Showing posts with label am fm cd clock radio. Show all posts
Showing posts with label am fm cd clock radio. Show all posts

ILUV IMM157BLK Vibro Blue Bluetooth Wireless Speakers - Black

ILUV IMM157BLK Vibro Blue Bluetooth Wireless Speakers - Black
  • 1 Amp USB charging port charges your smartphone (cable not included)
  • Large, easy to read LCD display
  • View alarm settings at a glance
  • 10-Level LCD dimmer control adjusts to preferred brightness
  • Aux-in jack for a direct connection to audio device

I love everything about this product, its portable and i can travel with it.

The sound quality of the speakers is good.

The alarm clock is great.

Regarding the Bluetooth , I can pair my iPhone but unable to pair my iPad.

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Creative Zen Stone Plus 2 GB MP3 Player (White)

Creative Zen Stone Plus 2 GB MP3 Player
  • Product Type - MP3 Player
  • Connectivity - USB 2.0
  • Memory - 2GB
  • Dimensions WxDxH - 2.19" x 1.39" x 0.5"
  • -- Stopwatch

(2008 HOLIDAY TEAM)The Creative Zen Stone Plus 2GB doubles the size of the iPod Shuffle and adds a monochrome screen for viewing track names and settings. Add in the functionality of a built-in FM tuner and voice recorder at $65 and you have a great value.

Pros -

+ good stereo sound

+ nice capacity for a decent price

+ light-weight

+ FM tuner with 32 presets ( though it's just average )

+ voice recording

+ simple design (no more click wheel!) with more color options

+ great navigation and sorting features

+ Nice format compatibility (MP3, WAV, WMA, Audible)

+ USB 1.1 and 2.0 connectivity

+ Can be used as a USB drive / mass storage

+ Can sync music with drag & drop or via Creative software

+ Nice extras like stopwatch function

Cons

average battery life of 10 hours (OLED screen sucks the battery)

mediocre backlight ( but it can be disabled )

some DRM song transfer issues with some firmware versions

not expandable few size options 1GB and 2GB

Creative software is buggy

larger than the 2nd and 3rd generation iPod shuffles

Creative's Zen Stone line was meant to be the upgrade to the Zen nano, aka Muvo mini. Unfortunately, the 1GB Zen Stone had some quality issues. With the new 2GB Zen Stone Plus, Creative has tried to improve on previous models and compete with the Sandisk Sansas.

I love the new Sandisk Sansa's. The Sansa Express has the advantage that you can plug it directly into your USB port without a cable. SanDisk Sansa Express 2 GB MP3 Player (Black) Still, the Creative Zen Stone feels nicer in the hand. It's not as sleek as the Sansa Express and doesn't have all the cool cache' of an iPod shuffle or iPod nano. But it is priced very attractively and has some NICE features. It's good for a starter, workout unit, or gift for a kid.

The Creative Zen Stone Plus is lighter than the competition, but is still larger than the new iPod Shuffle 2nd and 3rd generations. Unlike the shuffle, you can actually see your track names! The OLED screen is perfect for a player this size but does suck more power and shorten the battery life.

The controls are an improvement from the Zen nano days. While I didn't mind the toggle wheel, it has been replaced by intuitive buttons for the standard functions (select, up, down, play, pause, forward or reverse). There's a headphone jack, microphone hole, and a USB port.

Another change from the Zen nano days is the Lithium Ion battery, which gives you about 10 hours if your lucky. This is less versatile than the old battery operated unit, but more convenient.

What about sound? The sound is great, and it comes through in pure stereo. As usual, you will hear complaints about the earbuds. Most people replace their standard earbuds so I won't hold that against Creative.

The Zen Stone doesn't have larger storage options. For those needing more space, you will have to explore the Creative Zen, Sandisk Sansa or new iPod Nano. All of those units have higher price tags.

Creative Zen 4 GB (Black)

Creative Zen 8 GB (Black)

Creative Zen 16 GB (Black)

Sandisk SDMX4-4096 Sansa e260 4 GB MP3 Player with SD Expansion Slot

SanDisk SDMX4-8192 Sansa e280 8 GB MP3 Player (Black)

Apple 4 GB iPod nano AAC/MP3 Player Silver (3rd Generation)

Apple 8 GB iPod nano AAC/MP3 Player Black (3rd Generation)

This unit is ideal as a player and not for those who primarily want to use it for recording. The built-in microphone is nice for short reminders.

The price isn't a give-away, and the plastic case could be more durable. Still, this is a nice starter unit that can last you a while. Check it out. Enjoy!!!

Buy Creative Zen Stone Plus 2 GB MP3 Player (White) Now

I ordered three of these (in green) and NONE of them worked. They performed when plugged into the computer, but failed to hold a charge once disconnected from the PC. This was after the tech-support recommended "all night" charging.

By way of background, I'm fairly computer savvy, have a new PC based system, and spent hours on the phone with Creative tech support trying to fix the problems. Ultimately, I had to return the units.

Stay away.

Read Best Reviews of Creative Zen Stone Plus 2 GB MP3 Player (White) Here

I got this to replace an ipod shuffle that died right after the warranty expired. This definitely has more features than the Shuffle for a comparable price. However, nothing really stands out as being anything more than merely adequate.

The battery charging process is buggy, even with recent firmware updates applied. The battery indicator on the player differs from the one in the software. It takes multiple attempts to get a full charge on the player. I am only getting 6 hours at most of playback on a full charge. The manufacturer claims 9.5 hours of playback. This is a pretty major flaw.

Data transfer seems slow (40 minutes to sync 1.8 gig).

The controls and navigation could be better, the menus are not particularly user friendly. Navigation is hard because the buttons are not as responsive as they could be. After a few seconds, the screen shuts off (to save battery life) but that means that you need to hit a button to wake it up and then hit it again to get it to do anything. This means if you want to pause, skip a song, change the volume, etc... it takes two button pushes and it has to reactivate the screen.

The 'creative lite' software is so 'lite' it barely has any features at all, so I use Windows Media Player to manage my songs. Every time I plug in the player, I get a message that the date and time on the player does not match my computer, but when I click "yes" to set the player date and time, I end up getting the same message the next time.

