Onkyo ABX-N300 Wireless Music System

• iPod/iPhone Audio Connection and Power Recharging
• Network Capability via Ethernet and Wi-Fi
• Works with AirPlay for iPod touch/iPhone/iPad
• 2 Programmable Timers
• Active Bass Control

The Onkyo ABX-N300 Wireless Music System is gorgeous in design. Beautifully black sleek finish with a silver sliding dock cover that turns off and hides the iPod/iPhone dock and touch screen controls. It comes with a remote control which I had to use to connect to my network. It took several tries before I could connect to my password protected network. I knew I was entering the correct password, but it just would not take. I was really disappointed that Onkyo does not offer an app to download to connect from your IOs device directly. EVen though it has an external antenna, airplay constantly dropped in and out.

The sound is rich and deep, and yes it can get loud. Why do I give it a 3 starrating? They just released this and it is not compatible with the iPhone 5 or the 2012 iPods. It will only work with 30 pin connector dock IOs devices. I have the iPhone 5 and I am waiting for shipment of my adapter since it is on back order until mid December 2012. Onkyo could of at least included an adapter knowing Apple was going to release the new versions in the Fall.

Honestly, I believe this WiFi speaker has more cons than pros. Lack of app to control on IOS devices, connectivity issues and no adapter for new 8 pin docking for iPhone and iPod devices.

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Sound quality is fantastic...rich deep bass and clear highs. Not sure why other reviews ding it for not having a lightning connector (iPhone 5)...when this was released the connector wasn't even out. Only now are lightning devices starting to show up. Also, with Airplay you don't need it. The Airplay works fantastic. Used it with my iPhone 5, iPad Mini and MacBook Air running OS X Mountain Lion. All sound great, and I appreciate being able to see the song info on the Onkyo's display. Another nice touch is that when using Airplay, the volume controls on the Onkyo sync with the volume controls on the Airplay device, change one and the other matches it. The Internet Radio function also works well...I used it recently to leave some mood music playing for visiting folks in the guest room.

Only reason it's not getting 5 stars is the WiFi key entry process. It doesn't support every standard symbol like !, which prevented me from entering the security key for my WiFi network. Required me to change the key on my network. Other than that, this is exactly what I hoped it would be, 90% of the sound quality of a B&W Zeppelin at a much lower price.

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I had high hopes for this speaker, since Onkyo A/V receivers have a rock solid reputation, but the ABX-N300 ended up being a mix of cool looking industrial design but so-so sound.

The speaker looks like it's floating on its metal base, hovering is space, and it curves toward the base in a way that the pictures don't do justice. The top is one sleek piece of black plastic with touch-sensitive areas that light up with blue LED "buttons" that fade away when not in use. The top metal piece slides to the side to reveal a 30-pin Apple dock, but you'll keep it closed and just use AirPlay if you're like me. The whole effect is that the ABX-N300 looks elegant and clean (even if the external antenna is SO early 2000s).

As for the sound, well... it's okay, but probably on the bottom end of most of the AirPlay speakers I've used. The clarity isn't phenomenal and the bass doesn't pound like some other speakers, and the biggest problem is that it distorts heavily at high volume. If you're just listening to music in your bedroom it probably won't matter, but the speaker won't cut it overriding the din of a party.

That said it IS compatible with iPhone 5 via AirPlay (which I don't think is clear from other reviews), though AirPlay still isn't the most reliable of technologies, which isn't this speaker's fault.

In summary, this is one of the better looking AirPlay speakers around, but not the best sounding one at this price point. Get it if you like the design, otherwise, consider a few more options in your shopping.

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This is an excellent speaker dock. I used it with my iPod touch and it worked great. It can get pretty loud if that's your thing. I also used an auxiliary cable (Not included) to connect it to my laptop and watch The Amazing Spider-man. The sound quality was great.

One of the great things about this dock, that sets it apart from others, is how easy it is to connect to the internet.

Some of the docks I've worked with required you to download an app,

or they only worked with certain types of internet connections. This dock's screen shows everything clearly. The instructions make everything a breeze.

It may take a little while to input your code if your wifi is locked, because of the way you change keys with the arrow button.

All in all, an excellent speaker and dock.

I was excited to get this I know the brand and equate Onkyo with high quality. But, in the end, my expectations were not matched by the reality.

First, I had a problem noted by a few other reviewers. I could not get the speaker to connect to my wireless network. I tried dozens and dozens of times with the clunky menu and data input interface that is present for setting up the network. I am confident that the problem is not my router I have close to 10 devices in my house that all recognize and connect to my Netgear router without a problem. After two days of trying to connect so I could use Airplay and listen to internet radio, I gave up.

After giving up on the network connection, I connected my iTouch to the dock, selected Pandora, and waited. And waited. And waited. Turns out the system would not recognize the Pandora audio stream. I quickly swapped out the Onkyo and plugged my Sony dock back in, connected my iTouch, and verified that Pandora was indeed working. Once again, I was stumped.

The Onkyo did recognize and play the music in my iTouch library without a problem. Once I could get sound quality, I was left with a firm "meh" regarding the sound quality. It wasn't bad, but it wasn't what I was expecting for the asking price, nor the brand. There are superior (and cheaper) docking stations available elsewhere on Amazon.

In the pure looks department, the Onkyo is a stunner. It has a modern design, a sleek brushed metal overlay that slides away to reveal the docking station and menu, and solid construction. It is true that the pictures does not do it justice. But this beauty compared to the quality of its intended function brings a saying to mind: "Big Hat, no cattle." In other words, looks can be deceiving.

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Spysonic - Hidden Surveillance Camera DVR, Day, Ultra High 550 Color IHOME Radio Clock DVR, up to 32

• Sony CCD Image Camera, Color Ultra High 550, Magnetic Door trap No-Camera Hole seen, Very discreet
• Real Ihome player, Up to 32GB SD card slot, 640x480 DVR Resolution
• Motion Activation, Time Date Stamp, Scheduling, Power direct by original power cord
• Include: Remote controller, and all necessary accessories

This item is extremely covert, well built and does not arouse any suspicions. Works like a charm and the images are superb. The company is really supportive in all ways and they go above and beyond to make their customers happy. I would recommend this product to anyone looking to monitor anything that moves. Thanks Spysonic!!!

