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Showing posts with label alarm clock radio phone. Show all posts

Electrohome ELE-IC1088WK Digital FM Alarm Clock Radio Speaker Dock for iPod/iPhone with Dual Alarm,

Wake to iPod/iPhone; Dock & Charge your iPod/iPhone
FM Radio with Digital Station Display; Battery Backup
Dual Alarm Setting; High Quality Speakers & X-Bass
View Your Videos/Pictures on Your TV
Auxiliary Jack to Connect your MP3 Player; Snooze and Sleep Functions

I bought this as a Christmas gift for my wife. I was looking for something a bit more stylish and less expensive than the iHome line of iPod products and this one exceeded my expectations. I couldn't find any reviews on this product, so I took a leap of faith based on the description and list of features. Clock isn't too bright at night if you set to dimmest level. Sound quality is pretty good. Bass sounds alright even without the bass boost turned on. Looks like Apple could have designed it by the looks of it. Solid construction. Needed a product with a battery backup and easy-to-use controls and this one fits the bill. Doesn't look like the typical square box design that everybody else seems stuck on with the possible exception of Sony. The Wife's happy and that's what matters most. Note: iPod seems to fit the dock better without the adapters included with this unit.

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Usually I only buy products that have had numerous high reviews on Amazon. I took a chance with this as it only had 2 reviews at the time, though they were both good, and the price was well within the budget I had set. I was a little skeptical of all the more expensive products that didn't necessarily seem compatible with the iPhone 4.

Well, the gamble paid off!

This is a great little product. It looks more interesting than the boxy versions on sale from other brands. The sound is good (volume goes up to 30, but I keep it around 15 in the kitchen to contain it to that room). It fits fine with my old Ipod and the iPhone 4 fits fine without any extra cradle support (I leave my case on it and there is no jiggle at all). For the money, this is great!!!

My only niggle with it, as someone else mentioned, is that the time can only be seen from certain angles. Otherwise, you get a glare-effect. Not a show-stopper, but it would be even better if you could see the time from any angle in a room.

Read Best Reviews of Electrohome ELE-IC1088WK Digital FM Alarm Clock Radio Speaker Dock for iPod/iPhone with Dual Alarm, Here

I love this product! It is small (approx 8" wide, 6.5" deep and 5" high) so it does not take too much space on my desk at work. I use it for my Nano 6th generation and for FM radio no signal problems. Sound is fine, but I keep it very low because it's at work. I've looked at many radio/docking stations and this one is by far the best looking. Much smaller than what many of my coworkers have (they have been admiring mine for the past few weeks). Highly recommended.

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Great product, Sound is very good. i have had no problems at all. It was very hard to find such an item that is compatible with Iphone 4 and have so much features for the price. I never heard of this brand but they got a A+ in my book for this one.

This Product Is Good But when You try To See The Time From Certain Angles You Can't tell It Would Be Great If They Constructed This Product A Bit Slanted Towards the Front...

Logitech Pure-Fi Anytime Premium Alarm Clock for iPod and iPhone

Supports iPhone and all iPod models with dock connector; supports other portable music players via 3.5-mm auxiliary input
Featuring motion-activated controls and other innovative features--perfect nightstand companion
Wake to music, radio, or buzzer, or sleep a little longer with a wave of your hand--thanks to motion-sensing snooze
Protected docking cavity helps prevent you from accidentally knocking over your iPod/iPhone
Accurately tune to live content, including music, news, weather, and sports with internal AM/FM radio

I've been looking for an alarm clock for my iPhone 3G since I bought it in June '08! Finally I found this one, and it is perfect.

Charges iphone without interference, no weird "not compatible" message

sounds great! perfect for the bedroom

2 alarm presets

Motion Sensor! This is cool, you just wave your hand over the top instead of having to find the sleep button. Best feature!

Dimmable display

remote control

looks great

I highly recommend this alarm clock to anyone with the new iPhone. Charge your phone while you sleep, wake up to your favorite music. The best!

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The item itself is pretty nice. The motion sensitive snooze and back light activator is a nice touch. The housing for the product is the glossy black plastic that is the trademark of iPods and their related accessories. The orange glow clock and lights is a nice change of pace from the ubiquitous blue that's been going around for the last few years. It even comes with a remote control, which can be stored on the back of the unit when you're not using it. A nice touch that is overlooked by most manufacturers.

The item allows for setting two alarms. In theory when the alarm goes off you can wave your hand over the top right of the unit and it'll engage snooze. Which, nicely, has a feature that allows you to set the snooze length. The wave hand snooze, did work. However, the unit I had, about 50% to 70% of the time the alarm would auto-snooze itself about 2 seconds after it began sounding. Another reviewer posted about this identical defect. So, I'm not sure if it is an overly sensitive motion detector, or what, but a two second alarm will be bad news for me in the morning :)

There are a few good reviews about the product, so if you want to try one out and hope its not defective, it's a nice product. I would have kept it, had it not been for the auto-snooze.

Read Best Reviews of Logitech Pure-Fi Anytime Premium Alarm Clock for iPod and iPhone Here

I have been using this about a week thus far and really enjoy it. I have an iPhone 3G and it works great for charging it, playing Pandora or MP3s, and as an alarm clock. The ability to float my hand over it to snooze is really nice. Since the buttons on top are dimmed until your hand is hovering over the device is nice in the evenings when you don't want extra gadget lights distracting you when it comes time to sleep.

It has 3 programmable buttons on it which is fine for me as I have only 2 FM radio stations I care about in my area. This may be an issue for others who have more they like to pan through. Also note that the remote control is for the iPod application on the iPhone and will not work in controlling Pandora.

I only gave this 4 stars for two reasons. One is how my phone fits into the device. Not as snug as I would like as when I am touching the screen, for instance in Pandora for ratings, it rocks back into the alarm clock instead of being held solid. I have tried the other docking cups too, no luck. The other reason is price. While the price is really good, especially compared to what you pay in other stores, I still think for the sound quality and volume you get could have been better.

Overall though, I am not disappointed and have had zero issues with it.

Edited 2-15-2012 down from 4 to 2 stars: I have noticed since upgrade to iOS4 that when place on the cradle instead of just charging it constantly tries to take over audio on the device. This has been occuring through several updates to my iPod over the past months and I am now updating the review accordingly. By taking over, the iPod indicates it is docked, switches inputs, and in turn gives off a buzzing sound equal to the volume on the device. Even if you change off the iPod input setting, it will change back in seconds. Even if you have AM or FM radio on, you still get the annoying buzzing sound on top of the station sounds. Because of this, I cannot charge overnight or while listening to music. Essently the iPod portion of this device is ruined for me and it is now just a clock-radio.

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This item is great. I recommend it.

I bought an iHome alarm clock in an attempt to use our 5th generation iPod Video as the music source for the alarm sound. After a lot of messing around and testing and days of troubleshooting... it simply did not work. Supposed to, but didn't.

