BlackBerry Charging Pod for BlackBerry Bold 9000

I bought this charging pod to use as a bedside stand for my new BlackBerry Bold. I'd read online that some didn't like it because when the Bold is in the pod it can easily tip.

In my usage I have not had any problems with the base tumbling. There's a grippy rubber bottom to the stand that further keeps it from moving around when knocked.

Could you inadvertently knock over your Bold while it's in this stand? Absolutely. The bold sticks up about 4 to 6" so it becomes an easier target. That's going to be an issue with any charging stand of this type.

What's cool (and I didn't expect) is there's a white light at the back of this pod so you can find it in the dark (useful if used as bedside charger stand) to re-cradle your BlackBerry Bold.

As the description say's, this is a charging pod only you'll need to supply your own charger (and BlackBerry Bold).

The fit is perfect. Drop your Bold. It charges. Enough said.

I'm buying another for my office.

I like the charge pod. I had the same idea of wanting to have it bedside to charge overnight. Having the Bold in the flip clock mode reminds me of my old clock radio. Anyway, the charger works, but not if you have a skin on your Blackberry. The skin has cutouts for everything else, why not for the charger? I'm tempted to make some cuts in the skin to see if I can get it to work. May just resign to taking the skin off at night. Overall, like the product, just wish it worked with the skin on.

Buy BlackBerry Charging Pod for BlackBerry Bold 9000 Now

I consider this one of those "no-brainer" products. At the time of this review, the price is below $12 (in part because the Bold has been out for a year now and there is likely a newer phone in the pipeline). For us late adopters (or those who need a second or replacement charging pod), the price is so right.

To make this thing work, you need a Blackberry power cord (like the one that came with your phone). You can find a spare cheap here on Amazon. This is the pod only, no cord.

My pod came in hassle free packaging, which was a nice surprise. No crazy plastic package to wrestle with.

The pod itself is handsome a blueish flat chrome finish with black plastic inside. You simply drop a naked phone (no case, as the charger uses little metal prongs on the bottom outside of the phone and a case would cover these up) into the pod and it does its thing. No cord to mess with.

This pod is perfect for a desk or nightstand. It provides a far superior charging experience for two reasons: 1) no cord to plug in and 2) you can see the phone because it is standing up.

I see nothing wrong with this it's designed well, functions well, is described well on the site, and the price is great. Five stars.

Read Best Reviews of BlackBerry Charging Pod for BlackBerry Bold 9000 Here

I use my BlackBerry Bold as my alarm clock, so I find this charging pod a necessity allowing to see the time as the wee hours of the night. The pod is lightweight and the loose fit allows retrieving the phone while leaving the pod in place. The led on the back stays lit at all times, and while great to find the pod at night without turning on the lights, perhaps it should turn off once the phone sits in it.

Unfortunately, there are a few pesky bugs in the OS that this pod uncovers. I have the phone setup to "Enter Bedside Mode" when charging. Removing the phone from the dock prompts the question: Do you want to exit Bedside Mode? Yes/No. Well, Yes means No, and No means Yes--meaning, if one answers Yes, the phone remains in bedside mode. This doesn't happen if charging the phone through the USB port.

Closing words, the Bold should ship with the charging pod in the box, or a rebate coupon to get it free. It adds sufficient usability to make it almost a requirement, and with the bold price (pun intended) there is no excuse.

All said, I definitely recommend!

Want BlackBerry Charging Pod for BlackBerry Bold 9000 Discount?

Very good dock. Works very well. Only reason I didn't give it 5 stars is because sometimes you have to shift the phone in the dock to make sure the contacts line up. Other than that it has worked perfectly for me.

Save 90% Off

Read More >>

Yamaha TSX-120WH Desktop Audio System (Single, White)

• iPod Dock on top panel
• 30-station preset FM tuner
• Clock with dual alarm function
• Alarm modes: music, beep, music + beep
• Handy card-type remote unit

So this is a nice unit. The box and packaging are great. Setup is super easy and can be done without the manual. Sound is crisp, clear with nice bass and a warm feel. The display has a nice auto dim and shows information nicely. The remore is not a cheap credit card type and has a nice and different button layout.