On the plus side, this player holds twice as much as the 1 gig Ipod Shuffle, it has a screen, it has an equalizer, it has FM radio (a feature that I won't use), it has multiple play modes, etc... The sound quality and the ear buds are adequate, also.

This player meet my minimum needs but you may want to think twice if you need long battery life or 'one touch' navigation.

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Tiny player-easy to sync. I compared this one to the Ipod-Shuffle (2nd generation) and this is a much better player for the money. Unlike the shuffle, you do not have to download extra software from Itunes to get it to work it was just "plug-and-play" with Realplayer. Took 3 minutes to sync approx. 1.5Gb of music. It has a lanyard clip but does not come with a lanyard. Stone skins are available to help protect the player. Unlike the previous reviewer, I haven't had a problem charging the player or the computer recognizing it (USB issue?) Overall a great product from a great company at a great price!

I really like this little mp3 player. It's small, about the size of a box of tictacs. It's good to have an option that is small but still has a screen. I use mine for mostly audiobooks and it holds at least two novel sized books and quite a bit of music with room to spare. The only problem I've had with it is the menu can be hard to use when trying to seek a track but it's never been a huge problem just clunky. The software creative media lite is really simple to use for a non tech person like me.

Sangean RCR-5 Digital AM/FM Clock Radio

Sangean RCR-5 Digital AM/FM Clock Radio
  • Digital tuner with 10 station presets
  • Dual alarms with "human wake" buzzer
  • Set recurring alarms for daily, weekends, and weekdays
  • Sleep timer (15-120 minutes)
  • Includes AC Power Adapter

I have nothing but praise for the Sangean RCR-5 clock radio. Specifically, here are the most noteworthy aspects of this truly amazing product:

Display

Here is where the RCR-5 truly shines, as it incorporates a backlit LCD with adjustable intensity: one may adjust the backlight to suit your needs, so you have a perfectly legible, yet not too bright display (at night) which can never be "washed out", even in direct sunlight. The display even has a clever feature whereby it will illuminate to full intensity when any of the buttons are pressed, after which it returns to the user's preset intensity after ten seconds. As you can see from the product photos, the display is of a soft, warm color, most conducive to a good sleeping environment; other clock radios using bright blue or green illumination, IMHO, should be avoided if you want to get any sleep.

Auxiliary Input

Very useful for listening to my podcasts at night; when an external source is attached, the Band button will cycle through AM/FM/AU; when none is attached, only AM/FM are available, thereby eliminating "clutter" for those who do not wish to enable this feature. (Note: I'm old-school, and prefer using this method over a "Dockable" iPod solution, as I prefer to completely run my iPod's battery source to zero before recharging...)

Flexibility in Programming

Only found on more expensive clock radios, this model will allow you to use the "Sleep" feature to listen to a particular station (or podcast with the Auxiliary feature) at night, and then to wake to radio on a different station. In addition, all alarms allow Daily, Mon-Fri, or Single, with the Audible Alarm using a gentle "ramp-up" feature.

Reception and Speaker Quality

The radio's receiver portion of this product is very good, rivaled by only my Sony short wave receiver (a great radio, by the way!); what looks like a 3-inch speaker provides a very warm, intelligible output, very suitable for the spoken word, adequate for music. If you need a strong system for powerful music, I would suggest purchasing an additional desktop speaker setup (such as for a computer) which can be attached to the headphone output by means of a standard mini-jack connection.

Finally, a no-nonsense Sleep function

Sangean has cleverly incorporated the Sleep function into the Power button (which is gently illuminated when the radio's off); to turn the radio on or off, press the button. To use the Sleep feature, press and hold the same button to select up to 120 minutes. Simple, effective, "it just works".

Final Recommendation

Well, what more can I say? This product works for me (and I'm purchasing three more for gifts) and has a lot going for it, including high value (very reasonably priced!). Is there anything that you should be aware of? Yes:

> As described in the previous customer's entry, setting the alarm may require a few extra key-strokes, as this product offers many options when it comes to waking by either the alarm or the radio; if you do not need all of these features, you may wish to consider something of simpler means. That being said, it took me only about 22 seconds to set the alarm; for me, it was relatively intuitive and logical.

> The built-in battery back up feature only works for about ten minutes worth of backup, according to the manual; in my neck of the woods, this is not a big issue, but should be noted if you experience many nighttime blackouts where you are located.

> Even though this model is referred to as an "RCR-5", it should be noted that it does not employ an automatic time synchronization feature as is found on Sangean's higher end clock radios. (Not a big issue for me, and may actually be desirable for those of us who prefer to set our clocks 5, 10, or 15 minutes fast to "keep us on time"!)

I hope this helps you in making the right decision! All the best!

Buy Sangean RCR-5 Digital AM/FM Clock Radio Now

I have to say that I'm quite impressed by the QUALITY of the Sangean RCR-5 clock radio. Quite a bit of great detail has already been mentioned in a fine way by a previous reviewer. I just have to say that I'm really impressed at how clear the radio reception is...absolutely NO drift, it locks onto the radio frequency and stays there! And the sound from the speaker (even if it is just a single speaker) is rather impressive...I've never heard a speaker sound so clear, crisp, and distinct, whether it be music or spoken word! I also like how smooth the volume control feels. It keeps great time with an easy-to-view display, and wakes you up comfortably with its "humane waking system." Some people have noted that the settings for the clock are too complex and complicated, but I frankly didn't experience any problems in that sense. Of course, it does not have the atomic clock updating, nor does it have a built-in cd player, but it does have the auxillary input, if you wanted to connect a cd player or mp3 player. Overall, I have to say that certainly alot of thought has gone into the designing of the Sangean RCR-5...this certainly is NO ordinary clock radio...it's a finely-crafted instrument!

