Elgin 2-Inch LCD Multifunction Alarm with Smartlite

I needed a battery-powered clock, readable from a distance, in a corner with no outlet nearby. I opted for LCD because of the lower power requirement than LED, but I wanted to read it at night, which required some sort of backlighting like electroluminescence. I found the 2-inch Elgin LCD battery-powered clock on Amazon. It has an alarm, which I didn't need, but also has a toggle switch which enables/disables a light sensor; when enabled, the sensor turns on green backlighting at night (probably EL).

I ordered and received the clock. It functioned well, but the big test would be how often I would have to change the batteries. I used NMH low-discharge rechargeable batteries. I installed the batteries during the last week of September, hoping that I wouldn't have to recharge them more than every 2-3 weeks. It's now mid-February, more than four months later, and I still haven't had to recharge the batteries. This clock fulfilled all of my requirements, and has far exceeded my expectations for battery life. I'm definitely going to order another.

I was hoping to have a clock so the time could be read from a distance of 15 feet. The picture shows a green background & that works if the room is dark. Without the green background, the clock is hard read even from a couple of feet away. There is no way to keep the the green light on all the time the sensor to turn the green background on works only when the room darkens. The numbers are a good size & the clock looks nice wish I could see what time it is.............

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This clock seemed like a great idea. However, when I received it, it was extremely cheaply made. The main issue was that it could not be set. Buttons would stick, the setting display would roll through dates and times and make it impossible to stop it or reset it. Don't recommend this one at all folks.

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I loved so much about this clock before buying it: big numbers; displays date and alarm time simultaneously as clock info; ascending alarm; auto backlight. Plus, after having spent some time with it, I love how dead simple it is to set up. However, after using it for over a week here are some of the issues:

1) Can not read the numbers if your eyes are situated below the reading plane. Yes, if you are seated/lying below this clock you will NOT be able to read anything on its display. Really BAD.

2) Poor side visibility. The viewing angle is something like 70 degrees or so, which is generally ok, however I am used to the old digital clocks where viewing angle was not really an issue (think 80's and 90's red colored number displayed alarm clocks)

3) Washed out lcd during daylight. I had to cover the auto-backlight sensor with some black electrical tape so that the backlight would be on all the time in order to gain the contrast needed to view the lcd numbers during the day time.

4) No way to tilt this. I understand most clocks don't have this, however because this clock can not be seen from below it really needs to have some tilting mechanism so that its display can be angled upward.

I am thinking I may still keep it. I really like the big display, and from what I've found almost all the new led clocks can't be viewed well unless you are directly in line with them, so apparently this clock is not alone in its display problems.

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Just received this clock. It arrived a day earlier than estimated. Easy to set up and works as described. The numerals are large and easy to read. The backlighting is a soft green, but, I find it quite bright at night due to the large clock face. My previous clock had a soft blue backlight which I found to be not too bright. Blue light is also supposed to be more stimulating to the brain so it might be more disturbing. The bright green backlight can accessed by pressing the snooze/light button on the base and it is really bright. The alarm starts out as a single beep/second and increases in steps to a constant series of beeps. I would think that should be enough to wake up most people. I noticed that others had commented about viewing angles. I think this clock is designed for use in the bedroom using a nightstand or similar table that is even with or below the level of the bed. As such, this clock can only be viewed from above a point level with the clock face. The digits start to fade as one drops below the level of the face. Viewing from the sides does not appear to be a problem until one has difficulty seeing the face. The digits are still visible in ambient daytime lighting coming through a draped window. The nightime sensor is on top left, seems pretty sensitive and triggers the low level back light before the room is fully darkened. The sensor can be turned on or off.

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Garmin zumo 660 4.3-Inch Portable GPS Motorcycle Navigator

• 4.3-inch LCD display
• Sunlight-readable, glove-friendly touchscreen display; motorcycle and automotive mount both included. Motorcycle console for trip information, including fuel gauge to warn you when it's time to fill up
• Full coverage mapping for the US, Canada and Puerto Rico
• Lane assist with junction view directs you to the preferred lane while driving, provides realistic images of upcoming junctions
• Built-in travel kit includes features such as picture viewer, world clock, currency and measurement converters and calculator
• Preloaded map data features nearly six million points of interest, including hotels, restaurants, gas stations, ATMs and attractions

I just got back from a 7 day motorcycle trip, so I have enough useage of the Zumo 660 to give a fair review.

-The screen is bright enough to be read under almost all conditions, even when wearing sunglasses on a sunny day. The only time I could not see the screen properly was in direct sunlight with the sun shining straight onto the unit from over my shoulder. This was seldon an issuee. Screen=5 stars.

-The MP3 player was generally good, but lacked an equalizer. This is especially an issue on a motorcycle where wind noise drowns out bass. An equalizer is surely just a software issue, so there is no excuse for it not being on an $800 unit. MP3 player=3 stars

-The mapping software that comes with the unit is generally easy to use, and routes are easily loaded into the Zumo. Mapping software=4 stars

-The automotive mount that comes with it works well. I have used the unit in cars almost as much as on my motorcycle. Automotive mount=5 stars

-Routing, directions, etc. are good. It will occasionally direct you down a goat path, or tell you to go right, then make a u-turn a half mile later. I can only imagine the complexity of writing this software, so I won't ding the score too hard. It is as good as any unit I have used (which isn't that many), but not perfect when the roads are a bit tricky. Routing=4 stars

-Lane assist doesn't seem to do anything. In all the miles I have covered with this unit, it never once told me which lane to be in, and I could have used assistance on more than one occasion. Maybe it only works in certain large cities. As far as I can tell, it is a totally useless feature, if you can even call something that doesn't exist a feature. Lane assist=1 star, zero stars if zero is a legal rating.

-I really like the fact that there are two user-selectable fields that show up on the main map screen. This is one of the features that prompted me to buy this GPS. For example, when I am driving in the mountains, I like to know the elevation, so I can set one to continuously show elevation. All told, there are perhaps 20 different items to choose from, such as speed, time to next turn, arrival time, etc. User-selectable fields=5 stars

-One thing that REALLY annoys me is the fact that cities do not show up on the GPS. You can be rolling down the road, and all of a sudden you are in a town, without even knowing you were approaching one. A GPS is a moving map, and when people look at maps they look for basically two things: roads and cities. How can you not have cities show up? This is truly amazing how Garmin could have made such a basic blunder. Didn't any of the software engineers, technicians, marketing people, etc ever just get in car and try it? Heads need to roll over this. There is no excuse for this kind of defect on an $800 GPS. I have used a $100 el cheapo GPS from Nexstar that shows towns. If you touch the screen, then zoom in or out to just the right zoom level, towns will show up, so with some effort you can find the information, but you should not have to do this. Hopefully this will be corrected with a future firmware upgrade. Lack of Cities=0 stars, even if 0 stars is not allowed.

-I did not use the bluetooth feature, so I cannot comment on any of those features.

-I purchased this through Amazon and, as usual, they did an excellent job.

Overall, I am quite happy with this unit, but Garmin really needs to fix that city problem.

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I have a Zumo 550 and it was with interest that I helped a friend install his Zumo 660. After taking two road trips in the car and working with the 660 I have some comparisons to make to my 550.

Let me predicate my review as it is based on the 660 Firmware update 3.20 that came out towards the end of July of 2009.

1. The 660 doesn't display all street names when browsing the map. I found my friends house using where to? button and it showed the house but none of the street names (including his street name) surrounding his house. The zoom level didn't matter.

2. Won't follow the route you specify in MapSource custom route download. The 660 will recalculate the route you download so there is no guarantee that the route you enter on your computer will be followed by the 660. You have to really get into the habit of using waypoints.

