- Recommended Age: 7 years and up
I wanted a clock-radio replacement that would let me wake to my favorite tunes, and have the side benefit of making sure my IPhone got charged every night (as I use it a lot and tend to forget to plug it in). I had looked at the iHome, but it is just too big. This unit is a delight. It is small on the bedside, I prefer the blue light display, the sound quality is better than the last clock-radio I had, and the buttons are sleek, intuitive and easy to use.
I bought this at the same time as I upgraded to the iPhone 4, and it did come with an insert that fits the iPhone 4. There was also a perfect insert for my old 3G in a silicone case. It came with 4 inserts total.
If you have an iPhone that you like to keep at your bedside, this is a perfect solution. It would also work as a desktop speaker. In fact, we may be getting a second one ;-).
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I'll confess I am a gadget junkie; especially when the gadgets make or record sound. If my wife would allow it, I would have an iPhone/iPod player in every room of the house, even though we already have a whole-house sound system... That being said, the Luna Voyager is really more of a desk/nightstand clock + charger than it is a sound system, unless your current sound system is a Hasbro i-Dog Robotic Music Loving Canine White
Yes, it plays the music from the iThing of your choice, but the fidelity really isn't much more than you'll get from the typical radio alarm clock in this price category. It is a mediocre sound device.
However, where the unit excels (and exceeds my expectations) is in the ease of setup, use, and day-to-day function. Some examples:
1. Automatically sets the time based on your iPhone (or iPod). Seriously cool feature, especially if you live in an area with frequent power outages and HATE resetting all the digital clocks in the house like I do!
2. The display can be dimmed AND TURNED OFF ALTOGETHER! With an easy twirl of the "clickwheel" thingie on top, you can dial up or down the brightness of the display, including turning it completely off, which is a requirement at sleepy time in our bedroom (the wife forbids anything "electronic" from shining, buzzing, humming, blinking, or making its existence otherwise known in our bedroom).
3. Nice and small hides nicely onto a nightstand. Even if you're furniture is all Chippendale, it won't throw off your bedroom (or office) mojo too badly.
One thing to note the unit seems to be billed as a "travel" clock, but I can't see why. I travel A LOT and I can't see ever bringing this unit with me on the road for a couple of reasons first it is too bulky (I always carry-on so space is a premium for me), secondly it doesn't run on batteries, which I would think is a requirement for a "travel" version of anything... A travel clock bigger than a pack of cigarettes is not worth the space in my book.
My only other nit is that the wheel used for adjustments doesn't spin very easily. You have to "two-finger" the unit in order to get enough friction against it to make it turn smoothly. The only other controls are two tiny chrome buttons one for Play/Pause and the other for setting the alarm mode.
When we talk about ease of use, I can illustrate how easy it is by re-writing the user manual (in my own words) that will cover all necessary functionality:
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Plug the unit in
Stick your iPhone/IPod unit into the top
To play music, press the Play/Pause button. To pause, press the button again. Spin the dial to change the volume.
To set the alarm, push the Alarm button and twirl the dial to the time you want. To alternate between Alarm, iPod, or Off, repeatedly press the Alarm button
To change brightness, press and hold the Play/Pause button while turning the dial to achieve the desired brightness
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That's pretty much it, unless you want to switch from 12h/24h mode, which is a switch on the back. =)
Overall, a super easy-to-use iPhone/iPod Alarm Clock & Charger that is convenient to have at the bed side and unobtrusive enough to have a high SAF (Spousal Acceptance Factor).
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I hate to be the lone dissenting voice among all the happy reviewers, but I have to be honest. This is an attractive little device that has a lot going for it, but it falls short in several important ways.
I'll start with the good stuff.
1. The product is attractive. The clock is compact and sleek, and the speaker grilles on the side are concave, which keeps the look clean. The clock face glows with light cobalt blue numbers, whose brightness can be adjusted. In particular, I liked the futuristic font of the numbers. Overall, it's not going to uglify your bedroom, and that's important. I've posted some photos in the "customer images" section above that'll give you a good idea of what the thing looks like.
2. The packaging was attractive. The outer box has a dark color scheme, but inside they've attempted to imitate Apple's packaging -nested white boxes with clean grey type in a modern font. No one does it as well as Apple, but this is a nice attempt.
3. The sound is okay. It's far from hi-fi, but it's about what you'd expect if you look at this machine primarily as an alarm clock. I wouldn't use this as a speaker system, though.
4. It charges your iPod, or iPhone, or iWhatever you're putting in it.
5. It automatically sets the time when you insert your iWhatever, based on whatever time that device says it is.
On to the bad stuff.
1. The AC jack on mine was loose inside, and cut off power when I moved the machine around at all. That's not good.
2. I wish the machine had a battery-only option so you didn't have to pack a big, bulky AC adaptor when you're traveling. It kind of detracts from the packability of the machine, and it's supposed to be a travel clock.
3. The dial is the kind that's basically a plate you spin with your fingers. That's fine, but it really sticks and that makes it very hard to set the alarm time.
4. I have a 5th Generation iPod Nano, and there was no adaptor provided, which is strange, because there's an adaptor for the 4g.
The Luna Voyager comes with adaptors for the iPod Classic, the Nano4G, the iTouch 2G, and the iPhone 3G. I don't know whether other models would fit those adaptors, but I wouldn't make any assumptions. You can see from my user photos that I just put my iPod Nano 5G in without an adaptor, and it worked fine.
Summary: It's a nice-looking thing, but it seems more thought went into the design than the function. It could have been so much better if all the technical details had been worked out.