The iPod/iPhone interface & remote work perfectly with my iPhone 4 and 2nd gen iPod Nano. The iPad looks great on its white dock sitting behind the unit's iPod dock. The fact that they did not include AM does suck, and the FM reception sucks as well, but I did not buy it for those features. I use Pandora and other iPhone wi-fi audio apps to listen to music and news so AM/FM radio is irrelevant to me. I also plan to plug the iPad dock into the AUX input so that will work nicely Im sure. Overall I am very happy with the unit's sound, build quality and features.

Buy Yamaha TSX-120WH Desktop Audio System (Single, White) Now

We placed this unit in our kitchen and absolutely love the sound it creates! We've had a Bose Wave Radio previously in the same location and this unit hands down is superior. The DSP effects are superb as well. I personally don't mind the absence of the AM radio, I never use it, and because it has a top mounted AUX port, I can connect up my Android phone and use it as a music player + get all the AM radio stations I want from around the world. Against my advisement my son bought an Ipod (I hate grossly limited Apple products) and he puts his piece of crap Ipod Touch in the cradle and it quickly plays away.

Great Purchase, Worth The Cost, Easy to setup and function. A+++++

Read Best Reviews of Yamaha TSX-120WH Desktop Audio System (Single, White) Here

If you listen to music in your bedroom, this little monster sound great. it does fill a small room. If all you need is a no fuss small audio player in a bedroom or office this unit is just a fine product. IT REPLACES AN I-HOME PRODUCT WHICH I AM WARNING YOU" DONT BUY THEIR PRODUCTS" THEY OFFER NO GOOD CUSTOMER SUPPORT.

THEY SELL ITEMS TO A ONE TIME BUYER, THEY DONT CARE IF YOUR UNIT NEED TO BE REPAIRED. THEIR POLICY MUST BE IF THEY SOLD YOU ONE AND YOU WON'T BUY ANOTHER AGAIN IS OK WITH THEM.

I HOME IS NOT WHAT YOU BUY WHEN YOU NEED A NICE CLOCK RADIO

Want Yamaha TSX-120WH Desktop Audio System (Single, White) Discount?

At this price Yamaha should have added AM. Skimping on such a basic function for a radio is a major shortcoming.

Read More >>

RCA RC105 .9 DUAL WAKE CLOCK RADIO

I bought this radio just recently, although not from Amazon, and for a lot less. I needed a dual alarm clock. The radio works okay but you don't get a lot of stations. I'm basically satisfied. I just wanted an alarm clock. The LED display is not overly bright which I like. My only disappointment is that it says you can wake up to music or an alarm. I'd prefer to wake up to an alarm, but the only way you could possibly hear the alarm on this clock/radio is if it came with earphones, and then you still might not be able to hear it. I would have given it four stars had it not been for this flaw. I'd recommend it if you're not looking for a good radio with your alarm clock and/or the capability of waking up to an alarm rather than the radio.

Read More >>

HMDX Audio HX-B322 Unwind Bedside Alarm Dock

• Full-function dual alarm clock with gradual wake
• Charges and plays iPhone, iPod, and iPad
• Auto-set clock with 6 nature sounds - Waterfall, Brook, Rain, Forest, Ocean, Summer Night
• Customizable color-changing mood light
• Aux-in for connecting non-Apple devices

Where do I start? Well first, the Homedics alarm clock is a great product but this is something I cannot say about the owner's manual that comes with it, which is a disaster. There is more to this alarm clock that is never mentioned in the manual, so here are the things you should know about this alarm clock/docking station:

1. Not only can you use your iPod, iPad, and iPhone but you can also play your iPod Generations using the auxiliary cable that is included. You can either play it or charge it, but cannot do both at the same time for the ipod generations.

2. The alarm volume increases until you turn off the alarm. There is no way to adjust the volume to remain at a constant level. So when the nature sounds go off we just turn off the alarm.

3. The button controling the snooze is also used to dim the light. These should have been separate buttons. The only way we found out was just by pressing all the buttons to figure out how to dim the light.

4. The auto set feature indicated in the instructions does not work. We plugged in the clock and although it had the correct time zone (EST), the time was wrong. We unplugged and replugged and it would not auto set.

5. Manually setting the clock is a huge challange so I hope you have better luck.

6. Don't bother about setting the presets for radio stations because if your power goes out you will have to reset them all over again. The battery is supposed to kept the setting but that didn't work. Although, the battery that came with the unit could be defective and we didn't change it to find out if that was the problem.

