the quality of your MP3 files will affect how loud you can go with the volume. The better the file, the better the sound at loud volume. I can hear it with the windows down just fine. It's also only a two channel stereo which is perfect for this car as I have only the two rear factory 6x9 cutouts and don't need or want four speakers.

Cons: Almost too simple MP3 player controls if you have your music organised into folders. You can manually click through one file at at time. If you hold down on the button in either direction it acts as a fast forward/rewind on an individual track. I did find that clicking through tracks backwards from the first song played got me into the only folder on my thumb drive. It's too much hassle to click that many times to get to something. I decided if I am in different music moods as I drive that it would probably be best to have individual thumb drives devoted to those musical moods and swap them around. I consider this acceptable given the extremely basic nature of the stereo.

Other cons: While I understand this is a cheap stereo could Pyle at least used thicker wires to attach speakers, power etc.? I was surprised at how difficult it was to get sound out of it and the problem was making sure there was true connections at the speakers. Ignore the online specs where it list "clock function". This model does not have a clock, the LCD version does. The "manual" could be better in addressing whether or not the unit could handle folders and whether it could skip back and forth between them though it was adequate in other respects. It would have allowed me to plan what I put on the thumb drives differently. But then it's a 25 dollar stereo so what do I expect? On the whole, it exceeded expectations and provides me with a way to have MP3s in my old car at a ridiculously inexpensive price.

After I ordered my radio, I saw the reviews here for the LCD screen version and I was glad I did not buy it. The old fashioned manual tune radio with no LCD seems to be a better product. If there was anything I'd change about it aside from beefing up the wiring, I'd add a couple of folder skip buttons to it.

Update July 2011: After living with this stereo for awhile, it didn't take long to see that it does absolutely nothing with folders. I thought I'd gotten into a folder but discovered I'd gotten into duplicate tracks outside the folder. At no point did the unit play anything inside the actual folder. I removed a star from the rating because the manual says nothing about this. I also observed that after playing for a couple of hours on a trip that the USB drive was surprisingly warm to the touch when I pulled it out. Don't know if this is normal or foreshadowing some kind of failure of the unit.

Also have noticed that some tracks have a background clicking sound. It's not quite loud enough to be truly irritating but it's enough to be noticed. Again, I cannot overstate the need for MP3 files to be the highest quality to keep it from sounding like crap. I've removed several tracks for this reason. Again, I only paid 25 bucks so my expectations were not high but still...

As other reviewers have mentioned, the tuner dial is merely a suggestion of the proximity of stations you might possibly be interested in. My initial positive review of its ability to pull in stations changed once I drove the car a few miles into a town where the one station I wanted to hear was impossible to tune where even my crappiest aftermarket and OEM radios in other cars had picked it up fine. I gave up on it. Agree with other reviewers that this unit is not as powerful as advertised. For me, this isn't a problem but I can see where it is for others.

For all of us who have classic cars, surely someone out there can make something that looks like a period radio, play MP3/WMA files and be a nice quality unit. I'd pay more for that. Custom Autosound was making stereos for classic cars with cassette decks etc, but I'd like to see a quality mechless two shaft stereo. Even with my low expectations, I'm finding that I'm now looking around for something to replace this with but since my unit is working more or less as designed which at this point is not a compliment, I'm taking my time finding a replacement.

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Zero dash modifications is like saying one size fits all which is generally not the case and so goes my install.

The spread was off and some of the mounting holes needed adjustments but that said the tuner works great and the reception is good and clear. The sd 2 g holds tons of tunes and is one option older models didn't include. The look is right which was the main reason i bought it and it serves the purpose. A little headache to install but that's no reason to complain for the twenty i spent good to go!

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Adj. shaft knobs do not span to 6.5" as the specs. state. . The max span is 5.5" instead. Customer service long distance number is overworked and almost useless. Sent back to Amazon.

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I really wanted all the reviews to be wrong. But they're actually spot on.

Junk, junk, junk!

I figured my standards were low enough because all I listen to is one AM channel in my 86 Toyota, so I would be safe. Problem with that is, the stupid thing won't even go up to 1180 where it needs to be! Beyond that, it won't even hold a channel if I manage to get one. Big bummer. All I wanted is a period correct looking 2 post & dial radio.

Guess I better start trolling the salvage yards.

Pyle should be spelled pile as in pile of crap.

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It gives the look of an older style radio but plays sd cards and also fits inmy dash without having to cut or change the opening

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Etón FR160GR Microlink Self-Powered AM/FM/NOAA Weather Radio with Flashlight, Solar Power and Cell

• AM (520-1710 KHz) & FM (87-108MHz) NOAA weatherband all 7 channels Built-in 3 white LED light source Powered by solar
• USB cell phone charger 3.5 mm headphone input Dimensions: 5.25 x 2.5 x 1.75 and 133 x 63.5 x 44.45 mm (W x H x D)
• Accessories: owners manual, warranty card Specifications subject to change
• Weight: 8.5 oz. and 241 g

This radio is a great little investment. It does exactly everything it states it should. On a 60 second crank I got hours of play. I ran the radio completely dead by leaving the light on and the radio playing at half column. I let the radio play like this with the light on for at least an hour before it went dead. I then put it out in the sun and let it charge with the solar charger for about four hours and then turned the radio on and let it play for only about an hour and then just didn't want to complete the experiment. I am very pleased with this radio. 60 seconds of cranking for hours of play is very reasonable. Letting it charge out in the sun and getting hours of play is very reasonable. I have other brands like this in the past that you would crank for 5 to 10 and get maybe 10 minutes of play.

