iHome iP98BR Dual Alarm Clock Radio with Dock for iPod and iPhone (Black)

• Plays and charges iPod mini 1G; iPod nano 1G, 2G, 3G, 4G; iPod classic 4G, 5G, 5.5G, 6G; iPod touch 1G, 2G; iPhone 1G, 3G
• Wake or sleep to iPhone, iPod, playlist, AM/FM radio, or buzzer
• High-fidelity stereo drivers in specially designed Reson8 speaker chambers deliver astounding clarity, depth, and power
• Auxiliary input for connecting external audio devices
• Remote controls unit and iPod, including menu functions

Hi,

I bought this clock four (this is important) months ago from a brick and mortar store (not Amazon, which is selling it for about $50 less. Darn.)

The design is very good, and the interface is intuitive. It comes with a nice remote control, which is handy, although some of the buttons could be better arranged. My only other design complaint is that the tuning/volume "slide wheels" are made from the same slick surface as the rest of the unit. This makes it harder to turn with your finger than it ought to be. But these are minor quibbles with an otherwise well designed product.

Here's my real complaint: after about two months, I wasn't able to play music from my iPhone through the iHome, which let's face it, is pretty much the reason I bought it. I already had a very nice Sony alarm clock thankyouverymuch.

I really thought the problem was my iPhone, and it took me a couple of weeks for met to get to the Apple store and have the Genius test it out. He ended up trying the phone out on an identical iHome in the store, and bingo, the phone worked fine, which means my iHome was the problem (Strike 1).

I called iHome customer service, that afternoon, and they were closed (Strike 2). Apparently their customer service people aren't interested in heard from customers in California past 4 PM eastern time. Then I emailed them, and received a prompt reply the next day (better!).

It turns out that iHome products only have a 90 day warranty! HELLO? 90 DAYS? I was 95 days in. Even though the unit clearly failed during the warranty period, I was outta luck. (Strike 3)

I was giving the option to have the unit repaired for a $30 fee, which shipping both ways at my expense. By then, I'm halfway to the cost of a whole new unit.

The level of quality and warranty length are just unacceptable. I would not purchase this unit again, despite my happiness with the unit while it was working.

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Pros:

A convenient way to charge your iPod or iPhone on your night stand

Sound quality is a 4 out of 5 stars, with clear highs and and adequate bottom for a clock radio

Handles all iPhone audio (except calls), including video and internet radio

Clean and simple remote control with good across-the-room range

Backlit buttons and display have several light levels, dimmed at the touch of a button

Solid construction, compact

Line-in for additional source

Does indeed block out Edge/Wifi iPhone interference (in my personal experience, you milage may vary) as long as you're in iPod/iPhone mode. There is some inevitable interference when in radio mode. This is the nature of RF, folks.

Cons:

No internal AM antenna, so you'll need to use the included loop

Input select button cycles through AM, FM, and Line Input but not iPod/iPhone. The iPod/iPhone is selected as the source by pressing the play button or if the iPod/iPhone is already playing audio before being plugged into the dock. This is fine if you plan to use only the iPod functionality. If you're an internet radio listener, you'll need to get the station streaming before plugging in. Not a big issue, but worthy of note.

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Overall, this is a pretty good iPhone dock. I use this almost exclusively with my iPhone 3G,and so far it's done a good job. As an alarm clock, it's very full-featured, which is a great set of features. The sound out of it is far beyond most alarm clocks, but not quite up to the quality of some of the more expensive docks.

The remote works pretty well, although you kind of wish it could do a little more. It can really only handle the iPod functions. It would be great if it could control other apps, like Pandora for instance. Probably a limitation of the iPhone interface.

The GSM shielding works pretty well, I haven't heard any of the static I hear with other products.

Two big downsides for me which is why it gets 3 stars:

When I plug my iPhone in, it says that this accessory is not meant for use with the iPhone, and asks about turning on airplane mode. You can just say no, but it's really irritating for it to come up all the time.

Like all the other iHome products, the only thing holding the iPhone is the dock connector. This really has been fine for other iPods, but there are times I need to touch the top of the iPhone (say, when controlling Pandora) and the lack of any back support on the iPhone is really disturbing. There really should be more supporting it.

Overall, if you need an expensive alarm clock that will control your iPod's, it's a great product.

Update 3/28/2009: 3 1/2 months later, one of the buttons on top broke. Basically with normal use, the button kind of started to fall into the unit. Not the kind of quality I look for in a $110 alarm clock. And with a very short 90 day warranty, it's not going to get fixed.

At this point I'd say that, if it breaks beyond use, which seems likely now, it will not be replaced with the same model. I can't change my rating, but it would go down to one star if I could. A $110 alarm clock should last far longer than 3 1/2 months.

