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Unlocked Android 2.2 Phone A5000 Touch Screen WIFI GPS Dual Sim Quadband JAVA

I am very pissed as I liked what I saw on the phone specs but I seemed to have purchased the resistive screen instead of the capacitive which I had desired. As soon as I ordered it I realized my folley and tried to cancel my order inorder to choose the more expensive version but this option was not available to me; the status read "Preparing package"..... I mean come on!!!! I thought "man hey wow this is going to be shipped the same hour or maybe even the same day" BUT IT HAS BEEN FOUR DAYS GOING ON FIVE AND THE STATUS IS STILL "NOT YET SHIPPED".

I haven't even received the package and I am dissatisfied with the service. It feels like I fell into a Chinese Trap and that I really ordered from Hong kong or something. If I wanted to be unsure of my package and felt I has $200 USD to burn I would have simply bought it directly from China or Singapore or wherever the heck has these phones in abundance.... But No I chose Amazon because i felt safe that I would receive my package in a timely basis and in good shape.

Anyway I'll try to write a review when the phone finally arrives in like a month or so!!!

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Update: 2011-10-17

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I received the phone in about a month's time after my order. I am convinced that it was shipped from outside the US but that's O.K. I'm dealing with it. Now unto my review of the phone:

Pros:

-->You can't go wrong as it has Android 2.2. You get all the features of any other Android phone. This is my first Android phone and I like the O.S. I have an IOS device so in comparrison of O.S. with the IPhone being a 10, a vanilla Android 2.2 phone gets a 6. This is pretty good when compared to above excellence!

-->The TV feature works well and the interface is easy to use

-->The phone is unlocked and the dual SIM features work seemlessly in synergy.

-->Wifi signal is not as strong as my other wireless devices but works well.

-->The phone is relatively light and has as sturdy build.

Cons:

-->The phone's hardware seems to barely meet the O.S. requirements as the phone is frustratingly slow if any additional software is installed. This is perhaps the phone's Achilles Heel as all other cons could have been overlooked.

-->The camera is 2MP and NOT the advertised 3MP.

-->The radio needs a headset to work. The designers of the phone could have used the phone's TV antenna alike other Chinese phones (What a shame!).

-->I was hoping the generic Home/Menu/Back/Search buttons would have had backlights which they don't. I have to guess as to where to press when in dark places.

-->The speaker volume is a bit too low for both loudspeaker and built-in. I use a headset so I got aroung that problem.

-->I didn't get the GPS to work. Maybe I don't know enough about how GPS works, or maybe it's because I'm in Trinidad!

Summary:

Overall the phone is a good buy for the price.

I would advise putting out a little extra to get the "Capacitive screen as this could possible improve user experience and perhaps the camera would really be 3MP.

Dual sim works fine, when you are using sim1 you can not use the sim2. Wifi, bluetooth, GPS are good. All android functions works fine. BUT (always there is a BUT) the touch screen some times doesn't work. You must restart the phone, or lock out it and then try again. It happens one or two times per day (a lot). I can survive with this, but once I can't answer the call...

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El servicio de entrega estuvo a la altura de la empresa que representa, Felicitaciones por la seriedad y responsabilidad que han demostrado.

Continuen así

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i purchase this phone form the 11/28/2012 and i have not received it up until this day 12/26/2012 i mean i want it for the holidays i taught it would have been possible bi i am soooooooooooooooooooooooooo didappointed that until now it still cant arrive i wish i had not made this order:(

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This phone worked for a month befor it broke no on/off functoin bat. removal and reinstall turns it on but no off function and no calls in or out. to bad I was traveling to Singapore when I put my sim card in my spair phone and I called the office to find out theay were trining to call me when I was in Houston and in LAX to tell me the job canaxaled. thousands of dollars wasted on this JUNK Phone.

DOK 4 Port Smart Phone Charger with Alarm, Clock and FM Radio (Black)

Compatible cradle for Smart phones and MP3 players
Holds up to 3 devices while charging in cradles
High Quality Sound System to Play Smart Devices
Surge protection built-in
Time, Alarm, Snooze functions

works excellent, not too big, was just what I was looking for..I would highly recommend buying this...worth the money definately..

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I got this for my husband for his birthday. I think it was a good purchase for the $. Most docks I found (especially when looking in stores) only had one outlet but we have 2 iPhones and a iPad and I wanted to be able to charge them all at once. The dock is mostly square in shape and takes up a little more room that I hoped, but was comparable to the other speaker/dock stations I saw. The clock face is a great size and visible from across the room. The speaker works well. I thought the phones would plug directly into the "docks", but they acutally plug into the apple cords (you provide) and then sit in cradles. You can see the white cord in the photo. Then the back of the dock has space for four plugs and to wrap the cords. Same with the speaker, it plugs to a cord not directly to the dock. Definitely solves the fight over the charger or discovering the your phone didn't charge last night because the hubby swapped it out for his.