Update as of 5/14/2012.

I let it sit out in the rain all day today, and it hardly got any water in it... It still works!

Of course,

M. Mason would want to know exactly how hard the rain was... The weatherman says up to 1"/Hour.

M. Mason would want to know exactly how long it sat in the rain? approximately 8 hours...

I took it apart, noticed about 4 drops of approximately 1 mm in diameter. After an hour, got tired of waiting and put it back together, it seems to work fine.

The AM/FM radio works fine, and the weather radio works. Of course, time will tell how the Dynamo works, but I don't expect water to effect the solar charging. I won't turn the dynamo for a while, as the battery should have a full charge as it sat out in the sun yesterday. How long? I just don't know, sorry M. Mason.

I finally packed it in an air tight container with an old packet of Desiccant to try and dry out any remaining moisture. As long as the packet isn't too saturated, it should work...

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I read numerous reviews about this product and had concerns re: people's feedback -quality, lack of A/C power adapter, time/effort to recharge a cell phone, USB charger which is useless when there's no power, etc. But I decided to buy one just because I've got a young family and it's my responsibility [gulp] to be at least minimally prepared. You got to admit that these storms in recent years (not to mention tornados, earthquakes, fires, and other disasters that occur constantly) demonstrate that help may take days or weeks to arrive. That's a long time when you remember that lights, ATM's, radios, etc don't work when bad things happen.

So I pulled the trigger w/ low expectations and am I glad I did. These FR-160's are ideal for their purpose: they provide basic lighting & communication (read: radio/weather) in case of emergency. The quality was shockingly good for only $30. And they're small -pretend your hand is in a mitten and subtract your thumb...about that size. They're not meant to provide music for a party so don't expect it amazing quality sound. They're not designed to be used on the ocean as your boat's only radio. Don't drop it off a cliff and expect it to be good as new. They're designed to be a compact combination radio/flashlight that can be a lifesaver if you ever need it.

Keep safe...

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This radio is an excellent radio for the price. No, it is not a top-end emergency radio, but it should work rather well for anyone looking for a basic AM/FM/Weather radio with both a solar and hand-crank charging option. I purchased mine about a year ago and used it only occasionally for the first few months. Then I placed it on a shelf with limited light and there it sat for about six to eight months. About six weeks ago I dusted it off and it actually worked for about an hour or so with no hand-crank charging. Later that day I sat it in the front window where it would get plenty of direct sun light. A couple days later I picked it up from the window and have been using it a few hours each day since; some of those days it was used for more than six hours in the basement. I have not needed to crank it at all, but did crank charge it for about one minute total just while playing with it for the record. Since then, I have been keeping it on the shelf out in the open where it is exposed to normal room daylight, no direct sunlight. The charging light does not light up in this setting, and I would not expect it to. I have occasionally taken it out on the front porch to sit a listen where there is direct sunlight, but only for about an hour or so each week. I really like the idea of not having to buy batteries, and the convenience of knowing I always have a charged radio.

The flashlight is minimal, but I would not expect more from an LED light source. I have my 6-D-Cell Mag light if I need a powerful (luxury) light source.

Tuning the radio is a bit sensitive and can be difficult to fine tune. I would consider this to be a SIGNIFICANT problem for an elderly person or anyone without the use of fine motor skills in their hands; but for me it is a minor hassle I am willing and able to deal with. I have considered getting the Eaton FR600 for its digital tuner. The reviews for that model suggest the battery life is pretty bad, so I have decided to wait for an improved model. For now, my FR160 is just fine. I would consider giving this 5-stars if the fine-tuning was much easier.

The USB charge does work, but know that it will not charge an iPhone 3Gs. This is more a problem/restriction of the iPhone 3Gs (a widely discussed complaint across the Internet for many-many generic charging devices) and is not because of the radio. Charging my old Samsung phone was not a problem.

The weather bands do pick up a signal, but to be absolutely honest, I have not used it much to provide any real opinion.

The hand-crank charger feels solid enough (I wouldn't abuse it) and tucks away securely when not used. I have found the manual crank-charger will provide about 25-30 minutes of radio time (at about 1/4 to 1/3 volume) for every minute of crank-charging. I average about 2 cranks per second or about 120 rotation per minute. Now I just count to 120 or so instead of watching the clock. This play-time per craink-time yeild has been very acceptable for me. After two minutes of crank-charging my hand does begins to tire a little, but just a little. If I leave the radio in a place with good direct sunlight when not using it, changing via the crank is never even needed.

In short, it works for what I want a radio that that can be charged by sunlight or by hand-crank when absolutely necessary. If you want the construction and feature-set of a $100+ radio buy a $100+ radio. But, for $30 (or less), I am pleased with the FR160.

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ABSOLUTELY DO NOT USE THIS TO CHARGE AN IPHONE !!!! I have a 32GB 3GS that I purchased in February. I purchased the Eton Microlink FR160 for a Cub Scout campout to celebrate the 100 years of scouting. We were camping in a farm field with no access to electricity. When I used it to charge my iPhone, it FRIED IT! I mean no phone, all loss of data, completely black screen. The Apple store tried to due a hard reset and couldn't even get it to turn on. Thank goodness that the phone was still under warranty! Apple gave me a new phone, but I had to reload EVERYTHING! A HUGE time commitment and pain. Tech support from Eton was willing to replace my iPhone and very helpful. They emphasized to me to NOT USE this to charge an iPhone! All other features are awesome and weather band works great. I will keep it for that reason only.

