XtremeMac IPD-LUN-00 Luna Alarm Clock Audio System with iPod Dock (Black/Silver)

• Outstanding audio from two full-range speakers and powerful two-channel amplifier
• Two alarms with independent source and volume controls; gradually increasing and decreasing volume options for wake and sleep
• AM/FM stereo with 4 programmable presets
• AUX-IN for connecting other audio devices, including iPod shuffle
• Compatibility: iPod nano (1G and 2G), iPod mini, 4G iPod with click wheel, iPod Color, iPod Video

The FM radio reception has been this device's Achilles heel and has been well-documented in reviews and complaints. The company recently fixed this with the release of their newer builds (unfortunately, you cannot upgrade firmware on the original Luna's). The new ones are firmware 2.12U (original are v2.02). . The only problem is, xtrememac didnt change the packaging up on the new ones and only way to tell is to plug it in and see what firmware it displays on-screen. I dont know if Amazon is selling the old one with terrible FM reception or the fixed versions with 2.12U. Anyone who would be kind of enough to post this info, it would be greatly appreciated. I will buy one but only if the fixed models. I like my FM reception clear.

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Amazon is now shipping the updated 2.12U version of the Luna with the improved radio reception. The improved reception is so-so at best. If radio reception is important to you, I would buy something else. The alarm clock has 4 chrome buttons on top. Each one acts a bit like the click wheel on the ipod. You press it down to access a menu, and then spin the dial. To give you an idea how simple it is to use, the radio doesn't even come with a manual. It comes with a paper overlay that you put over the top of the radio telling you what the buttons do. After a couple of days it is very intuitive.

The display is very good. You can adjust both the brightness and contrast. You can spin the front-right button to adjust the brightness from completely dark to very bright. The display shows the date, the current time, and what time the alarms are set for. To turn one of the two alarms on/off, you press the back button for that alarm. When the alarm goes off in the morning it gradually increases the volume to whatever level you set using the configuration menu. The wake volume is set separately from your listening volume. This means you can go to sleep listening quietly and wake to a radio that gets gradually louder and LOUDER. Nice!

But how does it sound, you ask? It sounds fantastic for such a small unit. Much better then the iHome; I have both. Even at the lowest volume setting there is no hiss or amplifier noise making it good choice for near field listening.

The Luna takes up just the right amount of space on the nightstand. The only thing missing to make it perfect would be better radio reception. This is easily the best ipod alarm clock radio on the market. It looks beautiful and is easy to use.

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My wife and I had been looking for something that would allow us to listen to the ipod in our bedroom. The ideal choice was to replace our alarm clock. After much research I decided on the Xtrememac Luna. Several reviews of this system stated poor or average AM/FM reception. That is something I'll probably never find out as I have never listened to AM/FM on any alarm clock radio I have ever owned.

With that said let me get to my preliminary observations. Out of the box the unit is very sleek looking with its rounded corners and its four knobs/controls on the top of the unit. Whether or not there is suppose to be any manual mine did not come with one. But, there is a placard (to be removed) that gives a brief description of functions for each of the four buttons. After powering the unit up I found it to be very easy to navigate all menus and to set the clock, alarms, etc. Now on to a few of the features I like. First, I like having the day, date, time, and alarm time displayed at the same time, though I believe you can customized this to your liking. You can alternate the contrast and brightness of the display and also switch it from dark background with lighted numbers to light background with dark numbers. With the lights out in the room I found the screen to be a little to bright, but with a quick spin of the front right knob you can instantly adjust the brightness. To me one of the cooler features is the alarm settings. You can set it to beep, buzz, ring, or play the ipod or radio. The alarm feature I have come to love is you can set it to gradually get louder over a given period of time. As far as audio quality I am very pleased. It has, to me, the best sound of all the clock radio/ipod players I've tried. A feature I didn't think I'd use but have begun to enjoy is the remote. I keep mine in the bathroom so in the mornings I can switch songs according to what mood I'm in. One negative on the remote is (maybe I'm blind) I don't see a volume control button on the crazy thing.

Anyway, if your looking for an excellent alarm clock/ipod player I would recommend you give this one a try.

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Based on the good reviews I purchased a Luna clock radio with my new 160GB iPod Classic. My first impressions were good. The Luna is nicely designed, with a large bright clock display, and very easy-to-use menu system for setting the alarms, and controlling the iPod.

Unfortunately, even with the latest 2.12U Luna firmware, and the latest iPod Classic firmware, the Luna is unable to wake the iPod Classic from deep sleep (overnight) to play the alarm. (It had no problem with my older 5G 60GB iPod.) A call and an email to XtremeMac tech support were unable to resolve the issue, only noting that my problem had been forwarded to their technical team.

In the end, I returned the Luna, and took a gamble on the brand new Sony ICF-C1iP iPod clock radio. What a difference! The Sony works perfectly with my iPod Classic, and even includes instructions for using it with the iPhone. Sound from the Sony is much better quality than the Luna, with full bass and even midtones. And the radio reception is no comparison even with the 2.12U firmware, the Luna's radio is pretty poor.