Update 12/12/2009: About a year later. More buttons are starting to break. The rotating scroll wheel now hardly ever actually turns. Very disappointed about the quality. A definite negative on the recommendation.

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I got this off my wish list for my graduation. I've used it for about a week now. I originally placed it on my wish list because I heard that this was the first iPhone-compatible alarm/radio system that eliminated the problem of cell signal interfering with fm signals. It's the really loud "bleep-beep-beep" noise that you hear when your phone is too close to the radio. I won't get technical in this review since I don't know much about why that happens, and I'll write this review from a point of an average consumer.

First, the system has pretty good sound quality given its compact size. The design is quite cute, not to many buttons and self-explanatory. The remote is very helpful. You can set the length of the snooze, have two alarms, set them to weekdays, weekends, or all 7 days, and wake up to radio or to music in your phone.

It's all good, except I still occasionally hear the interference when my phone is near the unit or connected to it. It's no longer the "bleep-beep-beep," rather it's more static-like noise, but still very loud.

The interference is not as frequent as I hear in my car stereo, but the fact that it still occurs really bugs me. It's very sporadic too. I'll hear it in succession (say, 3 times in 30 seconds), then not hear it for an hour. I haven't been able to find a pattern.

So it seems like i'll have to wait again for another product that will solve this problem. Because this one hasn't yet.

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I was excited to have an iPhone clock radio so was eager to buy this product.

First problem was that the interference problem was not completely solved and sometimes it didn't recognize it as an iPhone accessory so I still get the prompt to put the phone into airplane mode.

Design problems are many and it just seems they didn't really think it through. The wheel controls are illogical and the light dimmer is annoying. You have to go through 7 brightness settings to get it to the lowest brightness. If you miss, you have to go through all 7 again. That's usually still to bright so I turn it all the way off. In the morning the radio comes on to wake me up and since the dimmer switch is also the snooze bar I have to turn the radio off to see what time it is. There is more, but the short summary is it's poorly designed.

As for quality it's a wreck. One wheel no longer turns so I can no longer control my iPhone through the device. But that doesn't matter because the doc connector now no longer works so I can't even plug my phone into it. I've had this for 3 months and it's pretty much completely useless at this point.

Very disappointed

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Garmin Dezl 760LMT 7-Inch Bluetooth Trucking GPS with Lifetime Maps & Traffic

• High-resolution Large 7-Inch touchscreen display - 800 x 480 pixels WVGA TFT color display with white backlight
• Includes lifetime maps and traffic
• Specialized truck routing supports commercial class 8 rating
• Customizable restrictions include height, weight, width, length and hazardous materials
• Provides caution alerts for many posted road restrictions based on truck profile even when driving without a route

I've had this gps for almost 2 months now at the start I thought it was the best thing ever but after using it for a while I found it had major shortcomings , like the weight restriction warning ,it seams to have them all wrong eg. For 30 miles on I-80E in NE it keeps telling me that the limit is between 1.5 tons and 17 tons and keeps trying to get me to take the state route instead . That was the biggest mistake so far, there have been a lot of small roads it thinks have a weight limit but do not, like our terminal in Dallas it says the road into it has a 10ton limit, the only people who use it are truck drivers !! I have to find some way to disable the weight warning till garmin get there act together and figure out its wrong , all they have to do is buy a copy of rand McNally and it tells them the overweight roads . Another thing they are missing is a lot of weigh stations and it would be nice to get an audible warning when they are coming up . Given that this is a gps mainly for truckers they could have put in an alert for a time zone change like some other truck gps systems have . I'm a firm believer in you get what you pay for and given this is the most expensive truck gps out there I'm disappointed to say the least . If they bring out updates and fix the problems I will update my rating because as it stands the unit is unreliable as its routing around roads it thinks I can't use

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I bought a Cobra 8000 at first. It was horrible, so I exchanged it for this Garmin 760. I am so glad I did. It feels like a quality piece of equipment when your holding it. The graphics are really good too. I am a professional truck driver and really like all the little features it has. It will notify me if there is a change in speed limit coming up or a sharp curve or even a steep downgrade. I also like how dark I can adjust it for night, or how super bright I can make it during the day. You can get audio books on it if you chose. I am excited about this thing and just wish I started out buying this one first. Garmin only makes GPS devices, so you know they put a lot of effort into making good ones.

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Received my new Garmin dezl 760lmt jan 2nd and wow. Once you get past the size shock you get to turn it on. As a 465t user this is an upgrade. Operating system a little different and awkward at fits but then after a day or so it clicks and you see the car improvement in speed and ease of searches. The display and turn information is top notch. Still playing with the hos apps. The weather radar as the other options they talk about with their Android link service are subscription services. The weather radar is $4.99/year. That one I bought and it is great. Sorry I phone users, no app for you yet. Traffic is much improved over part model also. Keep up the great work Garmin

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The Dezl 760 works as advertised.