3. Construction of the 660 is like a nuvi. In fact, I think it is a modified nuvi. The USB connection on the 660 can only be accessed by removing the battery cover (which then causes an annoying message to appear that the battery cover is off) There is no tether for the cover, so if you loose it, guess what? All GPS functions are disabled! The 660 only works in GPS mode with the battery cover attached. The screen feels like soft plastic when you touch it. In comparison, the USB connection on the 550 is behind a hinged door, and it doesn't matter if the door is open or closed. So even if you break the door, the 550 still operates as a GPS. The 550's screen feels more like glass to me. In my opinion for fit and finish the 550 is built like a brick house, the 660 not so much.

4. The 660 doesn't come with a 120v charger adapter like the 550 does. Both the 660 and the 550 will recharge with the USB connection but if you are planning a trip with your 660, you have a limited amount of battery power because if you plug in the USB cable to recharge it it enters the USB Mass Storage Mode. The 550 will operate as a GPS plugged into a 12v source (cradle in car or bike) or the 120v adapter (like at home or your hotel room.)

5. The 660 utilizes a micro-sd card. Geeze! have you seen how small these are? About the size of your pinky fingernail. The 550 uses a easy-to-handle standard SD card. The SD card in the 550 can be plugged into your pc's card slot and read like a disk drive. Easy and convenient to do. The micro-sd card is so darn small, and inconvenient to get to, (you have to remove the 660's battery to get to it) it's hardly worth the trouble.

6. Never saw the lane change notice feature. Apparently none of the freeway interchanges we went through were programmed into the 660.

7. Even at maximum volume in the car, the 660's internal speaker was barely audible. This is a serious problem. You have to have all other music in the car off in order to hear the 660 through its internal speaker when using the car mounting. The external speaker in the 550's auto mounting gives you plenty of volume and can be heard over other noises in the car.

8. 660 doesn't have the screen change/flip/page button like the 550. You can toggle between screens by hitting the box button on the side of the 550 repeatedly. I find that a very useful way to navigate around the system. I could not find an equivalent key or process on the 660 to do the same thing.

9. On the 550 touching the turn in xx miles portion of the nav map screen, the unit repeats the last verbal instructions again. I could not find an equivalent key or process on the 660 do do this simple task.

10. It may not matter to you, but the 660 is not integrated to work with XM radio and weather. One of the few things it doesnt support. The 550 will support XM and Weather if you get the GPX 30 antenna receiver and pay the subscription service.

CONCLUSION:

I still feel that after handling both units, the 550 is a true motorcyclists GPS, it does everything I ask of it. The 660 can be, but as stated elsewhere, it got released before all the bugs were worked out of it. It needs work.

It is interesting to me that Garmin is playing the field with the 660, the 550 is still a cataloged product, and is still for sale at most dealers. I don't know if they plan to phase out the 550 if and when more 660's are sold.

I do know that I'm very happy with my 550 for now and will watch Garmin to see what firmware updates they provide to address the shortcomings for the 660.

As of 07-15-2009 Amazon does not have this unit listed for sale as new. There is only one seller of this unit and it is listed as refurbished.

As of 7-31-2009 Amazon has taken this item out of the product catalog. It is not currently available.

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Garmin has released software version 2.80 for the Zumo 660. The update states the issues brought up in the previous reviews and corrects them. Kudos to Garmin for acknowledging the previous shortfalls, and concerns, then addressing them in a software update. It is always good to point out shortfalls to a company that responds, otherwise they don't know if there is anything wrong.

I presently own three Garmin's, a street pilot purchased 4 years ago, a Nuvi purchased 6 months ago, and now the Zumo 660 for my motorcycle. The Zumo is obviously one of the most expensive GPS units a consumer can buy. It is by far the fastest screen updating and most accurate GPS I own. Beats the 6 month old Nuvi by a long shot. I recently drove (haven't mounted the 660 to the bike yet, wanted to test drive the unit) from central NJ to Baltimore. If the Garmin display was the windshield, I could have used only that screen, it is that fast and accurate. The lane assist function takes all thought out of figuring which lane one should be in for the interstate lane crossover. It was as if the 660 took a snapshot of the overhead signage in front of me and had it on the screen. In checking the accuracy of the unit, I found that I was looking too much at the Garmin and not the traffic, because I was amazed at the accuracy of the river crossings, the bridge crossings, the parallel service road vs. the interstate, to see if the Garmin picked up the subtle differences, it did 100%.

I will now use the included software to plan a route with POI and see how well it performs. With the software update, I'll let Garmin if there is any shortfall because I know they'll listen.

So far, I would recommend this unit and am thinking of adding the traffic cable for the next road trip.

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This was my first GPS. MapSource was very confusing to get up and running. You receive a CD with what I assumed was Mapsource but no where on the CD did it say that. It also said that you have to enter a 6 digit code from the CD sleeve which I never found. After emailing Garmin tech support several times, I figured out you actually download the latest MapSource and map as a one time freebee and the 6 digit code is given to you at download time. It was a large 2 gigabyte file. Once downloaded, the software was very good. It updates the GPS with the latest map also. I was able to start creating routes and waypoints very quickly. I planned my entire Arkansas trip within a few hours. The GPS itself is great. Very user friendly. It installed beautifully on my ElectraGlide.

UpdateI went on my Arkansas trip and Custom Routes did not work at all. I talked with Garmin several times before they admitted there was an issue with Custom Routes. Basically, this feature was useless on my trip. I had to resort to taping direction on my windshield. As far as traveling to a city/state or address/city/state, it worked great. I cannot believe Garmin did not field test this unit before putting it on the market.

Update 7/14/09 Garmin released a firmware update (3.10) for the 660. It appears it fixed all the issues with routes. I don't know of any issues I have left. It is a very good unit. One note, the USB ports on both the auto and cycle cradle is not for downloading to the unit. You can only use the USB port inside the battery compartment for interfacting with a PC and MapSource.

I am going on a 10-day motorcycle trip from the Bay Area to Colorado and back. So I decided to get the just released Garmin Zuno 660 to replace my TomTom Easy Rider. I received the unit last week and started using it in my car while I got the wiring done for my 1200GS. The unit is well built, the touch screen very responsive and the user interface easy understand to navigate. I also downloaded the latest mapping software, a free, one-time upgrade offered by Garmin.

Set up was straightforward and downloading the updated North America map was fine, other than the fact that it is a 2.7GB file! I use a Mac and the mapping software for the Mac works well, very similar to the PC version. Creating custom routes on the Mac and downloading it to the Zumo is straight forward. So far so good. I spent the weekend exploring the Zumo, including browsing the map. That was when I noticed that the Zumo does not show any city names, no matter what the zoom level. Not the largest cities, and not the smallest ones; just road names. I called Garmin tech support and they confirmed that the Zumo does not support city names on the maps, saying that you can find cities by doing a search by name if you want to find any city. Garmin could not say when or if this feature will be supported! Unfortunately, I like to look at a mapI I like to see where towns/cities are relative to each other and other points of interest and selecting the appropriate routes. So a map without city/town names is not a map!

Garmin Tech Support pointed out that cities can be located by doing the search function. Unfortunately Portland Oregon or Portland Maine, or Portland anything came back "no matches found"! Small towns like Gypsum CO came back "no matches found".

Finally, I tried creating a custom route, which turned out to be straight forward. I created waypoints on my Mac, downloaded it to the Zumo and created a custom route. Again the Zumo let me down; it was not able to complete the route calculation, just hanging at less than 100% calculated.

I do believe the Zumo has the potential to be a very good motorcycle GPS unit. I also believe Garmin did a disservice by releasing the unit before it is fully baked! Hence the one star. Actually I would give it a zero star rating as this unit is not yet ready for commercial release and review.