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Altec Lansing M202 Dual-Charging iPod Dock

• Dual docking/charging speaker system
• Fits neatly in tight spaces like corners and kitchen counters
• Full-feature remote
• Built-in USB port lets you charge a third device
• Listen without interference, shielded for mobile phones

The Altec Lansing M202 is a neat, convenient little speaker dock, with surprisingly okay sound for a very small unit. Its strong points are its size -much tinier than you'd think from the photos, easy to tuck into a corner of a bedside table or a shelf -and the dual docks, allowing it to be home base for a couple's iPhones or one person's phone and iPod. The unit is straightforward and simple to operate, even without the free custom app (which is a nice touch). But the quality of its construction is surprisingly cheap considering the price; it's a flimsy, lightweight plastic speaker enclosure, with unattractive, cheap cloth permanently fixed over the speakers, and there are some obvious assembly problems like misaligned seams. (Also note that, though the unit does work with the iPhone 4, it only includes plastic dock shims for the 3G/3Gs and the iPod Touch; other iPod and iPhone models can only be docked loosely. It's a weird oversight considering the near-zero cost of these plastics.)

The sound quality is fine, even good for such a small unit, but not miraculous. Given that the unit is built around two very, very small (approx. 2.5") drivers stuck in a lightweight ported plastic enclosure, the sound it puts out is, unsurprisingly, very light on bass and tends to be almost painfully bright on some music. I found this a particular problem listening to jazz -Miles Davis's trumpet was so bright, almost tinny, that it completely overpowered the rest of his band -while guitar-based rock came out much better, sounding almost as well-rounded as it would on a larger stereo system. Podcasts and vocals are a good fit for this unit, but I wouldn't even want to try listening to hip-hop on something this bass-deficient.

So, this is a nice enough product just on its merits, but its price is a problem. The M202 is stuck in no-man's-land at this price point. Despite the convenience of its dual docks, this speaker dock is caught between, on the one hand, much cheaper units that are about as good as it, and on the other, only slightly more expensive ones that are much, much better. If you want a speaker dock primarily in order to listen to music, there are many others to consider first: units such as the SpeckTone Retro or the Yamaha PDX-30 are competitively priced, better-constructed, and produce far better sound. For light vocal listening and bedside convenience, you can get any of a hundred products of similar flimsy-plastic construction quality, for much less than the price of this unit, that still won't sound too much worse. Unless you have a specific need for the dual iPhone/iPod docks, the M202 is probably not the best value for your money, even though it's a perfectly nice, compact, convenient unit.

[Update: I'm revising my rating down to 2 stars after living with the unit for several more months. Despite the manufacturer's claim that the unit is shielded, loud, pulsing cellular interference has been a recurrent problem with an iPhone docked in the M202. And the endless reminders to install the dock-specific app every time the phone is re-docked are a real annoyance.]

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The Altec Lansing "M202 Dual Charging iPod Dock" is a clever idea but it's not really for audiophiles. I had high hopes for this since we have several versions of the Touch and a Nano in the house at any given time.

This dock does allow two iPods to be connected and it is indeed convenient to have a charger that it can handle all of them, as well as play from any of the connected devices, but the sound quality isn't really all that good and the required app for the iTouch\iPhone to mix the played music is of limited value for us since I don't really want any of my kid's playlist on at the same time as mine (significant difference in music tastes).

Setup of the unit was fairly straight forward and required the use of the standard iPod seating adapters (we used the Nano and Touch bases). The remote is very basic and worked well.

What I really didn't like was the quality of the music for my classical and jazz music since it comes out somewhat "tinny", but classic rock is fairly good.

After several months of use, we have relegated this for use as a charging station.

CFH

Read Best Reviews of Altec Lansing M202 Dual-Charging iPod Dock Here

I am very impressed with this product. For something so relatively inexpensive the depth and range of the sound coming out of it rivals more expensive systems from Bose and other top end manufacturers. The speaker system works with just about any iPod, iPod Touch, and iPhone made over the last nine years. And as most of us now have more than one of these i devices, it supports charging (and playback) of two devices simultaneously.

Altec Lansing also has two apps in the iTunes store that are compatible with the system. The first is an alarm clock app that will trigger playback through the speaker system at a specified time. It's a nice looking app, but as with all third party applications if the app isn't running in the foreground the alarm won't go off. Definitely not for mission critical wake-up calls!

The second app, called "music mix," streams music from both players that are plugged into the speaker system. A simple interface allows for distributing playback from one device over the other i.e. it can be set to play music 70% of the time from one iPod, 30% from the other. It also provides feedback as to the charging status of both. My only gripe is that if the mix app is not installed, your iPhone or iPod Touch will continually demand that it be installed for proper operation. Given that that the speaker system works just fine without the app, I don't see why they are so insistent on it being installed.

That gripe aside, this is an impressive low cost speaker system that delivers great sound. A great gift idea!

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I bought this a couple of days ago to use with the Ipod touch 4G. I was concerned that this dock/speaker wouldn't work with the 4th gen Itouch since the 4th gen is not listed as compatible on the speaker box. But it seems to work fine. I like the small footprint and the fact that it can charge two Ipods simultaneously. The remote fits nicely at the back of the dock and is easily accessible when needed.

It can fill a medium sized room with sound quite easily. The only "negative" from my perspective is the inability to control bass/treble independently on the speakers.

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I own three iPods but had no speakers for them until I ordered this product. I didn't necessarily think I needed something to charge two of them at once (and three using the USB port), but I did want the speakers since there are places in the house with only minimal setups for music.

Because I listen to music on my computer while I'm in my office and have a full-fledged stereo in the living room, I placed the dock in my bedroom, where I had had no way of listening to the iPods other than through headphones. That placement gave me a good opportunity to assess the strengths and weaknesses of the unit.