All-in-all the clock is really nice but getting it set up is a chore.

Buy HMDX Audio HX-B322 Unwind Bedside Alarm Dock Now

I am pleased with this alarm clock overall. I had trouble setting the time, etc when I pushed the buttons on the clock. But when I used the remote, it all worked fine. The sounds of the ocean, rain forest, thunderstorm, rain and white noise were amusing to me. They sounded good, but don't think I would use this feature very often.

Pros:

*Large display for time/date

*Option to dim brightness or turn off all together

*Remote works well

*Ipod fits snugly and sounds pretty good

Cons:

*Buttons on clock are loud when pressed and don't seem to work well.

*"Mood Light" around base of clock seems like an unneeded feature.

*Clock is plastic and cheaply made

Read Best Reviews of HMDX Audio HX-B322 Unwind Bedside Alarm Dock Here

I really liked that it had colors and nature sounds and my ipod (6th gen nano) works with it, but the sound is so bad. I realized this the most when I tried the nature sounds and I could barely tell which sounds were supposed to be what. It did not work well. I took it back and now I'm still looking. I like the gradual wake part of it too. But man.. the sound is bad. I would expect that out of like a $20 alarm clock.

Want HMDX Audio HX-B322 Unwind Bedside Alarm Dock Discount?

If you can tame this beast of an alarm clock, you'll have a good one. The owner's manual is crap-tastic, and does not tell you about all of the features, so it does take some figuring out on your own. It should not be complicated to set up an alarm clock, and that is exactly what this product has done.

The docking port is great, and has a hinged door that pops up and allows you to wedge your device between it and the docking port.

The clock will auto-set when you plug it in. It may have the wrong time zone, or it may be on daylight savings time. There is a "DST" (daylight savings) button on the left pad that will flip you an hour forward or backwards. Push it and your time may be right. If not, to set the time and date, simply hold down the "SET" button until the hour blinks, and use the "FORWARD" and "NEXT" buttons on the right pad to scroll through the options. You can push the "SNOOZE" button to quickly exit this mode.

Above the "SNOOZE" button there are 4 smaller buttons. Two of these are for the different alarm clock settings, and the other two are for an optional mood light (?) and the other for the nature sounds. To use the nature sounds, the radio has to be on and then you press the small leaf button to scroll through the sounds.

The alarms can be set by holding the button until the time blinks, you can select the days of the week and time, as well as the sound to wake to, radio, aux, or nature sound.

The "SNOOZE" button acts as a dimmer for the display, which can be bright. It can be totally turned off by this method. Great if you're a clock watcher.

There's a neat switch located on the bottom that allows the clock to be set on a one time basis only. Meaning that each time the alarm goes off, you have to reset it each time by indicating the time and day of week all over again. It's the 'hotel' switch.

The nature sounds are a bit cheesy, as is the mood lighting. For the price, they could have gotten better nature sounds and speakers no reason not to. This, the lousy controls, and the sloppy manual contributes to three stars for the product.

Save 49% Off

For what it is and the price, it's a nice little toy. The HMDX has these cool lights and nature sounds (one of my favorite features reminds of the background white noise when I'm at a spa.)

I don't expect much out of an alarm, so this dock worked fine for me and my iphone. I had no problem setting the alarm feature. The sound is...well, it's a bedroom alarm. You can't going to expect stereophonic sound with this product.

The sound is as good or better than many of the more inexpensive alarms I've gone through over the years.

I think it's a nice product that does what it's intended to do. The fact it's got the light gizmos (which are customizable for those of you who like that sort of thing) and the nature sounds is a bonus.

If you need a gift for someone who needs a dock and isn't a stereo purist when it comes to bedroom alarms, this is well priced and a good choice. With the lights and sounds bonus, it'd also be great choice for kids.

Read More >>

Coby CDRA147 Digital AM/FM Dual Alarm Clock Radio / CD Player

• Digital clock with large 4-digit LED display
• Top-loading CD player with programmable track memory
• Sensitive AM/FM analog tuner. Dual alarm clock with sleep/snooze timers
• Wake to CD, radio, or buzzer. Full-range stereo speaker system
• 3.5mm headphone jack, Clock backup with 9V battery (battery not included)

I wanted an alarm clock that I could use for playing relaxation cd's to fall asleep with. I needed one with a headphone jack so as not to disturb my wife. I assumed on buying this clock that the cd would also play cd/rw's since almost all cd players have that capability. Not so with this guy.