There are some issues however:

1) The ecoRoute HD accessory only works when you select automobile mode. It does not work in truck or RV mode.

2) The unit is very large. It can seriously impact your forward visibility if you use it in a small car. Also it is unstable if you use a bean bag mount. I use the bean bag because I use it in more than 1 vehicle.

3) When you are connecting it to a computer be aware that there are 2 USB slots on the device. The mini-USB slot in the back is only for charging. The micro-USB slot on the bottom is for connecting to a computer.

4) When I connected it to the computer, it indicated that I needed to update the maps. It failed in the attempt. One message I got in the process indicated it didn't have enough space on the device. The map it was trying to install is the same one that came on the device, so I don't know if it will work for future releases or not. I may need to add a microSD card.

The things I like about the unit:

1) There is a dashboard that shows 4 different data items at the bottom of the screen.

2) You can also customize 3 buttons on the right side of the screen.

3) It is easier to see and use than my Nuvi 1490.

4) It has a better receiver than my Nuvi 1490. It gets a good signal in my office downstairs. The Nuvi gets nothing.

I am using this in my RV.

I run team with my wife, about 5000 miles a week. While a GPS does not replace the atlas, we sure wanted a good one. We had a little 4-wheeler tom-tom that worked extremely well. But we wanted a larger screen, larger maps, an easy-to-read screen. After many hours reading reviews online about all the top trucker GPS makes and versions we chose this one. We are amazed at how frequently this GPS is dead WRONG about truck routing. We got a trucker GPS mainly because the tom-tom did not do truck routes and it as a big gamble. Time after time this Garmin would alert us to the fact that the road we were on was not an approved truck route when indeed the roads all lead to truck stops with hundreds of trucks going in and out all day. And time after time we were on old well established state roads that are major off interstate approved truck routes only to once again have the garmin tell us we were on roads NOT approved for trucking. This happens on nearly 50% of well-known truck routes we run. This thing is a total joke! We read and re-read the instructions to make sure all was right on our use of it. We tested it on routes we normally use to see how accurate it was. On one run it re-routed us three times as we drove past the exits it wanted us to take, and all three times it was wrong! It is a shame it is not more accurate because otherwise it is a beautiful unit. The screen is large and clear, we can read it from the sleeper. The audio is loud and clear. While running down the road the large icons are easy to see and to tap. you can use this one without driving out of your lane. It is very easy to use, very easy to learn. The mounting and power setups are also very good. We use the dash mount on horribly rough roads that throw stuff out of the sleeper and this unit takes it all just fine. We downloaded all the latest updates, and even that went well. In other words this would be a wonderful GPS for Pro drivers IF the routing was far more accurate. Yet since a trucker GPS is supposed to help keep us off restricted routes and keep us on approved routes, and since the Garmin does NOT do this, not even close, I have to give it a low rating.

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Sony 360 Watt All-In-One iPod & iPhone Audio Hi-Fi Stereo Sound System with CD Player, Digital Tuner

• CD Player Has 4 different play modes, Normal, Shuffle, Program, Repeat / Digital Tuner AM/FM Radio with 30 Programmable Presets (20 FM & 10 AM) / Line-In Input Jacks lets you connect any additional Audio device, such as Tape Cassette Player, Record Player Turntable or PC
• Simply connect your iPod or iPhone and press play. Allows you to listen to your iPod or iPhone while charging, by using the built-in dock. Compatible with iPod touch, iPod nano 1st-3rd generation, iPod classic, iPod 4th-5th generation, and iPod mini.
• Alarm Clock Play Timer lets you Wake Up to Great Morning Selections from your iPod, CD or AM/FM Radio Stations
• Go to Sleep with the sounds of your iPod, CD or AM/FM Radio and the sleep timer will shut off the system at the exact set time
• Exceptional Sound with DSGX Bass Boost 3-Way Speakers / Total Dimensions: 25.3"W X 12"H X 15.32"D (Speakers are 8.46"D) / Total Weight 22lb

This was to be a gift for my wife who has a great ear for music. To say that she was pleased is an understatement. The unit is large, but not the dimensions of a full sized unit and yet it delivers all of the quality of a full sized stereo. The base and upper levels of sound are all very good. The small remote makes it easy to play whatever you desire from across the room. Sony hit a homerun with this one.

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This unit is 'just loud enough' for me! It does not distort at highest volume, compact, nice Aux port; I use it for my phone! Have it near my treadmill; great place for it! Just a great product at a great price; very happy with it!