JeffZman

This is truly a phenomenal product. Everything works as described, including the cell phone charging which can be quite a boon when going away from electricity abroad, to other countries, or hiking/camping/backpacking.

The light powerful halogen type LEDs that power the device, as strong as a good bike light. Battery can be charged via solar or hand crank. Three to five minutes of hand crank has given me over two hours of battery life, and still no sign of dying battery. That's quite a great find for people who need a flashlight all the time like I do.

The radio a bit weak with the speakers, but works. Includes a weather band. A bit of a blah item, especially since the dials pop off all the time.

The charger Great little device. Can charge all your Apple iPod products, including bluetooth headsets, and your iPhone. A big reason I waited for the next gen Eton charger was for the iPhone charging...really great and works well. Charge your iPhone, iPhone 3G (and probably the new 3GS).

Well worth $30

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I-Tec iPod iRise AM/FM Radio and Alarm Clock

• Plays iPod through stereo speakers
• Charges iPod while in dock
• Features reflective technology speakers for crisp, booming sound
• Includes alarm clock back-up battery

This item plays music from the ipod GREAT! The sound quality is perfect, and up to CD standards. There are no problems in that department. The fact that it comes with a remote is also great, even if it is way to small. The main problem with this unit is the radio capabilities. The FM radio is overall bad quailty, with only a few stations coming in clear, the rest are fuzzy and horrible. Plus the suppsoed "antenna" (which is merely a 3 foot piece of plastic coated wire) does little to help. If you're looking for something just to play music from your ipod I would reccommend a much cheaper product called an iBlast. If you want to play ipod music, with an alarm function an have a product with overall style and good looks, I'd reccommend this product. However, if you actually want to hear the radio, I'd buy an iHome or iBoom...they are more expensive but work much better.

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Philips AJ3231 Mirror Finish Clock Radio

• Wake up to your favorite radio station or buzzer
• Dual alarm times with repeat
• AM/FM analog tuner
• MP3 link for portable music playback
• Battery back-up

Pros:

*Gorgeous contemporary design with mirror and stainless steel look. The LED display magically floats in the mirror.

*Very low level brightness yet perfectly legible and without glare. Many alarm clocks are way too bright even on dim settings. If the brightness of alarm clocks bothers you, this clock should work well for you.

*Easy to figure out without instructions which makes it a viable option for guest bedrooms.

Cons:

*When adjusting the alarms, there is no indication on the LED display which alarm you are adjusting. Compounding this problem is when you turn on an alarm, there is no way to see what time the alarm is set for. It's far too easy to adjust one alarm and turn on the other by mistake. This is a MAJOR negative. The display also doesn't tell you if the alarm is set for buzzer or radio. The lack of information on the display makes it impossible to adjust in the dark.

*No fast reverse. To adjust times, there is a fast forward button and a slow reverse button. I like clocks that also have fast reverse which makes changing alarm times easier and quicker.

*Slide controls are small and difficult to use. The distance between settings is very small so it can be frustrating.

*Buzzer volumes are not adjustable. Alarm 1 is set at a low volume which is very quiet and might not work for sound sleepers. Alarm 2 is slightly louder but it's still quieter than any other alarm clock I've used. With both alarms, you do have the option of waking up with radio which is volume adjustable and gets very loud.

*No gradually increasing alarm volume.

*Radio is not digital. Not a major issue but the dial is small so it's hard to know what station you're on.

*No nap function.

*The audio cable in the back doesn't stay in the holder and flops around annoyingly. I have since cut it off.

*Snooze not adjustable (set at 7 minutes).

Overall, this alarm clock would work well in a guest bedroom where style is of paramount importance. For your main alarm clock, you should consider something with better functionality.

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I have been looking for "the perfect" clock radio for quite a while and I think I found it!

A marvel of engineering and design -it's light, airy, amazing looking yet sturdy and substantial at the same time. This is so well designed! I find that the buttons are in the right places, easy to get to and intuitive, they feel very substantial and not flimsy and cheap like so many other electronics today. I don't know how they were able to make a piece that is so substantial and solid feeling yet airy and light and unobtrusive looking. A really great job done though! I am quite impressed and very pleasantly surprised, this feels like a product that will last, which sometimes seems like a thing of teh pasttoay everything is made to toss...

I love the non digital radio station dial-I live in a mountainous area where it's very hard to get any reception, and the manual tuner is a must. And this one is well made and sensitive -I actually get several stations with this, which I have never been able to get with others I have tried.

On top of it the light display is brilliantly done! The mirror finish is really cool it's a smoky color so not like a shiny standard mirror. And the time is displayed in a golden color that makes it really easy at a quick glance see what time it is whether it's light or dark in the room, yet at night it's very unobtrusive. Living in the mountains we have no ambient light (except the moon when it's full) coming into the bedroom. So, any light source really pops out and I have a hard time sleeping with that in the room. So I have been looking for one that didn't keep me awake. I have tried several ones with adjustable displays but ended up having to toss a piece of clothing over each one I have tried, which makes it a useless time keeper. This one was just perfect.

I really, really like this clock radio and can highly recommend it.