In addition the display is extremely bright and the controls are difficult to use, especially in the dark. Numbers do not appear completely on the clock and only one channel of the headphone jack works even with pre recorded cd's. Better to spend your money on just about anything else or give it away to someone who needs it more than Coby.

Read More >>

iHome iW1 AirPlay Wireless Stereo Speaker System with Rechargeable Battery

• Wirelessly stream music from iTunes, iPad, iPhone and iPod touch via Wi-Fi
• Play and charge your iPhone or iPod via USB port and included cable
• Easy network configuration with free iHome Connect app; Firmware upgradeable
• Bongiovi Acoustics DPS sound processing custom tuned to 4 speaker drivers; also has sleek backlit touch-sensitive Capacitive Touch control panel
• Internal rechargeable Lithium-ion battery; remote control, charging base and recessed handle for convenient portability

I bought this from Best Buy last week. It was hard to find them in stock, but I stopped in and they just happened to have some so I picked one up after waiting for this to come out all year. I was very excited to get this home and play around with it.

First thing, unboxing it gave a good first impression. You can tell they went out of their way to give it that appearance of being an Apple product. Minimalist packaging, and the user manual even had its own hard 'envelope' type packing which gave it a quality feel. Set up was a breeze, you can even download the ihome connect app and set it up right from your iphone, ipod, or ipad.. very slick, very simple.

The speaker unit itself has a nice, heavy weight to which iHome takes full advantage of by adding a rubber (or something like that) surface to the bottom which really causes the unit to sit nicely on whatever surface you put it on no sliding around, no worrying about my 2 year old being able to push it off its shelf (out of his reach, but he climbs like a monkey), just a great overall quality feel to the product. I'm assuming the weight is because of the battery in the unit but regardless just a nice feel. They are very attractive and I really like the touch control interface on the top. Very simple so other members of the family can use it as well.

Comes with a charging base that you just sit the unit itself onto. Very easy to pick up and set down the speaker to take with you around the house. Very no fuss, very small, again just another piece of the iW1 that was well thought out and engineered.

As for the sounds I found it acceptable. I streamed to it from iTunes on a PC and a Mac, I also use Airfoil to stream to this unit with no problem from either a mac or PC, which works very well so if you're wondering if Airfoil picks up this unit it does, just like every other Airplay device I've used with it. At any rate the bass is a little on the light side, which I expected. I'm not an audiophile, but I have some friends who are into it, and I doubt they would have been impressed overall, but my wife and kids and the few people that came over and listened to it during it's one week stay in my house really enjoyed the sound and the ease of use.

Controlling your music source works very well from the iW1 as well (better than I expected). Adjusting the volume will adjust the volume on the device you're streaming from. The pause, forward, and reverse buttons work very well with iTunes, and worked with Pandora when streaming from an iphone which was a nice touch I thought.

So, why did I return it?

Airplay how you torture me with your potential! I've used Airtunes now Airplay for awhile. I used to just use my airport express hooked up to different stereo systems around the house which works pretty well but here's my problem, and it's a beef with Airplay, not this unit the only problem here is the iW1 was built around Airplay and all of its bugs. I can stream from an iphone, ipad, ipod, or PC with no problems from my iTunes library, but anytime I stream from an app, Pandora, I Heart Radio, MLB at Bat, TuneIn Radio, and SiriusXM, I get audio dropouts. Sometimes things will work for 10-15 minutes and I'll think the problem has gone away, or I've adjusted the right setting in my router, but then the audio will just quit. It seems to me like it's an iOS issue (running iOS5) because I can stream Pandora or pretty much anything on my computer and stream via Airplay with no problems at all it's just from iOS devices. I use an Airport Extreme router so you'd think being made by Apple I'd have better results. I've checked for interfering signals and network issues, I've changed the router's wireless channel, I've turned off/on IPV6, played with QoS setting, nothing I do fixes the problem. When I want to sit down next summer and listen to a baseball game via the MLB app, the last thing I want to do is turn off my iphone or ipad and turn it back on 10 times during the game. To be fair I get the same issues when streaming to an AppleTV from the apps as well. Can't for the life of me, or the lives of the customer service reps I've spent time on the with, pinpoint the problem..