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Crosley CR4006A-TA 45 RPM Record Carrier Case

• Chrome Snap Closure
• Vinyl-Wrapped For Use With 45 RPM Records
• Chrome Plated Accents
• Integrated Carry Handles
• Holds Approximately 35 45 RPM Records

This is a horrible product. The tiny screws for the hinges fell out and were stripped after only 1 week. I am very disappointed with it.

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Don't waste your time.

This looks decent but its made very cheaply .

The screws fall out and it's not possible to just screw it back in.

Plus, for the price it doesn't hold many at all.

At this price they should've put effort in the quality.

Somewhere a CEO got a new ivory bone back scratcher.

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The screws that hold in the latch on the front are way too tiny. The latch broke off in only about 10 months of me owning it. That was in usage of even less time, as I only carried it from room to room now and then. You can't screw them back in, as they are too tiny and the holes are stripped. I cannot recommend this case.

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My husband has many 45 recorded so i bought this for him. and he loves it. Holds up nicely. Have had it for two months now and works great still.

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It is very nice for 7 inch records but it's not as well made as the larger ones irs vinyl on the outside but it doesn't seem as nice. Considering these are the only carriers that I found that hold 7 inch records it's a great buy. The price was doesn't but for the size and considering the price of the larger these shouldn't be over $25.

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Fidelity FDS-C-Instant Theater Docking Station for Aiptek Camcorders

• Instant Theater Docking Station for Aiptek Camcorders
• Great for playing back your movies and music
• Includes Clock Radio and FM Tuner
• Also use with any MP3 player
• Works on AC adapter or 4 AA batteries

I got this as a bonus when I purchased an Aiptek camera. This thing truly is a piece of garbage. The clarity of the audio is horrible. It seems like it is pushing way too much power through a tiny speaker. It sounded broken straight out of the box. The dock on top is useless, because it offers no way to charge your camera. It has a small lead-in, where you can feed the power adapter from your own charging cable, but it is really just a big hassle. I haven't touched it since I first tried it, and I would have returned it if I didn't get it for free. I don't even think it deserves a single star.

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Wow,,,what an awesome Docking Station! This thing has amazing sound and is very User Friendly! A must have for anyone who has a Aiptek Camcorder or Ipod!!!

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iHome iH15 Color Changing 30-Pin iPod Speaker Dock

• Supports most iPhone and iPod models with Universal Dock Connector
• Translucent cabinet changes color at the touch of a button; four color change settings
• Charges your iPod while docked
• Reson8 stereo speakers with passive subwoofer for full sound
• Includes: iHome iH15W, AC power adapter, iPod dock adapters, and user's manual

I too had read a million reviews for a million products. I decided to risk it with this since most of the reviews were good. I have A 4TH GENERATION NANOand yes there is an adapter for it. We listen to it everyday. IT CHARGES YOUR IPOD WHILE DOCKED. The sound is great. The color change is cool. I wanted something small that sounded great. I use it in every room of the house, especially the kitchen while I am preparing meals. The sound is great for such a small cube. I would recommend this to anyone of any age. In a day where most things don't do what they say in the advertisement, finally something that exceeds those promises. You won't go wrong with this one.

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Overall, 4-stars, pretty good.

The sound is pretty decent. Forget deep, rich bass that others describe. Sounds better than most "mini-speakers" systems, though. Sounds like a small boom-box. At least the sounds are well balanced and articulated, not muddy or distorted.

It can also get pretty loud. Surprisingly, the bass response seems better at high volume levels.

The look of the cool, color changing cube is awesome. It has three modes:

> solid color of your choice;

> revolving colors, changing every few seconds;

> constantly oozing through the whole spectrum.

It's the third mode that's the coolest. It's dim enough to make a nice night-light without lighting up the whole room. And the light stuff works whether the sound is on or off, and it's easy to turn the light off when the sound is off as well.

CON It has no clock, and no "auto on" feature. I had expected to leave it on and use my iPod's alarm to turn on, thus playing music to wake me up. However, it does not appear to work. When docked, the iPod's alarm does not go off. Maybe I should try it again with the iPod on, but not playing a song.

So overall, it's very nice.

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I've had this for 3 months and have become obsessed with it -I use it in a 300 sq-ft room, and it sounds great -PROS/CONS follow.

PROS

Compact and lightweight -it's just under 6"x6"x6" and maybe weighs a pound? Very easy to transport. It has little rubber feet that grip it to a flat surface.

Surprisingly good, rich sound quality -I'm not an audiophile by any means, but would rate this very highly for the size and especially for the price. You can't adjust the bass or anything else, but the default is just fine.

Works overseas (100-240V) -I took this with me while living abroad, and it works great with a simple Euro-plug converter. The plug is also relatively small and light (about 3"h x 2"w x 1"d), and easy to pack.