As a nice touch, Sony includes a remote that completely controls the iPod menus as if you were using the click wheel. And, the Sony unit sits behind and supports the iPod with an adjustable rest, which in my opinion is a much better design. And, the Sony is $20 cheaper.

As an iPod alarm clock, the Luna is great. The only thing missing is the ability to wake to a certain playlist, though I don't know of ANY iPod alarm clock that has that capability.

Pros:

-Adjustable dimmer from completely black to blinding.

-Inverted white-on-black display is easier on the eyes

-Design is top notch

-Scroll wheels offer a good way to navigate the menu system

-Presets for radio stations

-Two completely separate alarms with customizable alarm sources (iPod, Radio, Buzzer)

-Audio fade in/out for alarms/sleep.

Cons:

-FM antenna is weak (I attached mine backwards with the loop around the pin just to get it to sound decent).

-Scroll wheels are sometimes slow to respond/not-precise

-Minimum audio level for alarm is 5, which can be a bit loud for the iPod.

Overall, I am very happy with this iPod alarm clock. After researching all the options at the time (Dec. 2006), it had the best design, best feature set, and best fit for my expectations for the money.

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Lenmar R2G802U R2G 2 Hour Charger Includes USB Output and Alarm Clock with 4 R2G 2150mAh NI-MH for A

• Includes Ready-2-Go, Four AA 2150mAh Rechargeable Cells
• 2-Hour Charger with Built-in USB PowerPort, Charges 1-4 AA/AAA NiMH cells
• Charger also includes Travel Alarm Clock, Day/Date and Temperature functions
• International compatible voltage - can charge from 100-240VAC, 12VDC, or standard USB power source
• 2 Year Warranty

I had seen some mention of this charger on other web sites, but never any reviews. I was looking for a new charger that had nice capabilities. Specifically, I wanted something that had separate channels for each cell, some sort of status indicator for each cell, and a charger that didn't take all night to charge, but didn't overheat the batteries charging in 15 minutes. Amazon came through with the best +shipping price as usual, so I took the chance and ordered this.

The Lenmar R2G802U is a nice product. Although not clearly stated, it comes with four pre-charged AA NiMH batteries. The charger itself comes with three power sources: a small wall wart, a cigarette lighter adapter for the car, and a cable to operate it from a USB port. (When operating from the USB port, charge times are increased, as there is a limit of how much current can be drawn from the USB port on a computer.)

Another neat feature about this unit, is that is features a USB charging outlet. Perfect for charging a bluetooth handset or other device that has a USB charging cable. One thing to note is that the USB charging outlet cannot work at the same time as the unit is charging batteries. But, if you plug a device in while you're charging batteries, they charger shuts off power to the batteries when they are complete and then switches on the USB charging outlet. That's a neat design in my opinion.

As for the included AA batteries, I haven't done much testing on them, but they work. I searched the web for some opinion on the Lenmar pre-charged batteries, but didn't find any info. I found less than stellar reviews on the non-pre-charged Lenmar batteries. I'd like to switch all of my NiMH batteries to pre-charged, and would like to find an option besides the much more expensive Sanyo Eneloop batteries.

The charger seems to be pretty smart and partially recharged cells were noted, as their charge level showed on the LCD. Charge times for four dead AAs seems to be less than four hours, but I never really timed it. It accomodates both AA and AAA batteries, but I didn't try any AAAs in it yet.

The charger also has a clock and travel alarm, but I'm not really sure of the usefulness of this feature. To close the unit, you have to flip

the AAA adapter blocks in. Not a big deal, but you have to flip them back out to charge AA batteries.

UPDATE: 11/5/2009 : I still really like this charger. I've used to to charge AAA and AA batteries of all types and it works well. It actually "brought back" some older cells that my other chargers would no longer charge. Also, the R2G AA batteries included with the kit are of good quality. I've used them for quite some time now in my digital camera and have had no problems. They hold a charge when not used for a while, and when used a lot, they last a long time. I'm quite happy with this purchase and may by some separate R2G batteries.

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This name of this product is a mouthful: "Lenmar R2G802U R2G 2 Hour Charger Includes USB Output and Alarm Clock with 4 R2G 2150mAh NI-MH for AA/AAA Batteries". Here is a breakdown of the components in the package:

The base unit is a 4-cell AA/AAA charger that also functions as an alarm clock _and_ a USB power port. It has a very impressive-looking LCD panel (see the Customer Image I uploaded). In addition to four battery-status indicators, the panel also shows the present Time, Date, and temperature. The alarm clock function even has selectable ring tones.

An AC adapter (input: 100-240V AC, output: 12V DC) to power the charger.

A CLA (cigarette lighter adapter) cable to power the charger form 12V car battery.

An USB cable to power the charger from your computer's USB port.