First the pluses. I don't pretend to be an audiophile, but I do like good speakers for my computer, so any old cheapies won't do, and the speakers in this unit seem pretty good--certainly far better than the ones in my older Sony clock radio with CD player, though nowhere near as good as my Klipsch computer speakers or my old stereo speakers. But for music in the bedroom at fairly low volume, they're fine. The footprint is also reasonable, though with space at a premium on my cluttered nightstand, an even smaller footprint would have worked better for me. I found the remote handier than I originally thought I would because it not only operates the unit but operates the iPods, and with the dock more than an arm's length from the bed (the only place I had room for it), it allows me to navigate the menus and playlists without having to disturb the cats. :) It is very small and light, however, and I fear it may be easy to lose or become a cat toy. Apparently, the designers thought of that too because it has a magnetic storage compartment at the back of the unit.

That said, because I have it next to the bed, I'd have much preferred a unit that included a radio. I have a 6th generation Nano, which comes with FM radio capabilities, but that feature only works when the headphones are plugged in and is useless when the Nano is in the dock. Also, I'd have preferred to have an integrated clock, which would have allowed me to retire my clock radio. The clocks in the iPods are too small, and while I haven't actually tried using the iPod clocks as alarm clocks, but the whole thing struck me as more cumbersome than simply having a clock with continuous readout, which is what I want when I wake up in the middle of the night. I realize that the clock and alarm features probably would be far better in an iPhone or Touch, but since I don't have either one, I have to work with what I have, and in the iPods, they're too small to see halfway across the nightstand at night, so it's a lack that I notice. In addition, the unit doesn't come with a real manual, only basic pictorial instructions printed on the flaps of the box. I commend Altec Lansing for not wanting to contribute any more to landfills than necessary, but it took me a couple of weeks to discover that there was a second remote stashed in the compartment at the back.

Basically this is a nice enough unit for what it is and I've been using it several times a week--I like being able to launch a playlist before I fall asleep. It will probably solve some problems for many users, but I've deducted one star for its lack of radio and clock, which may be more of an issue for me than for others.

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SANGEAN RCR-5 DIGITAL AM/FM ALARM CLOCK RADIO (RCR-5) -

Looking for a small bedside radio with 2 alarms and ability to turn itself off, so I can go to sleep listening to music. Works well. Would like a better antenna.

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Pyle Vehicle Radio Player and Speaker Package for Home, Studio, Car, Van, Truck, Mobile etc. - PLRCS

• PLRCS20U - Auto Reverse Cassette Player (automatically rewinds); AM/FM 2-Band Radio; Anti-Theft Pullout System
• AUX Inout Front Panel; Built-In USB Port; RCA Preamp Output; 4 Channel Output
• MP3 Compatible; Auto Antenna Lead; Night Illumination
• Auto Antenna Lead 200 Watts Ouput; Cassette Player; Clock Function
• PL42BL - Non-fatiguing Butyl Rubber Surround; 3/4'' High Temperature ASV Voice Coil; Standard 4'' Size Fits OEM Locations; Blue Poly Injection Cone; 20 oz Magnet Structure; 1/2'' Neodymium Film Dome Tweeter

As far as I am concerned, this radio really works like a charm. The buttons are really bright which is great, it casts a really sweet blue light all over the front seats at night. Got this to upgrade from the system that came in my car, and the difference is out of this world. A little pricey, but totally worth every penny!

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Energizer Max E92BP-8 - Battery 8 x AA alkaline

Eveready Battery #E91BP-8 EVER 8PK AA Alkaline Battery This is our listing please look at pictures to see Lightning McQueen Launcher of Cars fame from Disney

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Sharp HE DKCL5P iPod Clock Radios

• iPhone & iPod Clock Radio
• Plays and charges iPod & iPhone
• USB Host and SD Card Reader
• 5 setting EQ
• Video out terminal

I was looking for a clock radio with the following features -digital tuning, preset stations, dual alarm, battery backup. All of the ones I researched on Amazon had one flaw or another. I finally found this Sharp unit and decided to purchase it although I do not have an Ipod or Iphone (and have not used those features of this unit).

Generally I am pleased with this clock radio. I get good reception on the FM radio on a station my old radio had trouble with. I like the feature that allows me to set my alarm for just weekdays, allowing me to use the second alarm on weekends if I need it.

Only problem is that when you use the alarm with the FM radio, you CANNOT set the initial volume of the radio when the alarm triggers (I have confirmed this with Sharp customer service). It comes on LOUD (volume level 15 on my unit). After the alarm triggers you can manually turn down the volume (the volume control is easy to use, even in the dark).

I have not yet tested the buzzer volume and I do not know if this problem also applies to use of the Ipod/Iphone as the alarm source.

I will probably keep this radio notwithstanding this annoyance because I use a (separate) white noise generator when I sleep which makes the sound blast more tolerable. This unit was the best I could find for my needs after an extensive search. But if you don't want to be shocked awake, this is not the clock radio for you.

UPDATE:

Since my first review I have tested the alarm buzzer. It is a little loud but not nearly the heartstopper that the preset radio alarm volume is. So I now wake to the buzzer and two presses of the power button turns off the buzzer and turns on the radio at a normal volume level that I control. Not as nice as waking to a normal volume radio but workable. Still, I can't for the life of me conceive what the designers at Sharp were thinking when they designed this otherwise fine clock radio so that the user could not control the radio alarm initial volume. Even if they wanted to provide for a minimum volume that would wake the user, the volume they set is about twice as loud as is comfortable, even with a white noise generator in the background.

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I am glad to have this iPod dock. Everyone in our family has some kind of iPod and some kind of iPhone, and this dock works on all these products. It's a little irritating that the power button goes through all the various options each time you try to turn it on, but otherwise, this works well, and the radio gets good reception.

Read Best Reviews of Sharp HE DKCL5P iPod Clock Radios Here

It died right after one year, but was barely used at all. Will think twice before buying Sharp products again.