I'll mention that I checked various on-line stores for this product and amazon's vendors offered the best price. I waited until it was available through amazon directly because I wanted a better return policy (since it was a gift).

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Perhaps I did not read the online description very well. I'm not sure. Either way, I would avoid this contraption unless you are looking for a large clock that can also hold your electronics in a less messy way. Basically, the device is a clock that has four USB connections (cords not supplied) for you to plug in electronics. I would suggest saving the money and just buy a multi-USB charger for a fraction of the price.

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The unit is great...EXCEPT when the radio alarm goes off, it is on loud and I keep turning it down but when the alarm goes off, it is too loud music. I have great hearing but don't like to be startled awake. It appears this is a problem with the unit as others have same issue. The directions were not helpful. May have to return it if problem is not fixed. I had such high expectations for this. Can anyone help me??!!

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The design of it is nice. It feels like very cheap plastic though. Plus it didn't charge my tablet. I had Asus Prime. That was one of the main reason I got it. So I had sent it back.

Emerson CKD1612 Under-Cabinet Clock Radio - Red

Under Cabinet Radio
Includes Remote Control
Digital, Digital AM/FM Tuner
Additional Functions: Buzzer, Alarm Clock, CD Player, Built-In Digital Clock, AM/FM Radio, Clock
Features Digital Power Meter

In a small kitchen you can run out of counter space very quickly, so under the counter works great. I bought it and have no regrets. It works well, and is easy to use, especially with a remote. I love it. Bt I had to have someone else install it ... I don't do too well with drilling holes. It keeps me company in the kitchen, which is where I hang out. Love it. The color was perfect. Red is hard to find.

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This compact disk player is great , it matches my red appliances in my kitchen . Not very good for radio reception can only get about half of the normal stations i listen to.

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I have to say, I was skeptical ordering this cd/radio because it has been "refurbished". However, the product arrived in normal packaging and works like a charm! I love it! I didn't want to pay $100+ like I saw for other cd/radios and I LOVED that it was red, so I went for it and am SO glad that I did! The only thing I will say (and this is minor), is that when my husband was assembling it, he noticed that he needed to use a screw or 2 from his own stash because since it had been used, all of the screws weren't there. But, that was no biggie for $35 altogether with shipping, I can't complain! Now I can cook & bake for the holidays while dancing in my kitchen! Also, this cd/radio comes with a remote and has great reception with radio stations!

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Don't buy this Under-Cabinet Clock Radio: aerial is inside power cord and may have to be draped all around to get an acceptable radio signal. Clock display is not lit and is not visible until you get within 6" range. Manual advises to install with mounting template which was not included. After a month of contacting supplier, mfgr., and Amazon, mfgr. sent me the template. CD drawer cannot be opened except when CD function is selected. ph

It looks good, but the sound is very poor, I really should have returned it, but once you have it mounted its too much of a pain to take it down again, CD portion works fine but the quality of the radio is pathetic

Datexx Radio Control Wall Clock with Date and Temperature

Exactly what I wanted, expected and received. It has large readable numbers, date, temp and is always the correct time. Love it

Ordered this clock for my elderly father. He loves it. It helps him remember day of week and exact day and month. In fact I went bact and ordered another one of these clocks a little later for his bedroom he liked it so much. It came in a timely manner and exactly and represented.

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I really like this clock until it would change the time and date at intermittent times. Had to send it back!

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Has been working fine for several months. The time read-out is large and very readable. The only complaint I might have would be that the remaining information displayed may be a little harder to read quickly and easily. It would be nice if the screen was a little more "reader friendly".

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I would recommend this clock . It is great . The numbers are big and has the seconds ticking off.The date and temp. are easily visible also.It is modern looking and goes well in just about any room.

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JBL On Time Micro Speaker System for iPod (Aluminum)

Compatibility: iPod mini; iPod nano 1G, 2G, 3G, 4G; iPod classic 3G, 4G, 5G, 5.5G, 6G; iPod touch; iPhone 1G, 3G, 3GS
Charges your iPod or iPhone, even when not connected to the computer or the system is off
Proprietary JBL Phoenix and Ridge speakers provide 2 x 6 Watts of crystal-clear audio
Digital alarm clock with large backlit display, battery backup--wake to AM/FM Radio, iPod, or iPhone
3.5mm auxiliary input for external audio devices

First, the positives. The clock looks good, it has good features, and it sounds good.

Now, there are two major flaws. One, the clock has an irritating, high-pitched humming noise. This shows it has poor quality. It should not make any noise. Two, the sound is too loud. At it's lowest volume, the sound is very loud. I like to sleep with the music on. With this clock, the volume is too loud at it's lowest setting to sleep.

So, since this product is priced as a premium product, it does not offer any value. There are two flaws that you should not have to deal with at this price point.