05/08/09 Update: Must have been "pilot error" on my part; searching by "Cities" works for Portland or any other city/town, contrary to what I first reported (I have no idea why or what I was doing wrong the first time) . Also, Garmin does now acknowledge a problem with maps not displaying city/town names. According to their tech support, they are working on a fix but do not have a release date.

Creating a custom route on the unit works well except for a quirk: I cannot make the unit compute a route that goes over Tioga Pass Road (I route I am planning for an upcoming trip to Colorado), hanging up while calculating the route and never finishing. Another quirk: the unit will not allow me to add Ely Nevada to a custom route via "Cities", only giving me Ely Twp, MI as the option when typing in Ely. Just happens that Ely NV is also on my planned ride to Colorado.

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Sony Walkman NWZS545BLK 16 GB Video MP3 Player (Black)

• 16 GB capacity for about 4,000 songs
• Up to 42 hours of audio or 6.5 hours of video on a single charge
• 2.4-inch, 262,144-color LCD with 240 x 320 QVGA pixel resolution
• Supports MP3, WMA (DRM), AAC, and Linear PCM audio formats; AVC, MPEG-4, and WMV (DRM) video formats; JPEG image files
• One-year limited warranty; 1 year parts, 90 days labor

When searching for a new mp3 player the trail always leads me back to Sony. Its more about overall quality then brand loyalty. Over the years Sony's Walkman line has gone the distance and more. The all new Sony S Series Walkman adds to the legacy.

The S-545 16gb Walkman brings it on with a crisp, color enhanced 2.4" LCD screen that is easy on the eyes. At 2" x 4" x .4", it comes in a bit larger then its older cousin. A larger body undoubtedly is required to provide support for the external speaker system. The speakers won't get confused with my home system anytime soon but they do provide an excellent source. With headphones on, this mp3 player delivers a cornucopia of sound. Missing but not that noticeable is the noise reduction feature. The on board equalizer can be tweaked to one's own preferences or users can choose one of the six presets.

The Navigation pad located directly under the screen is a breeze to operate. Three controls are located on the right side of the unit. One locks in the controls. The second one allows for easy switching from speaker to headset. Volume is the third control. The standard headphone jack and a USB port can be found on the bottom of the unit. The detachable flip out stand is an okay feature that allows for easy standing on my desk or shelf top. I would have preferred that it was permanently mounted.

The S-545 supports mp3, mp4, AAC, AVC, WMV, WMA, and PCM. PCM is Sony's version of WAV. It pairs well with Napster To Go. Its hit and miss with Rhapsody To Go. Sometimes its a smooth transfer, other times its not. Downloading my playlists from Windows Media Player was a breeze without the usual hiccups associated with older mp3 players.

Amazon video is a new option that is also supported. Video can be synced from my computer as well. I've never been big on downloading video to my player. I did download a couple of photographs on this model. The display was outstanding. Unlike my older Walkman, this model doesn't offer the wallpaper photo display option.

The built in FM tuner picked up all ten of my stations. With auto scanner functionality, thirty preset slots are available. The FM radio is crystal clear when using the headset as an antenna. The alarm and timer features are a nice add on. This model also has an impressive on board microphone located on the bottom of the unit. There are three voice settings. Voice playback quality was excellent. Battery life has always been biggie with Sony. On a full charge, I got almost a full thirty five hours of music.

The Sony Walkman S-545 16gb Mp3 player comes packed with a USB cable, flip stand, ear buds, installed operating manual and the standard one year warranty. Body finishes include; black and red in the 16GB model. Pink and violet are additional choices in the 8GB model.

Economically priced, this latest edition to the Walkman line is a durable and reliable product that delivers. Easy to use and loaded with features, the Sony S-545 is a prime time performer.

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Great sounding and easy to use MP3 I have owned. I have had a Philips GoGear (froze and had to format all the time) a creative Zen (stopped working after 6 months) and a Zune 120 GB (great storage but not the best sounding MP3, plus a little to bulky when jogging). This is the easiest MP3 to use and the sound is great. For people who exercise, especially joggers, this is the perfect size and at 16GB holds quite alot of music. The screen size is only 2.4 but is very clear and once you use the transfer feature that comes with the player is easy to transfer photos and videos.

The speakers won't blow you away, but I got it for when I work outside in the garden and didn't want to haul out my speakers to plug in. Plus, when I am at work I can use it at the lunch table and not be rude when people sit with me and cannot listen to music. They do sound pretty good for the size, just an extra bonus on the player.

Last, a great price for an 16GB

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I bought this to upgrade my current Sony MP3 Walkman which was the previous generation (NWZ-E436)and had probably one of the best sound quality of any mp3 player, much better than the ipod and this player continues that quality. I'd say it's slightly better than the previous generation due to the bass boost. The LED screen is about 0.5" bigger than the E series and also has built in speakers which are decent but fairly weak in volume. The S series is also bigger than the E series as well to accommodate the speakers and the larger LCD screen, but still remain about the same size as a credit card. The one caveat is that the resolution of the LCD display remains at 320x240 which is the same as the E series so visual quality is not improved upon. The menu system is very intuitive and easy to navigate through from watching videos, listening to the radio or mp3, and viewing pictures. Not sure why people would use a device this small to view pictures. Picture quality is good I suppose. Unfortunately, you can't zoom in on photos and the player has problems with large jpg files over 1MB so you'll need to resize photos in order to make it less than 1MB. The software included is the same as the previous generation which I didn't really bother with and most people won't either since it's much easier to use windows explorer and just use cut/copy & paste. In order to delete music you'll still need to hook up to a pc and delete it through windows explorer.

What separates this generation from the previous generation is the bass boost feature which does exactly what it says. Also, you now have the ability to record sound through the built in microphone which has adequate quality if you want to record a lecture. Another great feature added is the ability to record FM radio which only a few mp3 players allow due to copyright issues. The sound/music that you record can be deleted directly from the player without connecting to a computer which is convenient. Another thing I've noticed is that the sound level is a lot louder. On the NWZ-E436 I usually listened at level 21-24, but on this one I usually listen at level 14-19, where the maximum is 30.

Only certain types of videos are supported including mp4 and wmv with support for resolution up to 320x240. There's several free software available over the internet which can convert certain videos or dvd to mp4 or wmv. Not all of them will work. It's too bad Sony didn't include a video converter. Quality of video is adequate but nothing like the Zune HD which can play 1080p video and can connect to your tv. Video playback is smooth without stuttering and sound is excellent as well. When viewing videos in order to fast forward you'll need to press the right wheel or down wheel depending on how your video is oriented. For instance, if you view it vertically then you press the right wheel and conversely if you view it horizontally or panoramic then you'd press the down wheel. The included headphones is fair but I recommend buying a separate one. Make sure to buy an in-ear headphone to isolate sound. An affordable and high quality one is Creative EP-630 or EP-830 which also sounds better than the Klipsch S4 headphones that some review sites are touting over.

Other features include adjustable equalizers, clock, alarm, stand, and timer. The battery life is fairly long depending on how loud you listen and amount of video playback viewed. What's "missing" is wi-fi and internet connection, camera, touchscreen, games, and telephone that some people may be looking for in a one package device. If you want a complete package then get a blackberry, handheld pc, or next generation iphone. If you're looking for a great mp3 player with lots of features then this is probably the best mp3 player under $120. If you just want a great mp3 player for music, radio, and podcasts then get the E series which is cheaper with the same great sound quality.