So anyway, for $300 I want something that 'just works'. I don't really fault iHome for the problems, I see it as an Airplay issue.. The concept of this device is great. I love that it charges, I can pick it up and take it anywhere within my Wifi network be able to sit out on the deck next summer and just bring it outside with me, listen to baseball or some tunes, and catch up on some work outside.. but with the audio dropouts and constant reboots, it just isn't going to cut it. I'll rate it at 4 stars, I'd give it 5 if it wasn't for airplay bugs.

Guess I am going to get a Sonos system after all.. you can do a lot more with it, hopefully they'll come out with a rechargeable product like this one as well.

Buy iHome iW1 AirPlay Wireless Stereo Speaker System with Rechargeable Battery Now

I have wanted to add speakers to my kitchen but the cost and effort to run additional speaker cable for better speakers made me search for a wireless option. I have been reading about Sonos and Airplay systems and decided to give this one a try.

Impressions:

Appearance/quality: Good looking product with a nice remote. I was impressed with the look and feel as I took it out of the box. It looks and feels like a well made product.

Setup: This was a little trickier than expected. You have to download and run the iHome Connect app first which I didn't understand from the boxed instructions. I thought I could setup the unit up straight from my desktop and wi-fi controls. Maybe there is a way to do that but it proved a little more challenging and my patience wore thin. Once I just downloaded the iHome Connect app to my iPhone it was much easier!

Sound: The sound is alright. My regular home stereo which is important to me is a reasonably good component system with a combination of Mission, Mirage, and Bose speakers powered by decent Yamaha and Onkyo components. Does this speaker system sound as good as those speakers? No. Is that OK? Yes! This iHome iW1 AirPlay system accomplishes what I wanted to bring additional sound to my kitchen without having to do construction. Mission Accomplished!

This is not an audiophile quality system but it sounds alright and provides simple easy to use connectivity and control. It works well with iTunes and the Apple remote app on my iPhone and iPad. It fits my needs and then some. I really like that in the warmer months I can un-dock this from the charging base and take it outside for family dinners and spending time on the back deck with some music. That is a huge bonus for this system.

All in all, I am very happy with it.

Read Best Reviews of iHome iW1 AirPlay Wireless Stereo Speaker System with Rechargeable Battery Here

Update: I returned this. no firmware update and I picked up a Philip's Fidelio Sound ring from Amazon and it blows away the iW1 in sound quality... I'd reccomend the Philips over this unit... it's a shame because I really really did want the iHome unit.

On paper the is the ultimate AirPlay system but they failed in delivery. First off its not compatible with the iPhone 4S (confirmed on their support site as known issue) and audio constantly breaks up like ever 2 minutes for about 5-8 seconds. It's not my network as my apple tv which works fine, it's like they don't properly buffer or the processor is underpowered. And I agree with the other low-star reviewer, the power supply is a lame joke from the 80's. I haven't seen this old a power brick in 10 years and the ferrite plug

Is ginormous.

I really hope they can deliver a firmware update to fix 4s and studder issues within the next week or so or it's going back! Will be looking at the Philips units next as Bose also failed to deliver an AirPlay unit.

Want iHome iW1 AirPlay Wireless Stereo Speaker System with Rechargeable Battery Discount?

This product is great. I used their iphone app and it took 2 minutes to set up on my WPA-2 PSK network. I have a solid wifi network and it works beautifully. It is also beautifully designed (the kind of product apple would make if they made speakers). The touch interface on top is also really nice. I am not audiophile, but it sounds pretty good. For $300 it seems like a good deal. And when I magically (wirelessly) send music from iphone to it, it makes me feel like I live in the future.

Save 37% Off

I was very excited to buy this speaker when I first heard about it, but the price and mixed reviews made me hold off. I finally bought one for my new place after the Christmas holiday. I returned it less than two weeks later after exchanging multiple emails with iHome tech support.

Connecting the unit to my network was troublesome. It seemed to need a reset a couple of times before the settings would take. After that it would work fine. The music would play for about an hour and then stop inexplicably. It would simply "forget" the network settings and I'd have to reprogram them. There's no excuse for that. I figured it was a glitch and there'd be a firmware update, but the tech support people said I had the latest firmware installed. iHome recommended I return the speakers for a replacement from the store. I just used the store credit to buy something else. If I had the latest firmware, it stands to reason that I'd have the same problem with the next one. I didn't want to chance that given the frustration I went through.