Four Lenmar R2G (Ready-to-Go) AA NiMH cells, rated at '2150mAh'

So far, this package sounds like a great deal. But there are several issues you have to be aware of:

1. The USB output port only works when the charger is connected to AC adapter or 12V CLA. It cannot be powered by internal rechargeable batteries. (If this function is important to you, consider the Duracell Mobile Charger CEF23 instead)

2. You cannot use the USB port while charging any batteries.

3. The advertised '2-hour' charge time is only applicable when charging 1-2 cells _and_ when the charger is powered by AC adapter or 12V CLA. The charging current is 1200mA per cell in this case, so it takes about 2 hours to fully recharge two 2000-2400mAh cells. When charging 3-4 cells, the charging current drops to 800mA, and so charge time becomes 3 hours. If the charger is powered from an USB port, the charging current is further reduced (560mA each for 1-2 AA cells, 280mA for 3-4 cells).

4. The LCD panel has very poor contrast, so it is difficult to read without the help of its backlight. But the backlight is not available when the base unit is operating in standalone mode, powered by its internal lithium button cell.

5. The top cover housing the LCD panel is very flimsy. Just by pressing the top lightly, I can see the LCD display fading in and out.

6. The four Lenmar R2G AA cells are of decent quality, but not quite as good as Sanyo Eneloop AA. They arrived with only 33% of rated capacity. After several refresh cycles using my La Crosse BC-900, their average capacity improved to 2090mAh, which is about the same as that for Sanyo eneloop AA cells (rated as '2000mAh' but measured close to 2100mAh).

I really wish I could recommend this charger, simply because it is one of very few models left that can recharge each cell individually. Unfortunately, after just one week of light use, the time and date portion of the LCD panel already failed. Finally I have to return the unit for a refund.

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When the batteries are inserted into the charger the cover cannot be closed, so it's a pain to carry with the batteries inside.

The USB output for charging phones, etc., is not powered by the NiMH batteries, though this would have been a simple feature to include, since 4 NiMH batteries provide 4.8V to 5V. The packaging does not state that the USB port is only operational when the unit is plugged in, with the batteries fully charged. If you're looking for a combination AA/AAA charger and power bank then this is not the product you want, look at products from Tenergy like the Zap CP4-AA Power Bank, which is less expensive and more functional, though it lacks the alarm clock and temperature functions.

The manual is poorly written, referring to "charging plates" that are not related to AA/AAA chargers, only to Lenmar's chargers that can charge proprietary Li-Ion packs.

The packaging states that the batteries are charged and ready to use (like Sanyo eneloop batteries), but this was not the case. The manual does state that the batteries must be charged prior to use.

The temperature feature on the alarm clock really ends up telling you the temperature of the batteries that are being charged, not the surrounding air temperature.

A poorly designed, poorly documented product. I returned it.

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I hesitated to review this item because the "not so positive" reviews ARE correct.

The LCD is nearly impossible to read.

The alarm is NOT loud.

It MIGHT function as a really LOUSY power back up for your laptop.

You CAN'T charge 4 batteries in 2 hours.

(Does ANYBODY really believe the manufacturer's hype?)

Then why did I give it FIVE STARS?

Because I bought it as a R2G NiMH battery charger.

Not an alarm clock.

Not an LCD clock or temperature gauge.

and

Not as a back up power source for my laptop.

Just a battery charger.

As a battery charger, this compact little unit deserves 5 stars.

Why?

Recharges 4 2+AmpHour batteries in 3-4 hours....

from multiple power sources, 220VAC, 110VAC, 12VDC, and USB....

and.. includes ALL adapters to use these sources.

It's sad that Lenmar had to go overboard on the extras because they really DON'T function as well as the stand alone units designed to fulfill those functions.

However... as a NiMH R2G battery charger for AA and AAA cells... it's hard to beat for the price.

If you need an LCD clock or temperature gauge, buy one.

If you need an alarm clock, buy one.

If you need additional power for your mobile device, buy one.

If you need a great little battery charger, buy this one. :)

Note to my fellow reviewers: I DO understand your frustration and complaints. It's frustrating when a manufacturer makes claims that the product does not live up to... or does so poorly. But, I just believe that something billed as a battery charger should be rated on how well it performs it's major function. Anything beyond that should be considered icing on the cake unless you paid a premium for the additional functions. That is not the case with this charger.

Last note: the R2G batteries are nothing short of awesome. The money you will save over alkaline will amaze you. The reserve power puts alkaline to shame. I love these batteries and have been adding more as my remaining alkalines fail. Try them, you won't regret it.

Best Wishes :)

I've been using this charger for several years and it's the best I've tried. As another reviewer states, it's revived several batteries that other chargers could not. It works well with both AAA and AA cells. For the fastest charge use the wall plug, but I usually charge by plugging it into a USB port, which provides a slower charge rate and thus keeps the batteries cooler. This is IMO a great feature. In several years of use I've had absolutely no problems (except having to replace the easily accessed button battery which powers the alarm clock & temp gauge).

To address some issues that other reviewers mentioned:

1) I feel the variable power rates provided are a nice feature, not a detriment.

2) Someone said it is flimsy. I disagree, it feels very solid and I've been hauling it all over the country for years without a problem.

3) Someone said the cover won't close when batteries are inserted. Of course not, when charging the cover needs to be open to keep the batteries as cool as possible. When not charging, the manual clearly states that the batteries should NOT be left in the charger.