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I got this from bestbuy when they sold for $25. so the price was good for dock station, that has five type of inputs

am/fm, usb, sd card slot, iphone/ipod

but with my iphone 3gs, it charges fine, but it doesn't play iphone 3gs,

we tried iphone 4 and it plays well. but otter cover on iphone4 it doesn't sit on the dock station :(

so currently i am using it for charging station for my 3gs..

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Very great product, I'm absolutely happy with it. my iPhone 4 perfectly fits even with case. Also it supports USB Flash and SD Memory Card for playing music (mp3). It also has Video Out, so you can play videos from your iPhone to your TV. And ofcourse, you can play YouTube on your TV using it, except of VEVO video (but you still can consider DailyMotion.com for that). Video Out feature works only with iPhone, not with other devices, 'cause it just sends the ready video signal to your TV, it doesn't read video files. Video In lets you connect other audio players to this dock station. The Remote Control makes it even easier to use this great music system.

What about sound yes, it is not like in big professional audio system, but it's well enough for such average-sized device. You will also need at 2 AA batteries for the FM stations presets and clock to not be erased, while no power. Feel free to ask me anything about this product if you'd like to.

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Philips Fidelio DS8500 Speaker Dock with Remote for iPod/iPhone (White/Silver)

• Compatible with all iPod products with a 30-pin connector (except iPod shuffle)--this includes the newest iPod nano and touch models; also compatible with iPhone, iPhone 3G and 3GS, and iPhone 4
• Advanced PureDigital sound processing technology offers vastly superior sound performance; higher signal-to-noise ratio
• Smart sound design brings you the best bass reproduction possible
• Acoustic volume allocated to each mid-range driver perfectly matches its acoustic requirements; low tones come out deep and tight, delivering strong and rich bass
• Most top-grade audiophile appliances allow the display to be turned off for absolute enjoyment of music, and for power to be focused on sound reproduction; with the proximity sensor feature, you can enjoy that, too

So this is my first video review I have ever done so please excuse the "ummms" LOL.

----Side by Side sound comparison -----

I thought I would give a video review a shot to present the sound quality of the PHILIPS Fidelio Sound Dock as well as compare it to the BOSE sound dock which I already own.

From what I understand the quality of BOSE is considered to be one of the best so someone out there might find value from a side by side comparison between the PHILIPS Fidelio Sound Dock against a BOSE sound dock.

Over all the sound is very, very good to even great. In the video I am playing a song ("Space Lord" by Monster Magnet) which has a good amount of bass in the song. At the volume I am playing the song on the PHILIPS Fidelio Sound Dock the bass notes end slightly distorted. The best way I can explain "notes end slightly distorted" is if one note of bass is 2 seconds long the sound doesn't start with a distortion but rather when the sound of the bass ends you can hear a bit of static or distortion.

In the video review I say "You are not going to be able to compare this to a BOSE" .

And what I am referring to is the bass sound between the BOSE and the PHILIPS Fidelio Sound Dock. The bass produced by the BOSE is cleaner and BOSE is able to handle bass at a greater volume.

To be fair the base static/distortion is slight and nothing I may have noticed easily if I wasn't looking for problems and comparing the PHILIPS Fidelio Sound Dock to another quality sound dock. This may not bother the average user but someone who is connoisseur of sound, bass and /or music and is critical of these faults may not be able to easily look over this.

The PHILIPS Fidelio Sound Dock has great projection and full sound which can be heard across the house. The sound quality comes extremely close to the quality of my BOSE sound dock which cost about $200.00 -$300.00 more.

Good Points:

* Sound quality is closely comparable to a unit which costs $200.00 $300.00 or more

* Great sound projection

* Full sound

Bad Points:

Nothing really "Bad" but a few note worthy.. not "perfect" items to list are

* Bass notes end with a slight static/distortion

----USE WITH APPLE IPHONE -------

I own the Apple Iphone 3G.

Good Points:

* No static / feedback when playing music on the PHILIPS Fidelio Sound Dock

* Able to still receive phone calls when Iphone is docked and playing music

* PHILIPS Fidelio Sound Dock remote is able to control (Volume, Rewind, FastForward, Pause/Play ) using both the Iphone's Ipod application and Fidelio application

* Fidelio application is NOT required

Bad Points:

* Fidelio application is NOT required but must be installed to resolve the message "Application Not Installed ...."

* Incoming and exiting phone calls cause music to strongly distort.

When I first docked my Apple Iphone I received the error message

"Application Not Installed

This application requires an application you do not have installed. Would you like to install it from the App store?"

I chose "No" and it played just fine using the Iphone's Ipod application.

I found until you install the application "Fidelio" you will receive this message but it does not interfere with the Iphone's ability to play music through the Ipod application and the PHILIPS Fidelio Sound Dock remote is able to control the Ipod application (rewind, fastforward, play and pause).

So if you have a guest using your PHILIPS Fidelio Sound Dock there is no need for them to install this application on their Iphone.

Incoming and exiting phone calls caused some problems for the Iphone. When the call first comes in and after the call hangs up the music becomes distorted for a few seconds. This distortion occurred 8 out of 10 different phone calls using both the Iphone's Ipod application and the Fidelios application.

Just a note I was making these calls a good 15 feet away from the PHILIPS Fidelio Sound Dock so the distortion shouldn't come from the phone I was using to make the calls with.

--- Regarding the PHILIPS Fidelio Application ------

This is a free application which you will be asked if you want to install when you dock your Iphone.

Without the PHILIPS Fidelio Application the error message about "Application Not Installed" came up each time I docked my Iphone.

After installing the application "Fidelio" I received another error message that went something like

"This accessory is not optimized for this iPhone"

After I installed the application "Fidelio" I clicked on it and found it to be a player similar to the Ipod player except with a picture of a blue note against a background which changes colors (I uploaded a photo if you are curious). I did test whether the Iphone's Ipod application still worked with the PHILIPS Fidelio Sound Dock and it does so the Fidelio application in my opinion is optional and only if you get tired of seeing the error "Application Not Installed".