There are other speakers available that work with AirPlay. From the reviews I've read, there are less expensive ones that sound better. The iW1 is the only unit that is battery powered which gave us the flexibility we needed in our home. We will wait patiently for the next version or a competing product. What a shame it really is a great idea.

A few things you should know:

The iW1 comes with a wireless G radio. If you're using wireless N, you'll have to switch your router to G/N mixed mode which shortens range and network speed

The glossy finish is a haven for fingerprints

The speakers have a good bass and midrange punch, but the tweeters are lacking. It stole the "presence" of most music and made everything dull. If sound quality is important to you, you can find better AirPlay speakers for less.

Read More >>

Coby CX96 All-Weather Sport AM/FM DDigital Radio with Arm Band

• Detachable armband
• 20 preset stations and digital clock
• Features digital tuning and Dynamic Bass Boost System (DBBS)
• Lightweight earphones for stereo sound
• Uses two "AAA" batteries, not included
• Built-in digital clock
• Digital AM/FM tuner with 20-stationeset memory (10AM, 10FM)
• Dynamic Bass Boost System (DBBS)

Many people have said the arm band is sewn wrong. IT iS NOT. (e.g. "The arm band was a puzzle, all the velcro patches were on the same side which would not allow wrap around strapping so I had to glue a patch on the opposite side at the appropriate location and it works like it should.").

I thought so too, at first. Then I figured out how it works and it is really easy to use and comfortable.

If you put the radio down on its face you are looking at the velcro band as it crosses behind the radio. Your instinct is to stick this on your arm and try to wrap the strap completely around your arm. If you do this, the velcro will not stick and you will think the product is broken.

Instead, grab the velcro band in the center and LIFT it up so it forms a loop. You can now see the back of the radio (in fact part of the radio forms about 1/3 of the circumference of the loop). Insert your arm into the loop. Now grab the end of the strap on one end, turn it back around on itself and stick it to the strap. Repeat for the other side.

The trick is to recognize that your arm touches the back of the radio. The velcro does NOT wrap 360-degrees around your arm.

Buy Coby CX96 All-Weather Sport AM/FM DDigital Radio with Arm Band Now

Pros:

This is my 4th portable digital radio. I live in a small city. I feel both of its FM and AM receptions are good, especially the AM because of radio's small size. I can find many stations and can lock them easily. I use it while I drive (no radio in my car) and when I walk. The volume is loud enough. I haven't tried its arm band.

Cons:

1. Its preset station selection button only lets you go upward. With 10 presets each for FM and AM, it may take you a few more pushes to get back to your last preset station.

2. The Hold switch protrudes from radio's body, so it's turned to Hold "accidentally" quite often in my pocket. Small annoyance.

3. One of my favorite AM music stations, only this one, sounds distorted somehow.

4. Of course, its earbugs are useless because they keep slipping out my ears.

Overall:

It's a good digital AM/FM radio for $15.

Read Best Reviews of Coby CX96 All-Weather Sport AM/FM DDigital Radio with Arm Band Here

If you are looking for a cheap FM/AM radio, this is the one.

Reception was my most concern when I was shopping for a radio. I received this radio today and it has a pretty decent reception both FM and AM, actually better than my old Sony which I bought for $35 (very disappointed). I live in Oakland, CA and work in Novato, CA. I've tested both places. Since Novato is a bit furture away from San Francisco area, the reception is a bit weak especially when I got inside the building, however, it works great when I tried it in Oakland (which closer to San Francisco) I got pretty good signal from both FM/AM in and outside the building. The head phone that comes w/ the unit is so so. I use my better headphones that I bought awhile back and it sounds great!

Overall this radio good if 1. the reception is your major concern 2. you don't want to spend over $20.

Want Coby CX96 All-Weather Sport AM/FM DDigital Radio with Arm Band Discount?

We bought this for our GYM time but this has got a really bad reception and sound qaulity. Not recommended.

Save 24% Off

I successfully use the radio feature of this device while working out at the gym. It stays put on my arm and gets good reception of the retransmission of the TV shows playing in the gym. I would buy another if I ever need to.

Read More >>