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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Tivoli Audio Model Three AM/FM Clock Radio, Cherry/Metallic Taupe

• High-performance, easy-to-use analog clock radio with superior sound reproduction
• Fine quartz mechanical movement ensures accurate timekeeping
• 20-minute sleep timer, snooze button, and alarm thumbwheel
• 3-inch full-range driver; expandable with optional stereo speaker and subwoofer
• Measures 8.375 x 4.5 x 5.25 inches (W x H x D); 1-year warranty

I purchased the unit for it's renowned tuner but also for a replacement of my clock radio. The tuner is everything as claimed and nearly as good as a very high end tuner I currently own. The sound quality is also much better than expected. Where this unit falls apart is with the sleep functions. I could not get the snooze function to work as the radio would never come back on. An email to Tivoli revealed that the snooze must be activated within 120 seconds or it simply turns the radio off. This information was NOT in the manual! I know I'm not counting down from 120 seconds the moment the alarm awakes me from a soind sleep... Poor design. I've also discovered that the clock runs from the single AA battery at all times. It should run from the AC and only rely on the battery for back up. Another poorly thought out design. The two most important sleep functions are an afterthought and in my opinion not worth the cost or questionable functionality. If one were to add a second speaker the total would be $250 or $100 more than a model Two. That $100 only gets you a cheap battery operated clock and useless snooze function. Instead, spend your money on the model Two, the $80 sub and a wall timer. That's what I'm doing... You'll have a better system and save a few dollars as well!

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I heard a friend's Model One Tivoli, and was sold, so I decided to buy the Model Three and the Dual Alarm / Second Speaker unit for my bedroom, to replace a very cheap and unreliable alarm clock radio.

So for $200 what do you get? Well, you get a modified version of the Model One / Model Two Tivoli, and a clock radio with a sleep timer and wake to Aux / Radio / Alarm function. To be frank, I can't figure out how Tivoli justifies an extra $100 for a battery operated quartz clock insert that has barely advanced features (setting time is electronically controlled that's about it). In retrospect, the sensible in me would probably not make the same purchase again instead, I'd opt to get the Model Two unit, and a nice alarm clock (though the style wannabe in me probably would getting an all in one unit). Tivoli simply doesn't have enough "omph" or value for the dollar tossed in with the addition of the clock functions for the extra hun.

But let's break down the positives and negatives.

Positives: Sound quality kicks big time with lots of base in the unit (single speaker, dual speakers, even without the sub). FM radio, when dialed in right, sounds like near CD quality to my ears (with a caveat see below). "Action" on the tuning dial is sweet with the 4x stepped down gearing. Clock is fairly readable, though it is pretty recessed into the case, so from an angle, it's hard to see the hours well, esp. in the dark. Ability to plug in your iPod or other mp3 player to the Aux, hook up a sub, hook up a second speaker (or as I've done, the Model Three Dual Alarm second speaker) and other hookups wowsa for a clock radio! Ability to record audio is good as well I have an MP3 player / fm receiver thingie, and when I compare FM radio recordings made with the device on its own, and with the audio in ability, recording the Tivoli's FM radio, there is no comparison the Tivoli's FM sound quality is stellar (with a caveat again, see below)

Negatives: People proclaim the Tivoli's ability to pull in FM signals. I haven't experienced this as well as i expected some local stations sound hissy and tinny on the Tivoli, but in my '04 Jetta (with a radio that's often panned), they sound better. Where's this legendary FM ability across the dial? That said, when a station is pulled in by the Tivoli, it sounds (to my untrained ear at least) like big base CD quality. Other negatives: The 120 second "bug" in the design for the snooze feature has caused me to sleep in a few times (see another review for more info). Yes Tivoli that is a major design flaw. The decision on fonts and font colours makes the tuning dial and other labels on the front of the box almost unreadable in most bedroom light. And as mentioned above, the clock functionality is not worth the extra $100 in price maybe $30, maybe $40.

But it does look goooooood. :) And the sound is stellar rivals my other sound systems in the house costing $100s more.

Read Best Reviews of Tivoli Audio Model Three AM/FM Clock Radio, Cherry/Metallic Taupe Here

Let me start out by saying that I love Tivoli radios. I have a Model Two with a Model Sub-woofer in my living room and truly love the warm, rich sound along with the simple design and good looks. I liked the Model Two so much that I decided to buy the Model Three for the bedroom. Even in Mono mode, the sound is rich and exceptional and the tuner truly does pull in and lock onto FM stations as advertised. It looks beautiful and I had planned to order the up-firing companion speaker and have the ultimate clock radio. The problem I have is that as at least one other reviewer has stated the back light for the clock dial is so bright that I have not been able to sleep since I got the radio four days ago. I mean it is bright, you can make shadow figures on the wall from the light it puts out. I had to put a sock over the dial just to get some sleep. Now I feel foolish to have a $200.00 clock radio that I have to cover with a sock at night. Also the LEDS for the sleep and alarm function are bright enough alone to keep you awake. If you use the sleep function the LED stays on after the radio shuts off until you depress the button again and of course the alarm LED stays on all the time the alarm is set. Since Tivoli designed this to be a "bedroom radio" it is an inexcusable design flaw to not have include a means of toning down or disabling the back light for users that would prefer darkness while sleeping. I haven't tried the snooze function yet so haven't experienced the "snooze flaw" other reviewers have but it sounds pretty scary. One other clock flaw I experienced is that if I get home from work and go through my routine of getting everything ready for the next day before I settle in for the evening I discoverd that the 12 hour clock will sound the alarm if you try to set it for the next day within it seems a 2 hour window after the time you want to set the clock for the next day. In other words if you have the alarm set to wake up at 6:00 A.M. you can't activate the alarm until after 8:00 P.M. This bothers me because I personally have over slept more often by simply forgetting to set the alarm. In conclusion I cannot recommend buying this clock radio until Tivoli takes it back to the drawing board.

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I received the Tivoli Model Three from Amazon about three weeks ago, and think I've played with it enough to post a review. First, Amazon was dependable and delivered as I've always experienced.

Now to the clock radio.

I (almost) love it!

I'll compare the Tivoli Model Three to my eight-year-old JVC mid-priced boombox, which should sound better than a little clock radio.

Pros:

The Tivoli Model Three's tuner is great, even though it's analog. It receives many more stations and with much more clarity than the boombox, which has digital tuning. So don't let the digital vs. analog tuning fool you. Analog can be good when well-engineered. Digital tuning for over-the-air reception is not automatically better.

The Tivoli has a sensitive subtuning knob and LED that shows optimal reception. I didn't need to connect anything extra, such as a rooftop antenna or even the included wimpy little indoor antenna for much-better-than-expected reception.

Considering it's a little clock radio, the sound is great. As others have posted elsewhere, "warm" describes the sound. That's much better than "plastic," which is how I would describe my boombox after spending some recent time with both of them. I like the Tivoli's cherry wood cabinet for the sound and look. I also think a larger mono speaker is better than two inseparable 5/8" stereo speakers in a small device. That never make any sense to me.

Input-output features:

The Tivoli has some great options. You can buy an extra matching speaker and make it true stereo. I like this clock radio so much that I just ordered the extra speaker. You can buy a matching subwoofer.