Read Best Reviews of Sangean RCR-5 Digital AM/FM Clock Radio Here

I started realizing the quality of this radio as soon as I held the box it came in. It's well packaged in heavy cardboard throughout. Take the radio out and look it over; you can tell this is not your everyday clock radio you find in all the stores. It's built solid and the buttons and controls feel solid. The sound is much better than any clock radio I've ever owned in this price range. The display is easy to see from all angles and not too brite. The amber is soft on your eyes unlike some of the blues and greens out there. Setting the alarms is slightless less intuitive then it could be but it's easy once you do it a few times (the reason for the 4 out of 5 stars). Products like this are few and far between these days. High quality and does what it is made to do very well without looking like an alien aircraft with unessessary bells and whistles. Very possibly the best engineered clock radio for under $50. Im very happy with my purchase.

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Based on reviews by others I had hoped this little radio would satisfy my needs for good AM and FM reception with decent sound. Sound was tinny but using a set of computer speakers offset that issue. Reception very spotty for both both AM and FM stations and the little wire antenna didn't help much. Didn't appear to be any way to boost reception by attaching another antenna. Since the product didn't live up to expectations, I tried to return it, but was refused. I didn't retain the plastic bags covering the radio and plug in the box and the box had a couple of tears so the package wasn't in pristine condition. No damages, scars, etc. to the radio itself so sounds to me like supplier won't accept returns once you open their box which implies a no return policy. If I had bought this locally at Wal-Mart or Target or about any other store, a return would have been accepted.

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This is a terrific clock radio despite a couple of drawbacks for insomniac listening (knocking 1 star off the rating). Features I require in a clock radio (beyond the obvious) are: earphone jack (my husband isn't interested in listening along with me ;), sleep timer, digital tuning (having to fiddle with station drift would only serve to wake me up more); preset stations (again, the less fiddling in the middle of the night, the better); and dimable display (I keep it just bright enough to read the display at night--this is pretty dim, doesn't disturb sleep). This radio has all that and more; I also like the small size of the radio and amber light of the display.

That said, here's what I dislike: when you press and hold the power-on button to use the sleep timer, the display becomes painfully bright, "only" about 15 seconds, but I find it extremely annoying. I'm working on developing a feel for how long to hold the button down without having to look at the display so I can just keep my eyes closed.

The other thing I dislike: the nap timer button is right next to the power-on/sleep timer button, making it very easy to accidentally hit the nap timer button without realizing it while feeling around for the power button, thus treating yourself and any sleep partner to the alarm a little while later. Ugh. Did that twice, then built a little "A-frame" of card stock & taped it over the nap timer button so I don't hit it by accident again. Note the power/sleep timer button *is* dimly (nicely) illuminated, so the nap timer button can be avoided if you don't mind opening your eyes, lifting your head up to see the power button, and focusing your attention on hitting nothing but the power button.

It's too bad the battery backup isn't good for more than a few minutes; hopefully this won't prove to be a significant problem. I didn't find setting the clock, alarms, or digital presets difficult, though I did need to use the manual to figure it out.

LG Optimus G 4G Android Phone (Sprint)

LG Optimus G 4G Android PhoneI am reviewing the LG Optimus G 4G Android Phone (Sprint).

First off, I upgraded from the HTC EVO 4G which I had from its release. Great phone, and in my opinion, this made for a great upgrade. So why only 4-stars and not 5? If everything got 5-stars then nothing would be exceptional would it? It is just that, a great smartphone, not an exceptional smartphone. That said, after owning it for a couple of weeks I thought I'd share my preliminary observations.

IN THE HAND:

Initially I was apprehensive about any phone with such a large display but I am WAY over that now. For reference, I am a male and I wear Adult-Large sized gloves. Though I think my fingers are a little on the stubby side the phone fits well in my palm. As a righty I can reach the power button with my thumb and volume controls pretty easily with my index finger. I really like the flat sides as opposed to the smooth rounded/curved sides of my wife's GS3. In contrast, my wife does not like the flat, sharp edges of the OG and much prefers the feel of the GS3. To each his/her own. Her seat-of-the-pants observation is that the OG is bigger to her. I think because it has flat sides you have to curl your finger further around the phone to grasp it and maybe that is why she thinks it is bigger than her GS3. From a technical standpoint it has slightly smaller dimensions.

WEIGHT:

If anyone has been using the EVO 4G then you know it is a hefty phone. I liked that about it. It felt heavy in my hand and that gave it a quality feel you don't get from the featherweights they market these days. Don't get me wrong, I like that the OG is lighter than the EVO, but not nearly as light as the GS3 so it still feels substantial in my hands. Amazing what a difference a few tenths of an ounce can make. And the quality of the phone is not only noticeable in its feel but its visual appeal as well (you can Google OG reviews for more on that subject matter). I'll just say that this does not look like a cheap, `plasticky' phone. Not that it should matter, but I like that it has a very high quality, high end look to it.

SCREEN:

Earlier I mentioned it has flat sides and sharp edges. The four corners are well rounded but the front surface is at a right angle to the edge of the glass/case, and to a lesser degree the same on the back. It is finished with a nice chrome trimmed edge when viewed face on. This is not sharp in the sense that it can cut you, but it is definitely not a gently rounded and smooth surface transition like the GS3. This will be great for edge-to-edge screen protectors. The screen is very bright, and easy for me to read. So bright in fact I actually find it more comfortable when dialed down to the preset 63% brightness with auto-dim enabled. Outside in bright sunlight it is very viewable even at this setting. That is a pleasant upgrade from the EVO which always washed out in bright sunlight.

TOUCH:

The touch screen is something I am still getting used to. I don't know if it is because I had an anti-glare/anti-fingerprint screen protector on my EVO, but the OG glass surface is soooooo slick. I sometimes have to make multiple attempts to `press' or `tap' a button because I end up moving the screen ever so slightly, enough to make the phone think I am swiping and not tapping; kind of annoying that I have to `think' about the tapping gesture rather than just doing it, all to be sure as not to move the screen when what I want is a press or tap instead. Guess it is something you get used to doing over time, like swipe (and no, I am not feeble handed or whatnot... I have plenty of dexterity in my fingers). Like I mentioned earlier, I kinda have stubby fingers so for me it requires more effort to reach across the phone with my thumb (4.7" inches of display is a lot of real estate). Single handed texting is somewhat a challenge. It is also just as difficult trying to reach a button or key on the near side of the thumb. If the phone were narrower I could just shift it around in my hand to make it easier to get to the near side buttons, but with its size it becomes less stable in hand as I can't grip it as securely doing so. I'm sure I'll get better at it over time.