Update: I've had this player for about a year now and it still works great considering the amount of abuse that it has received from being dropped onto concrete while jogging, placing them in my tight jeans with my keys and sitting on it, and placing them in the bathroom while taking a steamy shower. So far it has stalled only twice when the battery was running really low. I also decided to buy a Zune HD to consider replacing it but I surprisingly found that the sound quality on the Sony was much better even though the Zune costs upwards of $290. I'm thinking of returning the Zune HD but the video for that player is incomparable to any mobile device. I'm debating whether to try the Sony X series which also has the same video quality as the Zune and has even better sound quality but costs $400. Anyways, for anyone still debating whether to get this, if you only want a dedicated mp3 player for radio, music, and podcasts accept no substitute. This is the best period.

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I've stayed away from Sony products for a very long time. After hearing the reviews for this Walkman on the Cnet MP3 Insider podcast, I picked one up the same day. It's hard to beat the price for what you get. Large capacity and a small footprint. The sound quality is great, I love the preset and the custom EQ. If you like deep bass you can adjust it to your liking. One great feature is that you can sort the songs based on the ID3 tag information, but you can also search the file system in case your tags are not proper. I love how you can either use the included software to sync your songs or you can just drop your files onto the device. If you don't like the Sony software you can use MediaMonkey to manage your music. I'm glad they went with internal batteries because it made it possible to make the device much smaller. There are many features packed into this tiny DAP. The internal speakers are a nice touch. I think Sony did a fantastic job on this one.

I had an iPod for the last 5 years, and was fairly happy with it because I was stupid. The build quality of my iPod was good, and their scroll wheel is probably still the best. Every other category gets crushed by Sony's walkman. A major reason that I wanted to switch mp3 players was my hatred for iTunes. I wanted a player where I could just drag albums similar to a USB drive, and it would work. No 3rd party software required. The Sony does this. I can't tell you how nice it is to be able to just move over entire directories of music with one drag. Not only that, but I can copy the music off the player in the same way, unlike all Apple products.

The screen is nice and bright and crisp. No problems there. FM tuner works great. What's really remarkable about this player is 2 very very very key things about mp3 players: battery life and sound quality. Sony really crushes Apple here. My player really does get 42 hours of playback. This is really unbelievable. Sometimes it's just nice to know that you can leave for a weekend trip with your mp3 player charged, and not worry about running out of juice no matter how much you use it. Anyone who enjoys music enjoys hi fidelity in the sound quality. I use earbuds so that I can hear everything at low volume while also blocking out all of the outside world. With these types of headphones, you really hear how much better and fuller the music is on a Sony than an iPod.

So, on top of the fact that this player is about 30% cheaper as well, I will probably only buy Sony's from here on out. Really a great product. A couple of things I don't particularly like though: speakers suck and I'm not too sure why they are even on this unit. Very strange, but this doesn't detract at all from what the device is actually used for. The other downer is the scroll wheel/play button combo. Significantly too small and just not a totally smooth interface. I find it hard to believe that anyone would prefer this over Apple's interface--which is what all of their products are known for: nice interfaces, ok hardware, wrapped in 73 layers of proprietary crap.

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Logic3 i-Station TimeCube for iPhone and iPod (Black)

• Alarm Clock Radio and docking station for recharging of iPhone / iPod
• High performance Speaker System, only 3.75 inches cube
• 4 Watts RMS plus 3.5mm stereo line-in cable for the playing other audio devices
• Choose to wake up to iPod, Radio or Buzzer plus Snooze/ Sleep functions
• FM Radio with 6 memory presets - 3 dimmer levels for display - LED display for Clock and menu functions

I was very hesitant about paying this much for an alarm clock but seeming how it charges my ipods and my iphone 4 thought it would be worth it. This thing picks up stations my home theater system wont pick up and the reoccurring alarm is great i don't have to keep setting it every night before i go to sleep. It charges my nano and plays the music from it but i haven't tried to wake up from just the ipod. The set up can be a little confusing but after sometime i got it down.

Been using it for a couple months now and very happy with it. The display is orange not red like it seems in the pic...

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I bought this TimeCube home today,and set it up in my lounge.

After programming in the time, date, radio stations, etc

The sound was good, both from my Ipod 3G and radio.

I then unplugged it and moved it to my bedroom.

Guess what? This bedside radio had forgotten everything that I had programmed in.

Now you tell me what is the use of a bedside radio which is supposed to wake you up,

then fails to because there was a power outage during a stormy night.

The manufacturer seems to have forgotten the most basic need for a bedside radio,

where is the battery backup in case of a power outage?

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I purchased this clock online two months ago as part of my desperate search to replace a 30 year-old GE alarm clock that had a perfectly lit display. I wanted a digital alarm clock (color did not matter) that did not project like a nightlight into my room. This was the third clock I purchased and the first one that met my criteria. It has three display settings and I use it on the lightest one. It is easy to read in the middle of the night, but does not project light into the room. I thought that maybe the additional date display would project more light, but it does not. Finally, a darkened room!

I have to confess that other than the alarm (wake to radio, which works fine) and docking my iPod, I have not used any of the other functions yet. It was totally worth the $70 to keep my room dark through the night.

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This thing was a real rip-off at $70. From its performance, it should have been more like a $15 item.

What I was looking for was a clock that would (1) serve as a charging stand for my iPhone, (2) be a speaker system for the phone, so I could fall asleep to decent-quality music without taking a lot of space on my night stand, and (3) not blast the room with excessive light all night, which the blue LCD screens inevitably do. I have no use for the radio feature, but there don't seem to be any iPhone-pluggable clocks that don't have a radio.

This "TimeCube" succeeds -barely -in 2 aspects: being a clock, and not being too bright.

But:

(1) Half the time, my iPhone complained that "this product was not designed for iPhone" when I plugged it into the TimeCube. That should have been my warning, and I should have returned it. But I didn't, and over time the iPhone connection became increasingly flaky. It now can't play the iPhone music on the speakers at all anymore, or even charge it. And it's too late to return it.

(2) From the picture, it looks like it has an LED display, but it's actually an LCD; it's just that the backlight is orange. So, on the dimmest setting, it's not too bright, but then it's hard to read in the daytime. Even more of a problem is that the viewing angle is highly restricted -it's readable when I'm laying down in bed, but not if I'm sitting up, or standing anywhere near my nightstand, looking down at it.

(3) The clock-setting process has no intelligence whatsoever -you set the date (year/month/day), but still have to set the day of the week (Mon,Tues,etc.) separately. Even the digital watches I used in the 80's could handle that! And anyways, shouldn't it be able to query the iPhone to get the date & time automatically? For $70?

(4) The buttons are not very intuitive. It's hard to remember how to set the time when there's a power blip.

(5) There's no battery backup for the clock, so you have to re-set the time if there's a power blip.

So the only use this has for me now is as a clock. And actually, I should just unplug it and reconnect my 20-year old clock radio, which has an LED display that's more visible than what this has. And battery backup!

This was a gift for my Daughter she loves it easy to setup and has great sound according to her all in all a great purchase

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Milion D2223 2 Din Detachable 7'' HD Car dvd stereo Radio Player Touch Screen/button *60Days Money b

• 7 Inch Digital 2 DIN Car Stereo Player/NO Bluetooth Function
• DetachableFully Motorized Slide Down Control Panel
• Built-In USB Port/SD Slot
• Compatible Format:AVI/DVD/DVD+R/DVD-R/DVD-RW/VCD/MP3/CD/CD-RW/JPEG
• Effect Compensation: POP ROCK CLASS JAZZ FLAT

The cd player came on time it,just don't have a sub button to cut them on or off but its a good unit thank's and can't wait to get more stuff from you

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Great stereo and is just as described. Works fine and I use it everyday. It aounda great and looks great.