This Logitech Anytime unit is wonderful. Right out of the box I followed the simple quick-start instructions and was up and running 5 minutes later. But most alarm clocks are like that. The real test is getting the iPod as the alarm source. In the next 5 or 10 minutes I was able to test my iPod's use as an alarm source to wake up to my playlist's music. It works flawlessly.

There are two alarm time settings this unit remembers. Useful for two different people that need to get up at different times, or you can use the second alarm time as an "oh crap 1-hour later alarm really really get out of bed" for example. They're Alarm #1 and Alarm #2. Each one has it's own time setting as well as it's own source setting. So you could have alarm #1 set at 5am with the iPod as the alarm sound source (or the buzzer or the radio), and alarm #2 set at 8:30am with the buzzer as the alarm source (or the iPod, or the Radio). Both can use the same source so it's totally configurable.

The unit is really small. Smaller than a loaf of bread in a bag for example. It's speakers play the music really well. The sound is distinct and nice. I'm sure that there are people that will compare this unit's speakers with larger "iPod speaker systems" and conclude that they could be better, but you know what?... they sound just fine. No crackles, not a light tingy sound, not too rich and deep... just good enough to enjoy music and more than good as an alarm clock.

When the iPod is set as the source and the alarm goes off the unit will automatically look for a specific "Alarm 1" or "Alarm 2" playlist in your iPod. If it finds one of them (for the associated alarm in question) it'll play music in Shuffle mode from one of those playlists. So you can totally customize what music should be used as alarm music. If however you don't have those playlists on your iPod the unit will just resume playback from whatever playlist was last played from.

When the alarm time goes off, the music doesn't just abruptly start playing. The unit will start off the music quietly and slowly over the course of a few seconds increase more and more the volume until it's at the wake-up audio level.

The way to stop the alarm is really neat. You simply wave your hand over the top and a little sensor will detect the motion and shut off the music. It's also the way to illuminate the controls if you need to see them in the dark for some reason.

The unit has a backup 9volt battery that it uses for remembering the time settings if the power goes out. If the power does go out and the music source was set to iPod, the buzzer will sound instead because it won't have enough power to run/command the iPod.

If the unit has power from the wall it will charge your iPod, although if the iPod is actively being used to listen to music it won't charge until the iPod itself is off. The iPod mounts to the unit via the standard Apple Dock Connector slot on the bottom of the iPod itself. There are different snap-on mounting guides to help different iPod models all stay put and mount properly.

The orange lighted display is very clear and easy to read at night.

This unit has more features than what I need. I needed an iPod alarm clock and it's great! I've tossed my iHome unit because this Logitech Anytime unit works flawlessly. I recommend it.

Unfortunately, I got one with a defect. The alarm goes off for all of 2 seconds, then spontaneously stops. I tried it out multiple times, even unplugged it after I came across a review that mentioned the defect on iLounge. The review mentioned that unplugging it sometimes helps. Not here. Sat on phone with Logitech for an hour and they found the same defect in the one they had there! They said to return it to Amazon since I'd just bought it. Apparently, the defect isn't widely known yet so they haven't recalled the ones that don't work properly.

Midland 74105XL All Hazard Radio with 10 NOAA Weather Channels

7-channel weather and all-hazard radio with AM/FM
Automatic alert with 90 dB siren
Instant weather reports with the push of a button
Battery backup for operation during power outages
Supplied with telescopic antenna and power supply

Here's probably a better description:

YOUR SEVERE WEATHER WAKE-UP CALLsm

Automatic -Alert Weather Radio with AM/FM Radio Midland Model 74-105XL

Weathermax Plus, with a built-in AM/FM radio and 7 channel crystal control weather/all hazard alert. The 74-105XL Weathermax Plus automatically switches to your local NOAA broadcast when the alert tones are activated, so you can stay aware of changing weather conditions, even when listening to your favorite AM or FM station. 24 hour a day weather information is available at the touch of a button, and you are automatically alerted when severe weather threatens your area by your choice of a 90dB siren, flashing LED light or voice alert. In addition, many areas now broadcast warnings of fires, earthquakes, chemical spills, fires or other hazards over the same frequencies, so you can keep informed and move to safety if needed. The telescopic fold-away antenna gives you a range of up to 50 miles from the broadcast transmitter

A standard 120V AC wall plug power adaptor is included, and 9 volt battery backup allows operation during a power outage or outdoors (battery not included). It can also be powered from 12 volt vehicles or boats (12V adapter not included). Optional accessories like an external antenna, strobe light, or pillow vibrator (all sold separately) are easy to add with the convenient accessory jack.

The radio measures 1-1/2"H x 6-3/4"W x 4-1/2"D

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the review you put with this product describes another midland radio, the 74-200. the 74-105XL does not have a cb channel, nor does it have a display to show the time, date and type of emergency claimed in your write-up. however, I have used this radio in Canada and it is effective for emergency notification and is still a good product at this price. I was just disappointed to receive the radio and find it does not have the specifications described in the Amazon write-up.

Read Best Reviews of Midland 74105XL All Hazard Radio with 10 NOAA Weather Channels Here

This is a fine, reliable, weather plus AM/FM radio. You can choose which station you want to hear, but my next one will have SAME technology to be even more specific.

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I purchased a Midland 74105XL as a gift, but gave it a quick test to make sure all was well before wrapping it up, and it performed exactly as could be expected.

I compared it to an Oregon Scientific WR-8000 'All Hazards' portable and an Icom IC-M3A marine VHF handheld radio. Reception quality was good on the active weather channels in this area, however there weren't any alert warnings broadcast at the time, so I can't comment on that feature. The Midland was a bit better than the Oregon Scientific, probably due to it's telescoping antenna vs. the short 'rubber ducky' type on the WR-8000. The Icom being a transceiver, and having a more sensitive receiver was better than both. The AM/FM section of the 74105XL works as well as any inexpensive portable radio.

The build quality of the 74105XL is also typical of an inexpensive radio (and typical for Midland) sort of cheap feeling, but perfectly adequate for tabletop use. I had posted a negative review here on Amazon.com on the similarly featured Midland WR10 All Hazards radio based on it's less than user-friendly design. Fortunately, the layout of the 74105XL is much more straightforward.

Something that's probably applicable to just about every All Hazards radio currently in use in the U.S. is the quality (or, lack of) artificial speech used for NOAA's weather radio broadcasts. Up until a couple years ago, the broadcasts were recorded by a real, live human. They have since been replaced by a computer synthesized voice, and it sounds just like what you might expect very artificial. According to the NOAA weather radio site , they are currently in the process of upgrading all of their stations with a newer technology, more natural sounding speech system. They even have sample audio files available for audition.

The 74105XL does not feature the SAME specific area warning system, so it's probably best suited to milder climes or environments where a highly localized warning may not be as essential. As a good, basic weather radio, the 74510XL does the job. By the way, the recipients I gave the radio to are happy with it!