PERFORMANCE:

Ok, so this phone smokes! Especially in comparison to my EVO. I had to go back to my EVO looking for a file since I didn't just do a full copy over to the new phone. While scrolling the screen on the EVO I kept thinking that it had some busy process running in the background. I had all radios turned off and as well no sync'ing. No other tools running, just Astro file viewer. I realized that the OG was just that much smoother when scrolling. Looked like a stuttering effect on the EVO while it was as smooth as glass on the OG. Same for any animation and transition. Soooooo fast on the OG. Apps literally just POP open without ANY delay. For benchmarks you can Google it. I am just stating my observations here. Browsing the internet was also soooooo much faster on the same home wi-fi network. Incredible what a quad-core processor and graphics accelerator can do. I don't play many games but the ones I had ran very smoothly and loaded nearly instantaneously. Again, no scientific measurements were taken just side-by-side comparison and a "seat-of-the-pants" experience. I'd say this phone is plenty fast for anything most of us plan to do with our phones. Besides, what's faster? Nothing as of this writing. Oh, and all the extra RAM and ROM make for a happy Me. I had lots of moments when I had delete stuff off my EVO to free up space. Did you know your email stops sync'ing when you get the low storage space warning?! I found out the hard way.

BATTERY:

I'll wrap it up with this. I have had a pretty good experience so far with the battery. On a normal day's use it gets unplugged around 6:30am and plugged in around 11:30pm. I still have above 40% capacity remaining. That's with nominal usage over 30min of voice calls, over 1hr of having the screen on at 63%, Wi-Fi & GPS, and background sync on all day. Under heavy usage over the same period I was just under 30% remaining. For me heavy was a little over 1hr of voice calls, 3hrs of screen time, and lots of web browsing over Wi-Fi, and the GPS and sync was also on. Those are just my numbers so your mileage may vary.

SUMMARY:

Long write up short...I am very pleased with this phone. I like it better than my wife's SG3 on its physical merits alone. The SG3 UI is nicer I will admit, as the OG UI leaves something to be desired, but there's an app for that. ;-) I really like HTC's Sense UI so in comparison the OG UI is very bland. ICS makes up for it though by providing plenty of eye candy in the form of transitional effects. Over all, if you can agree with anything I said above then you may like this phone as well...or not.

My 2¢

******* UPDATE Jan 04, 2013 ******

It has been a little over a month or so since I got this phone and I can say I believe I made the right choice for me. A couple of additional items I would share are...

VIBRATE:

If anything could be done better it should be the vibrate feature of the phone. It is sooooo subtle. The vibration is more like a high frequency buzzing, and not very "strong(?)". I've tried the "long continuous" vibrate, the "short multiple" vibrates (more than one pattern and duration), and everything in between and it really makes no difference. More often than not if I am walking and the phone is in my pant pocket I will not even notice the vibration. If it weren't for the fact that the ringer is so loud I would miss most calls entirely. Even in my jean pockets which hold the phone closer to my leg I don't notice the vibrate when engaged in activity. When I am sitting sure I notice it, but if you like to leave your phone on vibrate you will have to make a concerted effort to feel for a vibration while walking around. You ladies that would carry it in your purse/wallet...forget about it. You would not know it is vibrating unless it is against something that causes it to make some chatter. Don't get me wrong, I am not saying it is useless, I am just saying it is not very pronounced. Some may like it this way. I just wish it were more like the rumple of a Harley, than the whine of a crotch-rocket.

BATTERY UPDATE:

I've had no problems with battery life. I am still getting a full day's charge (unplug around 6:30a and plug in around 10:30p or so). Some may do more with their phones and others less, so your mileage may vary.

Don't know how to categorize this last comment but an irksome thing that happens to me is that as I put the phone into my pocket I sometimes either hit the standby button with with my thumb or the cusp of my pocket thus turning the phone on as I put it into my pocket. I've "butt dialed" a person or two because of this and on a couple occasions found that my phone was browsing the web for shoes! Anyways, I'm getting better at not doing that but it still happens from time to time, and I either notice it because the phone is warm in my pocket or after I pull it out.

Either way, none of these have detracted from the phone for me. I am still very pleased with my decision and eagerly look forward to a Jelly-bean update!

Another 2¢

The optimus G is almost everything it claims to be.

Speed is probably my biggest interest in the phone, and it clocks in excess of 5000 on SmartBench 2012.

A friend of mine has an EVO, and I ran smartbench three times while her EVO was running it once. I also started after she was well into the first try.

Build quality and battery life are above average, even at my work where the signal coverage leaves much to be desired.

(poor coverage causes lower battery life)

It is a little large, and people with small hands may have trouble with one-hand use.

Although it looks like plastic, most of the phone is Corning Gorilla Glass. Very nice.

The speed helps a bunch when streaming video from Netflix, or from the DLNA servers on my lan.

Not having an SD slot is a small minus, but 32G internal storage makes up for that.

Google wallet is supposed to be preinstalled, but it isn't actually on the phone or available for it at this moment (15/11/12) but I expect that will be fixed shortly. I will be disappointed if this never becomes real.

Oh yeah. It also makes and receives phone calls.

Buy LG Optimus G 4G Android Phone (Sprint) Now

LG knocks the other smartphones into the dust with the Optims G quad core phone. Atter about a month, I can tell you:

The quad processor, 2 gigs of RAM and Ice Cream Sandwich software make the Optimus G amazingly fast, and I'm only running it on the 3G network. The conventional Android Facebook app that took my Evo 4G about five seconds and more to load, is now up and running on the Optimus G in two seconds. Click, look, and its on.

I can only imagine how monster fast this is going to become when the 4G LTE network kicks in.

The Optimus G also has an absolutely gorgeous screen. It's clarity, color accuracy, depth and brightness are teriffic and it shines through even the light of day. Most times I am running the screen at only half brightness.