The Fidelio application is described as

"Fidelio is a suite of applications that brings cool, new features to your Philips Fidelio docking speaker. With Fidelio, you can easily browse and play your music collection, control your speakers acoustic properties, and check your docking speakers battery health from your iPhone or iPod.

Fidelio also has a clock feature with multiple music alarms. Now you can set your docking speaker to wake you up playing your favorite music and displaying your favorite photo.

Fidelio is a free app created by Philips exclusively for use with Philips Fidelio docking speakers and the iPhone or iPod. It is not compatible with any other docking speakers.

FEATURES

Playback mode:

-Album/ Music navigation

-Playback controls

-Sound setting controls* (e.g. DBB, Treble, Bass)

-5-Band equaliser

"

Source: CNET Downloads

The clock feature on the Fidelio application can be found at the bottom of the screen where there are two little dots, similar to when your Iphone has multiple pages. Click on the dots and the next "page" is your clock option.

Sound setting controls can be found by touching the little "i" (as in info) found on the bottom right hand corner.

--- Physical Attributes ------

Physical specs of the PHILIPS Fidelio Sound Dock here on the Amazon product page says it is 9 x 6 x 19 inches but I measured it to be 16.5" in length x 7" height and about 3.5" in depth. Perhaps they are referring to the box it comes in.

The PHILIPS Fidelio Sound Dock package came with a remote, CR2032 3v lithium battery for the remote, power cord, brick, instruction book and a line in cord so you can connect the PHILIPS Fidelio Sound Dock to other music sources.

In the video I reference the CR2032 3v lithium battery which is a type of battery I have only found to be purchasable over the internet or occasionally in stores which carry specialty battery types such as battery displays for hearing aids.

--Remote Control ---

After I created this review I noticed a few people here say the remote does not work with the Iphone which worked for me.

So I tested the remote out again to be sure I did not miss something. This time when I used the remote it moved back and forth between two songs. I checked the playlist and placed it on "Shuffle" and was able to FastForward and Rewind between different songs.

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I had been looking for a iPod docking station/speaker for some time before I finally settled on the Philips Fidelio DS8500, mainly because I no longer use CDs (I buy music as downloads or copy the CDs onto my computer) and that I didn't (and still do not) wish to have a big hi-fi system with massive speakers and so on in my (not so terribly large) living room.

I tried out different speakers side by side, and I came to the conclusion that the Fidelio 8500 is the best overall speaker for the money. The Zeppelin, the Bose Sounddock 10, and the Fidelio 9500 are all better speakers, but they are more expensive. Quite a lot more. The Sounddock 10 (which I had originally wanted to buy) is 400 dollars more expensive, but to my ears, it is only between 50 and 100 dollars better as a speaker. The same could be said about the other speakers. The Fidelio 8500 has pleasant, full bass tones (which makes sure you don't get that 'tinny' sound so often found in small speakers), good mid and high tones, and it can play quite loudly distortion-free. Even at low volume levels it fills small rooms rather nicely, and if need be, it can fill larger rooms quite easily. I, for one, was surprised at the sound quality of this little speaker. In addition to its capabilities as a speaker, it also looks very smartly. It is definitely well-designed, and quite pleasing to the eye, making it a good alternative to massive speakers, which so often seem unattractive (if mostly to girlfriends or wives).

The speaker also comes with an aux cable, so you can hook up other devices as well, which is nice.

There is, however, a small thing, which I find rather odd and a bit annoying. I have a Samsung TV and DVD-player, and for some odd reason, Philips and Samsung have chosen the same wavelength to control their devices remotely, which means that whenever I adjust the volume on my TV or pause my DVD-player, it wakes up my Philips speaker (when an iPod or iPhone is connected, that is). To fix this, I only have to turn off the speakers (pull the plug), which makes it easily fixable, but still a bit annoying.

4.5 stars, with .5 subtracted for the remote interference. The best speakers you can buy for your iPod in that pricerange, and in fact very good speakers, period. Highly recommendable.

Read Best Reviews of Philips Fidelio DS8500 Speaker Dock with Remote for iPod/iPhone (White/Silver) Here

Let's get to the point

PROS

Awesome design

Great sound/bass quality

Not too expensive

Nice remote

CONS

It says it's "Compatible with all iPod products with a 30-pin connector" but it's not.

I have a 4th gen Ipod touch. At first, there was some noise from time to time when playing music, sounded like some kind of interference, I contacted the Philips people and said my ipod wasnt compatible.

I don't know why or how, but it stopped, and now it sounds perfect. The only thing is the remote functions doesn't work with my 4th gen, just the basics; play/pause, control the volume and move to the next or last song. But the menu button doesn't work so, I cant use many features.

If you have an previous compatible model I highly recommend it. If you have a 4th gen ipod touch like me.... keep looking

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Please scroll down for my original review.

**********************************UPDATE: Jan 29, 2011*********************************

Although I have returned this dock, I have yet to ship it back because I purchased the Soundfreaq Sound Platform last week. (Details Soundfreaq Sound Platform for iPad and Smart Mobiles). I decided to compare the 2 systems before I shipped the Phillips. Here are my conclusions:

1. Sound: Phillips wins hands down. The bass is fuller and it can be played at a higher volume. Having said that, the Soundfreaq is no laggard. The bass isn't as deep but the sound over all is excellent. My wife listens mostly to older Indian songs and podcasts, neither of which requires big thumping bass. Both genres are more vocal oriented and the Soundfreaq does a good job. I have a different system for my periodic dose of classic rock/metal and any sound dock in this price range will most likely not do the trick anyways.

2. Connectivity and convenience: The Soundfreaq is the outright winner. The iPhone4 connects without any adapters even with the bumper case. No problems! Even better, I don't need to actually mount the iPhone on the dock because of bluetooth connectivity. It took 5 7 minutes from the moment I signed the UPS receipt for the box to having a song from the iPhone 4 playing through this dock via bluetooth. It works like a charm. Setup is a breeze and the convenience of bluetooth is a HUGE plus. Similarly, I was able to connect my Blackberry via bluetooth, so I no longer need to use the AUX input for my BB. Also, the AUX input works perfectly with no background hum like the Phillips.