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I wasnt to sure about this radio when i first bought it because of the name brand and no reviews, but after installation and use this radio works great! Great color great picture and great quality! The only thing i dont like is when you have an aux plugged in thats not video and just sound, it just shows a blue screen but besides that this thing is well worth the low price!

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I hve had it for a mnths and it works great easy to install..Nice colors..Great sounds,plays all types of eve..And when u get in the car and u forget the screen inside ..It will b to remind u...

Les comento que compre este radio y a las 2 horas de haberlo instalado se puso la pantalla azul, no funciono mas el dvd, ni el aux, ni el puerto usb, solo apareció la pantalla con 6 estaciones de radio, ni siquiera el menú completo, lo reporte indicando que este radio fue instalado en un taller especializados en MP3 donde instalan y venden todo tipo de equipos de audio y video, porque no es por instalación, el radio esta dañado, para mi mala suerte volverlo a enviar me cuesta mas de lo que pague por traerlo y casi el mismo valor que me devolverían por lo que pague el radio$152 les escribo para que busquen otra opción, este radio es chino y la pantalla cuando la sacas tiene unas vinchas de metal frágil que se doblan y se pueden dañar de sacar la pantalla desmontable cuando se lo requiera, en fin fue una muy mala compra si pudiera calificar no le daría ninguna estrella pero hay que ponerla para que registre el comentario..

Tell them that you buy this radio and 2 hours of installing it got the blue screen, but the dvd did not work, neither the aux or usb port, only the screen appeared with 6 radio stations, not even the full menu, report indicating that the radio was installed in a specialized workshop where installed MP3 and sell all kinds of audio and video, because it is for installation, the radio is damaged, for my bad luck to resend it costs me more than to pay for bringing and almost the same value that I would return it to pay the radio $ 152 I am writing to seek another option, this radius is Chinese and the screen when you get has some headbands brittle metal that bend and can be damaged removing the removable screen when required, in the end it was a very bad buy if you could qualify would not give no stars but must be put to record the comment ..

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Slacker 2 GB Portable Radio with 15 Stations (Black)

• 2 GB Slacker Radio and MP3 player with 15-station capacity. Compatible with Windows XP, SP2 and above (does not work with Vista).
• Built-in Wi-Fi auto-refreshes Slacker Radio stations; music plays whether or not connected
• Plays your existing music collection (MP3, WMA, and AAC)
• 4-inch color LCD displays album art, reviews, artist bios and more
• Removable, rechargeable battery

The Slacker portables bring a new dimension to music listening.

Without the hassle of ripping your own MP3s, the service allows you to create your own customized radio stations and then, by WiFi or USB, load them onto the player for your enjoyment at any time.

Many reviews have discussed the player in depth, so let me address a couple of issues in regards to the older player, the G1, versus the new player, the G2.

The G1 player is obviously bigger, and while one advantage is an easier to read screen, it is a bigger package to carry around.

The G1 player also has not had any further firmware updates since March '08, while the G2 player has had frequent updates. Therefore, some important features such as improved battery life, and better USB connectivity have not (yet) been updated for the G1. Please check the slacker forums if you're thinking about buying a G1 to see if any updates have occurred since this was posted.

The G1 player lacks an equalizer control setting, while this was incorporated into the G2 player. I can't say that the G2's equalizer is worth much, as they don't have any user adjustable settings.

The G2 player has a setting to manage the WiFi settings, whereas this has not (yet) been implemented in the G1 player. This again reflects the lack of any further apparent support for this first generation player.

As the price of the 8Gb G1 player has not dropped substantially (although for a time it was selling for less than from Amazon), the G2 unit appears to be the primary hardware that is receiving support from the company.

The G1 player has had an annoying habit of occasionally having a break in audio at the beginning of a song. This has not been a problem with the G2 units. It is unknown what creates the problem, but there has not been a fix issued for the G1 unit to address this issue.

Remember, if you use the web based player at ..... not all the songs that can be heard on the web player are licensed to be downloaded onto the portable players. The company says that there are they are continually gaining more licensing rights, but it is unclear what percentage of music that you hear on the webplayer can be transferred to the portable player. Even with this limitation, you can create a wide variety of stations and enjoy them on the units.

However, for your money, you will probably find the G2 unit less buggy, and better supported by the company with updates.

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The Slacker Portable Radio is a very usable and enjoyable device. Although I enjoy staying current, I am not usually an "early adopter" of new technology, but the stars were aligned for me on this one and I took the risk. I have not regretted it.

The best thing about the Slacker Portable is the hassle-free way a variety of music is delivered to the player. The whole concept of having music delivered to a portable player "automatically" and in a radio station format without the endless chatter of an actual radio station is appealing. In practice, the Slacker Portable works quite well, with a couple of quirks. I love the large album cover art with artist information and album reviews. Obviously, these things are not useful in the car, but when I am using the player at my desk, they work great. The music selection is good and Slacker gives the user some freedom in programming the stations.

I continue to have some very small problems with the player: music sometimes cuts out briefly at the beginning of tracks & player responds slowly to button pushes, at times. These keep me from rating the device a perfect 5 stars. I remain hopeful that these issues will be addressed, as the previous firmware updates solved some other small problems with my player. Firmware updates could not be easier since they are performed automatically when the player is updated with new music.

The best endorsement I can give is that I would buy another Slacker Portable if I had to do it over.

Read Best Reviews of Slacker 2 GB Portable Radio with 15 Stations (Black) Here

Well, I have had my 8GB 40-station Slacker Portable for almost a month now, and I must agree with "Patent Guy", the Slacker experience is quite amazing! I use my Slacker Portable everyday, especially during my driving commute each day.

I also have Sirius Satellite radio along with the Sirius Stiletto 100 Portable radio, I use both the Slacker and the Stiletto, but they are two different devices and services which complement each other. Also have iPods, but the music selection gets stale on them quickly. Sirius is great obviously for custom content like Howard Stern and Vin Scelsa. The Slacker service is a whole new concept in personalized radio.

I am a Mac guy, so I don't use the Slacker Player for Windows, but the Slacker Portable connected to my Apple Airport Extreme immediately via WiFi at blazing speed with no problem.

Mine came pre-loaded with ten stations of my choice selected from the Slacker Web Player, and I quickly added over twenty more to the Portable. I opted to upgrade my Slacker service to "premium", which allows for much more control of the Slacker experience.

The Slacker Portable unit itself is very sleek, a little cumbersome for my hand, but once you use it for awhile, it's all right. It does fit in a shirt or jacket pocket, I use it in my shirt pocket with ear buds and it works great.

The actual hardware takes some getting used to, and the button placement and design could be better, I keep hitting unintended buttons to perform tasks and it does the opposite of what I want. The large screen is gorgeous and brilliant, and the copious information screens for each song/artist that you can toggle through are great. I wish there was another screen for lyrics for each song, that would be awesome! It has a battery compartment which in theory you can open and replace the battery if needed, not sure if Slacker will offer the option to buy replacement batteries in the future. Other accessories in the works include a home and car dock, not available yet.

I have numerous stations on both the Web Player and the Portable, and the customization level of each station is phenomenal! You can control the amount of "new artists" discovered for each station, and turn off the "DJ" feature (this control is premium service only), This "DJ" feature is annoying to me, as it inserts Slacker promos, DJ comments derived from the radio station's genre, and also paid commercial ads.

That was the main reason I upgraded to the Slacker premium service, to be able to eliminate this "DJ/Promos/Ads" feature is well worth it to me! What's the point of this new "personalized' radio if it contains the same pesky promos, commentary and ads I am trying to avoid from terrestrial radio? Also, the premium service allows you to "Save" almost any song (provided the rights to save that song have been purchased by Slacker). You can "save" songs to the Web Player OR the Portable, sometimes certain songs can be saved to one and not the other, for licensing reasons.