Great little weather radio from Midland Radio of Kansas...don't be at home without one or on the go as a matter of fact with this...runs on AC and DC power...has battery backup, siren/tone alert, alert with or without flashing LED, telscoping antenna, an external jack for additonal outside antenna, comes with AC/DC adapter, and tunes 7 of 10 NOAA/NWS weather channels from 162.400 to 162.550MHz, and built-in self test button...when thunder roams, go indoors...stay informed and updated with this beauty from Midland Radio...cheers...}:)>

Sony Desktop Music System, Works with iPhone, Made For iPod, Single Disc CD Player, CD, CD-R/RW, And

Charges iPod while docked
Single disc CD, CD-R/RW and MP3 playback
AM/FM radio with 30 station presets
Clock, alarm and sleep timer
Aux-in for use with MP3 players, PCs and other audio sources

I wanted something that had a radio, alarm clock, cd player and iPod charger all in one so I did not have to have a device for each. This is so wonderful, compact and easy to use. I love it!

C. Crane SoftSpeaker Pillow Speaker

Frequency response: 20 Hz to 20,000 Hz.
Speaker type: Neodymium-Ferrous-Boron (Rare Earth Magnet).
One-year Warranty.

They sound OK for talk radio and you can place it near your ear as well as under the pillow if you want. The downside is that they break easily... I've gone through 4 of these over the past year which is getting rather annoying. One pair just stopped working after about 3 months. The others have cords that don't connect to the speaker well... you can get sound out of them if you hold the wire just right but there's clearly a break in the connection somewhere. I like the design but after 4 of these I've decided I should spend my money on something that actually lasts longer than a few months!

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March 31 2010 Update

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I've got to hand it to John at CCRANE. He called me up, told me they changed manufacturers, and sent me the new version. I've had it for over a month now and so far so good. I'm extra careful now when taking the speakers out from under the pillow in the morning so as not to strain the speaker/cable connection. I've tried other brands of speaker pillows (my wife doesn't listen to Coast so I've got to keep it quiet at night!) and this is the best design I've found (small/soft cover... could listen to it directly on the ear) so I'm glad I tried it again. Until a better product comes along I'll now recommend this brand... just be sure to put it away each morning so it doesn't get damaged by pets or house cleaners running a vacuum! Thanks John!

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I have been using Softspeaker Pillow Speakers for a few years now and I have found them far superior to any product, and I have tried a few. I use them to listen to audio books on my iPod each night. This is a great technique for distracting my mind from thinking about all those day-today worries that used to keep me awake.

Mind you, it has to be an audio book that I have already listened to in the car or whilst out walking its no good falling asleep whilst listening to a new book and waking up having to find the exact same spot in the book you were at when you fell asleep!

The weak point in the design is thcable connection to the speaker, which is where the unit ultimately fails, but hey, that connection does get a fair beating over time. In this respect using this in bed is very different than wearing headphones whilst out walking. The cable connection does suffer with all that tossing and turning. I always have a spare so that when one fails I have a new one to switch to, because as I said before, this is by far the best product of its type on the market and I couldn't be without one!

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Loved this pillow speaker for a couple years up to now. It has superior sound quality, even through a pillow, but I have no choice but to question the quality of the cord and connection to the speaker itself. My cord has recently "snapped" from the base of the speaker, leaving it worthless. It has not been subjected to anything other than general use and good care, so it's ultimately a disappointment.

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Good product in terms of initial sound but the cord goes bad fast and there isn't any way to take the thing apart to fix a likely loose connection.

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First one lasted over 2 years of hard nightly use. If I got 3 months out of cheap ones I considered myself lucky. This speaker is a dream. Can't really judge sound quality as I don't use it for music, but words come through clearly without distortion even if I have it on full volume. Exceptional quality and I was thrilled beyond words to find them still available after I finally managed to kill my first one! Service from supplier was great too. Had it way ahead of schedule!

Clarion NX501 7-Inch Single DIN Multimedia Control Station with Touch Panel Control, USB and Built-I

6.2-inch Digital WVGA Touch Panel LCD Monitor. CD/MP3/WMA/DVD Playback. Built-in Parrot Bluetooth Interface (HFP, HSP, OPP, A2DP, AVRCP, DUN, PBAP). Built-in Microphone and External Microphone Ready with Optional RCB199. 2- Audio/Video Inputs.
2-Zone Entertainment: Front and 7Rear Separate Source Control. Rear USB Port with iPod Direct Connect Capabilities. iPod Audio/Video Control with Optional CCA748 iPod Interface Cable. Rear Vision Camera Composite Video Input.
Built-in SiRFprima GPS Receiver featuring TeleAtlas Mapping Coverage of US 50 States, Canada, and Puerto Rico on Preloaded Micro SD Card. 15 Million Points of Interest. Text to Speech for Street Announcements. Sirius Direct Connect Ready.
HD Radio Ready with Optional THD400. 50 Watts x 4 Built-in Amplifier. 8-Channel / 4 Volt RCA Output (2-Channels Rear Zone). Subwoofer Volume Control. Built-in High and Low-Pass Filters. Magna Bass EX Dynamic Bass Enhancement.
Beat EQ for Sound Adjustment. OEM Steering Wheel Remote Ready. Wireless Remote Control Included.

I just purchased this headunit from Amazon 7 days ago. I am now packing it for a return. I absolute love the interface, scrolling/swipe, and features. I can't, however, deal with the issues. It seems like Clarion got to a beta stage and just rushed it to release.

PROS

Gorgeous interface

Swiping / Scrolling is seamless

iPhone like usability

Comes with Sirius, BT, Nav, and iPod cables !

CONS

My issues are:

1) The Clarion advertised RCB199 external microphone does NOT work with the unit. This was confirmed by Clarion's technical support themselves. The gentleman on the phone said that an engineer is making a hardware change to fix the issue. Even so, it is unacceptable for Clarion to advertise this optional mic if it does NOT work with the unit. What were they thinking? I spent hours trying to figure out how to get it to work all to find out that they lied in the product description!

The internal BT mic picks up too much road noise on the highway and is unusable.

2) If you do not shut off the unit while on Sirius, then Sirius will NOT work when you turn on your unit (most of the time). You have to hold the power button down and reset the unit to reset Sirius. This is a major inconvenience. Clarion technical support said that "they are working on it" but it is "a problem with the Sirius tuner" and a software update "probably won't fix it." This is a major inconvenience.

3) My navigation antenna broke after 6 days. I pulled the cord out and it was not pinched or damaged in any way. Clarion offered to replace it (if I paid shipping) but this was my last straw and I decided to return the headunit. Why should I have to pay for shipping and send a part back if it's 6 days old?

4) Here and there, the iPod jitters and has a 1/2 second lag. It disrupts the song. This has been reported on other reviews. I have tried three iPod cable and another iPod with no success. It is most definitely a software error.