It accomodates antenna input from, for example, a rooftop antenna.

Other no-nonsense features:

I thought the big hole toward the left back projected bass. I blocked the hole, and it turns out it provides more treble and midrange response.

Clock runs continuously on battery. If your power is interrupted, the battery will intercept and your alarm (but not your radio) will sound.

Cons:

There is no weak battery warning. I would have given it a 5-star out of five-star rating since there's not a 4-1/2 star option here, but it's only a 4-1/2 star out of five. In my opinion, no weak battery warning is a major issue. There is no LED for a weak battery, and the clock must run on battery at all times, not just as backup.

If you know what you're in for, this is a good-sounding, elegant-looking and functional clock radio.

It's retro in a few functions as well as looks. For example, you have to remember to turn it on when you go to sleep, since it's a 12-hour clock. That's actually a "plus," or at least not a problem for me, since I'm now using it as my main radio (due to the superiority of the sound and tuner) but might be a "con" for others.

If you change radio stations a lot, this might not be the clock radio for you. No digital tuning presets. Not a problem for me, since I usually keep it on the same few stations, and I can easily find and finely tune those stations with the easy big old-fashioned dial and sensitive subtuner. I prefer the simplicity and elegance to a whole bunch of little menus and buttons.

I looked and looked at all the popular clock radios for $200 or less on the market, reading manufacturer descriptions, user reviews, etc. They almost all are not great in one way or another. Sony offers one that seems pretty cool, with CD player and NOAA Weather Radio reception, but no backup battery! Get with it, Sony. Wouldn't the type of person who would want emergency information also want battery power? And also, as a bonus, wouldn't it be nice to have sound that's semi-tolerable? Panasonic offers one, again with a CD player, that supposedly has better sound than most. But of about 10 user reviews, at least half the people complained its backlight was too bright, even at the lowest setting. One guy said you could line a bunch of those up and light an airport runway with them. A user "solved" the problem by putting electrical tape over its backlit area, but then of course he couldn't see the time. But he was happier than before. These models were in the less than $100 range. Nearly all of them in this price range had little tiny buttons located in unintuitive places with difficult or impossible-to-read labels, especially in the dark, that did a bunch of stuff. A common complaint was that you had to read the manual to use it, and as one user said, "If you're good at memorizing ...."

After all this disgusting stuff, I almost opted for a $14.95 Sony. The sound is reportedly awful, but at least it has a backup battery, is cheap, and doesn't look hideous. It came down to this and the Tivoli.

I didn't really see anything between $100 and $200 worth a second look, except for the Tivoli Model Three. It was $200, since if you've read this far you probably already know or are curious about the price.

Here's what I decided from all this research that I need and don't need in a clock radio:

Do I really need another audio CD player in the bedroom? No. I have a boombox plus the computer. And I can add a subwoofer and CD player to the Tivoli! Plus, if I get rid of the plastic boombox later, Tivoli makes a matching CD player. But that's another $200. I'm tempted.

Do I want halfway-decent sound plus decent reception for the radio. Resounding yes!

Needs to be small. The Tivoli might look like a big (what do you call them?) desk radio from olden days. It's only 8-1/2" wide x 4-1/2" high x 5-1/2" deep.

Do I want it to look great? Definitely! And it does, in my opinion.

I almost love it.

The Model 3 Clock Radio is flawed. Its sound quality though is excellent.

The biggest problem for me is that the front and back panels are nearly unreadable under most ambient light conditions. The standard lettering and background colors combined with font size and the reflectance of the "metallic" treatment do not produce enough contrast to promote legibility. A flashlight (held at the right angle to avoid reflectance) is a useful tool for changing frequencies. My Tivoli Model 1 (classic/walnut), in contrast, is much much easier to use and sounds just as good.

I agree with another reviewer that another problem with the Model 3 is that the clock is entirely dependent on batteries. It would be better for this AC radio to have an AC clock with a battery backup.

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Sony Dream Machine ICF-CD843V CD Clock Radio with Digital Tuner

• Triple alarm for three different alarm times
• Snoozinator allows for custom snooze function with the press of a button
• Nap timer can be set for 10 to 120 minutes for quick cat naps
• Plays standard CD and CD-R/RW discs
• Tune in AM/FM, TV, and weather channels

This is a clock radio for the serious radio guy. It is a bit on the beefy side for the nightstand, but that's where it will provide the most pleasure. It has several thoughtful features. You can adjust the brightness of the digital read-out. I found the medium setting to be just fine. The digitally-tuned radio provides good reception. One complaint I have about most clock radios today is that they are puny when it comes to pulling the stations in. This one does an adequate job with both AM and FM, at least in my neighborhood. Of course, it has nice pre-sets for favorite stations. The CD player sounds good, with or without the bass boost. You can select CD shuffle, repeat, etc. One small complaint would be with regard to the volume control. It is a thumbdial on the side towards the back. You have to fumble a bit to find it in the middle of the night, and we all know that if you are listening to radio in the middle of the night you don't want it to blast. If you are changing from station to station or to CD, there will likely be a big difference in volume that will have to be dealt with. All in all, a heavyweight entry in the AM/FM/CD clock radio field. There is no earphone jack, but that may not matter to most people. There is also no battery back-up, but the radio retains its memory during a short power interruption.

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Very nice sound, better than the Philips product of similar price. However, some deficiencies make it a bit disappointing: (1) no digital volume control, so you can't set volume level for an alarm, and there is no progressively louder alarm; (2) (as someone else noted) if you want 2 alarms at 2 different times (e.g., 5am & 6am), they need to be on different music sources (e.g., 5am radio, 6am CD).

I'd still recommend it if the features don't make a big difference to you, since the sound is good and everything works well.

Read Best Reviews of Sony Dream Machine ICF-CD843V CD Clock Radio with Digital Tuner Here

The unit I bought was defective, losing power for no reason several times a day. However, this was hopefully just one bad unit, so my rating and review cover the features of the clock radio as I'd rate them if it hadn't been defective.

The major flaw in this item is that it has no battery backup. If the power goes out, it won't wake you up and you have to reset not only the clock, but all three alarm times and all twenty-five preset radio and TV stations (assuming you've programmed a station for all of them). This is enough of a problem that I wouldn't buy this model again, even though it has many good features. Other, more minor weak points: each of the three alarm times has to be set to a different wake sound: radio, CD, and beep. You can't set it to wake to the radio, for example, at three different times. Also, the button to choose the wake sound is slightly inconvenient because you have to keep pressing it to cycle through all the possibile combinations of alarms: just radio, just CD, just beep, radio then CD, radio then CD then beep, etc. However, that's only a minor inconvenience. As with most small CD players, you can hear the CD whirring as it spins, which is a little distracting if listening to soft music or nature sounds at low volume while trying to fall asleep. Still, that problem is less obvious than on some similar products, and at higher volumes it's not an issue.