The camera's image and color quality are EXCELLENT, really something to write home about. It's unlike any camera phone I've used in the Android world. At 13 megapixels it is beyond par with iPhone pix. I find that it handles low light better than most point and shoots did a year ago.

The battery lasts for two days at a time. That includes running a live wallpaper, picture taking, an hour of mp3s a day through Bluetooth headphones, texting, web surfing, social networking, calls, and running the alarm clock overnight.

Initiially, I had some dodgy audio on phone calls, but after a month, the calls are routine with no problem on either end of the line and no dropped calls.

The aesthetics of the phone are a very elegant, slim and tall, high gloss black case made of glass, front and back. It would be at home coming out of the breast pocket of a tux. And It resists smudges, front and back, EXTREMELY well. The build qualty is top notch, too.

I've found I can edit all seven screens with ease, rearrange their order easily, and share photos to texts and social networks simply and quickly. It also woks well with my Dropbox

The voice to text and voice search mechanisms are teriffic. There have only been a couple of translations that required a tweak in a month.

I also like the placement of the power, screen on/off button on the side (as opposed to the top). At 4.7 inches and tall, it lets me fire up the phone with one hand as I take it out of my pocket.

Read Best Reviews of LG Optimus G 4G Android Phone (Sprint) Here

Just got this phone as my 2 year upgrade. Read a lot on this one and others on sites like Engadget, Cnet, etc. And wow, this phone is everything as advertised. The feel of the phone is great, and the screen is fantastic looking at only half brightness. The speed at which you can switch between apps and screens is very impressive, and web pages load incredibly quickly, even on just 3G. On WiFi its even better. The battery life thus far has impressed me, it is much better than my old HTC Evo Shift. Plus the nice thing about the Sprint version, is there is virtually no carrier bloatware, except for Sprint ID which is actually useful for managing your account. The memory is about 25gb due to whatever space the OS takes up, so its not a full 32gb, but should be plenty.

Definitely a great phone, and for just $100-$150 you cannot go wrong at all with this one.

Want LG Optimus G 4G Android Phone (Sprint) Discount?

Pros:Fast, very pretty screen, quad core, NFC is neat, 13MP camera. All things that are great and why I would recommend the phone.

Cons:No removable battery, no expandable memory, LTE isn't in my area and it doesn't support wimax(although not a huge complaint), I love the search button on the older phones and I miss it but also not a big deal.

Right now, I have had it for 2 days, I love the phone but I am hung up on the audio jack. I dont know if it might be defective or if it puts out enough power in general. I switched from the Evo 3d and I connect my music to my car. With my 3d i was very satisfied, it was loud, now with the optimus it sound significantly quieter. I have gone through all the settings and can't get it any better. I am considering buying a headphone booster.

If I can get this resolved this will definitly move up to five stars!

Jwin Shower Radio with Alarm Clock & Fog Free Miror

Jwin Shower Radio with Alarm Clock & Fog Free Miror
  • shower radio with alarm clock and fog free mirror
  • splash proof
  • alarm clock with backlight
  • digital frequency display
  • hanging rope and stand

Great little gadget . Love to listen to the news and weather will getting showered for work. Had one years ago and loved it ,but it broke and needed a new one. This one is the same and I'll keep on buying them.

Buy Jwin Shower Radio with Alarm Clock & Fog Free Miror Now

Amazingly waterproof, although I did not hang it so water sprayed directly on it. Great reception and sound. Held up for three years hanging on a towel bar with some spray and lots of "fog" in the bathroom

Read Best Reviews of Jwin Shower Radio with Alarm Clock & Fog Free Miror Here

The radio speaker is so bad that I can not make out the songs. Also, when you turn on the radio the time disappears. You will be late for everything.

Not worth buying at all!!!

Sony ICF-C1IPMK2 Speaker System and Clock Radio with iPod Dock (Black)

Sony ICF-C1IPMK2 Speaker System and Clock Radio with iPod Dock
  • Compatibility: iPod classic 3G, 4G, 5G, 6G; iPod mini; iPod nano 1G, 2G, 3G; iPod touch 1G; iPhone 1G, 3G
  • Fall asleep and wake up to your iPod, the radio, or--if you must--a buzzer
  • Dual alarm allows you to set two separate wake-up times for fluctuating schedules
  • Audio input lets you easily connect other digital music players to the clock radio for easy access to all of your music
  • Full-function wireless remote control (included) allows access to all the music on your iPod from across the room

There seems to be some confusion, Sony had a previous model of this that was very similar but was NOT iphone compatible. This new model IS iphone compatible. Make sure the box says "iphone" and not just ipod on it or make sure you order this unit (from this review.) Sony really should have changed the name or the look more. I suppose they will replace the old one with this one ultimately.

I found a great review of this also in ilounge.com where they gave it an Aand they are pretty stingy with their A's so I knew it had to be good. This is in fact a GREAT iphone / ipod clock radio / speaker system. I was pretty blown away by it and the price. They called it Sony's BEST iphone / ipod accessory ever and I agree.

Pro's:

First, most iphone systems like this start at $150, so this is a great deal at under $100. The unit is pretty small really and sets up instantly. Nothing like a great product for less than what you expect to pay.

Amazing sound! I was unprepared for the quality of the sound and even the "mega-xpand" really does seem to give you a larger, more separated sound. I don't know how this stacks up to say a $300 Bose ipod speaker system but I am more than happy for a bed side / desk side speaker. I have had it for 4 days and I have not heard any noticeable cell phone noise or interference also.

There is a very nice adjustable knob in the back that you turn to adjust the position of the dock for the ipod. Hard to explain but this solves the issue of different ipods being thicker or thinner than others. You adjust it once and it stays put impressive. Should make it compatible with many different ipods.

The Remote! It comes with a tiny infrared remote that lets you control ALL of the ipod's music controls. Very slick. You can menu up to all the playlists, album, songs, artists etc.. and then drill down and play. Also very impressive! It will even turn on the ipod its its off / asleep. This is extremely useful!