Premium service also allows song requests and unlimited song "skips", which is useful for rapidly bypassing ("banning") songs I don't like to reach songs I can designate as a "favorite" and save. This process applies to each Slacker station. Slacker has tons of pre-configured stations, or you can create your own with just the artists you like, or stations can be shared from other users on the Slacker Forums.

I am amazed at the depth of music and range of great songs I can now access with my customized stations. I am constantly hearing favorite songs I love from all genres that I haven't heard played on any radio platform for years! Of course, I can immediately save these to my Web Player or Portable library to play anytime. The library can be set to "shuffle-play" like a huge playlist.

The killer feature of the Slacker Portable is that the music selection for each station is updated, expanded and refreshed every time you connect via WiFi (auto-connect occurs each time you plug in the AC charger). This is where the "surprise" element comes in, when you play each station again, there is a new roster of songs/artists to discover! Wifi connections also allow the Portable to update its own firmware automatically.

You can also create custom playlists, and "ban" & "favorite" songs or even artists, and if you change your mind and decide you want to hear a previously banned song, you can "un-ban" it via the Software Player.

Overall, for me the Slacker Portable is unique and satisfying experience, I am very pleased with it in general. It has a few quirks to resolve, but these can be addressed with future firmware updates. Slacker tech support is very responsive to user comments and suggestions.

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I love my Slacker Portable. Downloading songs to my other mp3 player is such a hassle that I never use it. I listen to my Slacker Portable all the time! With the Slacker Portable, it is just like listening to my favorite radio station, but without the annoying commercials and DJ breaks. Nothing but music. Because of music licensing issues, the mix of songs played on the Portable is slightly different than those played on Slacker Radio streamed through the Internet. If you like listening to Slacker Radio, you will enjoy listening to the Portable.

The music on the Portable is refreshed from www.Slacker.com by either a USB connection or a WiFi connection. My USB connection does not work, yet, but the WiFi connection is great. I can even refresh my music when I am eating at a restaurant that has free WiFi!

I have the 8GB version and I can listen for days (I listen about 16 hours a day) without having to refresh. I haven't run the battery down, but I often listen for over 4 hours at a time on the battery. And that is using the display a lot to check out the artist and album information, which is pretty much the same as on the Slacker Internet radio player when streaming music. I connect my Portable to my stereo and to my car radio through a headphone amp and the sound is good.

Slacker is a startup company and the Portable was just released in February 2008. There are some problems with the first units being shipped. They have released one firmware update and are working on another to be coming soon. The current features are limited and they do not all work. I love my Slacker Portable, imperfections and all, and I am sure it will only get better as the problems are resolved.

If you do not mind being an early adopter and feel comfortable using something that is a work in progress, then by all means get one. But, if you just want something that works flawlessly the first time and every time, then you would be better off waiting until all the bugs are worked out.

Related products:

Slacker Portable 40 Station WiFi Radio Player

Slacker Portable 25 Station WiFi Radio Player

Slacker Portable 15 Station WiFi Radio Player

I think this is the best gadget out there right now. Reason is I have an iTouch which is great if you want to listen to the same songs over and over. I also love Sirius, but can only get in my car when I am home. Issue is I travel on planes a ton, and want to listen to new music (vs same old songs).

This is a great idea, because you load what 'channels' you like (can even create your own) and it loads fresh songs (via wi-fi or USB) when you are connected automatically. It so cool because they are artists I like and it's alway new music (vs my iTouch which has same old songs). Oh the best part, the songs are free.

I can't believe this is not more popular--I am buying as gifts for family and friends to spread the word. I bought 25 channel version, 15 is the most one will ever need, so moving forward I will just purchase that model as gifts.

Funny, because in my backpack traveling weekly, this has replaced my iPod (still good for movies). So now I have Bose headets and Slacker for hours and hours of fresh music. Can use on one charge for 6 hour round trip flights.

Must have for those that travel or those on the go...get one, you won't regret it!

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EQUITY 30037 1.8" Large Digital LED Alarm Clock

• 1.8" jumbo LED display
• Repeat Snooze Alarm function
• PM & Alarm indicators
• AC powered
• Battery backup requires one 9V battery

Exeptionally readable digits, easily seen across the room even with poor eyesight. Gigantic snooze button that can't be confused with another button. Two-position display brightness: very bright or moderately dim. The perfect alarm clock. WARNING: I am referring to Equity's previous model 30037 that had better controls, including a dimmer switch; it used a 9V backup battery. The current model 30037 has poorer controls and no dimmer switch; it uses a 1.5V backup battery.

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Easy to read clock, well made (plastic but it does not feel cheap) and shows the time in big red numbers that you can see at night. Perfect if this is what you are looking for.

Read Best Reviews of EQUITY 30037 1.8" Large Digital LED Alarm Clock Here

the features I like are 1. huge and bright display viewable from distance; 2. use of AC saves the trouble of battery change. the accuracy of time is OK, may need to adjust (1 min) every month or two if you want to it really precise.

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The large red numbers were the main reason that I bought this clock, an Equity by La Crosse Model 30037 alarm clock (1.5v AA backup) from CVS and found out that the number on the far right would not display properly. The bottom of the number would not light up. How could they let this out of the factory? When you buy something online, returning a defective product is a lot of work, and with a total cost of less than twentyone dollars, returning this online item is barely worth the effort. If you buy this item, buy it in a brick-and-mortar store so that you can easily exchange it for another one that hopefully will work properly. Supporting your local stores is the best idea anyway. I only buy small items online that the local stores don't carry, or if the price difference between them is too great to ignore, like on printer ink. Buy a large screen tv online? Forget it. Can you imagine the work involved in trying to return or exchange it? No way.

EQUITY 30037 1.8" Large Digital LED Alarm Clock

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I got this clock for my mom, and so far it works great. The numbers are large and wide, and it is easy to set or reset the time, and to set the alarm. This is like mom's old clock, which is why I got it. If it lasts as long, I will be happy. I would recommend this product.

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Advance Quartz Analog Clock

• Lighted dial with luminous hands
• Large snooze/light bar
• Ascending alarm
• Uses 1 AA battery (not included)

Size, style, features, etc., all are fine EXCEPT I can't see it in the dark. It needs phosphorescent hands, which it does have. If I could see it, I'd give it 5-stars.

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The "fully lit dial" does not illuminate the hands. The hands are painted to look like they glow in the dark, but they do not. As a result you will not be able to read the time during the night unless you pick up the clock, get it close to your face, and press the "light" button several times, tilting the face back and forth to try to make out the time. You are now fully awake.

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I just bought this clock. The listing says Quartz Analog Clock by Timex, but it is not by Timex. The clock face says "Advance" and the manufacturer is some small company you never heard of. I'm going to keep the clock --it seems to work, it has the features I want --but it has a cheap feel to it that I would not expect from a Timex clock.

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I love this clock. It tilts back for easier viewing, lights up when touching the snooze button and has the ascending alarm. A nice simple little device. It also looks good. Not real high end but good enough for "Design on a Dime"

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I bought this clock because I was tired of the light from other alarm clocks (expecially digital) being much too bright at night for my personal preference. The hands on my clock do glow in the dark. The backlighting is really bright when activated in a dark room -I would have no trouble seeing the hands even if they didn't glow. The ascending alarm and snooze works as well as other more expensive alarm clocks. In an increasing complex world, I bought this clock because of its simplicity. I am very pleased with it.