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I feel bad for docking stars (mostly) based on price, but there is just no way I could give this a perfect rating when the retail tag says $199.99. No, there's nothing overtly wrong with the product, and it does sound extremely good for such a small device, but at that price there are numerous other options. Here's some of the major aspects worth talking about:

ABOUT THE SOUND

Yes, it sounds good. It has a concert-y, live effect that provides lovely acoustics and fills up any room despite its small size. The sound is crisp and emits no distortion, even playing at loud levels. *BUT* no, it isn't worth the price tag. Though the sound is big, it's also bassless and kickless. BOSE products are a splash more expensive, but if you want your music to have any kind of thump, that's the brand I would recommend. The JBL sound is airy and captivating, but not a perfect representation of the music like BOSE can create with the same size speakers. Check out this product: Bose SoundDock Series II Digital Music System for iPod (Black)

ABOUT THE PRICE

Yes, for $200 you could buy yourself decent 7.1 surround sound speakers, so why spend that much on this? Well, size is the big advantage here. It is INCREDIBLY nice to be able to get room-filling music without the mess of wires that comes with surround. No it doesn't sound quite as good, but it is convenient. I'll leave it up to you to decide if it's really worth it or not.

ABOUT THE FEATURES

Comes with an awesome remote that works at long distances, alarm clock, AM and FM radio that picks up stations crystal clear. You can edit the brightness and contrast of the backlight to fit your needs. Works on a plug-in or with 3 AAA batteries. I have no complaints about these features, they are all quite nice, but I will say that if you are strictly operating it on the AC outlet and the electricity should go out, or if you have to unplug it for whatever reason, all memory will be erased. All radio presents, the time, the day, everything gone! I would recommend keeping some batteries in there even if it's plugged in.

One other complaint: I can't swear that it isn't my cord's fault, but when I connect my non-iPod mp3 player to the system, I sometimes get some static-y sounds and have to adjust the plug a bit before it'll play clearly. I haven't noticed a problem with other audio devices, but my audio cord is kinda old so it *could* technically not be JBL's fault.

OVERALL: If size is important to you, and you're willing to spend big bucks on a small speaker system with big sound, I would go ahead and splurge for a BOSE. JBL does an okay job at recreating what BOSE does best, but it's still a ways off from perfection. At a significantly discounted price, I do think this is a good system though. The sound is very impressive not perfect, but extremely impressive. It amazes me that this little gadget can fill up my house like a live concert. I just wish it wasn't so light sounded and could bump with kicks and bass.

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Summary While billed as a "micro", this device isn't that small it is more like a table top clock radio that fits well on a corner table. It sounds better than almost all clock radio's, but not by a mile. For its size, I'd have expected a built in small sized subwoofer so bass is lacking. JBL dropped the ball on this device when it comes to usability an exact opposite of something that Steve Jobs would design and something I'd expect "Coby" to market..

Using this for the last 3 months, I've noted a couple of cons -

1) There are 8 round buttons that look the same making it confusing to determine which one to press.

2)The small buttons are shiny chrome with backlight symbols that are supposed to tell you which one is which. Oh well the shine from the chrome overwhelms the backlight and you can't make out those symbols.

3) The buttons require a firm press and click loudly enough to wake up a light sleeper!

4) The clock display is dot matrix and shows the day of the week instead of the date. We are rarely confused about which day it is but frequently confused about the date. I could not find a way to make the clock display date and I suspect that this is because displaying date requires more sophisticated logic as opposed to just the day.

5) Evening, under CFL lighting, the display auto-dims, but dims so much, that it is almost invisible.

6) Cheesy, easy to lose remote (I've already lost mine). It'd have been useful to have a remote dock on board.

7) Overpriced I might consider this for a clock radio if it was priced in the two digits and the clock could display the date.

Neither a pro nor a con Angled display means that you need to have the device below your eye level. Keep it on a high shelf and you won't be able to read the time.

Pros -

1) Can sound pretty loud with more than room filling sound.

2) Dot matrix display on clock blue and white looks nice.

3) Good as an alarm clock and a place to dock your phone for the night and charge it.

4) Auto backlight control on clock makes it very visible in daylight.

5) Internally, the electronics are quite sophisticated (yes I have opened up mine to check).

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I just received this JBL Alarm Clock today and set it up in my bedroom, where it is intended to be used. Setup was easy and self-explanatory. I did not use the owners manual at all.

The small foot print and extraordinary design was just what I was looking for. I have other JBL devises used as Ipod or Iphone docks and was surprised at all the bad unnecessary reviews.

This Alarm clock was designed for bedroom use, not to be used as a stereo replacement. The sound is exceptional, the dock works great, Alarm clock has many setting for your personal wakeup desires.