Read Best Reviews of Philips AJ3231 Mirror Finish Clock Radio Here

(2008 HOLIDAY TEAM) The last thing I want to do when I wake up is look in the mirror. However, even thought this Philips Alarm Clock's face is mostly one large mirror, it still looks sleek. The time is shown through the mirrored surface in bright yellow with adjustable brightness. It looks great, stands vertically about six inches and has all the basic features of a typical alarm clock. However, don't get too excited.

My previous alarm clock was easy to just reach over and slam the snooze button until I was ready to wake up. The snooze here is not so easy to find being a small tab on the top. There are two alarms (typical) that you can set to the radio, a buzz (one second beep tones) or off. They are difficult to set as the front display does not show you which setting is which. The font is very hard to read, being a tiny gray typeset on a black background. The other side contains the volume wheel, a radio tuner for AM/FM and a small dial to find radio stations (Look at the photo I included for size comparison). There is also an AUX setting as you can hook up your iPod/MP3 in the back. The cord for the iPod/MP3 is supposed to fit snugly around the back, but the slot it was designed for is too short, so the cord hangs loose. The top has the small linear tabs for `On/Off', `alarm reset' and `sleep'. The largest tab is the `Repeat Alarm/Sleep Off' on top. Its very compact, but not the easiest to set up. Do note that you need bright light to work any of the setup functions; not a dark room.

Aside from the small settings and type, this Philips Clock does look nice with the mirror finish and yellow clock shining through. That is it's sales quality. The materials are all plastic and I wonder if it could survive a drop to the floor. The 1.5" speaker is not Hi-Fidelity. Other than the appearance, there isn't much else going on here, so you might think about keeping your current alarm clock. It just looks good. Think about that with the price.

Want Philips AJ3231 Mirror Finish Clock Radio Discount?

The fit and finish was very nice. The mirror is stylish but I really don't want to see my ugly mug early in morning.

The orange LED was a nice touch. Not as bright as the 'regular' green LED's on most alarm. On dim mode it doesn't light up a dark room.

The MP3 mode leaves something to be desired. If you're in the room with your MP3 player hooked up your OK listening to tunes, but I like waking up to certain music in the morning. I don't know about your MP3 player but I cannot leave it on all night without the battery dying by morning.

It's a cool alarm clock but only adequate for an MP3 Player.

This clock has a nice, modern look with large amber colored numbers. The alarm buttons are horribly designed, however. You can snooze, but cannot turn off/change the alarm without picking up the whole clock. The buttons are flush with the body and don't slide easily so you more or less have to pick up the whole thing to do anything to it. Not fun when you're half asleep. The body tips forward easily too.

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First Alert Public Alert radio

• Public Alert model CEA 2009 certified with Externa
• weather-temperature-sensors
• 21 Piece Travel Tool Kit Set
• SAM-GTL-BKBOOK

I moved to a rural community in Kansas after living in a large city all my life. One day I was outside and thought I could hear testing of a tornado siren off in the distance. I immediately realized the tornado siren would be of no use to me during a storm and decided I needed to buy something to alert me of a severe weather event. I purchased this 18 months ago and have been extremely happy with its performance. I found it easy to program. I can get up in the morning and push the "listen" button and hear the weather forcast for the day. I keep mine in my kitchen and it is loud enough that it will wake you in the middle of the night if the alarm is sounded. you are able to control most of the alerts that it is designed to alert you with for example if you do not live in flood proned area you can turn off the alert for a flood watch etc. Some alerts have the option to be turned off but the machine is programmed to keep them on anyway such as a tornado warning. This radio has over 80 alerts programmed into the machine but not all will pertain to your area such as Kansas will never have an alarm go off for an avalanche. This machine can even alert you of an amber alert in your area. I highly recommend this device I have never experienced any kind of failure and have purchased one as a gift. This machine will also use rechargeable batteries that will continuously charge while the machine is plugged in, in the event of power failure it automatically changes over to battery power. Get it you will be glad you did.

Buy First Alert Public Alert radio Now

I bought this model or a similar one elsewhere, not sure which. I have the WX-150 which meets my home needs quite well. As the earlier reviewer mentioned, it is easy to edit the alerts, in fact, this radio has the ability to add alerts if new ones are created. I checked NOAA online and found that my radio has more alerts programmed than their online webpage. I'm still trying to find out if there are a few that need to be programmed in.

My model (this one?) has an output for a pulse that can start an external alarm system. The WX-200 (again, this one?), has an external speaker output. If one needs to alert a large area directly then you need to find a WX-200.

Pro:

easy to program

has two alarm clocks

good receiver

Con:

not much, the only complaint I have is that the 'power on' green light is a little too bright for placement near my bed. The alarm can be adjusted to be really loud, so this is really a nit.

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Coby MP827-8G 8 GB 2.8-Inch Video MP3 Player with Touchscreen, FM, Stereo Speakers and MiniSD Card S

• 2.8 inch color TFT LCD screen with Integrated flash memory and Intuitive touchscreen controls
• Integrated stereo speakers, miniSD card slot for easy memory capacity upgrades (miniSD card not included) and Integrated FM radio
• Multimedia powerhouse plays music, video (Videos may need to be converted with the included software for device playback), photos, and text
• Plays digital music from most online stores and subscription services, ID3 and LRC support for song and lyric information display
• Calendar mode, USB 2.0 Hi-speed for fast file transfers, Integrated rechargeable battery
• 2.8 inch color TFT LCD screen with Integrated flash memory and Intuitive touchscreen controls
• Integrated stereo speakers, miniSD card slot for easy memory capacity upgrades (miniSD card not included) and Integrated FM radio
• Multimedia powerhouse plays music, video (Videos may need to be converted with the included software for device playback), photos, and text
• Plays digital music from most online stores and subscription services, ID3 and LRC support for song and lyric information display
• Calendar mode, USB 2.0 Hi-speed for fast file transfers, Integrated rechargeable battery

I took a very long time to decide on this item because of the bad reviews. (PLEASE IGNORE THEM!)