5) This headunit is BLUE. Absolutely everything is blue. For a retail price of $1,000, I should be able to adjust the color to match my dash. When the unit boots, the LEDs turn red so they actually used multi-color LEDs but didn't give us the option of changing them. In addition, you CANNOT change the wallpaper for iPod, Sirius, BT, etc. You can only change the source wallpaper which you are never on. Also, if you import a wallpaper and select a default wallpaper, you automatically lose you imported wallpaper forever. I called Clarion and they said no update is planned--Blue is here to stay.

6) Dimming works fine, but you cannot dim the buttons. At night the bright blue buttons are distracting and strains your eyes.

Minor issues:

It takes 4-5 clicks to change the subwoofer level. This is dangerous if you want to turn it down for a bass-intensive song while driving.

You cannot change the splash screen.

Nav is slow to start (music starts very quickly)

The previous model, the NX500, has no firmware updates so I doubt Clarion will fix these issues with their new model. I'm looking into a competing product (X930BT, NT3HDT, DDX series) and will never consider Clarion again. That is how disgusted I am with all of these issues.

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Originally posted on crutchfield but they won't let me edit it or update my comments.

I love this head unit. It sounds fantastic has all the options i wanted the navigation

features and speed alerts come in handy, I've had it installed for 3 weeks and Just really

got used to the menus. Would have gotten 5 stars except today the navigation function

wont load. i was out using the system it was finding all the places i needed to go

but on my 3rd stop of the day after i started my car the nav software loaded, asked

me for the language preference and when i selected English it proceeded to boot

then hung and rebooted the entire radio.

I have reset defaults, disconnected the power to try and reset no go. Everything else

still works only the navigation wont load. I am restoring my memory chip (made a backup)

hopefully it's just the chip (windows reported an issue when i plugged it in) if that

dose not work i will be calling clarion and square trade to see what's up.

Update

Restoring the original micro sd programing from the backup I made resolved the problem. The radio and navigation has worked flawlessly since then as long as I did not try to apply the updated map pack. Every time I tried updating the micro sd chip file system becomes corrupt. And I am unable to create a new backup and the nav function stops working again.

This unit seems to be very sensitive to usb thumb memory as well. It has been about 4 weeks since I resolved the navigation issue and after switching from a 8gb mushkin usb (exfat) thumb drive to a larger 16gb centon (fat32) data stick pro the unit reboots every 6 or 7 min min. It works fine with the 16gb chip disconnected or using my 8gb or 2gb lextor. I'm going to try formatting the chip to exfat and try a different stick maybe I got a bad one (I have 2)

Other issues. On power up the head unit misreads the usb drive contents and shows it as blank. Resulting in having to turn it off or select a different source then reselect usb audio to reset the file lists.

The random function only plays the files in the current folder randomly so unless you lump all your tracks in one folder you have to navigate to other albums manually As other users have noted navigating the menus while driving to select songs is somewhat buggy and takes a bit of practice, it would have been nice if the remote up down and left right toggles could navigate the folders. I used to do that with my previous clarion radio and the wireless wheel remote. Attached to my stick shift, But the remote won't do that.

updated, reboot issues were due to 2 defective usb keys, they have been replaced with a different brand and no issues. interface issues still remain after updating all firmware to latest versions. overall im very happy with the unit, if just still needs a bit of refinement.

Read Best Reviews of Clarion NX501 7-Inch Single DIN Multimedia Control Station with Touch Panel Control, USB and Built-I Here

There were mixed reviews on this unit, but I've been pretty happy with it. It is more responsive and not quite as laggy as other units I've researched. The maps are decent, but not quite as detailed as I would like them to be. The startup time could be greatly improved in my opinion, but I have a remote start on my truck, so that tends not to be a problem for me.

The thing I absolutely hate the most is that when you are navigating somewhere, the music just cuts out, then you hear the voice guidance with the faint sound of your music in the background, then the music comes back on... then two seconds later, another prompt comes up in the same manner (if you are approaching a turn or exit). It wouldn't be nearly as bad if the music was mixed with the voice prompts in a better fashion.

If you buy this, be sure not to put anything on the SD card that came in the unit, you will then need to buy a new one from Clarion. You cannot, as far as I know, use your own SD card with loaded content (media/music), you would need to use a USB drive or iPod.

My iPod hooked up nicely, and the unit supports music out of the box through USB. You will need another adapter to get the iPod/iPhone video working.

The unit played DVD's fine, and while the DVD menus are not touch capable, controls will pop-up when you need them.

I have a steering wheel and OnStar adapter (Axxess) hooked up and they both work great. The radio lacks some common steering wheel input commands, but the basic functions are there.

I got the unit from Amazon as it was the cheapest place I could find. Shipping was quick and the product was problem free... so far.

I would recommend this unit to those that are looking for an alternative to the common Kenwood (slow), Sony (buggy) and Pioneer (crappy interface) units.

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The NX501 has been installed now for three weeks. I'm using the GPS, HDTuner and External Mic. I also installed the Steering Wheel Controls and a SW Relay.

Installation took about 3 hours in my 2008 Tacoma. Configuration of the settings was very straight forward. I'm streaming Pandora from my BlackBerry and also have a USB drive in the glove box loaded with 4 GB of audio.

Bluetooth for both audio and phone are very clear and syncing is very simple. It was worth every penny even though I only budgeted $400 originally for the head unit.

Audio is clear, it switches between functions seamlessly and the touch screen is very functional. There are two issues that I'm working on: 1) Nav audio seems muted even though the audio setting is turned up all the way and 2) The head unit dimmer doesn't seem to integrate with my truck even though there is a wire for dimming...

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I was so happy when I bought this. I snagged it for $630 and it was worth every penny. The UI is great, the feature list is deep, and the performance is stellar. The GPS is the best I've ever used, and that's coming from a Garmin Nuvi which I didn't think could get any better. The sound is incredible. My stock speakers in my Ford Explorer sounds so awesome now. I can only imagine what it would sound like if I had good speakers. If you buy one, make sure you get a new version. Major fixes to the problems that other reviewers have mentioned have been implemented.

FIXES:

I bought this about 4 months ago when it first came out and the external mic from Clarion did not work with it. I had to send it in and they replaced it with a newer version. The external mix now works and it is perfect. I haven't had a complaint yet from people on the other end.

There has been a firmware update. Before, if you turned off the radio when the input was NOT Sirius, you had to reset the unit after turning on again because Sirius wouldn't work. Sirius now ALWAY turns on, no matter what the input was.

General Bluetooth connectivity is much improved.

CON

The only real con I have is the screen. While gorgeous, especially at night, it is HIGHLY reflective. I've had to experiment with the angle of installation in order to get the best viewing angle. With my polorized sunglasses on it was almost impossible to read. Now it is passable. Granted, it isn't ALWAYS in bright light, so that is not the worst. This is the only reason I gave my review 4 stars. If the screen was a little less reflective, 5 stars easily.