There are many good features of this model. Most clock radios are terribly designed when it comes to the buttons and other controls. This one isn't perfect, but is much better than most. It doesn't give you a bunch of indistinguishable buttons in the same place, all the same size, as many models do. The placement of buttons seems fairly logical and different function buttons are grouped in different places on the face and come in different sizes, making it easier to remember which is which. One great feature is that changing radio stations works like it does on most car stereos: one button to change the band (FM1, FM2, AM, TV, Weather), then five separate buttons for each station you program within that band. There is a wheel-style volume control on the side of the unit, which works well and avoids cluttering up the face with up and down volume buttons. There is also a nap feature, which is nice to have, though this one jumps from 30 to 60 minutes, so you're out of luck if you want to set it for 40 or 50 minutes. (A nap timer is simply a countdown timer, and some models allow you to set it at any 10-minute interval. It allows you to quickly set an alarm to go off in, say, 20, 30, 60, or 90 minutes without having to reset one of the actual alarms to a precise time, then reset it again to your usual morning wake-up time.) The sound of this model is pretty good for a clock radio. Not hi-fi, but it does have two speakers, which is better than the one in many cheaper models.

Overall, this would be a very, very good product if they would add a battery backup. As it is, I would reluctantly avoid it for that reason, but in most other ways it is well designed.

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At this price point I can't complain too much about the Sony 843: Excellent AM reception. Slightly above average FM but bear in mind hard-to-get stations could give you trouble since the 843, like 99% of clock radios, relies on a little coiled plastic antenna in the back. Where I live in Los Angeles, KPCC 89.3 sometimes gives the Sony 843 problems, which I can only rectify by holding the tip of the wire antenna during my entire listening session. Needless to say, this is annoying and not practical. But the most glaring weakness is the CD player. It is so noisy that listening to music on it is too distracting so I quit playing CDs a long time ago.

But still if you can pick one up for fifty dollars or less it's worth it just for the radio and easy alarm functions. If you want a high-end clock radio with a telescopic antenna, there's only one that I know of, the Tivoli Songbook, but realize the Songbook costs nearly three times as much.

Update: I personally don't use my Songbook by my bed because it tips over. I use my best reception radio performer ever--my Grundig G4000, which I got on Amazon for $99, a very good price. It has a clock and alarm function but the clock digits may be too small for many. If you want a real clock radio by your bed and don't mind spending 99 dollars, you might check out the Sonido (made by Sangean). It's sleek and attractive, it has AM, FM, TV, and Weather bands, and it boasts a high-performance speaker, like its more expensive brother the WR-2, but even better than the WR-2, it has a telescopic antenna and it's 60 dollars less than its only competition, the Tivoli Songbook.

Update 1-29-07: If you want an attractive retro-modern clock radio with remote control, high-grade speaker and excellent reception, check out the Eton Sound 100. It retails for 150 bucks or so but can be found on sale on Amazon through other vendors. If you don't need a headphone jack or remote, the Boston Acoustics Receptor can be found on Amazon on sale between 100-120 dollars even though it retails for about 149. For bright sound, the Boston Acoustics is my very favorite.

What happened? Did the world forget how to design clock radios? I decided to buy a simple CD/Clock/Radio/Alarm unit. The world of electronics has been making these for ages. I was amazed at the fact that of the over 800 units listed on Amazon, basically NONE Of them got consistently high reviews. Even the best were lacking very basic features like battery back up for power outages, head phone jack, etc. Now, some of the gripes I read by various people were just preference differences. But it seems to me that in this day and age there are some very basic things that ALL digital alarm clocks should have, with the rest being options:

THE BASICS

TIME ACCURACY one Sony unit got dinged for losing 10 minutes on the hour ... now, in 2006, that's unexcusable.

MULTIPLE ALARMS / ALL MODES let's get real, if you're going to feature 2 or 3 alarms, let us set any of the unit's features for any of the alarms (CD/Radio/Buzzer).

DISPLAY SIZE/ADJUSTMENT I can't imagine an application where someone would want tiny alarm clock numbers, so bigger seems universally better. Make 'em as big as the unit will allow. As for dimmer settings, 2 was always OK for me, but I've seen folks complain that 3 wasn't enough. Perhaps an analog dial for the dimmer? Infinite control.

VOLUME CONTROL Simply put, you should be able to adjust the volume of the radio from barely audible to the full capability of the speaker, without distortion, either analog (before turning the unit on) or digitally (after turning it on). Some folks like each, so offer both and you'll get everyone.

ADJUSTABLE SNOOZE NO matter what number the engineers pick for the snooze delay ... someone won't like it. So, make it adjustable, with the option for it to become progressive (longer or shorter with each pressing of the snooze bar).

BUTTON TEXT Many of us sleep in dark rooms at night ... shocking I know. So why so many clock designers insist on black knobs on black radios with black lettering ... baffles me. If the unit is dark, the lettering should be bold and bright. If the unit is light, the lettering should be bold and dark. If the unit is mid-tone, the lettering should be bold and either white or dark. Not that hard to figure out.

FLAT TOP DESIGN when did someone decide that appliances with rounded tops were a good idea? Ever try to set your classes on top of a rounded alarm clock?

USER FRIENDLY BUTTONS ... ALL OF THEM I read one great review of a Sony unit with a great Snooze button and a collection of rather useless and overly small buttons for everything else. Think about it. Guys, when we wake up, we're sleepy ... we need easy to find, easy to use buttons.

HEADPHONE JACK My CAMERA has a headphone jack ... so why can't my alarm clock AM/FM Radio / CD player?

BATTERY BACK UP Power outages happen. So unless your clock has one of those cool gadgets that automatically resets itself to the Naval Observatory Master Clock ... give us a battery back up option?

I've got a very nice RCA unit at home now that lacks only 2 things I want ... a CD player and a headphone jack. It keeps good time, has battery back up, big numbers, easy to use buttons (though the text by the buttons is too small and it is "black on black"). Otherwise, it's pretty good. But it didn't come with a CD option.

I had a very nice Sony CD/Alarm/Radio/Clock a few years back, and it worked fine, until someone stole it ... and they don't make it any more.

So ... the search goes on. Come on, guys ... let's design a unit worthy of the name. I know people so fed up with their search for a reasonable and well designed unit that they've taken to using their cell phones as their alarm clocks. That's pitiful.

JTD

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Sony Ericsson Xperia pro MK16a Unlocked Phone--U.S. Warranty (Red)

Just to start, I've been a long time Sony Ericsson fan since the T68i, but this is my first Sony Ericsson Android phone. :)

This is the Sony Ericsson Xperia Pro MK16a in red which is compatible with all worldwide GSM bands but this one is high speed data compatible for US networks (3G HSDPA).

Upon opening the box, you see the phone wrapped in some kind of cloth covering with protectors on each side of the phone. At the bottom of the box is the battery, USB cable and plug adapter. The top flap of the box holds the 3.5mm headphones with mic and all the written documentation associated with the mobile phone. The 8GB MicroSD Class 2 memory card was already inserted into the phone (this is how SE always include the memory card, so don't worry if you think that the phone has been tampered with).

The phone is slightly thicker than most touchscreen phones, but I think it's pretty slim compared to other phones that has a sliding QWERTY keyboard, so this is definitely pocketable. What I didn't really care for is how narrow the phone is. This would be perfect for somebody with smaller hands, but now I know the reason why a lot of phones nowadays are pretty wide (or I guess I'm just used to wide phones). If you do a lot of one handed phone operation or just conversing on this phone, your hand might cramp with extended use.