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Alpine IDAX303 / iDA-X303 / iDA-X303 Digital Media Receiver

• Digital media receiver (no built-in CD player)
• Built-in amplifier (16 watts RMS/50 peak x 4 channels)
• Plays MP3, WMA, and AAC music files from external sources
• 2.2 3-color LCD display
• Detachable face

I have an iPhone 3G connected to my brand new Alpine iDA-X303 via the USB cable that comes in the box. Occassionally when I am on the road listening to music, the iDA-X303's audio cuts out for a 1/2 second or so randomly. Sometimes it won't happen for over an hour or two, sometimes it happens 3-4 times in 10 minutes. It is driving me absolutely insane and I am about ready to return my new stereo as a result.

I was hoping someone here would have some insights into why this unit is doing this. I did some research online and find others with the same problem (with the X200, X100, X001, etc.), which to me points to a flaw with the iDA series of stereos. Stereos from other companies like Pioneer that use a similar USB connection do not appear to have this issue as far as I can tell.

This really ticks me off since it appears that the issue has been happening for quite awhile, but Alpine continues to advertise the new iDA stereos are Made for iPhone certified. I do not know how this can be if an iPhone 3G has the audio cut out randomly on multiple generations of these units.

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this is another great receiver from alpine. I would have gone with the X305 but i live in a frozen environment and didnt want the LED screen to freeze on me. highly impressed with the unit all in all

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its hard to fugure out but i like the ipod connector and how you controle your ipod from the head unit and not have to use your ipod to change the song.

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Was looking for a stereo to replace the stock one in my '96 Mustang. Wanted iphone/ipod capability and wasn't worried about having a cd player. This worked out really well. I installed it myself (small challenge as I'm not very technical), but once I read the instructions, it was pretty easy. One thing I've seen on Amazon is that it says most buy the ipod cord with it. It actually comes with the cord and a fairly long extension, so I wouldn't buy the extra cord unless you're sure you need it. As to the quality, it's definitely up to Alpine's standard. Playback through both the radio and my iphone sounds great and I've been using the Pandora app and it sounds great as well. Plenty loud, plenty of bass (It's running through the factory amp on the Mustang), and great clarity. Definitely recommend.

Was looking for a unit that could work well with iPhone and made a stop on this item. I'm a long time fan of Alpine products. And I love this iDA-X303 unit! Easy to control. Spaceship looks. Great sound! I would recommend this product to anyone! Thank you Amazon for a great price and a quick delivery.

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SANGEAN WR-11 AM/FM Table Top Radio

• Wooden Cabinet
• Veneer Tuning
• Led Tuning Indicator
• Extrordinary Sound
• External Am/Fm Ant Sel Switch

In my small kitchen, I have only a tiny space for a radio between one cabinet and a microwave oven, and I wanted to find the best sound I could reasonably afford to put there. I also wanted to avoid anything powered by a "vampire" wall-wart transformer; when I turn off the radio, I want it to stop drawing any power. The Sangean WR-11 fills both those needs admirably.

When I first plugged it in, I tuned it to a local traditional-jazz station (WBGO-FM) playing a Brubeck quartet, and I was amazed by how much integrity its little speaker gave the sound of a plucked upright bass! Some had complained about this radio's predecessor, the WR-1, that its bass was too boomy. I don't find any evidence of that at all with the WR-11, except on the one or two FM rock stations that really do a sloppy job of boosting the bass in their equalization; and even in those cases, the WR-11 never really loses control of the sound.

As I primarily use this radio as a receiver for my own home FM transmitter (broadcasting whatever audio stream or MP3 that my computer is playing) these stations aren't much of an issue for me, nor is the fairly pedestrian AM section. On both FM and AM, reception and selectivity are strong, and the tuning dial (with a tuning "eye" LED) is both pleasant to use and accurate in feel.

The only drawback this radio has displayed so far (and the only reason I gave it four stars instead of five, after about half a day's use) is a range on the lower end of the volume control where it seems unable to stick at a particular volume, slipping randomly up and down a bit in volume even though I'm not touching the knob. If I were using this radio in a bedroom, I might be concerned about this -but in the relatively noisy environs of the kitchen, I'm not likely to have the volume knob in this particular position often.

All in all, at $100, this radio is every bit a match for the Tivoli Model One in a slightly shorter package. At $50 (what I paid for it) it's an absolute steal.

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I bought this radio for my 84 year old understandably technophobic Mother. Simplicity was the order of the day. Old fashioned knobs and station indicator fit the bill perfectly. The receiver section is pretty good. My Mother lives in a rural area where most major markets are 60+ miles away. FM stations from as far away as 35-45 miles pulled in with simple wire antenna that is include and all of the AM stations that were tradionally available in her area were received with good quality.

Speaking for myself, the audio has too much bass. Combine that with the absence of a simple tone knob to allow the user to change the bass/treble balance leaves me scratching my head and wondering what the people of Sangean were thinking when they decided a tone knob wasn't necessary. I might be tempted to plug the bass port on the back of the radio with something to see if that cuts down the amount of bass output if I had bought it for myself. It's not for critical music listening but isn't bad for background music and listening to the news.

But it made my Mom happy to have a radio that she knows how to use. And the audio quality deficiency doesn't bother her. When she was a kid audio quality from electronics was crappy. For this purchase, the 3 star rating reflects my Mother's positive comments minus my critical remarks about audio quality.

Surely they can find a spot for a tone knob.

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I was unable to purchase a simple table top radio without attachments such as a CD player or Ipod docking station in any of our local stores, even the large chain ones. I found just what I was looking for at Amazon.com; ordered it quickly and easily; it arrived safely in the time specified; and I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE it! It was meant to be a kitchen counter radio but due to its good looks it has a place of honor in the living room. My favorite am station has a clarity I have never been able to achieve on any other radio. Thank you I love my new Sangean table top radio!

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It took me a full week to talk myself into paying $85 for a simple AM/FM table radio. After all the research, I'm glad I did it. It is worth the money spent.

I was looking for a radio for my office after yet another of those cheap clock radios died. I was sick of the tinny sounding, fading in and out, scratchy volume control, throw-away nature of the two or three radios I've had in my office. I decided I wanted to look for a quality sounding radio that would hold a station solidly that I wouldn't have to replace in a couple of years.

Enter the Sangean WR-11

It fits the bill. The three stations I tend to tune in while working at my office come in clear as a bell and do not fade. The sound quality is such that I can turn the volume down much lower than with the other radios and still hear it perfectly (a pleasant surprise.) I recommend this whole heartedly for an office radio.

Pros-

-Nice looking retro enclosure. I thought the wood-grain might look cheap but it is actually quite nice.

-Very smooth tuning. Easy to fine-tune a station.

-Good sound.

-Very functional external FM antenna greatly improving reception.

-Nice size. Not too big, not too small. A clock sits nicely on top completing the office desk setting.

Cons-

-It would be nice to have a tone control so you can adjust the bass a bit. Not a big deal really as the sound is superb.

-I would prefer to have a power button instead of an "off/FM/AM" selector. Sometimes I hit the volume control when I'm trying to turn the radio on or off. Very trivial criticism but there is plenty of real estate for such a feature. Again not a big deal at all.

The only reason this review got four stars instead of five is that I left the "dependability" rating blank because I haven't had the radio long enough to honestly evaluate that. I didn't realize that would knock the overall rating down. So be it. It is a five star radio as far as I'm concerned.

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I purchased this radio for my 89 year old mom who has physical limitations, including challenged vision, and who can't tolerate new technology. She had inspected many radios, sold locally, and refused to give any of them a try. They were "plastic, cheap, contraptions." So you can understand my apprehension, purchasing this one for her, sight unseen. When I delivered the radio, she watched apprehensively, as I pulled it from the box. Then with closer inspection, it was love-at-first-site. She literally caressed the walnut cabinet commenting, "This looks like an old-timey, radio---just what I wanted."