Summary: a versatile charger that evaluates and charges each cell individually, includes wall plug, car cable & USB cable. I don't use any of my other chargers anymore (including my MAHA Powerex 204). BTW, all of of the included R2G batteries are still going strong.

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August MB300 Mini Wooden MP3 Stereo System and FM Clock Radio, with Card Reader, USB Port & AUX Jack

• Top quality mini MP3 Music System with FM clock radio and Wooden Box for the fabulous music quality
• Play high quality MP3 music from SD/MMC memory cards, USB sticks / USB flash disks and external iPod, iPhone, MP3 player & any other audio players with an audio out (earphone) jack
• FM radio and alarm clock with radio, MP3 & buzzer waking-up modes, display date, time in 12/24 hour mode and temperature in Celsius and Fahrenheit
• 2 x 3 Watt 60mm powerful Hi-Fi speakers and built-in rechargeable battery for up to 5 hour playing
• Comes with remote control, AC power / USB power adapter and cable, 3.5mm audio cable, 2.5 to 3.5mm mobile phone converters

I bought the August MP3 player from Amazon for less than $18, including shipping.

I like it a lot and I bet that you will too, depending on what you expect at this price.

CONS: Cheap remote control, no ability to navigate within tracks or folders, tiny LCD displays for critical info, side-loaded USB droops a bit, on-board buttons are too hard to operate, less-than-intuitive interface requires that you actually read the manual.

PROS: The sound is surprisingly good. It recognized audio on SD card and USB drive right away. FM reception is very tight, even with the antenna not extended. Set-up was easy after 5 minutes with the manual. Clock is accurate and big, although not back-lighted (except when you're doing something with the buttons or if you press the LT button on the main unit). Solid, but cheap construction. Nice looking, in a cheesy kind of way. Good packaging, complete accessories, nice solid cables, including the AC adapter.

CONCLUSION: I plan to buy another. It's not beefy enough for loud music but it's ideal for talk radio and sounds GREAT with Old Time Radio MP3s, like Suspense, Lights Out, The Whistler, etc. You can easily fit 100 hours of thrills and spills and program the player to Play randomly. I just leave the SD card plugged in (2 gig is plenty) full-time. I suggest that you program the audio tracks into a single folder. I also suggest that you teach the remote control commands to a learning remote. In my opinion, I'll be using this device a lot and the credit card remote, while strong and powerful, feels like it's not going to hold up with a lot of use. I would like to have a fast-forward/rewind function but it's not a deal-breaker. I like using solid-state storage devices for playback, by the way. They are both very quiet in operation, especially when compared to a CD player. I think they're also less likely to break down. If I'm wrong, I'll write back and update. And, by the way, the audio on the August is much better than the audio on my 17" Acer laptop. Happily, the cable is included with the August so that I can go from my Acer headphone jack to the August aux-in.

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My piece stopped working after 30 days. It says no card to read, can't return it so have to use as clock, what a waste of time and money.

History :

I got my product in 1.5 weeks (super saver shipping) but remote and aux cable was missing, so called amezon , they asked me to return it and order a new one

Initial observation:-

Size Compare to a coffee mug.

Speaker Loud enough to fill 2 rooms, with fair bass.

Buttons Hard to press but works.

MP3 Player No track information, watch and mp3 player are two separate modules. Track navigation can only be one by one (i.e. if there are 10 songs you need to push button 10 times to reach last song, it's a bit unpleasant because a 1 GB memory card may have 1000s of songs.)

Watch Did not find useful, normal digital watch, back light works only for 10 sec, never tried alarm.

Radio Works reception was OK.

Overall I got it in 24$, and think I am overpaying but there are very little option in usb player segment, want to play songs for my baby so do not care much about track and all.

Remote Worked for 5 days total and then stopped responding even after a battery change.

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Does the job on multiple levels, but a little awkward to find tracks ( if this is desired ) as not even track info is displayed on player.

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I read all the reviews for this products and they seemed to split 50/50 crap vs cool. So I took a chance and here is my take on it:

1. Ease of Use. A lot of people said that it wasn't intuitive and the buttons were hard to push. I did not find this to be the case however. The buttons are smallish and stiff so that might be part of the issue people had. I have no problems with this however. There are several buttons, but I had it figured out in a matter of minutes. So on ease of use I give it 4 stars.

2. Quality. It works, which seemed to be a problem with some reviews. Radio and MP3 player both play without any issues. It does have a "cheap" feel to it and the LCD is a bit hard to read unless you look at it straight on (at an angle, everything looks gray), but I keep it next to my bed and can see it fine. Remote is nice, when I want to see what time it is at night I just hit the snooze button on remote and the time is illuminated for about 20 seconds. Would have liked to be able to just turn on the blue light, but not a deal breaker. 3 stars

3. Sound/music player. I keep the volume on 3 which is plenty loud to wake up by or go to sleep to. At higher volumes it can be heard through the entire back of my house. The MP3 player will remember the last track you played and start back at it when you restart the music. The MP3 alarm, however only seems to want to play track 1. When I hear 3 doors down now I want to punch the snooze button ... even in the car radio. 4 stars

4. Value: My wife was shopping for MP3 alarm clocks for my birthday and was pricing them at $100. I told her to forget that and bought this one for $35 with next day shipping. Value 5 stars.