With the screen up and holding the phone with two hands, it feels quite comfortable. Buttons are easy to reach, they have a nice tactile feel to it and simple to interact between both the screen and keyboard if need be. The keyboard does have a back light, but it goes out rather quickly (to save battery I guess).

If you're a message/data nut, then you'll enjoy this phone. Handling web browsing and apps are smooth and snappy. Watching videos was a joy and listening to music was pretty good. This is gonna be subjective as the Android Market will make everybody's experience different, but I think as a mid-grade phone this is more than enough for your average Android phone user.

The phone has a 3.7" (diagonal) screen that is pretty average compared to a lot of touchscreen phones now. But it does the job well as the screen is nice and bright (even with the brightness set to the lowest possible level). The screen does get washed out when under sunlight (which phone doesn't) so that was to be expected. Not sure if it's the screen protector (which I applied even before I turned the phone on) but the touchscreen response could be a little better. Sometimes taps don't register, but this is only when it's near the edge of the screen. So if you do a lot of homescreen customizing and a lot of finger dragging, this would be a tad tedious.

The front bottom of the phone also houses the "back", "home", and "options" buttons (no search button like other android phones). These also have a nice tactile feel when pressed and there are two bright white LED's in between the buttons when the home button is pressed. The top of the phone also has the light sensor as well as a secondary front facing camera. The bottom right side of the phone has the dedicated camera button. The upper right side has the volume + and buttons as well as the mini HDMI connector and a notification LED. This works for charging status as well as text message notification. The upper left side has the 3.5mm connector and the power button. The top of the phone has the micro USB charging conncetor and the bottom has a lanyard hole. The back of the phone has the 8MP camera as well as LED flash.

Not a fan of the power button being on the left side (as oppposed to the top like the iphone or right like the samsung) but considering if you're using the camera, I guess it does make sense that the volume/zoom buttons would also be along the top (when held like a camera). I guess I would have to get used to it.

Also as a side note, that it's not just the side power button that "wakes" the phone but the home key and the volume buttons do it as well. Take this into consideration if you do not password protect your phone.

Voice calls are really good. Talking to others is a pleasure as I hear them loud and clear as well as I'm heard loud and clear as well. Haven't tried the speaker phone or bluetooth headset yet, so I can't comment on that.

Pictures and videos look amazing. Kinda sucks that I can't show it here (don't know how) but pretty amazing for a camera phone.

Another thing I feel I have to mention. Sony felt that the music player and photo gallery has to be implemented with facebook. So if you do not authorize FB to sync while you use these apps, you will get a constant notification on the status bar that FB can't connect. This could obviously be bypassed by using a third party app from the market, but if you like using the SE app that was included with the phone then this might be a little annoying (or you could just authorize it).

Overall, I like this phone very much. There are a couple of minor hiccups, but those I could overlook and does not deter from my overall enjoyment from using this phone. I will have to add that there are not a lot of accessories for this phone, so cases and what not are gonna have to be the universal kind.

This is my first android phone, coming from Web OS, windows and other OS. After reviewing several phones with keyboard (I reply to email from the device so, keyboard was a required option) the MK16 was the best value for the money. If you are willing to spend 600 dollars on a phone, you can check Samsung Galaxy S2.

Software is pretty freindly and intuitive. You will be able to find your way around the basic functions pretty fast: WiFi, Bluetooth, Internet navigation, etc. I use the phoen with 2 different SIMs, one for Mexico and one fo rthe US and it is transparent. Battery life is average: you can have a full day of charge with Data on (email sync), WiFi and Bluetooth. I get into the Market about 2 times a day and occasional browsing. So, if you carry a charger youc an do a higtly charge and you will be fine.

Color is elegant, not flashy. nevertheless, you will get the attention for people around you so, be prepared to answer the 3 or 4 "must have" questions: "What brand is it? Is it good? Do you like it? Cool , it has a keyboard, Can I see your phone?"

In general, a very enjoyable phone that is a great balance between business and fun.

Buy Sony Ericsson Xperia pro MK16a Unlocked Phone--U.S. Warranty (Red) Now

First of all, I should note I bought this phone directly from Amazon and although the delivery time was 3 to 5 working days, the phone came in a day and a half. I applaud Amazon for their timing and speed of delivery.

This is my first smartphone and although I have not thoroughly examined, has an excellent performance, it is not too heavy or too large despite the availability of physical keyboard. The camera, excellent quality as we are accustomed to Sony. Compared to the Blackberry, no doubt the xperia wins at all; Blackberry will continue with his audience captive with its own messaging (BB Pin), but I guess not for long, thanks to new applications such as WhatsApp. Additionally, not least, the android OS is excellent, nothing to do with the OS on BB. In short, Sony Ericsson Xperia Pro is a great phone.

Excuse me for my bad English

Primero que nada, debo señalar que adquirí este teléfono directamente de la tienda Amazon y aunque el tiempo de entrega era de 3 a 5 días hábiles, el teléfono llegó en un día y medio. Felicito a Amazon por su oportunidad y rapidez en las entregas.

Este es mi primer smartphone y aunque no lo he examinado a fondo, tiene un excelente rendimiento; no es muy pesado ni muy grueso a pesar de disponer de teclado físico. La cámara, de excelente calidad como nos tiene acostumbrados Sony. Comparándolo con el blackberry, sin duda el xperia sale ganando en todos los apartados; Blackberry seguirá con su publico cautivo gracias a su mensajería propia (BB Pin), pero me imagino que no por mucho tiempo, gracias a nuevas aplicaciones como WhatsApp. Adicionalmente y no menos importante, su SO android es excelente, nada que ver con el SO de BB. En definitiva, Sony Ericsson Xperia Pro es un gran teléfono.

Read Best Reviews of Sony Ericsson Xperia pro MK16a Unlocked Phone--U.S. Warranty (Red) Here

I bought this phone for my wife as a gift and when i put the tmobile simcard i was so frustrated that ididnt work on 3g ... Phone is simply amazing but no 3g on tmobile. i m returning it back tomorrow. I loved the phone but my wife has a contract and she cannot use it without 3g ...

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Update November 6, 2012

My first and very LAST Sony Ericsson mobile phone! I downgraged my review from 4 stars to 2 stars.

After 7 months of use I CANNOT RECOMMEND THIS PHONE.

First Problem: I take very good care of my devices. I never place my phone in my slacks pocket with my keys yet the red paint started chipping off. If this happened after a year of use, I would have been more forgiving of this flaw.

Second Problem: Since I started using this device last April 4th, I have had 2 crashes where my data was deleted. Very frustrating!!! NEVER AGAIN WILL I BUY A SONY MOBILE DEVICE!!!

The only reason I still give this a 2 star rating is because Sony Mobile delivered on their promise of providing a software update from Android 2.3 to Android 4.0 which contained some nice features. Sony Mobile however did not fix a major flaw in the Music Player app. How can a company that makes Walkman phones have a music player that cannot play a song, album or playlist just once. The music player is stuck in an endless loop of play. What's up with that!!??

---------------------

This is my first Sony Ericsson and first Android phone. My previous cell was the Nokia N900, an excellent phone which I used for 2 years on T-Mobile. The whole family moved to AT&T so I decided to get another unlocked cell with a physical keyboard (and works with AT&T 3G)enter the Sony Ericsson Xperia Pro.