Charges iPod in its case -I have the Griffin mirrored case (open bottom) over a 7G classic iPod, and it just barely fits, but it does fit. Also there are several dock adapters so you can use it with other iPod models.

Versatile -The 3.5mm auxiliary jack allows you to use this with any device supporting a standard male-to-male input cable. It would be nice if a cable were included, but at this price, I can't really complain. Sound quality remains high across devices (I've used it with a Sharp tube TV and MacBookPro). It works with an auxiliary device plugged in, while the iPod is charging in the dock (w/the iPod turned off/paused). So you can use it as a laptop speaker, and keep the iPod docked to charge.

CONS

iPod alarm doesn't work with it -I've had this problem with other speakers too, so I don't penalize this one too much for what could be an iPod-related problem. I use the speaker with my Mac laptop alarm, via a long (20') 3.5mm inline aux cable, and it works well.

Volume buttons are a little sticky -You have to press them a few times to register a perceptible change. I prefer the touch sensitive buttons that JBL uses on my OnStage and Harmon Kardon sticks. It also takes a few seconds after turning on your iPod for the sound to "catch up" to the existing speaker volume.

No mute button -You have to press the off button. Not a big deal, but worth mentioning.

TAKE IT OR LEAVE IT

Color light -The stock photo that iHome uses is a bit deceptive. The colors don't change into solid "flat" colors, but into glowing color-lights. You can let it cycle through the colors or freeze it on the color of your choice. It's fun for 5 minutes, or, if you're 8, 5 years. Then you turn it off completely.

Carrying handles -The handles are incorporated into the speaker as a curved piece protecting each of the 4 grills. This is a clever concept, but it's kind of disconcerting to scrape the grill fabric with your fingernails when using the handles.

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I loved this product. LOVED IT. I never had a problem with it, and, in my small office, it had great sound. However, four months after purchase, it stopped responding. None of the control buttons work although the unit still charges my iPod and lights up. It is past the 30 days I could return it to Amazon.com and iHome will only look at it for $25.00. Consequently, I am out of luck and would not recommend this product due to spotty longevity.

We bought this for our daughter for Christmas. She just loved it and we were completely satisfied with the sound and the ease of use. 6 months later it just stopped working. It will no longer charge the IPOD or play music, only the color changing feature remains functional. After looking through the reviews again I see that this is a recurring problem with this speaker system. In my opinion the poor reliablility of this system outweighs any of the positives.

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Wave® Radio III -Platinum White

• Lifelike sound from Bose® waveguide speaker technology
• Plays a wealth of music sources: FM/AM radio-plus your iPod®, smartphone, computer, tablet or Bluetooth® device with optional accessories
• Includes advanced FM/AM tuner; headphone jack; remote; clock
• Now with: Touch-top on/off/snooze controls; dual independent alarms; displayed song/artist info

I purchased the original Bose Wave radio back in 1994. During the course of a recent move from Florida; the carton that it was in got inundated with rain and damaged the unit beyond repair. Since I had been so happy with its performance; I decided to go ahead and purchase a new one. I've always been very pleased with Bose products, although I do feel that they're on the pricey side. As far as the new unit goes; the sound quality is equal to or better than the original version. The original one sounded phenomenal to me, so it would be difficult to improve upon that. The sound is crisp and very rich sounding, easily filling up a medium sized room with sound you would expect from much larger speakers. Since I live close to a metropolitan area; I have no trouble getting a strong signal from both AM & FM stations, a problem that some people have had. There are a few things that I find are an improvement over the original version. The radio displays text information, so I'm able to obtain the artists name and song title, provided that the station broadcasts it. Another improvement, but at added cost, is the ability to play from additional music sources, such as an iPod, smartphone, computer, tablet or Bluetooth device. For the price of the radio; these optional accessories should be standard. One thing that I find a little annoying about the new version is the inability to control any of the radio functions on the unit itself. The included remote control is necessary in order to control all functions of the radio, which is fine, but I would still have appreciated the ability to do so on the radio itself as well as with the remote. The bottom line is that this is a superb sounding radio, although not much different sounding than the one I bought 18 years ago. It's obviously well built and provided you don't leave it out in the rain, will withstand the test of time. It has some nice features, such as the artist display mentioned above, gradually increasing volume to set point of volume that was previously set, AUX input, room filling crystal clear sound, etc. The only cons that I can find are the fact that Bose charges a lot for this radio, but I guess you get what you pay for. Also, as mentioned; I would have preferred the option of being able to control the radio from the unit itself, in addition to the remote control. Overall, however; there's not a whole lot to dislike about this radio. If ease of use and superb sound is what you're after; you'll find it here.