5. Overall: You get what you pay for, but you do get a lot for your money. This unit is portable, has phone hook-ups, and other features that really make it a bargain. Hopefully it won't die in a few months, but that remains to be seen. I rolled the dice and came on the upside of the 50/50 line. Hope you do too! 4 stars

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The design is compact and solid. The sound is so much better than I expected for something this small and inexpensive. Take some time to read the manual, this is not one of those electronic pieces that most people can just pick up and start using; it's functionality is very much it's own and not easy to decipher. Once you get the hang of it though it's easy.

I originally bought this to be able to wake up to a soft mp3 sound file instead of the vulgar and shill alarm I've hated for year. I'm a light sleeper and I really don't need to be forced awake. But instead I found that the alarm sound on this clock was really nice, just 3 short smooth electronic beep-beep-beeps repeated until you hit the center snooze for 5 more minutes or any other button on the unit to turn the alarm off.

Only 2 small complaints; Would prefer for the snooze to be 10 minutes instead of 5, and I would prefer that the very very bright blue background light not turn on when you hit the snooze.

Overall I love this unit, and I'm buying a few more to give as gifts.

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HELLO KITTY KT2055 Digital AM/FM Clock Radio with Night Light

• AM/FM RADIO.
• NIGHT LIGHT.
• BATTERY BACK-UP SYSTEM FOR TIME/ALARM SETTINGS.
• 24-HOUR "SET & FORGET" ALARM.
• SNOOZE.

I know that the night light isn't supposed to be bright, but this barely lights up the room for my little one. Other than that this clock is super cute and very well loved.

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Wasn't as large as I thought would be. But will do fine, It is a Christmas present so do not know if works or sound quality.

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Realtone RT212Q AM/FM Portable Dual Alarm Clock Radio (Green)

• Wake to AM/FM radio or buzzer/Sleep to AM/FM radio
• Large, back-lit liquid crystal display for time and radio tuning
• Dual alarms that can be set and used independently
• Line-in jack to connect auxiliary sources such as iPod, MP3 players, etc.
• Wide range dynamic speaker for crystal clear sound

This Realtone RT212L AM/FM Portable Dual Alarm Clock Radio has a great design and cool features. It has radio, 2 alarms, and an input for an external device such as an MP3 player or iPod. It comes with the cord to connect the external device to it as well.

It also runs on an AC adapter that is provided and has a compartment to insert batteries to be portable and has an internal back up battery. It is easy to set up, changing from one mode (AM/FM, INPUT) is simple. All buttons for the functions are well labeled and very user friendly. It looks good, color is bright and the LED readout is large and easily seen.

That being said, the sound quality on this device is awful. In both radio mode and when connected to an MP3 player at full volume there is barely any sound from the speakers. I do not know if this is because the model I received was defective (every other function is working properly) or damaged in shipping, but there is little to no sound output.

The system claims to have "Wide range dynamic speaker for crystal clear sound". Well quite simply, it does not.

At this price point no matter what good the design is, the fact that there is such poor audio defeats the entire purpose of buying it. Sorry, I would have to say that based on the item I was sent, I would not be able to recommend anyone purchase this. I really do not like giving a negative review to a product, but I must be honest in my assessment of items. Again, I do not know if the poor sound quality is common to this product or just to the one I received, all I can do is review based upon the performance of the one sent to me.

It would have gotten one star, but for me to rate an item that it would literally not have to function in any way described at all. This device will tell you what time it is at least. Get a clock if that's what you need. Skip this product.

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I love the retro design on this radio clock alarm but the cheap feel to it and poor top controls leave a bad taste in my mouth!

it is easy to switch on, easy to tune in to a station and for what it is, it sounds OK...just OK!

I hate the control buttons at the top that are poorly marked, poorly laid out and hard to use (even though its a simple clock alarm radio!

Still I do like it a lot and have been using it a lot in my home office.

One more comment; I have come across a lot of radio alarm clocks over the years, and few are well designed (which puzzles me) so in that sense it fares as well as the rest of the pack.

Bottom line, love the retro style but it feels...... cheap!

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I don't have this exact one, mine is cube shaped but everything else is the same. Dual alarms, am fm radio, line in so I can plug in my mp3 player. I use it at work and it sits on my desk. I've only had it about a month and today when I came in to turn it on, it just stopped working. All I get is static and the display is dead! I hope I can get my money back!

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This little radio has a cute retro look to it, with the large round clock on the boxed shape of the unit. I have the blue model and the screen on the digital clock has a blue background which matched the colors on the sides of the radio. It's small in size, being only about 7 inches long and 4 inches tall. Just a bit larger than a box of Poptarts. It can run from either 4 double-A batteries or from the included wall adapter. It's got all the features you would want in an alarm clock, like a snooze button, two alarms and a sleep mode, so you can set it to turn off after so long. What makes this radio a bit different is the auxiliary port and the inclusion of a 3.5mm cable. This clock doesn't just do AM/FM radio. With the auxiliary port, you can hook one end of the 3.5mm cable into it and the other end into the ear phone jack of something like your iPhone, iPod, MP3 player or any other device that plays music and has a headphone port. The music then plays through the speakers on the radio instead of through your device speakers.