Simply put, this solidly built little radio has timeless elegance, coupled with ultimate simplicity and I found it outperformed any table-top radio I have ever had. The sound is clear and rich and once tuned to a channel, there is no annoying channel drift, or static. I was amazed at how the sound filled the room, from such a small package. There is a tuning light that indicates when you have the best reception in your area, for a particular channel. FM sounds awesome, and I found no problems with weak AM reception, or not picking up channels.

My mom has always had a radio at her bedside, to lull her to sleep. With only three knobs controlling operation she commented, "I can actually reach over and operate it in the dark." If you knew my mom, you'd know why I'm celebrating my victory. She's been around the block a few times and is tough to please! She demands quality!

I'm so fond of this radio that I'm considering ordering one for myself. It is attractive enough to make a nice addition to any room and I'm sure that many visitors would want to know 'where'd you get that,' since it's increasingly hard to find quality workmanship these days.

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iHome iD37GZC 30-Pin iPod/iPhone/iPad Alarm Clock Speaker Dock

• Wake or sleep to iPad, iPhone, iPod, custom playlist or FM radio to start or end your day just the way you want it to sound
• App friendly so it works with free iHome+Sleep app or paid iHome+Radio internet radio app
• Adjustable EQ bass, treble, and balance controls to let you customize your sound
• Flexible dock needs no inserts and fits iPad, iPhone and docking iPod models in cases
• Dual alarm with weekday/weekend/custom alarm settings let you wake to iPad, iPhone, iPod, FM Radio or buzzer
• Gradual Wake and Gradual Sleep function gently increases/decreases alarm/sleep volume
• Also features remote control, line-in jack, battery backup, preset clock, and 6 FM preset
• Programmable snooze time lets you sleep in a little or a lot with snooze time between 1 and 29 minute
• Charges iPhone 5 via auxiliary USB port (cable not included)

I am a huge iHome fan and have been buying their products for years. In fact, whenever it comes time for me to replace or buy an iPod dock in my home, I look for an iHome.

On my nightstand I currently have/had the iHome iH80 Speaker System for iPod (Black) . I bought it on February 28, 2008 when it was a Deal of the Day. To this day it looks and works like it is brand new! In my bathroom I currently have the iHome iH22SV Alarm Clock Speaker System for iPod . I wanted both docks to charge. I loved that the one in my bedroom had a remote and not necessarily a lighted clock. Sometimes lights are too bright. The bathroom iHome I have only had for a few months and wanted it to be small and with a lighted clock. I need to know what time it is as I get ready. The one in the bathroom even though it is small, the sound is tinny and the time is always off a few minutes. I have reset the time but somehow it always ends a few minutes behind again.

In comes the iHome iD37. I decided to replace my nightstand iHome with the new unit. The iD37 has a small footprint and leaves a lot more space on my nightstand. Comparing it to the iH80, I love that the unit is smaller and easier to reach. I took pictures and added them to the gallery so you could see the unit with both other iHomes I own. I placed my newest generation iPod touch on the unit and just hit the `time synch' button and boom, it displayed the time that the iPod has! No more hitting buttons for endless minutes if the power goes out. Plus, it comes with a back up battery in case the battery does go out. The equalizer is a nice touch but I use the one built into the iPod. I love that I can turn the bass, treble, or balance, up/down or left/right. The unit also comes with a remote which my iH80 had and has a similar layout. I owned my other remote for over 3 years and it never died on me and I used it every night. I also read in another review the remote comes with an extra battery. Mine came with only one, it is in a separate bag though so you can place it into the remote once you open the box, no corrosion then. I was fearful that the dimmer/lighted clock might be too bright. My iH22 has only 3 light settings and at it highest I use it as a night light in my bathroom. This one has 8 settings, 7 going from high to low and the 8th is off completely. I love that! I do not have to be blinded with a light on my night stand.

Sound wise I don't know how they got so much sound in such a small unit. I expected since it was about the same size of my iH22 the sound might be similar. However, the sound is INCREDIBLE!! It is rich and fills the room! It amazes me that it is coming from such a small device. Another thing that fit the bill for me is the USB port on the side. I charge my phone on a bookcase across the bedroom and like to sleep with my cell phone on my night stand. This solves that! I used a USB cable with a micro USB and it can stay on my night stand now and I can charge it if need be. That is a wonderful feature to have! I have tested this unit on the first generation iPod and the latest and both play flawlessly.

I could not be happier with the dock. If I were to tell iHome all the features I wanted in a unit, they just built it! Please look at the photo gallery to get an idea on the size of the unit compare to other iHome models. I would not pass this one up if it has all the features you are looking for.

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I've been trying different alarm clocks to try and find one that fit all my criteria and it looks like I've accomplished my goal. Here are the reasons I like this clock.

Pros:

1. Display is big enough to read when I make up in the middle of the night. Numerals are about an inch tall LCD, black on a white background.

2. Display has 7 settings. Just click through the settings until you find the brightness that's right for you to sleep with. The final setting turns the display off completely (it re-lights when the alarm goes off).

3. Alarm is easy to set and can be setup for 7, 5, or 2 day. Can set 2 alarms.

4. Time auto synchs. DST is set with a switch in the back.

5. Can use buzzer, playlist (requires a specific playlist name through iTunes to work),iPod/iTouch/iPhone, or radio.

6. Can preset up to 6 radio stations.

7. Controls are easy to access and use. Setup instructions are clear and easy to follow.

8. Comes with 2 AA battery backup. Will warn you when these batteries need to be changed.

9. Charges iPod/iTouch/iPhone while attached. Also has a USB port to charge a separate device (may not work on specific devices).

10. Can play an older device through the 3.5mm Aux connection (e.g. iPod Shuffle).

11. Has a remote control that actually comes with an extra battery. I've never seen that before.

12. Small footprint on my nightstand.

Cons:

1. Can't set a custom alarm (e.g. Tuesdays and Thursdays only). Minor nit but worth mentioning.

2. Has a brick type power cord.

Overall this clock is highly recommended. The speakers sound surprisingly good for such a small device. Has an equalizer so you can tweak the sound to your liking. Fairly basic changes but it's really kind of an icing on the cake type feature. No more clock hunting for me!

Read Best Reviews of iHome iD37GZC 30-Pin iPod/iPhone/iPad Alarm Clock Speaker Dock Here

otterbox case for iphone 4 and original ipad works with this alarm clock! no adaptors needeed! can i finally hear an amen?!!!

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The sound quality of the machine is awesome! It holds the ipod and iphone perfectly on the, the ipad when connected must be kept away from anything that can knock into it as it will cause the docking station to flip. The only other issue we had was that it doesnt have am radio which we listened to in the morning before work. It also has usb ports to charge other media like my kindle. Other than that it was a great purchase and I am happy with it.

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First the bad: if you are using an iPad, make sure you add the extra dock padding. The connector is slightly raised, and if you don't use the dock pad, you will find that your iPad will be unstable. If the unit is suddenly moved or something hits the unit awkwardly, your connector and iPad jack is at risk for damage.

Otherwise, I'm quite pleased with this unit. There are quite a few buttons to learn how to use, and the unit has a rechargeable battery system that is very useful for when you lose power or the (unwieldy) power supply unit is not plugged into an outlet. The supplementary USB jack is very useful. I can use/charge my Apple products and my Android phone, or another USB gadget at the same time.

The radio does have a separate, thin wired antenna. I simply wrapped it around the power cord so that it wouldn't get accidentally eaten by a cat.

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