This is really a great radio. I couldn't be more happy.

Panasonic SC-HC27 Energy Star Micro 10-Watt Audio System

Push to open Universal iPod/iPhone dock
Digital Music Connection for Playback
Pure Direct Sound System

Frankly, I LOVE this product! I bought this to use in a spa treatment room. I needed clear sound with very little space for wiring or additional speakers. This product achieved exactly what I wanted with great sound! I would highly recommend this for anyone like me who cant make it a day without music in a confined work space. The sound quality exceeded what I was expecting without paying the extremely high price for a Bose system. The coolest aspect is the docking tray works like a DVD tray in that it slides in and out for easy storage.

Buy Panasonic SC-HC27 Energy Star Micro 10-Watt Audio System Now

After researching Panasonic's line of compact stereo systems on the web for a few days, I decided to pick one up. Upon returning home from the store I realized the model I had bought was the SC-HC27, not SC-HC25 as was on display on the shelf. At first I thought "Hey, it's a newer model obviously, if anything it's better". Man, was I wrong!!!

The SC-HC27 is the "low end" model with 10 watt speakers, and yes, I was well aware when I purchased it. In fact, the sound output is really the very least of my disappointment with this unit. What really ticked me off about it is how Panasonic dramatically cheapened the 27 as opposed to the 25 or the 20. It's an over-all lousy unit compared to those previous models. So what makes the 27 lousy in comparison? Let's take a closer look at what Panasonic stripped from the new unit, shall we?

AM radio support

CDR/RW, and MP3 disc playback

Support for iPod mini, iPod Nano 1st gen, iPod 4th gen, and iPod 5th gen (video iPod)

AUX input

All of this is stripped from the 27 model, while the MSRP is left basically the same. So Panasonic cuts corners, and consumers get the shaft. This is the oldest trick in the book, make a lousy low end model that offers basically nothing for the money and it will entice the consumer to pay extra for the bigger one. In other words, this is not a good value at all and they know it.

I wanted this mostly to play along with using my 5th gen iPod video and my CDs, but there's no way I can even use my iPod at all. So I'm going to have to return this dumbed down version, and maybe see if I can get a hold of the older model, or else go with another brand all together. For a low end compact stereo, I cannot recommend the HC27, especially knowing what the previous model offered.

Read Best Reviews of Panasonic SC-HC27 Energy Star Micro 10-Watt Audio System Here

This is a great light-weight audio system for both CD's and iPod docking. Good, clear sound and great design. A real buy.

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The HC27 is compatible with iPod / iPhone 3's and 4's, and maybe prior... and... will charge them while plugged into a wall outlet.

This unit has a good variety of functions (e.g. iDevice, CD's and FM Radio), and it has fairly decent sound quality for this class of sound dock. The sound is somewhat mids-focused and spacious... and... the EQ allows you to taylor the sound to your preferneces. However the sliding door and cabinet has some vibrations at certain frequencies and volumes, which can be annoying, if you're obsessive about your sound. And the speakers can distort at certain frequencies at high volume levels (e.g. bass, lower mids). Best used as a low volume bed-side unit, or office unit for background music, or radio.

The unit is a fair value, when purchased at a discount from it's MSRP.

I bought this unit to use in a home office, and really like it. It's a good, quality player for the price, and I've been very satisfied with it.

RCA RCD10 Alarm Clock

1.0-Inch display
Easy-to-use control buttons
Portability when needed
On-demand blue backlight
Snooze function

Anyone who buys this Alarm Clock will buy it for its simplicity. And that is where this clock excels. Its refreshingly simple. It does what it is supposed to do and like it should.

The clock does require 2 AAA batteries, not as common as they once were. RCA elected to not include the batteries, which I found odd, but not a catastrophe. Unlike another reviewer, I found no issues with the slide bars or the black on black raised text of the indicators.

I would imagine most will relegate it to a travel alarm clock due to its size. Either way, I consider it a good buy at the price point.

Buy RCA RCD10 Alarm Clock Now

When I travel I never rely on hotel alarm clocks or wake-up calls so I always bring my own. I own some nice, smaller and more expensive clocks but I am always afraid that I will accidentally leave it behind. This alarm clock is bigger than most modern models but it is so inexpensive that I won't lose much sleep about losing it. Here are the things that I like about it and some things that I don't.

PROS

* Inexpensive

* Relatively small but there are much flatter clocks on the market

* No-brainer when it comes to setting and using it

* Battery operated so there is no need to find an outlet

* Large display with manually activated back-light

* Loud enough to wake most people

CONS

* It's small for a desktop unit but somewhat bulky for a travel clock

* Runs on AAA batteries which are usually more expensive that AA's and do not last as long

* The display can't be seen in the dark unless you press the snooze/light bar

* It seems cheaply made so I wonder about how much abuse it can take which is an important feature for travel clocks

CONCLUSION:

For five or six bucks it's okay, but really nothing special. I would hope that I could pick up something like this a little cheaper at a discount store. I wouldn't use it in my home because it is not permanently backlit and doesn't use an A/C cord, but it would be fine for travel.

Read Best Reviews of RCA RCD10 Alarm Clock Here

This is a small, very basic alarm clock -it doesn't have all of the bells and whistles of bigger models, but it gets the job done. Not that it is NOT a clock radio...as it doesn't have a radio. :-)

It's good as a backup in case of a power outage, or for a nightstand in a guest room -nice that it won't take up an outlet if you're short on them.

The display is nothing special -and note that it's not a lit-up display (like many clock radios) -rather, it is a simple LCD display like you'd find on a digital watch. You can light it up with a button, but you won't be able to see it in the middle of the night otherwise.

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This alarm clock is as basic as you can get. The clock does require 2 AAA batteries and has no electrical back up. You could use it as a travel alarm, but it is a little bulky. This is a clock you could buy at a discount store, for a much lower price.

This tiny powerhouse clock gets the job done well (to wake you up out of a sound sleep). But, the only caveat I have with this clock is that it uses AAA batteries instead of double A. I live in a rural area, and triple AAAs, although not impossible to find, are difficult to locate. The batteries do not come with the clock, so you'll have to buy them. Additionally, there's no power cord available with this clock, if you're looking for one.

JBL On Stage Micro III Portable Loudspeaker for iPod and iPhone (Black)

Dynamic JBL Weave design
Charges your iPod or iPhone
AC or battery operated (batteries not included)
Dual JBL Odyssey transducers with computer-optimized equalization
IR remote control navigates iPod menus from 15 ft (4.6m) away

The JBL On Stage Micro III Portable Loudspeaker for iPhone and iPod Touch is a sleek, stylish little speaker that delivers sound quality commensurate with its size and price. This is a round speaker, with a base that is almost like a wreath of overlapping leaves. Some of leaves are the speakers, and others are shiny black plastic. The speaker is small enough to put almost anywhere, and so light it would be easy to carry it between rooms. The combination of shiny black and silver gives the speaker a bit of a futuristic look, and I like that the dark color makes the speaker very unobtrusive.