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Purchased two of these radio, one for self; another as a gift. Both units randomly shutdown. Had each unit replaced. Same thing occurs with replacements. Have now replaced both units multiple times with the same result. There appears to be a design flaw with these units. The problem is particularly acute when playing MP3 disks. Bose has no solution for this problem. I have to hope this is not an electrical hazard nor a threat to the longevity of the unit.

I also have a 321 system, the DVD player included in the unit has significant issues playing jukebox discs as well. p.s. the dvd in the unit appears to be an ordinary PC player and the bass unit is a big box with just a small (5 or 6 inch) speaker in it; not a big woofer the size of the case.

The controls for the Wave Radio unit are also poorly designed.

1) While the touch on/off sounds neat; it isn't particularly practical.

2) The physical unit has no eject button, so you will always use the remote to eject a disk.

3) The sleep function doesn't retain its last setting. Each time the sleep timer is set, it starts at 30 minutes and you must click, click, click to get to the time you want.

4) Still no bass or treble settings. If you have difficulty hearing in a particular range, you can't adjust the sound output.

5) When the unit is off, you can't adjust the volume below a particular level. When you do switch it on at that level the unit is quite loud; so if you're trying to be quiet... s.o.l !

6) No USB input.

7) In my opinion the unit should have a DVD not a CD player.

8) Bose should remember that not everyone in the universe owns an ipod, not do we want to.

9) Title information scrolls incompletely and is only visible for a short period. No option to keep title information on, display always switches back to track number display. I mean come on, a $59 car stereo can do this, why not this expensive Bose?

etc; etc; etc;

When these units die, I'll not be looking to Bose for a replacement. I am very disappointed to see the quality of these products declining. There is also an impractical arrogance to the design of these units.

While the sound quality of these units is quite rich, my opinion would be to avoid these units based on the random shutdown problem and the inability of Bose to admit to, or fix; the random shutdown issue. This clearly appears to be a flaw in the design.

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I recommend buying this for $350 with the $100 Bluetooth adapter instead of buying the $500 version with the CD changer. Most of us are moving away from CDs anyway. Like every Bose product, it works exactly as designed.

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I am sorry to say that this "gift" had to be returned, but only because he already had one.

Love it!

The best sound ever! I've been wanting this Bose for so long, was surprised at Christmas.....love it! Wonderful quality, you won't be sorry!

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Pioneer AVIC-Z120BT 7" In-Dash Double-Din Navigation CD/DVD/MP3 with Pandora iPhone streaming

• AM/FM radio, DVD, DVD-R/RW, DVD+R/RW, CD, CD-R/RW, MP3/WMA/AAC/DivX receiver with GPS navigation
• 7-inch motorized widescreen TFT LCD touchscreen with new 3D interface and customizable home menu
• Easy-to-use navigation featuring turn-by-turn guidance, detailed maps, and voice-activated navigation
• MusicSphere technology creates unique mood-based playlists via iTunes for your iPod, iPod Touch, or iPhone device
• Take incoming calls with built-in Bluetooth and dial contacts via voice commands

[*** UPDATE 9/9/2010 It turns out that firmware version 2.003, which I just installed tonight, fixes the bug where you have to press OK before your phone connects to the AVIC-Z120BT. I tested this out and it works as expected now. ***]

I got this AVIC-Z120BT unit a few days ago and installed it in my 2009 Nissan Frontier. The install did take a while; but, I had several quotes by some car audio installation places and I decided I'd be better off doing it myself and saving the money. So far, I am absolutely loving having this system in my truck!

In the attached video, I tried to go over some of the main features of this unit. I'll also try to cover most of the same material here for people that don't want to spend the time to watch the video.

Here are the things I'm loving about this Pioneer navigation system:

1) The sound quality is very good. The radio reception is also exceptional for both AM and FM.

2) The media source selection is great! This unit supports playing from CDs & DVDs (including MP3s from either), SD cards with either video or music, iPods (using an additional interface cable), USB keys, or the internal AM/FM tuner. You can also add an HD radio tuner, although I didn't add that feature. Personally, I love that I can stick an SD card with all my music in this unit and it is always available to me without having to mess with an FM transmitter or hook up my phone to the receiver.

3) The navigation system itself is very good. The maps are up to date in my area, and it looks like new maps can be downloaded from Pioneer when they are available. It has all the standard nav features, like being able to adjust the scale or change the top of the map to be either North or to be inline with your current heading. It also offers turn-by-turn guidance, waypoints, and can be controled using voice commands although I haven't played with this much.

4) The Bluetooth interface on the receiver is amazing! It automatically downloads the contacts from my phone whenever it turns on and then I have access to all of my contacts through the nav system. Even though my Android phone does NOT support voice dialing over Bluetooth, I can now use the voice dialing feature of this receiver and it automatically dials my phone.