Ordered from Amazon.com and very happy to deal with them. I've been buying from Amazon since the Nokia E71 came out a few years ago. I was considering the Nokia N9 but at the time I was buying the phone, but the N9 Cyan color was not being sold by Amazon directly. I'm a bit weary of dealing with 3rd party sellers although I haven't tried them before.

I'm quite happy with this cell. The keyboard is excellent. The keys are backlit in a way that is very easy to see and use. Tactile feedback of the keys are excellent too. The sliding mechanism of the keyboard is sturdy and that's good.

The touchscreen is vibrant and has good resolution. I know that there are other phones with better / highier resolution but this is sufficient for me. When you zoom in on pictures or the web browser, the pictures and text are clear. The capacitive touchscreen has the right amount of sensitivity.

Android 2.3 came with the cell out of the box. Android Gingerbread 2.3 is way way better than the 2.2 version of Android that's in my co-worker's cell. I'm not a fan of the android 2.2 version. Sony's Timescape skin is okay but I don't really use it. I read in the tech blogs that the Xperia Pro will be upgraded to Android ICS 4.0 this June '12.

The phone itself is made of hard plastic. Very glossy I might add so it's a fingerprint magnet. The red color is a nice touch.

My minor cons and some more pros:

The Power key (screen lock) is located on the upper left corner of the handset and is very tiny! Not a good location because it is right next to the headphone / headset jack. Actually even the headphone jack is in the same odd location. I use the music player a lot and the odd location of the headphone jack is very inconvenient. You can't put the cell in a breast pocket of your dress shirt or slacks. The camera shutter button is on the opposite lower side of the cell. The camera shutter button is equally as small as the power button. I just tap on the screen when I take pics. BTW, the camera on this cell is EXCELLENT!

Another excellent feature is the screenshot function. If you hold the power key for a few seconds, you have the option to take a screenshot. Very useful for me. No need for an app just for that feature. Coming from the N900, I don't really use a lot of apps but the Xperia Pro has access to Google Play (Market) for apps. I use the integrated Skype in my old N900 so I was very happy to learn that I'll be able to continue making video calls using my new Xperia Pro via the skype app.

You get 5 homescreens that is very easy to customize but I wish that the homescreen can be flicked like a carousel.

You can multitask with this cell but the N900 has a way better implementation of multitasking. On the Xperia Pro, when you press the homescreen to jump to another app, it's not clear if you exited that other app or not. I saw in the youtube demos for Android 4.0 that multitasking is improved. Looking forward to the upgrade this June.

If you text a lot like me, the conversations window doesn't have a search function, a minor thing. But on the plus side, you can utilize a Tagalog (Filipino) dictionary along with the English one for composing text or email. Very handy!

On my old N900 the notification light is right on the top left corner of the screen but on the Xperia it's on the side again and very tiny again! But then again, the Xperia Pro is way thinner than my old N900 so I guess Sony had to make compromises. It would have been perfect if Sony had a color notification light right on the front of the cell.

The music player sounds very good but I use my own mid-priced headphones. The interface of the music player is a bit limited. You can't set a certain playlist or album to play only once. I noticed that if you click the Shuffle function, it will go on neverending continous play until you stop it. I was also surprised that it does not play WMA files but it will prompt you to convert before you transfer files to the cell. The music player is very picky about displaying album art.

The speaker of the Xperia Pro does not sound good. It sounds only ok but I was expecting a better sounding speaker considering Sony makes walkman phones too.

The earpiece for calls is very clear and has good volume. Using the speakerphone feature is another story because the speakerphone for calls sounds very weak even at the highiest setting. The speaker plays loud (not good quality) music but conversations are very weak when you use speakerphone for conversations. A bit weird to me.

Sony included an 8 GB microSD card. Nice touch Sony! I upgraded to a 32 GB card because I have a lot of music files.

GOOD battery life. A full charge can last me 2 full days with moderate use for calls and light web browsing about an hour per day for calls and about 1 1/2 hours per day of web browsing. I don't use the push email function so that helps a lot in conserving battery life.

I would RECOMMEND this phone to family or friends. It is not perfect 5 stars but pretty good considering the affordable price of $305 at the time of purchase.

UPDATE: September 4, 2012

Last July 4th, i received the update for Android Ice Cream Sandwich. Like any update, it has its pros and cons.

The web browser was enhanced. It is faster and you can now save pages for reading offline later. I observed that once you exit the browser, there was about a 3 second delay before your icons appear again on your homescreen.

Some widgets were added or improved. I was very happy that now you have a battery meter that is part of the system. Before I had to download an app from the Google Play Store to tell me how much battery I have left.

A major problem I encountered was when my memory card got corrupted and I had to reformat it and lost all of my music and photo files. It was a fairly new phone so I figured it wouldn't fail on me so soon. Was really peeved about this. I guess ICS doesn't support mass storage mode. I'm not 100% sure about this but now I'm stuck using Media Go from Sony in order to add media to my phone. Not happy about this.

Second week of August, Sony rolled-out a minor update for the Xperia Pro. The noticeable lag in the system was fixed. You can see this improvement when you exit the browser and when you access the phone feature of the phone. Before this minor update, when you tap the dialer icon, it takes about 4 or 5 seconds for the dialer to appear. This was fixed and happy about that.

A great thing I forgot to mention regarding the ICS update is the inclusion of the smart dialer. I don't use this a lot but happy that it was included.

I love listening to music and I'm disappointed to report that the music player was not improved in this update. There is still no option of playing any song, album or playlist just once. The player is stuck in an endless loop of replaying whatever it is that you are listening to. Very frustrating! I'm aware that there are media players that I can download from the Google Play store but shouldn't the stock media player be good enough in the first place.

My rating is still the same -4 stars.

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COP ALC-DVR32SL New Alarm Clock Radio DVR * 520TVL * Slowshutter 0.001 Lux sense up to 32X * MPEG4

• New Alarm Clock Radio DVR * 540TVL * 1/3 Slowshutter 0.001 Lux sense up to 32X * 2.5mm Lens* MPEG4 Compression * Includes Remote control and 4GB SD card. 110V

I bought this hidden camera alarm clock because occasionally I am paranoid about what people do in my house when I'm not around. I'm only partially kidding on that. I wanted to use it mainly for motion detection; I'm not really interested in hours of unchanging room scenes. I aim mine at the entrance to my bedroom door so I not only catch things IN the room, but also when people walk BY the room.

I'll just list the cons and pros as I see them:

Cons

1) It's EXPENSIVE! I got it at SpyTown for two-eighty-five (in case the price has changed) plus shipping (and tax if you live in NY). With shipping it came to just over 300.

2) The instructions could be better. I still don't really understand how to work that Schedule setting. When I use it and block off specific hours of recording motion, it records anyway. The menu shows hours (at least I think it's the hours) 1 through 24 so I block off the hours I'm at home, but it starts recording everything (not the motion I selected) at midnight. I then tried leaving the schedule off and it seems to record SOME of the time, but because it's not consistent when it starts up I am just not sure what I need to change in the settings.