The clock functions are ok, I can't say much good or bad really here. 2 alarms, adjustable display on the clock, programmable radio stations buttons, an AM and FM antenna. I usually just use my iphone's alarm to wake me up but I assume the clock stuff is also good. Its a pretty basic alarm system, buzzer, radio etc.. no multi day alarms or such. Also has sleep mode that you can set on the remote. No nature sounds or any of that. Just 2 alarms and snooze, etc. More than enough for me.

It also has an audio in port on the back which is very nice for watching movies or such on the ipod & playing thru the speakers. I won't use it much but its a killer feature.

It also has some sort of auto time set function, works ok but I had to set my time zone. I think it comes with a built in lithium battery to keep the clock function set in case of a power outage, also nice feature.

Con's:

Not many really. The unit seems a tad unstable on my desk, like its top heavy but it hasn't fallen over or anything. I might try and put something under the back to make it more stable.

The alarm display is very cluttered, even if you have the alarms off, it still displays one of the alarm times and such. The time display is very large so thats not an issue but it be nice to turn off some of the extra display stuff.

Even with the knob adjusted, I still have to carefully position the iphone on the dock and slide it in, I wish it would slide it more easily. Also not a huge detractor.

Buy Sony ICF-C1IPMK2 Speaker System and Clock Radio with iPod Dock (Black) Now

While getting ready for work and getting ready for bed, I like to listen to podcasts downloaded into iTunes. Prior to buying the Sony Speaker Dock and Clock Radio, I had a cluttered setup on my nightstand, including:

* a clock radio,

* laptop,

* the excellent JBL On Tour Portable Speaker System ( Black ), and

* Apple USB Power Adapter for iPod (White) for my iPhone.

After applying a bit of creative thinking, the Sony Speaker Dock and Clock Radio has replaced all of these as a single device on my nightstand that does all of the above.

How did this replace having a laptop on my nightstand? The solution involves Apple Airport Express base station. I connected the base station's audio output to the Sony's audio input.

Using Apple's free Remote software for iPhone, I can control iTunes audio on any computer on my home network. Since iTunes can redirect audio to the Airport Express, I can listen to podcasts on this device that were downloaded to a computer in another room. If you don't have an Airport Express, you can do the same thing by syncing your iPhone with your computer before bedtime each night.

From the dock, I can even use my iPhone to peek at my email if I'm lying awake at night.

The sound quality on this device is good for a product in this price range. Mid-tones are clear and full. Low bass notes have some slight distortion, and higher frequencies don't have the oomph that they do on my JBL. But as a bedroom entertainment hub, this provides a very good audio experience. Previously I had bought and returned an iHome because of its horrible audio quality, but by comparison the Sony provides a greatly superior audio experience.

Each of the dual alarms allows the choice of buzzer, iPod audio or radio audio at an adjustable preset volume. I configured one alarm for audio at a relatively low volume and the second alarm for buzzer to activate a few minutes later. This combination gives me the opportunity to wake up gradually. (As someone who is not a morning person, I'm grateful for that feature!)

By default, the clock automatically sets the time (provided you enter the correct timezone), and the included button cell battery provides backup for the timekeeping and buzzer functions.

In summary, this product is full of features that are practical and well thought out. If you think about the fact that this produce frees up your USB iPhone/iPod charger for something else, that may help justify the expense.

Be warned that most models of alarm clock/speaker docks for iPod (including the older version of this product) do not work with the iPhone 3G. (Older iPods could charge at either 12V or 5V, but the iPhone 3G charges only at 5V.) If you're interested in another product, be sure it's compatible with iPhone 3G.

Pros

* Good sound quality compared to similar products in this price range

* Digital AM/FM tuner (with 5 and 10 presets, respectively)

* Auxiliary audio input (in addition to iPod dock)

* Compatible with Apple Universal dock inserts

* Allows content playback and charging of iPhone 3G

* Dual alarms can be used in tandem to gradually wake up

Cons

* Fairly large footprint takes up a lot of nightstand space

* Display too bright, even at dimmest setting

Read Best Reviews of Sony ICF-C1IPMK2 Speaker System and Clock Radio with iPod Dock (Black) Here

Last year I bought the previous version of this clock radio (the ICF-C1IP) and was extremely impressed, especially compared to many other iPod clock radios that I tried. This week I bought this updated version for another room, and was pleasantly surprised.

What I've noticed in this updated version:

explicitly iPhone compatible ("works with iPhone" indicated on the box)

AM radio reception is notably clearer (and the old one wasn't bad)

the display is brighter and easier to read (it might, in fact, be a little too bright at the lowest dim level)

the grille is a dark gray, not pure black as the last model (in my opinion, this has a slightly cleaner look to it)

sound quality just slightly less bass than earlier version (subtle probably because of magnetic shielding for iPhone)

How do you tell which version you're buying, aside from the model number? Look for the "MK2" in the product name, as well as the "Works with iPhone" on the box.

Like the previous version, the Sony is fully compatible with my iPod Classic, and the sound quality and radio performance is notably better than other iPod clock radios I've tested.

Sony has done a great job with the ICF-C1iPMK2. It is an upright design, with most of the unit behind the iPod, in a slanted design with controls at the top. The iPod dock accepts universal adapters, but they aren't really needed as Sony has an adjustable supporting plate behind the iPod.

Unlike other iPod clock radios, the Sony does not attempt to duplicate the iPod menus on its display. Instead, the Sony includes a remote control that lets you completely control the iPod menus as if you were manipulating the scroll wheel. Quite impressive.

Sound quality is very good for a clock radio with crisp highs and even midtones. You may want to play around with your iPod equalizer settings to see what sounds best. (To my ears, "Jazz" EQ setting works well with these small speakers.) Sony includes a simulated mode they call "Mega XPand" that in my experience made the music sound muddied and under-sampled. Your mileage my vary.

The blue-backlit clock is located in the iPod dock area, and 3 brightness levels are available. In my experience, even the lowest setting is a bit too bright, but not enough to disturb me at night. I wish that the display were slightly larger, although the high contrast lets me see the time without my glasses from a reasonable distance.

And, unlike most iPod clock radios, the radio reception is outstanding with an external AM antenna provided. The unit has dual alarms, which can be set to iPod (you can even select a wakeup volume), Radio, or Buzzer.