The directions for the On Stage Micro III are brief and clear, and I was able to set the speaker up in just a few minutes. You can use either battery or electrical power for the speaker; I tried it both ways without any problems. There are two small, curved, rubber inserts that you use to ensure the correct fit for your iPhone or iPod. I had to play with these a bit to find the right insert and get it positioned properly, but for someone more mechanically inclined, I don't think it would present any challenges.

Once set up, the JBL On Stage Micro III Portable Loudspeaker offers very good quality music, especially for the size and price. It is the perfect device for a home office (where I will use mine), a bed / dorm room, and will make a great Christmas gift.

I was also pleased with the packaging of the JBL Loudspeaker. Most of the plastic bags have a recycle symbol of 4, which I can recycle at the local supermarket. The speaker is nested in formed cardboard, which I can easily recycle, instead of Styrofoam. It is nice to see JBL working on reducing excessive packaging.

Buy JBL On Stage Micro III Portable Loudspeaker for iPod and iPhone (Black) Now

I have an Ipod Nano 6th generation and I wanted a small docking station for my desk at work so I bought the JBL On Stage Micro III. It is very stylish, sleek and small. Just what I had hoped for. However the first time I put my Ipod on it, it froze my Ipod up within minutes. I called JBL support and asked if this docking station was compatible with the Apple Ipod 6th generation. I was told they have not tested their product with the 6th generation Ipod. They suggested I call Amazon.com and tell them my Ipod was froze up. What kind of tech support is that??? Instead I called apple and they were able to reset my Ipod. I called JBL again just to see if maybe I could get someone who knew what they were talking about. Again I was told this JBL product has not been tested with the 6th generation Ipod. I asked them if the newer JBL version (the JBL On Stage IV) had been tested with the newest version of the Ipod. They said they did not know. So buyers beware of this product. And don't expect any tech support on it from JBL. Also some of the functions on the remote control work, but several do not. This product says it is compatible with all Ipod versions, but clearly it is not. The sound is good, but Logitech has a better sounding unit for not much more money. But if great looks and tiny design are what you are after, this unit does deliver!

Read Best Reviews of JBL On Stage Micro III Portable Loudspeaker for iPod and iPhone (Black) Here

I'm a long-time fan of JBL products and was delighted to receive the On Stage Micro III Portable Music Loudspeaker for iPhone and iPod for review. Here's my take on it.

Battery operated and weighing less than a pound, the JBL On Stage Micro III can go virtually anywhere. It works as a stand-alone iPod music system so with two JBL Odyssey full-range transducers and a digital amplifier, it can fill both rooma and spaces with realistic JBL sound. Aa USB cable is all that's need to sync and charge your iPod or iPhone with iTunes while keeping it charged, and navigate your library with the Micro III's IR remote control.

Some of the highlights:

* A dynamic JBL Weave design

* Unit is compact, lightweight, and portable

* It charges your iPod or iPhone

* Runs on AC or battery (batteries not included)

* Has dual JBL Odyssey transducers with computer-optimized equalization

* IR remote control navigates iPod menus from 15 ft (4.6m) away

* Up to 12 hours of music playback from a fresh set of batteries

* Easy-to-use touch controls

* USB jack syncs iPod/iPhone with iTunes when connected to your computer

* Uses both automatic battery and energy-conservation modes

* An LED light illuminates the platform and provides feedback on power and battery status

* Optimized system design so to prevent cellular phone interference during music playback

The unit has rear-port supported audio in and audio out. One advantage is that by using just two of the same-sized drivers, the Micro III uses less power and requires four AA batteries. The unit comes with a wall adapter, ten-button remote control, and one dock adapter with rubber sizing pads for different devices. You will have to supply your own audio cables. One nice feature: a crystalline plastic dock at the top of each unit that glows with white LED light when the power is on. I cannot attest to the veracity of how well JBL stands up to the competition, not having tried any other loudspeaker, however, other reviewers have said the Micro III is a bit of a lightweight in the power department, particularly with bass tones.

Set-up was super easy and sound is good, if not as rich and full as I might have liked, it certainly fills my kitchen, breakfast room and office with vibrant sound without turning the volume way up. I like both the size and portability; you can use it at home or take it with you and it offers 16 hours play with four fresh double A batteries. It's both attractive and functional.

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The speakers on this worked for about two months and then started sounding very fuzzy. We are very disappointed and would not recommend this to anyone.

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I had this dock for less than a month. I used it maybe 10 times and never had the volume that high. Now it has terrible cracking sounds out of nowhere. DO NOT BUY!

Pyle Home PKRSP5W Portable and Desktop MP3 Speaker with USB/SD, FM, Aux In for iPod, Android, iPad,

Supports MP3, WMA Music Formats - Built In Rechargeable Lithium Battery (Charges through Included Jack)Large LCD Displays Track Information And Lyrics - Speaker Power: 15 W x 2
Support USB, SD, MMC Cards to Play Back Your Favorite Music - Clock, Alarm, and Calendar Functions Keep You Organized - Frequency Response: 90 Hz-20 kHz
Built In FM Radio - Recording Function by One Key Playing
Auxiliary Input Jack -Play Back Virtually Any Audio Source - Construction Material: Plastic
Microphone Input Jack For Karaoke (Only Works With Battery-Powered Mics Like PLMC15 Or PCMLVC33) - Dimensions: 8.7'' X 2.4'' X 1.4''

I wanted a small speaker for my MP3 to connect to that would fit in my USPS mail truck. (No radios in them!!) I bought this because it was small and rechargeable. I was tired of buying batteries every 3 days with my last one. I keep it on the charger continuously. It has great sound! Not tinny, and the base doesn't crap out the speaker when you turn it up. It also has an FM radio that comes in strong despite no visible antenna. This is the perfect speaker to bring to the beach or camping. Easy to use. It can also accommodate a thumb drive which I will be purchasing so I don't have to use my MP3 with the long cord.

Buy Pyle Home PKRSP5W Portable and Desktop MP3 Speaker with USB/SD, FM, Aux In for iPod, Android, iPad, Now

"Glad I found this one. Travel often? Great on camping trips and hikes, fits in my backpack without taking up a lot of space. I usually jack in my iPod and play playlist front to back without the batteries running down.

This had the most options for my dollar. Cool to share SD cards with friends. This looks almost too good to carry around. This is always by my side and basically replaced the other gear I was carrying. Has the clock, calender, alarm and radio, good speaker sound. If interested, the PLMC15 microphone connects and turns the player into a digital recorder. I bought one to try and have had good luck with it. The recordings are clear."