3. FM radio: Works fine on the Soundfreaq. Not present on the Phillips. This isn't a very big differentiator but since i'm spending more for the Soundfreaq, its nice to get more too.

4. Looks/aesthetics: both systems look pretty good. I liked the Phillips but the retro, vacuum-tube radio like design of the Soundfreaq is very nice.

5. iPhone app: Phillips' app is buggy, clunky and is more of a hindrance. Soundfreq app does what it is supposed to and stays out of the way. Neither app needs to be used but the Soundfreq app doesn't irritate like the Phillips.

Conclusions:

1. If you want deeper bass and all round better sound, go with the Phillips.

2. The convenience of the Soundfreaq cannot be matched by the Phillips. I really like the fact that I can switch on bluetooth on my phone (I don't have it running all the time to conserve battery), connect and I'm in business from anywhere in the room. No wires. No need to even get close to the actual dock.

3. Soundfreaq is more expensive, and more than what I was planning to spend but I think I'm getting decent value for the extra money.

I'm happy with my purchase of the Soundfreaq and more important, the wife loves it. I'm keeping it and will ship back the Phillips.

******************************Original Review from Jan 24, 2011**********************************

I was pretty excited about this product. It looked good and the reviews were positive. I did however, have 2 mandatory requirements other than good sound quality:

1. It should work with an iPhone 4 in a bumper case.

2: I should be able to use it with non-Apple devices using the AUX input.

I decided to check it out at the Apple store before buying it on Amazon to make sure it works with the iPhone 4 with a bumper case. The sales clerk at the Apple store mounted an iPhone 4 in a bumper case and it seemed to fit fine. For some reason they refused to plug it in and actually play it with the iPhone 4. They said that I'd have to purchase it, test it and could return it if it didn't work. Strange! I couldn't do that then because I was buying this for my wife who has an iPhone 4 and I didn't have her phone with me. Well, now I think I know the reason why they wouldn't let me try it out. It doesn't work with an iPhone 4 in a bumper case! The input prongs do not go all the way into the iPhone 4 because of the bumper case. Remove the bumper case and it works fine, but I don't want to have to do that every time. I don't profess to be an audiophile, so to my lay ears, it sounded great. But the reality is that after the whole antenna thing, a bumper case is almost mandatory on an iPhone 4, and in any case, I use a bumper case for added protection. Phillips should've designed this system taking that into account.

My other issue was that I decided to plug in my non-Apple MP3 player using the AUX input and I kept getting a hum. I moved the set away from possible electronic interference but the hum wouldn't go away.

Net, net: much as I liked the sound quality and the aesthetics, I had to return it because both my 2 mandatory requirements weren't met. I could maybe excuse Phillips for the bumper case thing but the hum with the AUX input is inexcusable.

Very disappointing.

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I have been purchasing from Amazon for years with many pleasant experiences but have never felt compelled to leave a review before now. This unit so thoroughly filled all of my expectations that I just have to let others know. I purchased a refurbished unit that arrived in two days (two days!) and that was just the beginning of my love affair with this unit. I adore the sound and kick that comes out of this small, elegant egg. this unit is not to be confused with all those cheap, tinny sounding units out there posing as Ipod speakers. The speakers may be too close to get good stereophonic sound, but there is no compromise in fidelity. I read a review that suggested the Bose might be better for classical music and the Fidelio for Rock and there may be some truth in that but as far as I am concerned that is just splitting hairs. This unit sounds great! Plus, I always have a fully charged Touch 4gen when I leave the house.

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Brookstone iDesign Retro Dock for iPod and iPhone Devices (Black)

• Cool Vintage Look
• Download Free App from iTunes that includes alarm clock, 5 day weather forecast and sleep timer
• Full-range stereo speakers
• 90 degrees to position your iPod/iPhone device horizontally for viewing movies, TV shows, music videos and more
• Made for: iPod touch (1st and 2nd generation) iPod classic iPod nano (4th and 5th generation) iPhone 4 iPhone 3GS iPhone 3G iPhone iPod/iPhone not included.

I thought that the idea of the clock was novel when I saw it at a Brookstone store. At the store the display didn't have power provided, so all I was able to see was the device itself and had no idea what the app or the sound would be like. In my opinion the app is a little simple and I have a better alarm clock application that I can use, but it is functional so not a deal breaker. The sound is what truly impresses me about this particular device. It's pretty darned impressive for what you have, and I'm happy to have it. The novelty of being able to plug my iPhone in and turn it to horizontal instead of vertical for viewing videos is also nice.

For the money, this is a nice little device that allows me to charge my iPhone while I sleep, provides an alarm function that is useable, and a way to listen to music or anything else I can play on my iPhone at a level that I can enjoy with sound quality that is remarkable given the size and price.

I fully recommend it to anyone who is looking for a device such as this.

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Bad design flaw, as you put the phone in or take out the buttons are all on the tops. Pretty frustrating. Also if you use the app the phone is on and very, very bright which is cool unless you like a dak room in which to sleep

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It looks exactly the same in person as it does in the picture and its easy to use.So cute. Great pick.

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I purchased this for my husband as a gift. He loves that it charges his IPod and also doubles as an alarm clock using any song he wishes from his Imusic.

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Timex T715BYC Dual Alarm Clock Radio (Black)

• XBBU Xtreme Battery Back-Up with long-life built-in Lithium back up battery
• LED low battery warning indicator
• Wide-range 2.25? dynamic speaker
• Operates the alarm even if the power is out at wake-up time
• Built-in AM and FM antennas Sure-Alarm battery backup system - maintains time and alarm settings in the event of a temporary power interruption.

The alarm clock has the exact features I wanted. Dual alarms, 2-5-7 day mode, date/time with long term battery backup, and a very visible display.

The radio is junk. I never thought that in this day and age I would have to think twice about a simple AM/FM radio. I live in a city with enough local stations that a toy radio can tune them all. But this radio can barely tune any. Fewer than a handful come in on FM and I can't find any on AM. The rest is just an overlapping noisy mess. The digital radio display would have been great in the dark if the radio had useful reception.