The only thing I have no use for is the remote control, which is poorly designed with too many options and hard to read in low light situations. I chose this clock for its design with all the buttons in front instead on top with other devises. This way, if you have to hit the snooze button, just turn and it's right in front of your face. If you need a remote control to do that, loose 150 lbs. and you can do the same. Overall I am glad I purchased this clock radio and would highly recommend it.

Bought for my daughter to replace hers that quit working. System is great but the remote seems to be a joke. Quit working within 2 weeks. It's not just the battery. System is great, remote is just garbage.

Jensen Ipod/Iphone Dock Digital Music System Dual Alarm Clock Radio - Jensen JIMS-70I

I really hate this clock radio. The only thing I like about it is that it does indeed charge my iPhone overnight. The display is far too bright, I have to turn it away from my bed when I sleep otherwise it wakes me up. The alarm is hard to set and turn off. The connection for where you put your iPhone/iPod is really hard to use you have to be really slow and deliberate and accurate about it. I really should have returned it but never got around to it. DON'T BUY!

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Pioneer DEH-P7200HD CD Receiver with HD Radio, OEL Display and iPod Control

AM/FM radio, CD, CD-R/RW, MP3/WMA/AAC, USB, HD radio receiver
4 x 50 Watts maximum power with three 4V RCA preamp outputs
Detachable faceplate with full-motion 16 x 3 OEL display
Front panel auxiliary input and USB; add adapters for iPod control, Bluetooth, SAT radio
One-year warranty

Installed in 1995 Ford F150 XLT Ext. cab w/stock {for now} speakers.

Installation took about an hour, direct replacement of the factory HU. Pretty basic once you get the original HU out.

I've had my P7200HD for about a month now.

The HD sig reception is great and I've had no probs breaking/losing signal. Having the 3 row display is nice for song info, etc.

ipod {I'm using USB2.0 cable} controls are great and ipod can be controlled from HU or ipod, which is nice for passengers.

Audio control gives many options for tailoring personal tastes. I've been able to fine tune to where my factory speakers sound pretty darn good. {Still going to upgrade them though.}

I haven't tested the CD/XM/bluetooth capabilities yet, but I'm confident that they will perform as well as the rest of the system.

On a scale of 1-10 I give the P7200HD a 9.5.

The only improvement that I would have would be a dedicated ipod connection from the rear of the unit.

Would I recommend the P7200HD?

You bet!

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I like this Head Unit and I'd buy it again for what I want in a head unit for all the reasons you can see in the description and other reviews, but be warned it has one major detractor in my opinion.

The Multi Control knob which is basically a volume knob on steroids and can not only twist but can be tilt clicked up down left and right and center is sometimes a pain to operate when driving.

I can't count the times that I have tried to hit the center click which activates the main menu so that I could fine adjust some audio only to accidently hit a directional click (sending me usually not just off song, but to root of directory) instead because of road vibration. It's kinda hard to hit center click consistantly when the car is moving and your driving. You have to look down, make sure your in the center and then hope the next pebble you drive over doesnt jerk you off your tiny target. I'd much prefer a multiple button setup. Also even when you hit the clicks right sometimes if going over a bumpy road you might click with alot more force than you intend to and I'm constantly afraid of breaking the only knob that controls my stereo. Know that I have most of the fine tuning done I try to use the remote to operate it when possible, But I still need to get into the menu occasionally when I drive and it's a pita to do unless I pull over. I drive a Subaru Legacy wagon not a pickup truck so my ride isn't all that rough although streets around here could be better. Why do we need a Multi knob in a non hand held platform. Multi-knobs are great for hand-held, they suck for a moving target.

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This is a great deck with a 3 sets of 4 volt pre-outs, a built in hd-radio tuner, and usb and ipod capabilities. Great deck for functionality. The only two things I would have liked to see are a fold down face to cover the cd entry slot and a second usb port in the rear of the unit to allow a hidden usb connection somewhere in your vehicle. Still beggers can't be choosers and I found through extensive comparison that this product had more of the features that I was looking for the best price. Thank amazon for the lowest price and super saver shipping.

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This head unit is by far one of the best that I've ever owned. I am quite an audiophile and I prefer a fully customizable set up. I own a BMW and have fully amplified interior speakers; this six channel receiver is perfect for my anticipated addition of two 10" sub woofers. I have previously owned other head units including Kenwood, Pioneer, Sony, and JVC (regrettably). The Kenwood was a DVD Touch Screen unit, and this radio's sound quality is far superior.

The sound coming out of this head unit will blow you away. I caution anyone who buys a new head unit to also replace their stock speakers. If you are leery of doing further customization of your vehicle, I would just say that you shouldn't bother buying such an amazing radio--the quality of sound will be lost on you.

The USB input is wonderful because you can hook up a 4Gb stick and listen for hours. I took my car from Cincinnati to Chicago this weekend and never heard a repeat song. Plus my buddy was able to plug in his mp3 player using the aux in input on the front. There is no hassle with adapters or i-pod only cables.