Read Best Reviews of Pyle Home PKRSP5W Portable and Desktop MP3 Speaker with USB/SD, FM, Aux In for iPod, Android, iPad, Here

I decided to try it in the car until I could afford a new stereo, and it worked perfect. It gets all the FM stations I used to have in my car, and one of the only MP3 players with the built-in FM radio included at the price. I plug my iPod into it for my personal favorites. I Wanted something without power adapters and separate speakers, something useful for the time. All around, this serves the purpose. It will be more than useful until I get a new car stereo, if I ever decide to replace it.

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When you first look at this player, you wouldn't expect much out of it, just another portable speaker set. But I tell you what, I can do so much with this then imagined. I can tune in a radio station, jack in my iPod, plug in my USB stick, or SD card, set-up the calendar or alarm, or even play with the microphone plugged in. So many different neat functions. I personally use it at work in the office, but keep it turned way down so it doesn't bother anyone else. Believe me, if I turn it up, it would blast my office mates.

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As someone else commented it fits nicely on the dash of my Postal Vehicle and hooks up neatly to my sirius radio.

Tends to have a slightly tinny sound, but on the whole very good.

My son used it for a while as an alarm speaker, and it was LOUD.

Yes, I would recommend it, but not for a connoisseur.

iHome iP42 Dual Alarm Clock Radio for iPod and iPhone (Pink)

Dual universal docks for iPhone/iPod with inserts to fit docking iPod models
2 independent alarms to wake to iPhone, iPod, playlist, FM radio or buzzer
Charges and plays iPod or iPhone while docked - Sync button allows user to sync unit with iPhone time
Bass, treble, 3D sound and balance controls 6 FM presets - High-fi elity stereo drivers in specially
Designed Reson8 speaker chambers deliver astounding clarity, depth, and power

We bought this radio to replace an old am-fm radio we had in the kitchen. It has worked out very well. Sound quality is good, fm reception is excellent, the size is small enough not to take up much space on the kitchen counter, and the extra feature of being able to plug in an iPod is a bonus. The old radio did not have a back-up battery, and this one does, which is another plus.

Buy iHome iP42 Dual Alarm Clock Radio for iPod and iPhone (Pink) Now

This is an awesome clock radio, and it is extremely easy to use. I have an iPhone 4, and it fits into the dock without an adapter. I love everything about this product -ease of use, sound quality (awesome), brightness of the clock display (and the dimmer switch), and even the daylight savings time (+1, -1) switch on the back of the clock (something I had never seen before). When I purchased it online, the product description at the top of the page was listed as "pink" (I'm a pink fanatic, so that made me happy -lol). However, I later noticed that (down below by the description) the color choices were blue, purple, and gunmetal. I had purple selected, but the picture to the left which displayed was a pinkish purple (magenta), so I went ahead and ordered it, and I'm not disappointed. If you are a purple lover, the color is not a true purple (i.e. grape color). If anyone is "on the fence" about ordering this clock radio, go for it -you won't be disappointed (no matter what color you choose). The price also rocks!!!

Read Best Reviews of iHome iP42 Dual Alarm Clock Radio for iPod and iPhone (Pink) Here

This is a great product. My iphone 4 fits into it. Wished it had an adapter but doesn't require one. The music sounds good. I really like the dimmer light.

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This works real well with my IPhone. I have a hard case and am able to still use it without having to take the case off, like I needed to do with some other players. The sound is really good you can make it pretty loud. It also charges your IPod/IPhone while docked. I love that it comes in colors. It's more compact than a lot of the other alarm clock/player combination. The time is easy to see and you can make it as bright or as dim as you want. Overall, I'm very happy! I had tried out several others and they just didn't please me but this one is the one.

I bought this iHome to use mainly as an alarm clock so I can wake up to my IPod selections. All of the features work great, the sound is awesome, alarm is easy to use, and the dimmer feature is very nice. However, I have one very big complaint with the alarm clock time display. When I set both alarms for different times the manual says that the earliest alarm time will be the one displayed, but this does NOT happen. Most of the time the display shows the later alarm time which means that the displayed alarm time is NOT the next time the alarm will sound which is very annoying. I have two alarms set one for weekdays and one for weekends. I have started to turn off the weekend alarm during the week so that I am not constantly worried that my alarm is set for the wrong time. This kind of negates the 7-5-2 alarm function if I am having to turn off/on the alarms when not being used so that the alarm clock displays the correct time. The alarm always SOUNDS at the correct times no matter what the display says but it is very annoying that the display shows the wrong time for the next alarm.

I emailed iHome about this problem and they told me I had a defective unit, so I sent in for an exchange. Guess what? The new unit does the same thing sounds more like a problem with this model! iHome's tech support has not been very helpful on this problem and basically tried to tell me that I was using my iHome incorrectly (oh and that was after they first told me that my iHome model doesn't even display the alarm time!). After I convinced him through a step by step email of how I was using the model did he admit that the alarm time display is not working properly but could come up with a fix for me besides to send it in for warranty service (why does it need service? TWO NEW units don't work properly so why should I pay them to "fix" it when I can't get a new one that works correctly?). They only thing I have determined from this whole problem is that iHome doesn't care that this unit will not work properly. It is very disturbing you would think the would want to know about the problem so it could be fixed!

Also the box states that a remote is included but there is NO remote in the box! They want you to pay $20 for a remote that was supposedly included!

Etón FR1000 Voicelink Self-Powered Hand-Crank AM/FM/NOAA Weather Two-Way GMRS Clock Radio with Flas

Mono AM/FM/NOAA radio
2-way communication with other FR1000 radios
7 NOAA weather channels plus NOAA alerts
Built-in cell phone charger (charging cable and adapter tips not included)
Hand-cranked dynamo

I haven't tried all the features on this radio, but so far it's very good. Extremely solid with very clear sound and reception (mono the radio only has one speaker). Very good battery life. About water resistance... I don't know about that. As a product designer there's a serious design flaw I can spot right away, and it's about water. Once you pick up the radio by it's handle, the battery compartment gets facing up. Frankly, the compartment will not keep water outside, even less if water is dripping from your hand in case of a shower to a facing up cheap battery compartment's cap. Inside the compartment there are a couple of holes that give direct access to the interior of the radio. Well... You do the math. The problem could have been prevented by using a simple water tight cap attached with screws. Lame. Anyway I'm still loving the device. I'll handle the water problem myself. It has a very readable green display and crank operation is very smooth. Solid antenna. Flashlight is bright indeed. I hope this helps.

*** UPDATE ***

I returned the FR1000 and purchased a FR500. The FR500 has all the attributes of the FR1000, but is solar (it works), has way better water protection and shortwave! Yeah I'm missing the two way radio thing, but is not such a big deal. The range is short anyway (~10 miles)I can always get a good receiver with the money saved in the FR500. Uff... now I'm in love indeed.