I've had my Coby MP827 for a couple of weeks now and although it's not perfect, in my opinion, it is an incredible device. (Especially for the money.)



Now the original review...

#1 You MUST CALIBRATE THE TOUCHSCREEN before you do anything else. If you do not, you might have to jab and press and slide like crazy to get things to work. This might seem like a bad selling point, but the fact that you are allowed to adjust the sensitivity is a major PLUS in my mind. (I just wish Coby would have made the suggestion loud and clear from the beginning in their instructions.) I was lucky enough to read the reviews here at Amazon that suggested this. My hat is off to them because it made all the difference for me.

#2 After calibrating, don't get frantic and anxious. If, and when, any icons might not respond as you expect, please turn your attention to your own actions, or your own understanding of how this cute little beastie works! So far, there have only been a few times where I've been a bit frustrated, but eventually I found that I wasn't waiting the occasional 1 or 2 seconds required for the software to respond. (I believe that most of the bad reviews came from these touchscreen characteristics.) Also, a few "icons" such as the little left or right arrows for changing the time and date, WILL NOT respond to a full fingertip touch. It took me quite a while to realize that a Stylus kind of touch, as with the tip of a gentle fingernail, finally got the response I was looking for. If I had not taken the time to gently and calmly experiment with this, my frustration would have boiled over for sure. (Again, Coby SHOULD have explained this characteristic with a few of the smaller icons because it undoubtedly confuses everybody who buys the thing. Except perhaps for owners of many other mp3 players. This is my first.)

HOWEVER, the fact that Coby's staff has excluded a few pieces of info about the device, doesn't mean that it's "a piece of trash" like some others have been ranting. It only means that there is a lot more value lurking within the 827's Operating System than meets the eye. In other words, this device is powerful and pleasing to use, but people who can't tackle the learning curve will probably think it's a piece of junk. (Their loss, not mine, except that their frantic noise almost put me off my purchase. COBY please take notice of this, your lack of information is producing a lot of bad reviews.)

I've been learning while buying many items through Amazon lately, that one must wade through the verbal mud of those who never grew up. "The truth is out there," but you have to dig a little for it and avoid the nasty negativists who spout emotions but no facts. (Emotions are NOT tools of cognition.) :-)

#3 Coby also left out -that if you decide to upgrade the memory, which is one of the main reasons I wanted to buy this particular unit, the 827 IS NOT compatible with SDHC memory chips. (At least my unit isn't.) HC means High Capacity which is a somewhat recent development, and the SDHC chip I bought DID NOT WORK with this unit. Now to be fair, Coby's documentation DOES say, that it is upgradeable with SD chips, but since you have to be aware of the differences, and then search high and low to find them these days, it only seems logical that the 827 would work with the HC chips. After searching the net like a madman, I finally decided to simply buy a HC chip and see for myself. (THIS IS NOW TO YOUR BENEFIT AS WELL MY OWN.) SDHC chips WILL NOT WORK WITH THIS UNIT. Maybe that could be changed with a firmware update, but I'm not counting on it.

For me, this wasn't a problem, because the chip I got does work with a digital camera I have, expanding the number of photos I can take into the thousands. (Very cool.)

I HAVE an old style 8 GB SD chip on order, and when (and if) it works, I will get in here and edit this review.

#4 TIPS -When you see the little circle (with an arrow on it,) on the screen, it means that the screen will turn from vertical to horizontal like the more expensive units do. The only catch is, the lack of an accelerometer which performs this little miracle automatically. If you want the view to change, you have to press that little icon. (Again, lots of value if you know how it works.) Now if you are too lazy to press a little icon, then go ahead and spend 2 or 3 or 4 times more to buy some other unit.

Other items are well covered in other reviews, except for the availability of a screen protector for this unit. I couldn't find this model listed on any of the available protectors, and the best I could do is something in a forum about buying a cheap universal protector from WalMart and trimming it down to size. The person claimed that it worked perfectly, but I have yet to verify this. (Once again, Coby really should get their act together and keep people informed about details like this.)

OTHER THOUGHTS;

I've found that the battery life isn't all that long. Even the internal pdf documentation gives 7 hours as the maximum. I have yet to use it long enough at one siting to confirm this, but from the indicator while I'm using it, I'd say that it's about right. (Especially if you are playing a lot of videos.)

AUDIO QUALITY;

I've spent my entire life in professional audio of one sort or another. (4 Emmy Awards for Sound-Effects Editing for TV and Movies.) IMO, almost any modern digital audio is great. (Play a scratchy old vinyl album sometime.) This unit sounds pretty good to me, especially through my huge Carver Amp and KEF studio reference monitors. When you consider the mp3-process itself, and the price for this little unit...it's a bloody miracle! :-)

To sum up...I am totally satisfied with this player. I already had a gizmo to play a portable CD player through my car's built-in cassette unit, with an attached earphone mini-jack, so all I had to do was plug that jack into the MP827, slip my "dummy" cassette into the slot in my car's cassette player, and turn it on. (It's really great to have all my songs right there in my car.) Once it gets going, I don't have to attend to it at all, so getting a "using a cellphone" ticket, shouldn't be an issue. Videos playback cool on this unit too, and as I keep adding them, I'm amazed at how much memory is still left. When I add another 8GB memory chip, I'll have much more room for everything than I could possibly know what to do with. Also, I've been working with .lrc files to get some synchronized lyrics text on screen. I can report that the function actually works, but so far, the freebie software I've found for creating such files is quirky at best. (I'm still searching for the best solution to this, without laying out another stack of cash.)