My powered antenna has always had really good reception, but the HD channels sound exactly like listening to a CD or mp3 player. I was really impressed.

The sound quality is good, especially for the price, and that is why this radio gets 3 stars.

I mated this to the Sirius Satellite receiver, and the sound is good, but there is no provision for directly typing in the channel you want, so you will find yourself scrolling through channels or presets while you are trying to drive. The remote is also just a channel up/down button, but no keys.

The USB drive plays songs in alphabetical order. The only way to separate the songs into playlists is to save them to different Windows folders, but the folders play in alphabetical order. For this reason, I find myself using my iPhone to play music through Bluetooth audio.

The menus and settings are not intuitive, and it is difficult to set them up how you want them.

Also, be aware that the color of the display is blue, and there is no way to change that (I didn't take stars off for that, just know that the color is fixed at blue.)

Sony WMFX465 Walkman

Worldwide digital synthesized TV/AM/FM stereo tuner
22 hours extended battery life
Dolby B noise reduction
20-station preset tuning (5 TV/5 AM/10 FM)
Auto reverse tape playback

Having had several other walkmans, I was extremely pleased with all of the features on this particular product. I especially like the more compact size, the extended battery life, and I've found the preset tuning easy to set and simple to use. I enjoy the TV tuning as an added bonus.

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I boought this walkman because at my job I am allowed to listen to music. Jerry Springer and my soaps make the day slip by. This reception is great and all the availble presets make this a great walkman.

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I bought this product for listening to the Today show while I walk in the morning. The reception has been disappointing. I've also found it difficult to set the presets. Otherwise, given that I haven't been able to find any other tv 'walkman' products, this product is adequate.

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As an inexpensive multiband Walkman this unit is quite nice. Its performance is good on FM and TV, but DO NOT buy this if you want a sensitive AM radio. It does OK with local stations, but is not for the AM DX enthusiast. The tuning is nice with an easy choice of next-step or next-channel. The memories are also straightfoward and a nice convenience. The unit came with surprisingly nice headphones.

RCA RC65i Clock Radio with iPhone/iPod Cradle

Clock radio with convenient iPod docking station compatible with most iPods including 3G iPhone
Auto time set for seven different time zones
Dual wake features two different alarm settings for two different users; Wake to iPod, radio or alarm
Graduwake ramp-up alarm makes waking from a deep sleep easier
Audio Line-in lets you connect your device to an input jack so you can sit back and relax
Built in "No Worry" battery backup safeguards against power failures or outages
Charges your iPod or iPhone while docked
SmartSnooze and Graduwake features make for an easy awakening
IPod/iPhone docking audio system with clock radio

The first thing you notice about the unit is the flat front, rather stark but common nowadays in i-docking devices. A slide-away dock is a neat feature if/when you don't need to dock your phone. The second thing that stands out is the drab color scheme. I'm no fan of battleship gray... The aluminum mesh front is fine but the shiny plastic panel on top calls out for a more imaginative color scheme. Maybe an unfair quibble.

I looked at a lot of units before choosing this one. At this price range most were cheap looking or worse cheap-feeling. This unit is quite solid and it works as advertised, all the features I wanted, in a tidy package that doesn't take up too much space on a bedside table. Where things fall apart a little for me is in the human interface. Nothing to make me return it but I wish I had seen/touched one before I bought it.

Pros:

1. Radio and sound quality are good. The rear of the cabinet sports a small bass speaker with a tuned port firing on either side. Volume is fine for a bedside radio and sound is good if not hi-fi.

2. Excellent iPhone (3GS in my case) compatibility. Occasionally the phone gives one of Apples patented "This device is not designed to work with iPhone" messages but I bet it's a connector-mating thing because the two ARE compatible and work as advertised. You can wake to iPhone music, to a buzzer or to radio.

3. The dock accepts Apple Universal adapters. I got an adapter (white sadly) with the case I bought for my iPhone and it makes for a nice trim fit that supports the phone well while docked. Slides away neatly when not in use too.

Cons (No deal breakers but things I feel are less than perfect):

1. The front face is blank of buttons except for 4 curious touch-activated switches top-right that select basic modes: radio, ipod etc. These are a little uncertain in operation but not bad. I imagine they could be troublesome for thicker fingers? Time-set, alarm set, station presets and other less-used controls are behind the flat front on the main body of the unit. Pretty standard stuff. The most often used controls (volume, snooze, tune etc. ) are on the top edge, in fact they ARE the top edge of the unit. They can be hard to tell apart in the dark but sense memory is a wonderful thing. Undocking the iPhone is a little awkward because your natural instinct is to undock the iPhone with a finger as a lever on the top edge just where the large Snooze bar is located.

2. Setting the wake times is easy enough but the nap and sleep modes are counterintuitive to setup and even worse to cancel.