On the downside, the battery backup for the buzzer alarm and clock is a small expensive lithium battery (although after nearly a year of use, this battery was still working on my old model). And, if your relying on just the buzzer to wake you up it's not very loud. You also have to be careful when changing the alarms to make sure that you don't accidentally turn the alarm off. But all of these are minor issues. However, these are all very minor issues that don't detract from the unit overall.

All in all, in my experience, this is the best iPod clock radio you can buy.

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I got this thing yesterday and played with it for a while. I always find choosing a product like this difficult because there are so many specifics of operation that are never listed in the description. Thus, here are some things I have learned that may be relevant to your decision:

Basic Operation:

The unit operates the iPod exactly as you would operate it yourself. That is, when the alarm goes off, it just wakes up the iPod and pushes play. This means that you can create a special wakeup playlist, or browse to a certain artist whatever and it will obey all the usual iPod rules you would expect. The downside is that you cannot program the unit to play the same wakeup playlist every morning. Rather, it just wakes up and pushes play, thereby playing whatever was left on pause the night before. (So you have to queue it each night, is my point.)

Now, on to the value judgments:

Pros:

1. The volume of the unit is independent of the volume setting on the iPod itself. So no matter where you leave the volume slider on your iPod, the unit will always play at its own volume.

2. Each of the two alarms is set with its own independent volume. Thus, no matter where you left the slider on your iPod, or what volume you had the unit set to just before bed, the alarm song will always play at the correct volume.

3. If you have a recurring alarm set to play a song from your iPod, and then forget to plug your iPod in one night, it will play the buzzer instead.

4. The unit comes with a backup battery built in, in case of power failures.

5. As mentioned above, each of the two alarms is set with its own independent volume. Also, if one of the alarms goes off while the other is still active, the second will interrupt the first. Practical application: If you set Alarm A for 7:00am at volume 10, and then set Alarm B for 7:05am at volume 15, then at 7:00 your alarm begins playing whatever song you had queued up, and at 7:05 the volume simply jumps 50%, right in the middle of the song. (I tested this; it works.) Cool, eh?

6. Although the iPod screen goes dark 30 seconds after the alarm goes off, when just using the unit to listen to music, the iPod display remains on, displaying the artwork for whatever song is playing at the time.

Cons:

1. My iPod Touch sticks up about a quarter of an inch above the clock controls. This means that if I violently slap at the snooze button, I may violently smack my iPod.

2. If you sync your iPod with iTunes immediately before plugging it into the alarm clock -and neglect to queue up a song -then when your alarm goes off, no song will play AND NO ALARM WILL SOUND. None. Nada. Nothing happens, except you're late for work. (When I first tested this, it actually picked songs at random, which I thought was pretty cool. But after playing with different settings, that stopped happening and I am unable to make it happen again. I have no idea what made it happen in the first place.)*

3. Because the alarm time is set with the same button that switches it on and off, it is possible to absent-mindedly turn the alarm off while setting it. Care must be taken to avoid unexpected lateness.

Neutrals:

1. It sounds adequate. It is not a Bose wave radio, but it is more than sufficient for (my) alarm clock purposes and casual bedroom listening. But don't expect to rock out to it. The mids and the highs a pretty strong, but the bass is lacking.

2. Mega-Xpand addds no value. That is, it sounds better with Mega-Xpand switched off. Switched on, it just sort of sounds processed.

3. Though many people have complained about the brightness of the display, it is not a problem for me at all. Yes, it is kinda bright, but not nearly enough to keep me awake.

*UPDATE Added 12/30/2008 I figured this out. After it syncs, if you select "Music" from the main menu (I have an iPod Touch YMMV), it will then choose a track at random when the alarm sounds. However, it does not allow you to drill down further as you might expect, and have it select at random from a playlist. Even if you choose a playlist before tucking in for the night, the alarm still uses your entire collection as its source in the morning. The way I found to trick it into randomly selecting from a pre-defined list of good wake-up songs is that I created the playlist, and included a single 5 second track of silence. Now I can just queue up that silent track at night, and make sure that shuffle is on; when the alarm triggers it plays the silence for 5 seconds and then shuffles to one of the other songs on the list. Perfect.

As noted by some others, the display (even at it's lowest of three brightness settings) is too bright and lights up a dark room, if I wanted a night light, I'd buy one.

Early versions of the iHome clock radio suffered from the same problem. I tried a later version of the iHome product (iH8), and it solved the too bright problem by adding lower levels of brightness including no light, but then added an annoying low humming sound (I saw that another Amazon reviewer noticed the same humming sound even on the most current iH9 iHome clock radio), even with nothing on.

Doesn't anyone do quality checks anymore? It's almost as if the people who designed these products (both at iHome and Sony) didn't bother to put their clock radios in a bedroom at night and try to sleep. I suspect, Sony will fix this brightness problem on later versions, just as iHome did after seeing the complaints all over the internet (check Amazon reviews for yourself, many complaints on the iHome iH5).

Well, 2 iHomes returned (iH5 and iH8), and now debating on returning the Sony... I will say the Sony has noticeably better sound quality than the iHomes, and no humming, and is generally very good all around. BUT, when a "CLOCK RADIO" canNOT even get the most fundamentally basic and important functions of what a Clock Radio is (appropriately display the time in a dark bedroom where people SLEEP), that is a problem. Also, the actual clock display of the time could be a little larger, it'd be nice to be able to read the time without having to put my glasses on or stretch over to see the time.

Still looking for the perfect clock radio for my 80GB iPod... :(

TEAC SR-80i-S Hi-fi AM/FM Radio with iPod Dock (Silver)

TEAC SR-80i-S Hi-fi AM/FM Radio with iPod Dock
  • iPod/iPhone/iTouch, USB, FM and AUX functions
  • Full Digital Amplifier Circuit from i/pod to seakers
  • Super Bass DSP Powered by MAXXBASS
  • MP3 File Playback from USB Memory Device
  • Video Output to TV for Movie and Slide Show

This product exceeded my expectations in almost every respect. I initially purchased this because it was one of the few portable stereos on the market with a 110/220V and 50/60Hz power adapter that allows it to be used worldwide (I spend most of my career overseas). The design is unique and cool looking the grey and silver contrast beautifully and give it modern, tasteful, and expensive look. The sound is rich, loud, booming, and clear. And the USB port is tastefully and discreetly hidden in the back of the product. Also, a/v cables are included. I liked this so much I purchased another one.