5) The voice interface in general is very good. It handles everything from voice dialing to switching inputs even when I'm driving down the highway. The included mic works fine for phone calls in the truck, although it does sound like I'm talking on a speaker phone (which I basically am when using this system).

6) Incoming calls on this system work very well. A small overlay pops up on the screen that lets you answer incoming calls, hang up, etc... It also mutes (or turns down) the currently playing audio during the phone call.

7) The backup camera is a great addition. It switches on automatically when the truck is in reverse, and it can also be used in conjunction with the map view which will be great for towing.

8) The system boots fairly quickly. The backup camera and previously selected music source are available almost instantly, where the navigation system and other controls are available after about 15 seconds. My Android phone typically takes about 45 seconds to connect from the time the system first starts up.

9) I should have shown this in the video, but the screen tilt can be adjusted if you need it to angle up a bit. In my truck, I don't need it to tilt at all; so I tend to forget about that.

10) The interface looks great and is very easy to use! The system also looks great in my truck.

11) You can set an anti-theft password through a 'secret' interface, and the system will prompt for the password if the backup power is ever cut. I think this is a dubious 'anti-theft' feature since the system could easily be stolen and the thieves wouldn't find out about the password until they were back at the secret lair :). I guess I would have the satisfaction of knowing they probably couldn't use it...

Although I absolutely love this Pioneer nav system, there are some quirks in the firmware that I hope will be addressed by future releases:

1) [*** UPDATE This is fixed in firmware version 2.003. ***] When booting the system, you need to press OK on the warning screen BEFORE the system connects to your phone. Otherwise, you won't be able to voice dial until the car is turned off and back on again. If the system boots up into the map screen, this is pretty easy since the prompt will show before the map is displayed. If, on the other hand, the system boots into the media mode, the prompt won't even display until you manually switch to either the home screen or the navigation system and it can be easy to forget until you need to make a call...

2) The AM and FM presets are named based on the text being broadcast by the station. That makes no sense in my case, so I end up with presets with names like "ive,". I wish that could just be turned off and I could just have the frequencies displayed or it would also be great if I could name the presets myself. Normally, I don't mind remembering the preset numbers but this interface doesn't really lend itself to that. Hopefully this will be fixed/changed soon!

3) I wish this system would show album art for songs that are on the SD card. I called Pioneer and verified that isn't supported in the current firmware.

4) On bright days, the display tends to be a bit washed out even on the brightest setting. It's still visible, but just barely. I may end up getting my front windows tinted to help out with this.

Overall, I really love this system and would highly recommend it if you want an integrated nav/bluetooth/multimedia system in your vehicle. The combined feature-set that this added to my truck wouldn't have even been possible a few years ago; and, the Pioneer pulls it all off with a very nicely integrated user interface. There are some quirks in the firmware, but I think they should all be easily addressed by future firmware updates I just hope Pioneer does us all the favor of actually updating the firmware!

I will update this review to reflect any changes in my opinions, or if new firmware versions are released.

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I have been using this receiver in my 2010 Toyota Tundra for several weeks now. I will simply go over the points that mattered to me. This is an updated review.

sound quality: excellent. Very happy in this regard. I have this connected at the line level to a JL Audio 400 watt amp and Morel Tempo speakers. Professionally installed.

navigation: so far so good. The voice quality is great. The UI works well and I haven't found it slow when searching for an address or a POI. I like how it behaves as your drive.

iPhone integration: generally very nice. Both for video and music and phone contacts. The audio quality I am getting for better music files is what I had hoped for. I am using the Pioneer iPod cable. There are glitches here and there, such as transitions. For example, shot off the unit/vehicle with video playing, then when the unit starts up again, the video doesn't play but you hear the sound. This continues even after acknowledging the safety screen. Can be lived with.

Voice quality during phone calls appears to be good. Or should I say nobody has complained nor misunderstood me. I did move a microphone a few times before settling on the rear edge of the visor. This is a less hidden, less integrated place to put it, but this places the microphone much closer to my voice. Sound levels in my Tundra aren't too bad. The doors are lined with Dynamat.

voice recognition/control: overall surprisingly good. There is a bug that happens if your phone connects to the unit before you have acknowledged the safety notice for the GPS. Voice commands related to the phone refuse to work at all. This bug earlier led me to believe that the VR was useless. Work around for this is to hit that OK button in GPS mode as soon as possible after starting up the unit. I have used the VR even for specifying an address or searching for a point of interest, and it all works well. The VR voice is computer generated and not nearly as smooth as the GPS voice. One of several points of integration between the unit's separate systems that could use some improving.

So overall, I am very happy with this choice. I have not used such a unit in the past, so my expectations were actually quite high. I am used to better integration between features. I am however quite impressed with the overall quality of the user interface. Much nicer than I have seen on earlier receivers. Useful and looks good, not a silly display of flashing graphics. I believe it could be improved on, but I develop user interfaces for a living, so take my opinion as coming from a more critical point of view.