LAST SUGGESTIONS:

Buy an external mp3-charger unit here at Amazon. (such as; Coby CA-80 USB AC Adapter/Charger for MP3 Players Price: $4.95 as I write this.) I got the one with two usb ports just in case, and it really does a number on this player. (Charges the thing up much faster than from the computer's usb port.) Also, the fastest way to build up your library of songs, is to suck them in directly from your CD collection. The provided software that comes with the unit makes this possible, and on my Windows-XP system, the process is really fast.

I would recommend this player to anybody and everybody, while also suggesting that they read this, and other reviews, and make use of what we have learned. Use your brain, consult your "gentle side," and this item is a real steal.

******* *********

Amazon has 2GB SD cards which should work with this unit!!! (Yay.)

My confusion, had to do with what SD cards really were and what size they come in. Anything beyond 2GB is considered High Capacity! Hence; HCSD.

In other words, you can only expand the 827's memory with an additional 2GB flashram chip. (I could not find that information anywhere!)

What Amazon has is; SDSDB-002G-B35 by SanDisk for only $5.47 as of this writing.

Finding original SD cards anywhere is a real pain, but they ARE still available. Try

>>>>>CONSIDERATIONS

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Pioneer AVH-P2400BT Car DVD Player - 5.8" Touchscreen LCD Display - 16:9 - 480 x 240 - 200 W RMS - i

• Intuitive User Interface and Touchscreen Controls
• Multimedia at Its Finest - CD, DVD, Pandora Internet Radio, iPod®, and More!
• Advanced Audio Functions and System Expandablility Allow for a Customized Entertainment Experience

To put it succinctly, I got the P2400BT for my '03 Chevy Tahoe for the following reasons: wanted bluetooth for hands-free phone calls; wanted a head unit with a double-din display for a backup camera; and maybe most of all, got sick and tired of fiddling with CDs in this day and age and just wanted to play music off a USB drive. The Pioneer P2400BT had all the features I wanted and more, including some I may never use (e.g., probably will never watch any videos with it), and so far it has performed all the desired functions flawlessly. After getting my P2400BT professionally installed and getting familiar with my favored features, I've come up with some initial thoughts.

Pros:

-Responsive and accurate touch screen interface.

-Mostly intuitive, easy to use interface. I say "mostly" because there's a few bits that aren't totally clear at first and have you running to the manual. See notes below.

-Bluetooth for pairing up with my mobile phones works great. My phone pairs pretty quickly. When there's an incoming call, media pauses for the call without a hitch.

-Playing audio or video files off a USB works great.

-Many illumination, theme, and background options.

-Backup camera displays quickly and can be viewed while in any gear.

-Discs load and eject quickly.

-Easy to use audio EQ. Great sound (at least with my speakers and amp).

-Radio signal strength. I've read some complaints about radio signal strength being worse with the P2400BT than the factory radio for some people, but for all the radio stations I listen to, both FM and AM, the signal strength is just as good or bad as it was with my factory radio.

-Remote and battery included.

-Unit easily controlled with steering wheel controls (with prerequisite adapter also installed).

Cons:

-Bluetooth audio for calls sounds a bit muddy compared to what you'd hear directly from your phone. All other audio sources sound good (provided the source media is high quality of course), so this seems to be limited to the BT feature. That being said, I've had no problem understanding people on the other end of the calls I've had, and they've had no trouble understanding me.

-I don't like how Pioneer has locked down the bluetooth dial pad when your vehicle is in motion. If you can receive calls, which requires touching the screen, why can't you make them using the unit? Let's put it this way, the majority of the unit's touch screen controls are available when driving, so what's the difference between navigating through your CD or USB's files compared to launching the phone's dial pad? They're theoretically equally distracting. Additionally, you could dial a phone number in 3 steps: 1) touch phone icon, 2) open phone book, and 3) dial contact. Any time you see "prohibited" in the manual, think "disabled".

-At least with radio as the source, you can only have a large clock face, or a large radio frequency/station, but not both apparently.

Notes on some peculiarities:

-Per the last con, if you're wondering why the dialing pad of your bluetooth-connected phone is greyed out, it's probably because your car's not in Park.

-If your mobile phone is successfully paired, but you're not seeing anything in the phonebook on the Pioneer unit consider a couple things first: a) wait a bit -it can take some time for your phonebook to load up, especially if there's a lot of contacts and b) check your mobile phone's status, as there may be a request to allow the Pioneer unit to have permission to access your phonebook, and you'll need to manually accept the request.

-If you're not finding video files on your USB drive, for example, don't forget to select the "Media" soft key to switch media file types. If a video file type is incompatible, the P2400BT will explicitly tell you so (as opposed to just acting like it can't find the file).