2 Week Update

---------------

So I've used this radio for a couple weeks, and knocking down the rating to 4 stars for a few reasons: 1) Turning on the radio with the remote is strangely difficult. 2) The eco-power mode automatically shuts down the clock display after several minutes, rendering the radio not so useful as a clock. The mfg should have given an option to turn off eco-power modes. 3) The display is a little too small to use this device as a clock.

Buy TEAC SR-80i-S Hi-fi AM/FM Radio with iPod Dock (Silver) Now

I posted this same review for the black model. I paid $60 for the black version and found it to be a remarkable value. This model is different only in that the speaker cloth is grey. I did a lot of research before buying and had to rely on articles from the UK where this unit is apparently more popular (they charge 95 pounds on Amazon UKroughly $140 USD). I expected good sound, but didnt expect sound this good for $60! I think even $125 would be reasonable, though it would have more competition at that price range. But for the small size and low price, I'm thrilled with this purchase.

It's only about the size of a football, but kicks out smooth, surprisingly deep bass and plays loud enough to fill a medium sized room with full sound. It doesn't really impress with quiet background music; the sound is thinner at low volume. But when you turn it up, the bass comes to life. This unit employs DSP (digital signal processing). DSP tends to emphasize deep bass and high frequencies. On this unit, the highs are detailed, though a bit overly crisp. You can, however, alleviate this by adjusting the treble all the way down. On the other end of the spectrum, I actually increased the bass setting because it sounds good and the speakers can handle it. This does make male voices unnaturally bassy; not an incurable problemjust lower the bass for talk radio. So far, the unit sounds good with every kind of music. I even tested rap; for something so small, it did a pretty good job with the bass.

A few complaints people have about this unit:

1) With the unit off, the display goes to sleep after a few minutes, so you can't see the clock without pressing the clock button on the remote. This is a possible concern for those wanting to use it primarily as an alarm clock. Luckily, I found the display does not go to sleep with my iPod docked. And my iPod will always be docked.

2) Your bass and treble settings don't save when you turn it off. Slightly annoying. However, like with the first problem, keeping the iPod docked also prevents this issue. So not a problem for me.

3) Much of the functionality is only available via the remote, such as clock/alarm control, bass/treble settings, and radio tuning. This is common of most docks these days, and at least this has a nicer remote. It's not one of those tiny credit card remotes. But if it breaks . . .

4) The silver trim is susceptible to finger prints, and the black speaker cloth collects dust.

Overall, this is an unquestionable 5 stars from me, a serious bargain.

Nokia 8600 Luna Unlocked Luxury GSM Cell Phone Mobile Wireless GPRS EDGE Unique Design Rare

Nokia 8600 Luna Unlocked Luxury GSM Cell Phone Mobile Wireless GPRS EDGE Unique Design RareThis seller is totally a cheater. The best feature of this phone is the translucent glass which covers the keyboard. but which i got is a plastic which couldn't show the keyboard when the lights on. This is the worst experience i had about online shopping. Never buy goods from this seller!!!!!!!

THE OVERALL SHOPPING EXPERIENCE IS GOOD. ALTHOUGH THE PHONE HAD A MECHANICAL PROBLEM AND I HAVE TO REQUEST A REFUND, THE CUSTOMER SERVICE RESPONDING FAST AND I GOT THE REFUND WITH NO HASSLE.

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Ilive Clock Radio for Iphone/ Ipod

Ilive Clock Radio for Iphone/ Ipod
  • Compatible With All iPod & iPhone Models With A 30-Pin Dock Connector
  • Plays & Charges Docked iPod & iPhone
  • Lcd Display

I am really sorry I bought this clock radio. It is too bright for me to use (but my son likes the night-light effect.) However, after about a week of using it, our whole family noticed a high pitched squeal coming from the 5 volt power supply. Unfortunately the store from which I purchased it didn't have any more to exchange it for me. I emailed iLive, but I didn't hear back from them. So I called them, and because I didn't have a receipt, they weren't willing to mail me a replacement power cord. They said I could BUY a new one for $17. Give me a break!

I also have a different clock radio from them, and it is also too bright to use as well, plus the controls are extremely confusing. I would avoid iLive altogether.

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The product worked great. It was super easy to set up and use. The sound was good for a clock radio. Unfortunately, when I turned off my lights at night, it looked like I had a street lamp in my room. There was no way to dim it, and I ended up covering it with a towel to sleep. It will be going back. Can't sleep when I'm blinded!

Read Best Reviews of Ilive Clock Radio for Iphone/ Ipod Here

I purchased this clock/radio/dock for my new phone. It worked initially (sound), but as I'm mostly using it as a phone dock, I didn't try the sound aspect again for about another week. The next time I tried turning it on (radio, iPhone) there was nothing. No sound. I played with it a bit changing between radio stations/iPhone, etc. and at some point it kicked in and seemed to work. I had no idea what, if anything, I had done to make it work. Didn't try again for a few days. That time it didn't work again. Messed with it a bit with no luck. A few weeks later same thing. I just will not make any sound. Alarm won't make noise either. Basically the only thing it does is tell time and charge my iPhone. Called support and they tried to "troubleshoot" which included unplugging it for 30 seconds. Hadn't saved the receipt so after DPI told me they couldn't help me without a receipt, luckily the store I purchased it from was able to look up the receipt for me from a month earlier and I will be sending it back for a replacement. Don't even really want this model again but it's better than being out $35. Hopefully the replacement will at least work. Definitely would not recommend this unit. It even feels like a cheap piece of plastic. If I could have given it zero stars I would have.

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This is a good size for a night stand and works fine. Charges the phone and the time is easy to read, with several different light settings that are easy to adjust.

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Does not have gradual wake function as indicated by product.

The manufacturer claimed if I want the volume to be gradual, I must change it manually after I wake up!