The silver nobs on the side of the radio are quite sensitive, so scanning through the stations can be a little tricky. The slightest movement of the nob will change you to a different station. The antenna goes up quite a ways, but I've found just moving the radio around some works best for honing in on a station. The size of this radio makes it perfect for a kids room, a bathroom, an office or even in the kitchen. It can be tucked away somewhere when it's not needed, or used as your everyday clock/alarm clock, keeping it out all the time. With the battery back up, even if the power goes out, you'll still be able to wake up to your alarm and can listen to the radio. It's a cute radio that's handy to have, even if just for an emergency.

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What a cute alarm clock! I really love the retro look of this radio. However, it's not retro as far as technology. I love the fact that it still plays am/fm radio, most music alarm clocks now only play your ipod, etc. And it does have that option as well, so it's the best of both world's as far as I can tell. It's easy to set, super cute and sturdy. Battery back up helps ease my anxiety of oversleeping if the electric goes out over night. All in all, a great product with tons of great features. And best of all, it's stylish!

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PYLE PLCD66MU AM/FM Radio CD/MP3 Player with USB/SD/MMC Card Reader

• Please see the above description.
• INFORMATION:
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The CD player sometimes seems to make clicking noises when a CD is loaded and playing. Otherwise working great.

Buy PYLE PLCD66MU AM/FM Radio CD/MP3 Player with USB/SD/MMC Card Reader Now

I purchased this stereo in 2009 and it is still working just fine. The CD player sometimes takes a minute to load and sometimes gets really hot. The USB player works great, except that if you have more than 66 songs on the drive you have to individually skip each song ( since the remote and the face only go up to 6). The remote is not always responsive but I rarely use it anyhow. It has been worth the purchase as it still works very well after 3 years.

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Came as described and looks great, works great as well. Easy installation. I gave it 4 stars because I can't find a way to move from folder to folder on the flash drive. That is the only fault that I have found with this system. If you don't mind skipping through the flash, it's a great purchase!

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Grace Digital GDI-IR2600 Wi-Fi Internet Radio featuring Pandora, NPR On-Demand, SiriusXM Internet Ra

• The Grace Digital Innovator X GDI-IR2600 streams over 17,000 radio stations and on demand contact included Pandora, SiriusXM, iHeartRadio, Live365, NPR, NOAA weather, WeatherBug.
• Connectivy includes built in 802.11n Wi-Fi, Headphone, and Aux-in.Built in Battery Backup and Real-Time clock ( RTC) kept accurate via the Internet.
• Large 4-line display with 30 backlight micro settings. Set your radio to automatically dim when turned off in the night time and stay bright during day time listening.
• Compatible with the free Grace remote control App for iPhone/iTouch/ iPad and Android phones. Listen to all of your digital music anywhere in your home or office, with Grace.
• Includes 5 alarms to buzz or play your favorite radio station. Each alarm settable for one time, a day of the week, weekends, weekdays, or 7 day alarm

I own three Grace Internet Radios, this Innovator X the latest addition to my family. I'm generally very pleased overall with the Innovator X. For a mono speaker table radio it produces a satisfying sound and plays moderately loud. Is it audiophile quality? Well no, but what is at this price point? It sounds quite nice and has a reasonably solid low end that produces enough bass to give a nicely balanced sound. Compared to other table radios I've heard over the years, internet radio or not, I'd say it compares rather favorably with anything else I've heard. It does have bass and treble controls in the settings menu which allows some tweaking of the sound profile to better meet your taste.

For me, setup was without issue. I have the Innovator X in my living room. The router in my home is upstairs in an office about 25 feet away as the Cockatiel flies. There is actually a "WiFi Strength" indicator in the Settings of the radio and as I write my review it is indicating 73% but is actually bouncing all over the place ranging from 60% to 100%. Nobody is in the house except for me and I"m not moving... well my fingers are moving on the keyboard but that's about it. I do not know why there is such fluctuation in the signal. It is not dropping or continually buffering the connection though and that's what counts.

Once I plugged in the radio for the first time it locacted several WiFi signals. I chose my SSID and then entered my passphrase for my network. The method used to enter the passphrase as well as any other input such as search phrases, is to twist the rotary dial to the letter or number you need, then push the same dial to select and "enter" it. It's tedious but easy to do. In a minute or so, the Innovator X connected to my network and I was taken to the main menu.

I won't go into excruciating detail about every menu choice and option but will address a few things of importance.

The Innovator X has a chunky, old school LED display. When text, such as Song Title, is scrolling across the display it is somewhat difficult to read since the letters sort of flash on and off as they change position. I would prefer a display more current with the state of the art. On the plus side, it is possible to independently set the display backlight brightness for each of it's three modes; active, inactive and standby. Active mode is when you are actually doing something with the radio involving the dials or buttons. Inactive is when you are listening to the radio but not actively doing anything with the controls. Standby is when the radio is "off". It's really nice to be able to adjust the backlight levels especially if you are using this in a bedroom and would prefer little or no light coming from the display during sleep.