Six months update: really not happy with the navigation in this unit. Makes mistakes too often and in a few cases dangerous situations (big city, lots of traffic, etc.). The alternate view thrown at you at big intersections isn't helpful and causes more confusion at bad moments. I could go on for an hour why I don't like this GPS. I have resorted to using a portable Garmin sitting on the dashboard. That's right, $1300+ "nav" unit and I have to use a Nuvi 760 if I actually want to get there.

Read Best Reviews of Pioneer AVIC-Z120BT 7" In-Dash Double-Din Navigation CD/DVD/MP3 with Pandora iPhone streaming Here

This unit is not what I expected for a "Flagship" unit from Pioneer. If I would have been able to test a unit before purchasing, I would not have purchased it.

1) The Navigation screens are so poorly designed.

If you have the unit search for any point of interest, i.e. "Taco Bell", it will give you multiple results with the distance being the only thing differentiating them. You have no idea which street they are on, or in which direction they are from you. Completely useless. It would not be asking much for them to at least put an address on there. Ideally, a map display of results, similar to what you get with Google Maps is ideal. However, for an update, I would be happy with just showing addresses.

2) The features of the radio are utterly pathetic. There is less functionality in this radio than the most basic car stereos.

You can only have 6 channels in memory, and 3 FM "modes" (FM1, FM2, FM3), for a total of 18. Why so little channels? Is it a lack of technology, processing power, or laziness in design? There is no scan function. The channel info freezes when you switch away from the station, and stays there until you reselect the station. So, you may have a partial name of a song you listened to days ago, as a means to identify what one of your presets are.

3) Voice features for music are not responsive. I don't even bother with this feature anymore. It rarely understands what you ask for, and usually ends up changing the audio source when I ask it to play an artist or album. The Voice dialing actually works really well, so I do not know what the disconnect is between great voice dialing and terrible voice music requests.

4) Musicsphere is more trouble than it is worth.

The program is just a convoluted way of making playlists. You can jump through hula hoops to make playlists through this program or you can just use Genius in Itunes or make them yourself. The program does not work with 64 bit versions of Windows OS's, so hopefully your computer is not too advanced for this.

5) Outdated options.

There is an option to dial Google 411 on the phone screen, and when you call it, Google informs you that the service is no longer available. They could have removed this on a firmware update but have not.

6) AVIC feeds app has terrible ratings.

Read the reviews on the Itunes store for more info. I have never had the pleasure of using it because it is not compatible with an older operating system I am running on my Iphone.

BOTTOM LINE-------------------------

For a "Flagship" aka "Top of the Line" Product from Pioneer, this navigation unit has many shortcomings. As of this review, there is not even a downloadable firmware update for the unit. There used to be one, but it is no longer there. Hopefully they are preparing a new firmware that addresses many of the shortcomings that this unit currently has. If they do, I will update this review.

Until Pioneer makes changes to this unit and future units, save your money and wait for a company to really put an effort into their top-of-the-line products.

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Long story short, I have had this deck for under a year and got a lemon. Deck has been into Pioneer two seperate times and each time it works for a little while and then dies again. Pioneer still refuses to replace the head unit, so I have put in a "competetors" in place. Thus far, its flawless. The Pioneer head unit (if I ever get it back from Pioneer) will be going on the shelf as a back up. Pretty rediculous to have to use a $1000 unit as a back up, but I just cant sink any more time and money into this worthless product.

Good job Pioneer... You will never see another dime from me.

Positives:

1) My iphone works great with the optional cable (Pioneer CD-IU50V). Very nice menu structure for your music library.

2) The Pandora app works well but you have to start the app before you plug the phone in or you won't get the graphics on the screen.

3) The rear view camera (Pioneer ND-BC4) works very well with the unit. The dual screen mode is nice for keeping and eye on my trailer when I tow.

4) The nav system boots up really fast. It is already tracking before I leave my driveway. I really like the way the system zooms in on the intersection where you are about to turn which helps avoid missed turns.

5) Blue tooth audio works well and the sound quality is great but you don't have any graphics on the screen. I use BT audio when I'm making short trips around town and don't want to take the time to plug the phone in.

6) Blue tooth phone connection works great with no issues.

Negatives:

1) The nav system doesn't do a very good job of choosing the fastest routes. It always wants to take you on larger roads and through towns rather than taking the bypass route that most smaller towns have. If you take the bypass anyway, the system will recalculate the route and show a shorter route time that it had originally calculated. I understand that this is a common problem with Pioneer nav systems.

2) The screen really washes out when in direct sunlight and makes it almost unreadable, especially with sunglasses on.

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