If you want a good alarm clock to wake you with a beeper or radio static this is the one for you.

If you want actual radio stations look elsewhere.

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This is the second Timex dual alarm clock radio we have owned. There are good and bad points I think should be mentioned. Our first one didn't have the "atomic" feature to correctly set the clock for daylight savings after the formula changed a few years ago. It was difficult to set the time when this occurred and that is what prompted us to replace it. Other than that, we were very happy with the old model.

This new model has corrected that issue and made time and alarm setting very easy. Apparently it comes at a cost. Radio reception stinks. We have set this new alarm clock in the same place we had our old one. We set it to use the same radio station and go off at the same time. Let me put it this way I hate to wake up to a garbled radio voice or song. It never quite wants to bring in sharp and clear reception unless we move it clear across the room. Something in the radio quality is not as good as our old clock radio. It is frustrating and we are considering returning this unit.

This is the only problem with this clock radio. Every other feature works great. For us, it is too much of a problem to just overlook.

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This is the best Clock Radio that I have ever bought. It is very good quality. The clock is made well. When the power goes out it automatically sets itself for the correct time and it maintains your wake up time as well, no more resetting everything, which is terrific because we live in North Carolina where there are a lot of storms that knock out power.

It is simple to use and offers a selection for lighter or brighter on the clock numbers, which is also a great feature. Its not a high end stereo system, but I was'nt expecting it to be. The sound is good and definitely good enough to wake me up in the mornings.

Cant say enough great things about it, this is definitely the one to buy, well worth the price.

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When I first bought this alarm clock it seemed great, had a ton more features than my last one. About once a week I have the same issue occur and it is just getting ridiculous. I am not a person that has a hard time waking up in the morning by any means, but I do like to hit the snooze button for 27 minutes in the morning. I have been doing this for years. So the snooze option is very important in my alarm clock. Well on this particular clock there is a triangular "sleep" button directly behind the snooze button. I have discovered that if you push that button while the alarm is going off (i.e. you hit it thinking it is the snooze button) the alarm clock basically quits working. The alarm stops going off and the time disappears and is replaced by random markings that kind of look like letters. The only way I have found get the time to display again and get the alarm clock functioning again is to unplug it, remove the battery and then put the battery back in and plug it back in. Needless to say it is a huge pain. I am purchasing a new alarm clock today because I am just fed up with this problem.

I've been looking for a reliable clock radio with dual alarms and battery backup for quite a while. After a few failed attempts, I've finally found a keeper!

Pros:

*It works! Unlike the Sony ICF-C318 that is also popular on Amazon, this clock radio worked as advertised and had no defects. See my review of the Sony for details about how horrible it is.

*Radio reception is fine for me, unlike some of the other reviewers. There is an external antenna cord which helps.

*The clock sets itself

*Dual alarms work great

*When the power goes out, it retains the time and alarm settings

*Large display for tired eyes

Cons:

*While there is a dimmer control, even at the dim setting, the display is extremely bright. If you like to have a really dark room like I do, it's something to consider. However, it was not a deal breaker for me.

This gets 4 stars, and not 5, simply because of the overly bright display.

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Grace Digital Wireless Internet Radio with remote (white)

• Listen directly from a wireless router and broadband without PC or Mac
• 15,000+ radio stations from around the worldover 280 locations and 67 genres, 20,000 on demand streams and Podcast
• Genres include rock, rap, alternative, talk, news, oldies, top 40 and more
• Free Pandora radio streaming with access to personalized playlists
• Sirius Internet radio capabilitiesview artist name and song title

Third Update (2013):

Both radio's have completely locked up now and won't even turn on. I submitted multiple requests to Grace support online and they never responded. That being the case I would never purchase a Grace product again.

*I'm usually very sceptical of reviews who rate products low and will always look around to see if this was just a one off product problem or someone who dislikes a company. As noted I had two radios that both died with the same problem with absolutely no support from Grace.

Second Update(2012):

I originally rated this radio a 5 star and now have lowered it to a 2 star.

Issues: BOTH radios over a few days or a few weeks start and develop weird characters all over the small screen that makes the unit unusable without removing the power at the back and resetting the unit. Once that's done the unit is back to normal. This happens randomly all the time now. I've tried firmware updates and nothing has changed. I will update the review with a screen shot shortly.

A few radio stations changed their format online and still stream audio that works on other devices and PCs. I go to the Grace Reciva website and the stations all check out normal and show functioning normal. I bring them up on both radios and neither radio works on these stations now. They both get caught in a loop saying "Connecting", "Retrying", "Connecting", "Retrying" and so on and so on. Most of the time I now find it easier to get an old IPHONE, set it to Wifi and sit it in speaker docking station. That works with all radio stations and I know every time I touch the screen it's on and ready to go.

*If Grace fixed the 2 problems above I would rate the unit a 5 star but right now the units just sit gathering dust. I would high recommend not purchasing any version of this radio until Grace figures out the problems. I'm sure both are software related. *

UPDATE(2010): I was so happy with my first IR2000 I purchaced another one for home.

Original Review(2009): I originally rated this radio a 5 star

This is a great radio. I've owned it for nearly a week now and it's worked flawlessly. I was looking for a radio for my desk at work and I couldn't have made a better choice. Over the past few weeks I read every review I could find about every internet radio on the market. I finally decided on this one. I really love it. The sound is great but don't expect to be using it on full volume to cover your entire house. Here is my list of likes and dislikes and I hope it helps.

Like's:

The size was perfect for my desk

It looks very stylish

I fired up the radio and had it working within minutes without reading the manual

It was very easy to register at and automatically download my radio stations and streams.

I added some personal streams and they appeared on the screen of the radio within minutes.

It was very easy to browse stations around the world without the use of my account.

The Audio sounded really good. Especially for the size of the radio

WIFI setup was very simple. I moved it from one network to another and it remembered both password keys (WEP & WPA)

The signal strength was really good especially with an internal antenna

Navigation on the screen was very simple.