The radio has alarms and a sleep timer. Regarding alarms, there is the option to set up to 5 alarms. Each alarm can be one time only or repeating. You have the option to set a buzzer as the alarm, a station or even something hooked up to the auxiliary jack. You also have the ability to set a unique volume level for each alarm. Having an indication on the display during radio listening, that an alarm is set, would be helpful, unfortunately the display does not have such an indication during radio listening. Only when the radio is in standby mode does the radio indicate that an alarm has been set.

If you have a Pandora account the radio can access your stations on Pandora once you register your radio with an account on the Grace Radio website. There is a "Register" setting in the radio menu that provides you with a key that you enter on the Grace website to connect your Pandora account to the radio. It works well and you can then use the remote to give thumbs up and thumbs down ratings to songs just as are accustomed to doing.

The sound of the Innovator X is quite nice. The "wood" cabinet lends a warmth to the sound that is lacking in plastic cases. The case is actually a particle board rather than a solid wood but in any case, it does add a reassuring heft to the radio and lends to the nice sound produced by the mono speaker.

You have the ability to set 10 presets for stations. Setting a preset is as simple as holding the appropriate preset button a few seconds while the station you want to set is playing.

I've very pleased with this radio. I have experienced some "initializing network" connection issues as others have reported. Some of those issues may have been due to the problem that Grace Digital has acknowledged and presumably fixed. But apparently there remain some issues. In my home network with a multitude of other connected devices of various types, the Grace radio seems to be the only one that has these issues.

The radio sounds great and looks quite nice. There is some room for improvement though... I would like to see a better quality display such as what the Grace Mondo has. The remote is not the most reassuring thing I've ever used either. It gets the job done but does not feel very durable. Of course there is a GraceRemote iPhone app that also lets you control Grace radios on a local network, but it would not identify my Innovator X and I attempted for over an hour to get it working. I'll update my review should I learn anything further about why GraceRemote app won't "see" the radio. UPDATE: Nov 1, 2012 I'm happy to report that based on my comments about the iPhone app not working properly, Grace discovered a problem with the app not recognizing the Innovator X and has subsuquently fixed the app. It works now and is fantastic. Makes operation of the radio by using the iPhone possible. Love the convenience.

I think all but the most technically dis-advantaged would be able to easily set this up and begin enjoying all that Internet Radio has to offer.

Grace Digital provided me a sample for review.

Buy Grace Digital GDI-IR2600 Wi-Fi Internet Radio featuring Pandora, NPR On-Demand, SiriusXM Internet Ra Now

I got my first internet radio about 5 or 6 years ago; primarily because I could get no AM reception in my aluminum sided suburban home. This newer Innovator X is a real advancement in ease of use and features. Connection to your wi-fi is a straight forward process.

Things I like about the new radio:

AUX input for my XM receiver

Headphone jack for wife's nighttime privacy

Pandora

Internet corrected time

Media player connection to your computer music files

Solid construction and excellent sound

Podcast .xml streams

Great integration with Reciva website for finding and storing content

Good alarms and sleep timers

Amazon has a better price than the Grace website, but I had a $30 coupon so I bought it from Grace.

Internet radios are a strange niche, since all the content can already be accessed from your computer, but I like having it bed-side in an easy to use traditional form.

Once you get used to utilizing it, having instant access to any radio station across the globe is a great feature. This is particularly true for time shifting news talk radio and listening to non local pro and college sports broadcasts.

Read Best Reviews of Grace Digital GDI-IR2600 Wi-Fi Internet Radio featuring Pandora, NPR On-Demand, SiriusXM Internet Ra Here

This Grace Digital Innovator X Internet Radio has earned a spot on my desk within easy reach. I have never had an internet radio before but it took less than an hour to read through the manual, set it up, and connect to the internet through my router wirelessly; register online for advanced services; set the time, date, and alarm; and sample, select, and preset channels.

I have really enjoyed being able to choose from thousands of channels, opera from Russia and Bollywood from India, news from NPR and local weather. It's not clear to me how there can be so many free stations without advertisements but there they are and they don't seem to be asking listeners to send rupees or rubles to support their broadcasts. It will stream my own music from the computer and there is an audio input plug in the back to connect an MP3 player or other device but it's nice to have the variety that radio offers and especially nice to not have to worry about deciding exactly which music to listen to. There are five preset buttons with a shift button to instantly access a total of ten favorite stations.

It has a very attractive appearance that is instantly identifiable as a classic table-top single-speaker radio yet it is very modern at the same time. There is excellent attention to detail in the design and the quality of manufacture is very sturdy and precise. The buttons and knobs and even the menus are very intuitive.

I was skeptical about the single speaker at first but the monophonic output truly captures that feeling of listening to a high-quality radio, something that I hadn't realize I missed. Sometimes I use headphones through the plug on front but for background music, the single speaker is very expressive and pleasant to listen to. The speaker is open in the back and I think that keeping it a few inches from the wall makes the sound richer.