3) The 4GB card that comes with it is a regular SD card and I have a feeling this thing won't use the SDHC cards. It seems old school. And of course the plain SD cards don't come any larger so I have to set this thing to Loop which means I sometimes miss time periods in the beginning (they get overwritten).

4) The DVR On/Off button is on top. Not very discreet if you hope to have it seem like a regular alarm clock. Should be on the back or sides and there's plenty of room for it almost anywhere else. I think your average thief would recognize it for what it is if they looked at it for more than a couple of seconds.

5) The only way to the menu is the remote so don't EVER lose that! Needs a menu button on the device itself just in case.

6) You must view the image on a separate video screen. I connect mine to my TV's side output as necessary, but given the hard to use factor I am doing this every day with an extra long cord.

7) The non-radio alarm is too soft. It ends up ringing almost a minute until I wake up. Luckily I set it for a bit early anyway. My other alarm clock was ALARMING and I could never sleep through that.

8) I removed the "battery cover" and discovered there was no place for batteries so you're stuck with A/C power only out of the box. (Still don't know what that removable plate is for since it goes to a PCB plate--am I supposed to remove that as well to get to the batteries??)

Pros

1) That gimmick of showing the time on the ceiling or wall with the projector is AMAZING! I really like that. It's even aim-able and reversible, meaning you can even make the time "inside out" (I think for reflections off of something). If I turn over in bed I can read the time on the ceiling. May bother someone who is light averse while sleeping, though, even if it isn't that bright in my opinion.

2) It really does capture motion well and the camera's video is true to life. It is color and you can see faces and other detail fine.

3) You can connect this thing to an alarm system if you have one. One of the settings is to have it record when the alarm is tripped. I've never used it, though.

4) It has WHITE NOISE to fall asleep to! Not just white noise, but sounds of nature; there are two selections other than radio. It's soothing actually.

5) It does have AM/FM radio, though the dial doesn't go all the way down for FM. Not sure why there are numbers down there where you can't go. I think it might be a flaw in my particular clock/radio.

6) It has TWO alarms, which means two people can use it without adjusting the wake times.

7) Numbers on the front are large and easy to read and the AM/FM dial is also easy to see, though the radio isn't bright in the dark.

8) You can erase the card and set Motion Sensitivity in the menu.

As for the specs, it records at 30FPS max, which looks like enough for this purpose. I think the video is at 320x240 in resolution according to the menu. The more expensive alarm clock at SpyTown only adds Wi-Fi, which might be useful for some folks. I got my clock within 3 business days (5 days total), but there was no tracking info sent out and I called and never got a human. I e-mailed and the PERSON who handles that was out that week so basically the customer service is weak, but I have no problems after 3 weeks of use so I can live with that.

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Grace Wifi Radio with iPod dock GDI-IR3020

• Plays music from the Internet, your iPod, and your home computer
• connects to your Wi-Fi(wireless)or wired home network
• for docking iPods, including the 120GB iPod classic, curved screen iPod nano, and second generation iPod touch
• supports playback of unprotected MP3, WMA, AAC, WAV, AIFF, and REAL audio files
• Play your Pandora radio stations

This product is the synthesis of everything I've been looking for! I have long been a radio fan and in recent years subscribed to Sirius Radio, listen to stations on iTunes and love internet radio stations, especially Pandora. This little baby combined all of my interests into one small clock radio. While the sound of the speakers won't blow you away, add a small set of speakers (I am using an extra set of Logitech Computer speakers with sub that only cost me $40) and you have a great sounding system (depending on the station you listen to). The construction is ok, although for over $200 I would have liked it to be a bit sturdier, but it is a clock radio so it isn't going anywhere. This model also has an iPod dock great for listening, but it won't charge your unit. Overall I am extremely happy iPod, Sirius (although you have to upgrade your on-line account for $2.99/month to use with this), Pandora and over 16,000 internet radio stations! One of the big advantages of the Grace radio is 99 presets most other radios I looked at had alot less.

My biggest problems these days is trying to figure out what I want to listen to first!! Highly recommended.

Buy Grace Wifi Radio with iPod dock GDI-IR3020 Now

If anyone still owns Sirius/XM stock, it's time to sell. Internet radio is where it's at. That said, I'm still sending this device back here's the good and bad:

GOOD -

1. iPod another reviewer said it does not charge their iPod. Mine does charge when in the dock.

NEUTRAL

1. Sound quality about the same as the iHome clock radio, slightly inferior Logitech iPod speaker set I've had for about 3-years overall, okay but not great, especially considering the price point.

BAD -

1. iPod sometimes crashes the system when I try to go back to Internet radio

2. Mute function does not work on the remote control (another review mentioned same problem)

3. Display, while cool looking as a "wrapped window" integrated into the curved front, is illegible at any normal viewing stance because it's oriented at approximately 45-degrees up. If it's on a nightstand, dresser, or desk where the viewing angle is close to horizontal, the display is merely a blue light (I've tinkered with contrast/brightness to no avail). So rather than using the remote control from your desk or bed, you have to stand over the unit to see exactly what you want to do. Kind of defeats the purpose of a remote control.

4. Other small issues: User's Manual was in French (similar complaint as another reviewer easy to download an English version). You have to use the Grace Reciva website to manage music including setting up Pandora if Grace goes out of business, you're stuck with your last selections.

Overall, its the combination of things that is causing me to send it back. If it was $80 instead of twice that amount, I might hang on to it (though the unreadable display is sort of a deal killer).

Cool idea, only so-so execution. Not sure what I'll replace it with (not many iPod-enabled Internet radio options out there), but this isn't the one for me.

Read Best Reviews of Grace Wifi Radio with iPod dock GDI-IR3020 Here

got this unit for the office at work.

pros:

tons of stations to choose from

pretty easy to setup

looks good

ipod + internet radio (wired and wifi)

cons:

navigating through the menus is not that intuitive. both the menus and buttons can be confusing. i am the only one at work that has taken enough time to figure out how to use this radio. most everyone else has given up and ask if i will just work it for them.

display is not particularly easy to read or visually appealing. its very low res, small and has mediocre contrast. the ipod display this is not

stations are garbled at times, even with a high speed internet connection

very high price for a relative basic machine in this day and age

bottom line:

does what it says for a relatively high price. display and navigation could definitely be improved. overall reasonably happy but would expect significant improvements in future models

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Very easy setup and connection to internet. Use of dial/single button to enter text characters is time consuming, but only needs to be done once per network, and remembers settings. We are able to dock our iPod with it's protective cover on. Had issues navigating through the grace radio website to activate the account (free) and associate our account (the instructions didn't match the website very well). But, once set up it is very easy to use Pandora and provide "thumbs-up/downn" feedback. We even created a new Pandora station while listening to the radio on the deck of a cabin in the mountains on a recent trip. Perfect for travel, WiFi and ethernet port make it easy to connect to internet. Sound is nothing to brag about, but is not bad either. Haven't used the RCA jacks yet, but am sure this will become a standard part of our home stereo. Wish it had a battery-power option for true freedom of movement, but realize that it would chew through batteries, and perfection is a lot to ask for.