When available it scrolled song or audio information across the screen. E.g. I tuned into aircraft traffic control after I added it to own streams after finding in on a website and within minutes weather information was scrolling across the screen.

The remote is simple to use

External input for an MP3 player, etc is a great addition

It can stream audio from just about anywhere.....Radio Station Streams, Pandora, Sirius, Your PC, any MP3/REAL Audio/WMA stream off the net....

Dislike's:

The headphone jack is on the back. I use my headphone a lot and it's a pain having to pull the radio forward each time I want to plug them in. Some people may find it useful to plug other input devices in the front and others may find it useful to leave their stero plugged into the rear headphone port. Their should be an Aux (External) input on the front and back, and there should also be a headphone output jack on the front and back. That would accommodate every possible scenario.

Although it's good that the radio is light, it tends to slide a little when I press the select button at times.

I looked at the manual after I got everything working and it's laid out OK. They could lay it out just a little better.

Conclusion.

The radio is well worth the money. It's very easy to use and setup. The sound is great. The menus are easy to use. It's built well. In all it's a fantastic radio. If I were purchase another radio for my desk, beside my bed or on a table in the lounge room, I would buy another one of these for sure. In fact, I'm thinking about it right now. I give this one 5/5.

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This review is for the Grace GDI-IR1000 or GDI-IR2000 internet radio. This product is an updated version of the ITC-IR1000. The only difference between toe 1000 and 2000 is that the 2000 has a remote control.

Network setup was relatively straightforward. I don't normally broadcast my SSID, and I use MAC address filtering, so before scanning for my network I turned SSID broadcast on and disabled MAC filtering. Once I acquired the network I found the radio's MAC address and added it to my allowed devices and turned off SSID broadcast again.

The manual has you connect to where you can register your radio, add stations to your list or set up Pandora. Once you've registered you'll have access to your stations and Pandora directly from the radio. It usually takes about 15 minutes for your radio to be recognized and access your lists. You can also directly access all 15,000 plus radio stations directly from the radio.

Pandora is the icing on the cake for this radio. Once you're registered you can add artists or songs and get customized playlists of similar material. You can select an individual artist to create a playlist from or you can choose QuickMix, which will play selections from everything you choose from your list.

The radio now has 10 presets, using 5 preset buttons plus a shift button for the second 5. This is enough for my needs, but you can always access your favorite stations from the menu if you need more presets.

One surprise I got early on is that if the Reciva website is down, you won't receive any radio broadcasts. The clock also won't function. The upside is that once you configure your time zone the radio clock will synchronize with a network time server.

Audio quality is very good for a tabletop radio. It's certainly not hi fi quality, but nice for what the product is.

Labels on this radio are no longer a problem. They peel off easily in one piece.

Clock size, as mentioned by others is very small. It would be nice if there was a way to make the clock display larger when the radio isn't playing.

When I received my radio, as configured it took about a minute to connect to my network every time I turned it on, plus several seconds to acquire a station after one was selected. It also didn't remember the last station selected. I never found it in the manual, but under , Stay connected to wireless in standby needs to be set to yes. Now the radio only takes a couple seconds to acquire a station and it remembers the last station selected.

I'm very happy with this purchase.

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This is a fantastic radio, I've owned it for just over a week, with no

issues. I was very positively surprised with the audio quality

produced by the Grace GDI-IR2000. After going into

"Equalization", in the Settings Menu, adjusting the Treble and

Bass, the sound is amazing. Registering my Grace GDI-IR2000 at

Reciva.com was quick and easy. After setting up an account, I put

in the S/N and radio ID numbers of my radio, that are found in the

settings menu of the radio.

Pros:

Fantastic sound quality.

Had zero issues with connection to Internet

-Ten preset station buttons

Easy to use menus

Cons:

Clock too small, as a clock radio the numbers are only 1/4 the size of the full screen making it difficult to read at night, without my glasses. It would be better if the clock numbers filled the full screen area when in an inactive mode.

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I was very disappointed with this device, would not connect to the Internet (on my network, or even another separate network I tried for troubleshooting), and Grace support is really just terrible.

Right out of the box I was able to connect to my router, but no matter what I tried the radio would not connect to the Internet/reciva servers. My first instinct was to check the manual, but there are absolutely no descriptions of any of the error messages or what they mean.

I then tried checking their support website. No knowledge base of any kind, just a forum (which isn't search-able by the way) with many issues and very few answers. In fact, many of the requests for support posted on the forum were unanswered for weeks.

I eventually found some firmware related fixes for the connection error I was getting, apparently there are quite a few known firmware bugs, but of course you can't update firmware if you can't connect to the Internet. This is where an Ethernet port would come in handy. Also, many users report that there are issues with WPA encryption and that they have better luck switching to WEP or turning off encryption. But really you shouldn't have to change your entire wireless network set-up just to get a silly radio to work as it should have to begin with. After exhausting all of the solutions I could find (that were reasonable), I emailed Grace support.

Their support line determined the radio would need to be sent in for repair... and that I would need to pay to ship my brand new radio to them for this to occur. Meh, the hassle just isn't worth it, and I returned to to Amazon for a refund.

I was looking for a web-based replacement for my Sirius home receiver, but I think I'll wait another year with hopes there are some better quality options in the future.

This is my second Internet Radio. They have been popular in Europe for years and finally seem to be catching on in the U.S.A. The Grace radios are really sweet. Not only can they receive over 13,000 stations from across the world, but Grace supports Pandora, Aupeo and even Sirius (you have to pay for Sirius, but all others are free). The set-up is easy and the sound is incredible. We even connected it from the headphone jack to the input of our stereo and it really works great. Although I wish they have an aux output so we could use that instead of the headphone jack. Once you go Internet radio, you'll never go back to AM/FM or even sat. Even if you still want to listen to your favorite AM/FM station, you can probably still receive it since most stations have an Internet feed. Also, this radio uses the Reciva technology and they support the Clear Channel stations in the U.S.A.

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