3. The blurb boasts of "auto-timeset" but don't be fooled into thinking of atomic clock signals from Denver or sideband information from a PBS station. Basically they set the clock at the factory and inserted AA batteries to keep it going. When you first plug it in you choose your US timezone and it magically seems to know the time. Remove the batteries however and it's flashing digits like every other clock :-(

4. The clock display has two brightness levels though some may think even the dim setting too bright at night. More troubling for me is the limited viewing angle. Like most displays this one is designed for maximum clarity and contrast when viewed from above. Sadly when lying in bed most people will be either level or below the line of the display, making it harder to read.

So that's it. Not entirely comprehensive but hopefully useful. Regarding price, I think it's very reasonable for the quality of the unit but I would certainly like a more imaginitive color scheme :-)

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good little system, daughter loves it. Sound is much bigger than it looks. Charges ipod while playing and radio automatically sets time(atomically I assume) Easy controls , she loves how the ipod mount pops out when you push it. Not sure if it was worth the walmart $69 pricetag, but a nice little alarm clock and ipod player. Kinda looks like a small executive system. (also has auxillary jack for other mp3 players). RCA---American made and still making good quality products. Daughter just showed me the lights on the top right front( for ipod, radio, functions)are actually buttons you can push, ,,,neat.

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I am more than happy with my purchase of this iPod alarm clock radio. It is just the right size and fits perfectly on my night stand with a ton of extra space.

It is actually smaller in footprint than my previous iHome IH9 iPod Alarm Clock. And I actually like this unit better than that one.

The appearance is very professional with a silver metal and plastic finish on the front with black on the rear. Sound quality is above average for this class of product, although I am not quite sure if it beats the iHome, but it is definitely very close in quality.

I also like how they use touch controls on the front of the unit for: iPod, Radio, AUX, and Off. The AUX input is obviously a huge plus as you can play any media player that has a typical head phone jack on it.

The controls are very simple, to set an alarm only requires one button push (or two or three of same button if you want to be waken up by the iPod or AUX).

The only thing that is somewhat annoying is the fact that the deeper controls are recessed behind the front and kind of hard to figure out if your not looking directly over them.

Other than that I am very happy with my new iPod alarm clock. I got it at a great price and I would definitely recommend it at this price as well as the iHome is nearly $30 more expensive than this one.

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Shopped for a radio/charger for my iphone. The iHome was expensive at stores for over $100. Also it's bulky. I only have a small counter space left for a bathroom radio and this one fits perfectly. Sounds good too. I love that I can now listen to Pandora radio when I'm getting ready in the mornings. I'm glad this isn't my bedroom clock radio because the blue power light which is on even in the off position (blue lights over the input-ex; ipod, radio, aux, off. I have to keep my master bathroom door closed since it's so bright. On the upside, it serves as a nightlight if I have to go to the bathroom. Other than that I love it for my purposes. Price is right!

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This item looks great sleek and well designed appearance. The blue lights are shockingly bright at night, even after they have been dimmed. I also have difficulty making it work with my iPhone sometimes. That said, the dual alarm feature is great and I really like the "nap" option. I'd recommend it, but not if you need absolute darkness to sleep and plan to use your iPhone through it regularly (fine w/ iPod).

AUDIOVOX RC85i RCA Clock/Radio 7inch Display iPod/iPhone

I recieved this clock as a gift. I have been very happy with it. I have not had any problems with it freezing. I use the alarm function every day.I use it to charge my Ipod at night while I listen to music on the radio or ipod. The speaker isn't the greatest, but it's only a little clock radio so I don't expect much. I have hundreds of photos loaded on an SD card that plays as a slide show. I love looking at the photos as I go in and out of the bedroom during the day. It only took about 5 minutes to set up the photos. The Ipod charging station is very cheaply built. Poorly fitting plastic. I feel like I might break the thing every time I place the Ipod on it. My favorite thing about this radio is that it gets great reception. I live in an area with poor radio reception. However, this RCA radio will pull in many radio stations without any static at all. This was the main selling point for me. I compared this radio to a similar Sony radio. The Sony had very poor radio reception.

I really love this clock, so it's a shame I have to give it a bad review. All of the features work as advertised, and the interface is slick and easy to use. But, it has crashed twice since Christmas, both times at night, and one of those times caused me to be late to work. Now I have to use my phone as a "backup" alarm clock, which is silly.

If there were a firmware update that corrects this, I'd give it five stars.

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Nice alarm clock that locks up even while idle in alarm clock mode. Go figure; the most important function is unreliable. The Sony ICF-CL75iP is virtually identical and has the same problem.

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Pioneer Premier AVIC-F90BT

Navigation system with DVD player, LCD monitor, digital player

I've been really on the fence with this system. I love all the selling points of a GPS, MP3, Bluetooth and DVD, but it has some really disappointing downsides.