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I was able to find this product for $25 elsewhere (sorry, Amazon!) -but even at Amazon's price, it's still a fine gadget. As others have mentioned, even the packaging is impressive. When a company puts this much thought and care into the design and presentation of their product's packaging, you assume either the product itself will follow suit and impress you with its design and build quality, or that the packaging is just a clever way to mask a substandard product. Fortunately, in this case, it's not the latter.
The device itself is about the size of an oversized paperback novel. It's nearly all black, and apart from the shiny plastic covering the display and front of the unit's top, the surface is matte black and feels slightly rubberized. The side speaker grilles are a dark silver-gray. The look and feel of the product exudes quality.
I currently live overseas and was just hoping that the adapter would be dual-voltage so I could use it there, as I couldn't find anything in the specifications to indicate this. Not only is it indeed worldwide voltage (110-240VAC), a full range of slide-on plug adapters was included as well, so this is an excellent choice for anyone who might be spending time abroad. Most countries' AC outlets will be covered by one of the included plugs.
A handful of docking adapters is included, none of which seemed to work with my iPod touch 4G in its case (out of the case was a different story). This was not a problem at all, though, because the pin connector is solid and tight-fitting. If your particular iThing works with one of the included adapters, great. If not, you will never miss it.
Sound quality is quite decent; about what one would expect from what's essentially a stereo clock radio. This should more appropriately be listed as an iPod-docking alarm clock rather than a "speaker system." For bedside table applications, though, it's quite okay. I use a rain/thunderstorm app called Sleepmaker when I go to sleep (who doesn't like falling asleep to the sound of rain?) and the difference in sound quality from just placing my iPod on the table and docking it in the Luna Voyager was extreme. For this use, it really sounds good. Music is alright, too, though its EQ curve seems stronger in the midrange at the expense of the highs (and obviously you're not going to get impressive bass). Acoustic and vocal music sounds the best. On this point, I really have no complaints at all. It reproduces sound as well as I expected for what it is. You can also set up a playlist in iTunes and name it "Luna," and the device will automatically use this playlist as the wakeup/alarm playlist. The alarm seems to be one of the "gentle wake" types that increases steadily in volume. The snooze is actuated by rotating the dial. It's odd (since we're used to pushing a button or bar), but works easily enough, even in a drowsy haze.
The Luna Voyager could barely be any easier to use. Most appreciated was the instant clock setting once you dock the iPod, and the ability to dim or turn off the display is a huge plus. There is a Luna Voyager app on the Apple App store, but I believe it's exclusively for the follow-up model to this device, the Luna Voyager II. That unit incorporates a radio and can also dock the iPad. I downloaded the app to see if it had any functionality with this particular unit, and it's very limited (you can control iPod music, but you can do that without the app just as easily).
I was so impressed with this unit that after a couple of days' use, I ordered another one as a gift for one of my friends. This is an easy gadget to recommend, and at $25, it's a steal.
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XtremeMac's new Luna Voyager is a travel alarm clock that works with your iPod/iPhone. Essentially, the device is an alarm clock with a port for an Apple iPod or iPhone on top. I tested it with both an iPhone 4 and an iPhone 3GS. I plugged the unit in and placed my iPhone 4 into the port; the clock quickly set its time to the time in the iPhone. You can adjust the time to run as a 12 hour clock with am/pm indicators or as a 24 hour clock. The clock display can be dimmed by steps from off to bright. At its brightest setting, the clock was easily visible in a bright room. The dimmest setting would be perfect for a bedside scene, but the ability to turn the numbers off entirely is a nice option for those annoyed by any light in the bedroom. The numbers are large enough to be legible at 10 feet. Numerals are presented in blue.
Press the play button on the top surface and you instantly can listen to your music. To skip from song to song, or to choose a specific song, you'll need to activate the iPhone or iPod; after that, songs will play in order as presented by your Apple device. There are two speakers, one on each side of the Voyager, so you get reasonable stereo. Remember that this is a small unit so audiophiles might prefer the Luna SST. Bass is lacking, but the overall effect is louder and superior to that of the iPhone's single internal speaker. Of course, there's a tradeoff here for size; the unit's small size makes it easy to toss into a suitcase for traveling. We chose to place the unit in the kitchen as a small clock & music source on the countertop.
There are several adaptors that allow for insertion of various iPod and iPhone varieties. I used one for the iPhone 3GS. Once inserted, the adaptor can be removed with use of a letter opener or small knife blade by following the instructions in the well-written manual. Both iPhones were charged by the port, something that not all devices handle properly.
The clock can be set up to be set manually. This is an advantage for those living in areas (St. Louis comes to mind) where the time presented by the iPhone from the network is sometimes inaccurate. There is a battery compartment for two AAA's to preserve the clock and alarm settings in the event of a power failure. There is also a Line-In jack on the back of the unit. This jack is not described in the users manual and was undoubtedly a last-minute addition to the overall product. It isn't clear to me what type of plug this is although it seems to be a mini-jack similar to the jack on the iPhone.
The appearance of the unit is pleasing. The materials used are slick and contemporary. All the buttons and switches work properly. There is a dial on the top of the unit for setting the dimming level, the alarm time, and the volume. The dial is a neat idea as it's flat and therefore prevents the unit from having a bump on the top, but it is a little unwieldy to use, not quite turning as smoothly as it might. I'd recommend that the source for this particular component be upgraded a notch. The overall presentation and packaging is high-end, equivalent to anything you'd see from Apple or other high tech companies, and clearly designed to give the new owner a sense of gratification.
Bottom line: Buy the Luna Voyager if the low price point is critical, if you're short on space in your desired location, or if you plan to use this for travel. Go up a step to the Luna SST if you'd rather have improved sound and don't mind the loss of travel abilities or space.
Exactly what I wanted, expected and received. It has large readable numbers, date, temp and is always the correct time. Love it