I am a Radio Nerd: Former Shortwave fan, former Ham, present Satellite Radio Subscriber, likes "HD Radio," etc. This Grace brings it all together. Once I set it up and (automatically) downloaded the station list for the first time, I saw the possibilities. Buried in the list was not just the BBC, Detsche Welle, and Radio Neitherlands, but all those other wierd little stations that I used to build special antennas for. Since I got it, I plugged into Sirius for my favorate new stations, tried out Pandora (its "personal radio stations" are free, but Sirius does a better job programming music mixes than I can), and suddenly realized that I can tune in many (but not all) HD Radio stations.

This is not even a Hi-Fi product. Better than AM, but FM Radio quality at most. There are RCA output jacks on the back, but the amp is so weak that they can't drive speakers unless you patch the output through an amplifier. Ordinary self-powered computer speakers are a big improvement, but I decided that earphones work best for me.

The display stinks. It is readable only with a certain orientation. Use the remote control after setting the presets, and then forget the display. The manual is set up as topics, but you can wizzen it out if you don't expect to read instructions in serial order. It is computer equipment, after all.

This is a reasonably easy product to use, and it performs well within the scope that I described above. As radio nerd, it certainly floats my boat.

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JBL OnStage IIIP 30-Pin iPod/iPhone Speaker Dock

• Supports most iPhone and iPod models with 30-Pin Dock Connector
• 3.5-mm mini jack allows connection of other audio devices such as MP3 and CD players, desktop computers, satellite radios, and laptops
• Odyssey transducers and Slipstream port design provide a full, rich frequency response
• Includes an RF remote control with full iPod navigation

90% of portable iPod speakers are garbage. I listened to many of them. I also listened to the Bose and similar "portable" speakers that run upwards of $200 and more. They sound good but are really not very portable. And >$150 for an iPod speaker doesn't make sense to me. Skip the cheaper ones unless you think the iPhone's internal speaker sounds great because that's the sound you get from the cheap ones a tinny distorted mid-high sound. I spend a lot of time and effort on my home systems. I have two full systems in my home. One is a full analog system with a turntable and tube amplifier. The other is a full solid-state system with digital transport and separate digital/analog converter. I take good sound seriously. However, I'm not one of those asshats that spends $20,000 on a stereo system. That being said. This speaker is outstanding at what it is designed to do. This little thing sounds great. It is worth the $100. I have played my iPhone 3GS through it with NO PROBLEMS. The people who hear it are all impressed with the sound. It has good bass, which is the toughest thing for something this size to do. I highly recommend it. JBL deserves credit for a good product at a good price.

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I don't normally write reviews. I use them all the time but I don't like to take the time to write one. I am writing because I think this is a very good product. Perfect, almost. The sound quality is very good. We purchased it because we wanted something small that we could pack for vacations that had good sounds. This is relatively small with a great sound that fills a room with clear sounds. My only complaint about is it has a very nice small remote control. This is great and works good BUT it is very small and easy to loose. They could of used just a little engineering logic and put a small place in the base that it could be stored so it would be harder to get seperated from the base. Other then that, I highly recommend this if you are looking for a relatively small unit with great sound. I take it out by our pool and it really projects and we have a noisy road behind my house.

Read Best Reviews of JBL OnStage IIIP 30-Pin iPod/iPhone Speaker Dock Here

I've had previous versions of this product and find this one much improved.

It does work with my iPhone 3G, including the charging.

Improved sound quality.

Battery powered (optional)

The only downgrade with respect to past versions is the remote control:

Less intuitive buttons. Difficult to operate in the dark

Dependent on Infrared, instead of the old RF. This means you need direct line of sight to the unit for it to work.

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I've owned older versions of the JBL On Stage line and this one has been the best experience yet. The sound produced from this model is great and gets loud enough without distortion to use in any environment. When you first dock an iPod or iPhone with it and begin playing, it starts out on a low volume setting so you have to turn it up each time you dock it but it keeps you from being blasted out like the older models did. I haven't bothered to use this one running on the 6 AA batteries since I've always been somewhere with AC power for it. I've only used this with the original iPhone. There are some changes Apple made to how the 3G iPhones charge that although they will play music through older devices, they'll display an error message when you first connect them. With the original iPhone this speaker worked perfectly, though.

Save 35% Off

I just purchased this speaker dock for my new iPhone 3GS, and I love it. It works perfectly. The sound is great; there's no need for a special adapter (like another user said there was); there is ZERO feedback/interference heard (which is huge for me and the reason I returned a different product by a different manufacturer); it's compact/portable; and it charges your phone for you while you listen to music! What more can you ask for??

Well, the one thing I would ask for is a lower price. In fact, having to pay $133.99 for this unit was the only reason I gave it four stars instead of five. I'd actually rate the unit itself as a five star unit and the price a one star. It's just too expensive. But unfortunately, I couldn't find another (cheaper) product that has all the features that I wanted like this one does. And this one sure did live up to it's promises.

Ultimately, I'd buy it again.

******* UPDATE 9/14/11 *******

Well, two years later I can see that the price did come down. My original unit is still working great, so I just bought a second one. Now I have one for the house and one for work. I still think this is a great product. With the lower price, I'd give it 5 stars.

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Remanufactured Panasonic KX-TGA523M 5.8 GHz FHSS GigaRange. Supreme Expandable Digital Handset with

• Remanufactured to like-new condition; includes 90-day warranty
• 5.8 GHz digital spread spectrum signal
• For Panasonic KX-TG5200M-series expandable phone systems
• AM/FM clock radio/alarm in base unit
• Light-up antenna signals new calls and messages; caller ID with call waiting, 50-call log

The best combo of phone & radio, taking up the least amount of space. Phone works great, as does the radio. Highly recommended. Just keep in mind that this unit will work only with the KX-TG 5200 model series of phones.

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My phone had problems soon after purchase. It starts having trouble registering with base and tech support is not much help

Read Best Reviews of Remanufactured Panasonic KX-TGA523M 5.8 GHz FHSS GigaRange. Supreme Expandable Digital Handset with Here

Great product, just be careful when you order the product make sure it comes with a jack to plug the phone to.

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I like the item, because of the small amount of space it takes up. However, it's annoying to have to constantly reset it when the lights go out. Sometimes I think the alarm is set and it is not. I really would not recommend this item to anyone.

When I received this item, it became apparent that it required a separate base station to operate the phone. That would have to be another purchase that I did not anticipate. No where in the advertisement did it state that this was an extension of another item.

I was able to return the item but the cost of shipping both from and to the seller was expensive.

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Coby CSMP145 Butterfly Digital Speaker System for iPod and iPhone, Black

• Built-in universal dock charges and plays iPod/iPhone
• Full-range speaker system with adjustable ambient lighting
• 20W total output power
• 3.5mm headphone jack
• Built-in universal dock charges and plays your iPod/iPhone music

I'll be brief, no need to get all extensive. The look is nice, design nice, rotating dock feature is nice, but the sound is not what I expected. I read 50 watts somewhere and its more like 10 watts. If youre looking for a nice ipod/phone speakers for your bedroom or office, this'll do. In a quiet setting though, in a louder environment or if you plan on being in another room, dont expect to be entertained by the sounds of your playlist. 3 stars, if sound was louder, it'll definately get a 5

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Now this is accent and focal point of my room. This is very elegant and attractive design. It has AUX IN input so I connected to my laptop for boost sound, it give me a good sound experience for watching move from the laptop. Great extra feature about this unit is that its adjustable illumination light (white LED) on both sides. I'm using this as night light every night, I love this feature. Unlike other device, this has Base boost function from remote control, but the base boost volume level is not that hi.. I can't expect more for this price. Fiends who saw this unit at my house, they wanted one. Over all, you can't find this great iPhone-certified docking system at this price. This is most attractive and quality ipod docking system for its class. I think that this unit is worth of $150. Thank you Coby for offering quality system with lowest price.