I go back and forth on whether or not I should take the system back and just have my factory stereo put back in (but who can go back when you've had something like this?). Sometimes I'm so incredibly frustrated and other times, I just simply love this system. I wish I could have researched it more, but I got it when it was brand new so no one had any reviews up. So here's the long of it (and YES I have the most recent firmware update):

-GPS works great expect for the orientation of the screen (if you are going south, the arrow points down... going north, arrow points out can be very disorienting). I love being able to type in an address and have your system not only direct you, but having several options being directed (knowing the speed limit of where you are, approximate time to destination and/or next step, etc).

-DVD function works well too. Technically you have to have the parking brake on to have it work, but its a simple connector issue you can easily bypass. I take a lot of roadtrips with friends and my boyfriend, so I had it bypassed. It is incredibly dangerous to have it bypassed and a lot of places won't even bypass it for you, so use your best judgment.

-MP3, for some reason the place I got this thing installed told me I had to buy a connector to get it to work with an ipod. I thought it would work with the usb/ipod connector I bought at apple, but apparently not. Or they were just trying to rip me off ($75 they said, I said sell it to me for $20 or I was just going to return the whole damn thing completely). I love the MP3 player. It could be more accessible having the controls on the LEFT side of the screen rather than the RIGHT side. Plus, it operates with the standard ipod controls and menus, which are limiting at times. But it shows album cover art and if you have an ipod video, it plays your vids.

-Bluetooth has been touch and go for me lately. At first it totally worked with my LG enV. Tonight it wouldn't connect at all. Not sure if its a phone issue or a unit issue. But the sound is clear, people can hear you well and it saves your contacts. The bad thing is, because its touch screen, your finger might wrongfully choose a contact and before you know it, you are calling the wrong person. Sometimes the hangup glitches and I've experienced a few times where it wouldn't even call even when it was connected. Really annoying. I hope a fireware update fixes these bugs.

Other things...

Since I have a Mazda 3, they had to remove my clock because the double dec got in the way. Well, the lack of clear and readable clocks drives me nuts. I absolutely can't stand how small and unreadable the clock is either when its in audio mode or map mode. HATE IT.

Start up is slow, I have yet to try turning off the VC but I will. Still, 20 seconds even after you fix the default setting? Lame! You have no idea how much you miss your music when getting your journey started. Its a long time!

The touch screen is sometimes really finicky. If there is a bug or a glitch, the system can lag when you touch a button. Or sometimes you have to be really careful with how precise your aim is for a button.

The radio preset is really annoying. Again, why have the buttons on the RIGHT side of the console? So weird and awkward.

I feel like this system would really benefit from a remote controller. My arm is so tired from pressing so many things.

I wish the unit focused more on the audio and even the presentation. Its so bland and boring when its rife with cool possibilities like a screen saver with a clock on it (please... next firmware update have a BIGGER CLOCK accessible!! I'm dying here!). I'm really looking forward to the next update, but I'm worried it won't satisfy its deficiencies. When you spend this much on a fully loaded system, I know it won't be perfect, but some things are just really difficult to deal with. If I can really get the start up time down to 5 seconds, I'll be a really happy camper and just glue a clock to my dash.

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In order for fast boot up, make sure to turn VR CATALOG MODE off in audio options. You don't need this, an its on by default.

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Overall great product: You wont get this much bang for your buck with any other similar head unit. If your willing to wait 30seconds for everything to load then you wont have any regrets.

Bluetooth:

The hands free bluetooth is one of my favorite features. My contact list from my cell phone synced without any problems. You can even have your music play while your talking to someone on the phone and they cannot hear it! You can even make calls without looking at your headunit by issuing voice commands such as "call [persons name here]".

Navigation:

The navigation is pretty decent. It lets you save favorite locations and choose from your GPS history. There is even a feature that can tract where your car has been. The GPS can warn you if your speed. You can download additional information for your maps from sites like POIfriend.com such as speed traps and red light camera locations.

Music interfaces:

You can do everything from AM/FM to HDradio to IPods to Sat. radio. This headunit comes with the ability to control it functions using your voice. You can say things like "play the artist aerosmith" or "play the song poker face" or "play the album the blueprint". You can play movies and music from an SD card. You can even buy an external hard drive and use it via USB to store music and movies.

MSN Direct service:

It works pretty well with the GPS as far as avoiding traffic goes. Sometimes Movie data isn't available but everything else (weather, traffic, gas prices) is always there. I got 3 months free to test out the service. I'm pretty confident I am going to order the subscription.

GUI and Touch screen:

Honestly, the GUI isn't all that great however its one of the best out-of-the-box GUIs for a product in this category (Kenwood's last GUI was ugly....). For example, the time displayed on the GPS map is very hard to read because it is almost the same color as the background. Sometimes when the head unit is multitasking the touch screen response is very slow. Most of these issues can be taken car of via software modifications. I used the site avic411.com.