-The parking brake interlock "feature" seems to be flaky. According to the manual, if you attempt to view video while driving, that function will disabled until you apply the parking brake, release it, then apply it again. Well at least on one occasion the video function was disabled upon startup of the truck and going through the park apply/release/apply wasn't resolving it. Eventually what finally worked was going from Park to Reverse, actually rolling backward a bit, then rolling forward again (to stay within my parking space), then back to Park and THEN I could get video playback to work properly. Kind of nonsense there.

-There is a dimmer setting on this unit, but if you're expecting the display to automatically dim when turning on your headlights, I've been told this will only happen if your factory radio already did this. The illumination on my Tahoe's factory Bose radio automatically dimmed, so the P2400BT is dimming with the headlights on as well. Sweet.

Notes on installing the P2400BT on a GM vehicle with a Bose "Premium" system with an amplifier (e.g., 6-disc Bose stereo with amp in select Chevy Tahoes/Suburbans etc.):

-Used the Metra Axxess ASWC Universal Steering Wheel Control Interface for my install to retain steering wheel button functionality to control the Pioneer. Works great.

-Used the Meta GMOS-04 interface to retain the door chimes/alerts/OnStar stuff. Works fine except the chimes are too loud now. This should be adjustable on the interface itself, but actually isn't that straightforward and I don't think my installer knew the proper way to do it. Found out after the install that there is documentation online about a specific method of adjusting the chime volume if it's too low or too loud.

-The above interfaces are pretty expensive, but word of advice -do NOT try to go cheap and get these interfaces on eBay, or if you do, avoid the ones with a price that's too good to be true. I bought the ASWC through Amazon with no issues. Trying to save some $$, I got not one but TWO bad GMOS-04 interfaces through eBay -what a waste of time that was!

-Used Metra 40-GM10 GM Antenna Adapter.

Overall, I am very happy with the P2400BT. The bluetooth feature wasn't a priority when I bought it, but it has quickly become a favorite feature. Everyone is very impressed with seeing the backup camera in action and it's so easy to use. And now, although I can still use a disc if I *really* want to, I finally *don't* have to and can play all my music off a tiny USB drive (SanDisk Cruzer Fit 16 GB Flash Drive SDCZ33-016G FTW!) or an iPod. Everyone seems to comment that it's kind of amazing about how many features you can get for under $300 on an aftermarket radio these days and I agree. I would definitely recommend the P2400BT to anyone.

Buy Pioneer AVH-P2400BT Car DVD Player - 5.8" Touchscreen LCD Display - 16:9 - 480 x 240 - 200 W RMS - i Now

The XM tuner in my RAV4 had bombed out so I went looking for an upgrade. Did not intend to upgrade this much but am glad I did. Happy to report the receiver displays 4 lines of info for XM (with Pioneer GEX-P920XM XM tuner). The touch screen works wonderfully and it is easy to navigate to all the options. My Sony mp3 Walkman was immediately found with Bluetooth and displays all song info on screen. Lots of sound and video options available to customize to your taste. You get a message warning against watching DVD/video while driving if you insert a DVD but I don't know that I will ever watch a DVD on it anyway. I have always enjoyed Pioneer products and service and this is no exception. NOTE: I did have the unit installed by a professional at a local shop.

Read Best Reviews of Pioneer AVH-P2400BT Car DVD Player - 5.8" Touchscreen LCD Display - 16:9 - 480 x 240 - 200 W RMS - i Here

*** EDIT***

After tinkering more with this unit i've discovered a trick. I have a genuine iphone 4s dock from apple (the small white ones), an apple charging cable (standard one supplied) and a 3.5mm headphone jack from Belkin. You can connect the 3.5mm to the iphone dock and the apple charger to the back of the dock and then you have the full functionality of the 'Pandora' functions on the unit without having to buy the $50-$60 cable. I use the iphone dock as the cradle (not the most stable but it positions nicely in my car)

I'm from Australia and bought this unit knowing there may be 'issues'. For anyone outside the US, my problems were as follows:

1) AM Radio skips by 10khz per station where in Australia it only skips by 9khz. So if you want 873AM you will only tune into 870AM

2) Locked to region 1 (USA only)

3) Pandora only allowable in the US, but can bypass this with some know-how.

4) Forget playng any digital radio.

I listen to very little AM radio so the tuning was no biggie. The DVD region lock is not really an issue as it plays avi/divx files so i'm good with that too.

So far everything about the unit is nice. I had mine professionally installed and there were no 'installation' issues they encountered for a Holden Colorado Ute. It has many illumination options and other little tweaks.

Bluetooth with iphone 4S: This works perfectly. I like how it it just seems to 'work' all the time. I've made a few calls, the radio mutes till the call is finished. I haven't heard anyone complaining about the call quality so i'm sure it works well. It shows all your contacts on the unit and you can also set favourites (haven't figured it out yet)

Pandora: I have used this quite a few times in Australia (download the app from itunes in the US) and I find it's a great service. It works off bluetooth so as soon as you enter the car your songs will start to play and usually it will play from where it left off. So far the music it has been selecting has been impressive. If you find your having issues with Pandora in Australia, I find you can use Tunein Radio instead.

Tunein Radio: This is a good alternative if your not interested in Pandora. It works off bluetooth so you don't need to have a cable plugged in. So for my AM radio issue I use this instead.

Video: I played a cartoon for the kids and they were really enjoying it until I pull the handbrake down and it 'stops'. Video quality was very good too and although the screen is 5.8inch (not 7inch) it is still very watchable even from the back seat of my UTE. The kids were in a trance.

One last thing for anyone considering this unit. It is piano black (shiny). I was expecting it 'matt' so a litle disappointed in that respect.