Buy Etón FR1000 Voicelink Self-Powered Hand-Crank AM/FM/NOAA Weather Two-Way GMRS Clock Radio with Flas Now

I have owned an earlier model of the Eton hand-crank emergency radio for several years. That product works quite will. I purchased this new model for the several functional enhancements it comes with: 1) Digital receiver, 2) NOAA receiver, and 3) FRS/GMRS radio base station transceiver capability.

Once I started to use this new FR1000 model, I realized just how much of a piece of junk it is:

1. Bad battery pack The rechargeable battery pack failed from the beginning. I charged it overnight out of the box. Two days later, when I used the radio in the field, it lasted all of 5 minutes.

2. Terrible reception on all bands I used the FR1000 in two separate and very different environments, and compared it to two other common radios. In the field, where there was very limited reception, the FR1000 could not pick up any FM stations, and only 1 AM station. My mini-van radio picked up all sorts of stations on both AM and FM bands. In town, the FR1000 could pick up a few local stations if the signal was strong. My motel room el-cheapo clock radio picked up far more stations on both AM and FM bands. The FR1000 never did pick up any NOAA stations.

3. Poor station change dial switch design On the FR1000, in order to change stations, you have to turn the upper right-hand dial upwards or downwards. On order to do that, you have to get your finger into the space alloted for the horizontal dial. I found that doing so caused my finger to jam into that limited space. Searching for stations was both uncomfortable and difficult. This is a really annoying design flaw.

4. No radio carry case My older model radio came with a carry case, for protection and easy transport. This model does not have any such case. That is really annoying. I feel like Eton added insult to injury when they decided to go the cheap route and not include a carry case. Jeez, this radio costs $150, and is supposed to be used in emergency situations! What were those guys/gals thinking about?

I returned the FR1000 and will stick with my older Eton analogue model. Half the size, half the cost, has a carry case, and is far more functional. Oh, and it actually picks up radio stations! Wow ... what a concept!

Oh well.

Read Best Reviews of Etón FR1000 Voicelink Self-Powered Hand-Crank AM/FM/NOAA Weather Two-Way GMRS Clock Radio with Flas Here

First, don't buy the case Amazon Bundles this with. I can not see any application with the two and the case is about half the size of the Radio.

Yes the radio isn't water proof or resistant. It would be nice if they would fix that, it really wouldn't take much. I went out to a local store and payed $3 for a water proof bag to seal this in.

It would also be nice if the radio had a shortwave feature since they have everything else.

As for everything else this is the radio you have to have for emergencies! It has everything in a rugged design and you never have to worry about stupid batteries. In an emergencies the last thing you are going to find is batteries.

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I bought this radio at a sharper image closeout. I wish I didnt, as now I cannot take it back. TERRIBLE reception! The piece of junk radio I found on the side of the road picks up more stations than the FR1000 does. In order for me to get it to work I have to attach a jerry rigged aluminum foil antenna to the radio. Even then it still does not work very well. Eton tech support have been totally unresponsive. The hand crank dynamo only works while you crank, as the battery does not hold a charge very well.

Avoid this model...

The radio doesn't get good reception. We had to attach an antenna, and still can't hear it well. I figured with the quality and price, it should receive better than it does.

Sony ICFC05iPBLK Clock Radio for iPod (Black)

Compatibility: iPod mini; iPod nano 1G, 2G, 3G, 4G, 5G; iPod classic 4G, 5G, 5.5G, 6G; iPod touch 1G, 2G; iPhone 1G, 3G, 3GS
Wake or sleep to iPod/iPhone, FM radio, or buzzer
Digital FM radio tuner with 20 user presets
Sleep timer adjustable to 15, 30, 60, or 90 minutes
Backup battery keeps time in the event of power outages,Power Requirements: 110-220V, 5VDC

Love it, and it is even better than the description makes it sound. I love that I can set the volume for the alarm itself so that I can listen to music while I fall asleep and not have to worry about it being to low in the morning to wake me up. I also love that I can turn the backlight off at night. The only issue I have with it is that it is really easy to accidently snooze for longer than you would like. If you push the snooze button more than once it increases the snooze time, so be careful with that.

Buy Sony ICFC05iPBLK Clock Radio for iPod (Black) Now

After trying a really crappy iHome iA5 and a confusing Jensen JiPS-250i, I went for simple-but-elegant with this Sony. Worked beautifully right out of the box. Don't want apps, don't want bells and whistles, don't need concert hall-quality sound. Just want an iPhone clock radio that will reliable charge my device and let me listen to my podcasts in bed at night without generating a bunch of error messages about how "this accessory is not optimized" for use with my iPhone. This one does the job. Small footprint on bedside table is a nice bonus.

Highly recommended.

Read Best Reviews of Sony ICFC05iPBLK Clock Radio for iPod (Black) Here

It's good for what it is. Reasonable sound and has nice features such as the ability to wake to a different volume level than you went to sleep with. Works on 240v also.

It claims to have dock adaptors. Note that this covers only the iPhone. There are no adaptors for the iPod. I didn't see this warning anywhere and since the adaptors cost $9 for a set of three (I doubt they cost more than 5 cents each to manufacture) this is a considerable extra cost. Since it boasts of being able to work with iPod and iPhone, it's somewhat dodgy that they don't include the iPod adaptors. It would have had 4 stars if not for this.

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When I went to the different stores I was looking for a small, minimal space occupying alarm clock that I can put by my bedside that would charge my iPhone, an adjustable buzzer volume that would wake me up with the buzzer, and not illuminate my whole room. If you're looking for that, then this is the product you need. In my shopping in stores I found them all to be too large, or the clock too bright, or the buzzer wasn't loud enough and didn't give you the option to adjust the volume to a level suitable for yourself. If you're looking for a high quality sound system, I doubt this is product for you because even though I didn't test the sound, I can't see it being used to provide music for a house party because it is so compact. I also really like that the ability to adjust the brightess of the alarm clock is real easy to find because it doubles as the snooze button when the alarm isn't going off. So, if it happens to be too bright you can adjust it easily. It has 3 levels of brightness and the option to completely turn the backlight off. I also am going to like the one touch button on back that will adjust up and back for daylight savings time. So basically my need for an alarm clock-iPhone charger was finally met in this product. Set up quickly and so far very happy with it.

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Like other reviewers note, this clock does what it should in a compact form. The tradeoffs for such a small package are no AM reception and a speaker that won't blow anyone away. Overall, this is the best clock radio with built-in iPhone / iPod functionality for under 40 dollars.

A couple of clarifications I've not seen in any other review:

1) The clock radio's power unit *is* capable of accepting up to 240v, which means it can be used in most countries with just a cheap plug adapter. This was important for me, as I needed something that can work in both the US and overseas. Strangely, Sony does not specify the voltage information anywhere in its advertising or its website. I had to buy the item and hope for the best.

2) Big props to Sony for building in a backup, as it saves a lot of hassle if you are in an area with irregular electricity service. Note that the display goes completely blank during power loss, so you won't be able to even tell time by it during those periods. When the power comes back on again, however, your settings are still there.

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