The alarm clock can have separate setting for the weekdays and the weekends which is very handy. There is also a sleep timer but I prefer to use the little remote control to turn it off when I'm finished reading and ready to go to sleep. The different settings for the brightness of the display when in active use and at rest address one of my pet peeves, lights on electronics that are too bright at night.

The Grace Digital Innovator X actually actually has many, many more features than I use, like remote control apps for cell phones, WeatherBug on the LCD display, music queue, on-demand stations, and My Stations for 99 favorite channels. It is fun to play around with them but mostly I keep it simple and just listen to music plus news in the morning.

The only thing I don't like is that scrolling through the menus and alphabet is a bit quirky as the knob is very sensitive. Until I got used to it, I would turn it and would get stuck at the end of the current selections on display and reverse and start scrolling in the other direction. It takes just the right touch and a certain amount of pressure to make it do exactly what you want it to do.

A few tips:

* Set the wireless connection to be maintained even when the radio is turned off so that music will start playing faster when you turn it on by choosing: Settings > Network Config[uration] >Wireless Stand[by] > Yes. This is especially important if you want to use a broadcast as an alarm rather than the buzzer because it will default to the buzzer after a few seconds.

* Once, after using it for several days, it lost the wireless connection for no apparent reason and couldn't get it back. Everything seemed to be fine with the router. Turning it off and on didn't fix that but unplugging the electricity and then plugging it back in took care of it.

* Choose the the higher-quality transmission rates for radio stations that offer them and if you plan to use a headset or external speakers, don't forget to set stereo output by choosing Settings > Stereo Mode > Headset/Speake[r Stereo].

A sample was provided for unbiased review.

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I was hoping this would prove a good tabletop Internet Radio for standalone (no computer required) use. Although it's a monaural unit, the sound quality was surprisingly good for its modest size. The radio connected easily to the house wi-fi network, but even with a 20Mbps Internet connection, it would stall and buffer on nearly every station tried. This was a real disappointment, since I had good Internet radio reception with any computer in the house. So I returned this item but did subsequently purchase the Grace MatchStick, which uses Amazon's Kindle Fire as a receiver and does play in stereo! The Kindle has never had a problem with streaming music, and the MatchStick, although with not quite as good low-end response as the item reviewed, sounds good for a bedroom music source.

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Imagine listening to Reggae music while drinking a Jamaican Rum Punch out on the deck. Or, what about the sound of Bollywood while feasting on Tandoori Chicken? With this WiFi internet radio you can listen to thousands of music, podcasts and talk radio stations from all over the world. I listen to a classic rock station from Australia, an easy jazz station from Brazil and I practice my French listening skills with a news station from France. You can even listen to your Pandora station on it. It has kind of a retro look, but with a clean modern face. The combination of knobs, buttons and remote make it easy to navigate, after I looked up in the manual exactly what combinations to use the first time. It took less than 10 minutes to be up and running. It has 5 preset buttons and a shift key that can be pressed to access channels 6 to 10. It comes with a remote control but if you own and IOS or Android device, you can download an app that allows you to use your device as a remote control. It has a lot more options than the little remote that comes with the radio.

Set up was simple and the manual was easy to follow. After starting up it found my home network right away and I was able to put in my password and it connected. I've had the radio for a couple weeks and it only lost the connection once, in the beginning, I'm not sure why. I was able to reconnect by turning off the radio, unplugging it from the wall, replugging it and restarting again. When the radio started it connected right away without me having to do anything further. Since that time it's been turned on and off hundreds of times and it has worked perfectly ever since. I'm using it with a Linksys E3200 router, on a different floor and opposite end of the house.

Connecting to our Pandora station was as easy as getting the registration code from the radio by going into "setup" and pushing some buttons, registering the radio at grace.reciva.com and entering the email I used to open my Pandora account and Pandora password. Following the instructions I then unplugged my radio for one minute and fired it up again and was able to listen to music from Pandora on my radio. It even has "thumbs up" and "thumbs down" buttons on the remote. I find that we listen to Pandora a lot on this radio. It's like having your own private radio station.

The sound on this radio is very good given its small size. I can turn it up loud enough to hear it in a sometimes noisy household without any problem. You can tweak the sound profile in the settings menu as far as the bass and treble controls. The sound is crisp and clear with a good amount of bass.

The radio has alarms and a sleep timer where you can set up to 5 alarms. Each alarm can be one time only or repeating. You can wake up to a buzzer or the radio. (Be sure to set the wireless connection to be maintained even when the radio is turned off in the "Settings" menu.) There is an auxiliary input jack in the rear of the radio that you can use to connect the Innovator X and use its speaker for your smart phone, mp3 player or other device.

Grace Digital has a very good reputation with audio devices and this one is no exception. It feels solid and well put together. It comes with a good manual with easy to follow instructions and it has lots of great features. It would be a fun gift for anyone who likes music and I feel good about recommending to friends. Grace Digital provided me a sample for review.

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