Overall for the bluetooth alone this unit is worth it.

Want Pioneer AVH-P2400BT Car DVD Player - 5.8" Touchscreen LCD Display - 16:9 - 480 x 240 - 200 W RMS - i Discount?

I purchased this receiver because I wanted to upgrade the factory stereo in my 09 Subaru Impreza. First off, install was incredibly easy. Just took the old stereo out and connected the wires to the harness I had bought (A Nissan wiring harness fits this car just fine) and it worked when I turned on the car. The dimmer is a really cool feature that I didn't think would work. Also, it comes with a parking brake sensor for watching DVDs which was a little bit more difficult to install, but not impossible. I don't plan on watching many DVDs in my car (I have a perfectly good TV for that) but the picture quality is fine and they give you plenty of options to adjust the picture. Now, one thing that I love about this unit are the multiple hookup options. You have bluetooth, auxiliary, usb, radio and CD. I primarily use the bluetooth to play music through my phone and the audio sounds great to me. It's also awesome having the handsfree since it's illegal to talk on the phone while driving here. The bluetooth changes songs very quickly, I was worried because there is a delay of a few seconds in my mom's 2012 Honda Pilot factory stereo. I won't go into great detail about the other hookups but the iPod hookup through USB is also very nice. I hooked up a cheap back up camera that I bought here on amazon and had the hardest time figuring out how to get it to display on the unit until I realized there's a dedicated backup camera input in the bottom corner on the back of the unit that says something like "RC INPUT" above it or something. I kept trying to plug it into the yellow "VIDEO IN" input, which is incorrect. One great thing about this unit is that it really does make factory speakers sound much better. I had complained and hated the stock speakers in my car because they sounded muffled and just terrible but now that I plugged this in and configured the audio settings and wow! It really does sound much better, my girlfriend thought that I had installed a subwoofer! The only annoying things about this unit are; 1. the backup camera will not go away when you are not reversing it just keeps popping up with a black screen so you have to go to the home screen and turn it on/off each time you want to use it and 2. the face is not detachable which is really terrible because I have to worry about it getting stolen when I park my car. All in all this is quite nice for the $ you spend because the bluetooth is great, it has much better sound quality, and many built in features. One more thing I forgot to mention is the fact that when you install it there will be small gaps between it and your vehicle's trim because it is smaller than the factory unit, they do supply a black trim to cover up the gaps but even it is loose and I had to cut the bottom off to make it fit. That may just be the 09 Subaru Impreza that has this problem but thought I'd mention it.

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I bought this unit to replace my factory installed radio in my Acura RSX. It was a definite upgrade! It paired instantly with my Motorola Droid X2 No Contract Verizon Cell Phone without any problems. I use a SanDisk Cruzer Fit SDCZ33-008G-B35 8 GB USB 2.0 Flash Drive Blackfor the USB input to keep a low profile database for my music. It also pairs/ reads my SanDisk Sansa e260R Rhapsody 4GB digital player / radio (with a little bit of waiting). I like all the options and it is very intuitive to figure out if you don't like instruction manuals. There is a bit of tweaking that is required to fine tune in the acoustics of the output, but that would be with any unit. Displays are very nice and clear, and the sound quality is a definite improvement from my past unit.

Now for the not so good parts (in my eyes). It has to much Apple exclusive aspects. I am not ANTI Apple (just not for it). It is a shame that there isn't an Android based link to the unit. I would liked to have had Pandora linking to Android and not only an iPhone/pod etc. Also, I would have liked to have the album art displayed for anything other than iPhone/pod sources. My other MP3 players can do it, why not this unit? Also there is a handbrake switch that denies you many features if the break is not on. Thus this required me to install a bypass system (you can find it on YouTube). All the same, a hassle and requiring more $$ for install.

All in all a solid buy. I am glad I got this unit and look forward to using it on my daily commute time of 2-3 hours a day!!

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In-Dash DVD/CD/MP3/Player AM/FM-MPX Tuner w/Front Aux & USB Jack and 3" TFT Digital Monitor

• DVD/VCD/MP4/MP3/CD/CD-RW Compatible
• AM/FM-MPX2 Band Radio
• PLL Synthesizer Tuner
• Front Aux Input for alternate audio Sources
• 24 Station Memories

My JVC KD-SH1000 was stolen, so I bought the LD33MU as a cheap replacement. And that's exactly what it is. The sound controls are basic treble/bass/balance/fade/loud and it plays DVDs fine with auxiliary outs/ins. In fact, DVD playback is great for a unit that only costs $160.

Now for the quirks:

The menu is very, very, annoyingly simple. You'd think it was a Fisher-Price toy. It won't read from the USB if a disc has been inserted. Pressing the pause button causes it to restart with the first track in the folder. It won't remember the track position if it gets turned off.

Have to use the remote for certain menu functions. Subwoofer control is basically just an on/off setting.

For the money, it's a no-frills DVD player with 3-inch screen. Perfect for a work truck or noisy car. But if you're looking for the ultimate audio solution for your luxury car, look for decks that cost $300+. If you're looking for a deck that reads SD cards, then wait until they start making decks compatible with SDHC... 1GB just doesn't cut it.

Buy In-Dash DVD/CD/MP3/Player AM/FM-MPX Tuner w/Front Aux & USB Jack and 3" TFT Digital Monitor Now

Great product. I love it. It plays pretty much any audio / video that I have put into the DVD player.

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