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This is an incredible music machine. Fits my iPhone4 even with the rubber protector. No radio, no clock, nothing complicated, just awesome music.

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We wanted to get speakers for our ipod because we were cramped on space and couldn't use our large stereo system anymore. We also wanted something that wouldn't look hideous or out of place in our decorating. These speakers are great, we love the design, they are so stylish and such a addition. The sound quality is awesome and the lights on the sides are cool. The only problem we have is that our cats keep stepping on top of the system and turning the lights on, we have to remember to take the ipod off the system when we aren't using it otherwise we get woken up by blasting music cause they'll turn it on in the middle of the night. These speakers are awesome and the remote is a great feature. Love this!

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I liked this speaker, it looks good, good range of volumes from quiet to loud, and the remote was nice for turning it on and off in the nursery. The downside is that it broke after 5 months smoke coming out the power connector in the back of the unit kind of broke. I don't know what happened or if I got a lemon, but I can't return it and I don't know if it's under manufacturers warrantee. I feel like this might be a fluke, but this was in my nursery and I don't want to risk it, even if it was just a one off lemon. I'm going to go to another brand of speaker for safety reasons.

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Motorola Droid Multimedia Dock (Retail Packaging) - compatible with the first Droid A855

I ordered the Motorola Droid Multimedia Station on the Droid's release day because I thought it was a cool idea. I didn't see it in person until it was delivered to my door and the geek in me loves it!

PROS:

Nice build quality

Non-skid base

Turns your Droid into an alarm clock and weather station

Sync your data via USB cable

Just plain cool looking

CONS:

Will not work with cases

Somewhat expensive

The box includes 4 items, the actual dock, a micro USB cable, an AC adapter, and a user guide. The dock itself is very well made and is quite hefty in weight. You won't be accidentally knocking this dock around from your desk especially since it also has a non-skid base. The dock has a micro USB port that you plug the cable into and then you plug the other end into the AC adapter. This of course, powers and charges your Droid, which is perfect for your nightstand. If you want to sync your Droid, just plug the micro USB cable into your PC. This will charge your Droid too, but at a much slower rate and only when your PC is powered on.

When you dock the Droid in, the orientation changes automatically to landscape. You select what city you want your weather widget to display and boing, you have your multimedia station. The dock has magnets located in specific areas to activate this mode, which I just found can be activated by using an app called "Dockrunner." It is available for download in the Marketplace.

It's a little pricey for what it does but it is cool nonetheless. An audio out or built-in stereo speakers would've been cool but no biggie!

I really wanted this for my Droid, and its good quality. When you place your Droid in this Charging Cradle/"Multimedia Station", it charges you battery and magnets activate a Multimedia mode on your phone, allowing you to brows photos, listen to music, and work with your alarm clock right on your nightstand. Not owning an iPod, I can't tell you how much I love having all mp3's and so forth available right next to my bed. This is a lovely product.

Pros and Cons:

1) The magnets override your lock feature, which may be a security issue for some.

2) The Droid won't fit in the cradle with any kind of body armor/silicone/hard plastic case attached around it. You'll have to take this off when you want to use the cradle.

3) The Multimedia mode has a built-in "dimmer" switch for night time use, but I personally find even that setting emits too much light in my room, and that makes me crazy. If you don't have an issue with things emitting light while you sleep, this is a non-issue for you.

4) The cord that comes with the cradle is the same as comes with the phoneits VERY short. I had to use a USB extension cable to get from an outlet to my nightstand.

I really like this thoughthe problems I have all me.

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This docking station came up on a Droid X shopping list, and under a "Droid X docking station" search. Just be aware...this is not compatible with the Droid X.

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The droid multimedia station is a nice desk accessory, but it has its problems and don't buy it as a bedside alarm clock.

Pros:

1) Beautiful and compact

2) Easy to exit dock mode and access most other Smartphone functions.

Cons:

1) There is only one dimming level, which is still fairly bright in a dark room.

2) When the display is dimmed, there is little contrast between the numbers and the background, making the display hard to read. This

problem could be solved if the background and/or time coloring were customizable, but this is not the case.

3) When placing a call while the droid is in the dock, the in-call screen does not shift into landscape mode, making it difficult (but not impossible) to accesses the features such as the dial-pad and speaker button.

4) The buttons on the bottom of the screen stay illuminated, regardless of if the screen is dimmed or not.

5) It would be nice to change the widget buttons while in the multimedia dock mode. For example, I do not use the built-in android alarm clock (I use the app Math Alarm Clock), so I would like to have direct access to that application instead of the standard alarm.

6) Sometimes it takes a while for the weather to update. Importantly, the latest droid update mostly fixed this problem, giving me hope that other issues will be fixed in the future.

7) There is no audio jack to send music to speakers

8) Expensive (especially since you can make your own dock with multimedia mode easily)

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For the money, you might expect a bit more than a weighted base (with magnet!) and a power adapter. I know I did. You can use software to go into the same mode as the dock for free, so YMMV.

I appreciate the design. It's heavy enough to not get knocked around too easily on my desk, and my wife keeps hers in the kitchen. It would work equally well as an alarm clock/night stand device. We got these with our 2 droids since it was a nice refined way to charge them and still get plenty of functionality (weather/time/music) at a visible angle.

Pros:

1. Well weighted with rubberized bottom keeps it from bouncing around easily

2. Designed nicely Looks sharp. The Droid's audio is surprising clear in speaker mode for playing music (especially for such a small speaker), but a Bluetooth or corded headset (or speaker setup) would work here.

3. Nice angle for keeping an eye on the clock. I'm hoping Google improves the interface... the weather section is a bit small and doesn't give much info. A real-time radar with more info would be best and perhaps a smaller alarm clock with more configuration/personalization options for color, stock ticker, etc. would be great. But this doesn't affect my review of the dock.

4. Fits perfectly and makes it easy to remember where you left your phone. :-)

Cons:

1. I thought that the cable for USB/DC Converter was a bit short. It's the same as the one that came with the Droid. Nothing that can't be amended, but for $30 they couldn't throw in another meter?

2. It boils down to being a weighted/angled slot with charger/usb cable for $30. It probably amounts to $2 in materials if that. It would be expensive at $15.

3. It really doesn't deliver much. You can get everything but the pre-positioned angle without the doc, and the doc software needs improvement (not a slam on the dock itself, just pointing it out). Unless you're really using it as an alarm clock, It's difficult to see the point now that I have it. If you're watching movies on it as a sort of TV replacement, then maybe... yeah.

4. No cases allowed (it won't fit with them on).

In the end, it is well built and designed nicely. I think it should offer more for the money (maybe built in speakers?) but it is what it is, an overpriced accessory, and for what it's worth, usually overpriced accessories are built like junk, so this gets a 4.

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