Regarding slow boot times:

For all those complaining about slow boot times: Always research the product before you buy. I don't mind waiting 30seconds for my navigation and GUI to load. Most people don't realize that this headunit runs Windows CE and has the equivalent computing power as some small laptops and hand-held devices. My reverse camera is visible during the boot process. In addition whatever music I was playing before shutdown starts playing during the boot process. Some of you people are lazy and impatient. Last and most important: turn off the voice recognition catalog feature after you update your ipod. It takes about 2-4 minutes off the boot time (time dependent on size of your IPod library).

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EDIT:

After owning this for a while, touch screen responsiveness has really deteriorated. It's very finicky after the first touch, to the point of being extremely distracting and annoying. And believe me, I've tried everything to improve it, from the recommended screen recalibrations to adjusting settings, to reloading software. I've had the unit sent back to Pioneer and returned to no avail. And it does have the most current software. Another annoying habit this unit has is a tendency to reboot (evidently a vagary of Windows, yes it has a Windows operating system, and a hyper-sensitivity to voltage fluctuations I can almost always count on it happening at least once during a drive. Anyway, at this point, despite my earlier enthusiasm, I have to give this model a thumbs-down which is too bad, since I really loved the feature set and performance (when it did work).

I installed the AVIC-F90BT about 2 months ago and continue to be impressed by its features it has everything I was looking for in an A/V/Nav/Bluetooth, etc. unit.

Direct iPod and USB connectivity (cables included) along with a front-loading SD card slot to serve as yet another music/video source and also readily handle firmware and nav updates (which Pioneer will send to you on an SD besides making them available for download) are plusses. Bluetooth pairing with my Blackberry Curve and use with my iTouch (and my daughter's iPod nano) has been flawless. The unit is readily bypassed (at your own risk) to avoid a parking break warning when trying to watch DVD's, etc. And springing for the "Premier" F90BT vs one of the other F-series Pioneer units gets you another year (for 2 years total) on the factory warranty and beefed-up 4.0 volt pre-outs (for those interested in speaker/amp upgrades as well). And just as it is, the internal amp actually improved sound quality (depth and separation) over the stock head unit (it actually sounds like I upgraded the speakers).

I've also got the unit accessorized with XM and HD radio tuners, and a PAC SWI-PS adapter that allows me to use my steering wheel controls. I'm going to intall a backup camera soon, just because I can. If there's a bell or whistle missing, I haven't realized it yet :-)

And maybe even cooler is how customizable it is. Pioneer provides an AVICFeeds download which allows you to easily manipulate things lke your splash screen or POI's (Points of Interest). And if you're willing to go into its WinCE environment you can change looks and functionality (yes, even a bigger clock!) to your heart's content. There's a very active hacker community already devoted to this and similar Pioneer units (check out ).

Now, with all this said, this unit may not be for everyone. With all of the features involved, coupled with glitches due to its Windows software environment, it can be sometimes frustrating to users. Bad initial impressions are sometimes left with "slow" bootup times (although not really slow considering all of the features being dealt with my bootup time is on the order of 30 seconds), finicky touchscreen (actually much improved if one just goes through the screen calibration procedure), etc. Spending quality time with the unit and the manual (bring your laptop to the car because the huge manual is provided on a CD) does yield dividends.

If you're looking for absolutely state-of-the-art features and customizability, this unit has no peer.

I returned the Kenwood DNX-5120 for this unit, and I am happy that I did. For the price, you can't beat what you get integrated iPod controls (with supplied cord), integrated Bluetooth, and MSN Direct service (when it works, which is usually for me I live in NYC). The sound quality blows away that of the Kenwood it's not even a contest. The voice recognition software is fantastic for iPods, although it sometimes doesn't work with Bluetooth (names only saying "Call 212 555 1212" works every time.) There is an entire website dedicated to this line of producs (www.avic411.com), which gives you millions of different ways to modify the head unit to your liking. It also helps to have tons of users at your disposal when you run into troubleshooting problems.

Of course, there are a few cons. The system takes awhile to start up, depending on the state you leave the car in. For example, if you are listening to the radio when you turn the car off, startup time to audio is less than 7 seconds. With CDs, its about 10. With an iPod, it's about 30. But if you were watching/using the map, it could take up to a minute to fully become functional. A second flaw is the touch screen it is a bit slow and finnicky for my tastes (nowhere near as fast as the Kenwood). However, the wait times and touch screen response times are nowhere near as bad as people think.

As this can be had for less than $600 online, it is truly a fantastic deal. I returned the Kenwood and its Garmin interface because I was actually using the navigation much less than I thought, and the A/V interface was clunky and confusing, at best. The sound quality and ease of use, coupled with a better-than-portrayed navigation system, makes this a no-brainer.

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