Elgin 2-Inch LCD Multifunction Alarm with Smartlite

I needed a battery-powered clock, readable from a distance, in a corner with no outlet nearby. I opted for LCD because of the lower power requirement than LED, but I wanted to read it at night, which required some sort of backlighting like electroluminescence. I found the 2-inch Elgin LCD battery-powered clock on Amazon. It has an alarm, which I didn't need, but also has a toggle switch which enables/disables a light sensor; when enabled, the sensor turns on green backlighting at night (probably EL).

I ordered and received the clock. It functioned well, but the big test would be how often I would have to change the batteries. I used NMH low-discharge rechargeable batteries. I installed the batteries during the last week of September, hoping that I wouldn't have to recharge them more than every 2-3 weeks. It's now mid-February, more than four months later, and I still haven't had to recharge the batteries. This clock fulfilled all of my requirements, and has far exceeded my expectations for battery life. I'm definitely going to order another.

I was hoping to have a clock so the time could be read from a distance of 15 feet. The picture shows a green background & that works if the room is dark. Without the green background, the clock is hard read even from a couple of feet away. There is no way to keep the the green light on all the time the sensor to turn the green background on works only when the room darkens. The numbers are a good size & the clock looks nice wish I could see what time it is.............

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This clock seemed like a great idea. However, when I received it, it was extremely cheaply made. The main issue was that it could not be set. Buttons would stick, the setting display would roll through dates and times and make it impossible to stop it or reset it. Don't recommend this one at all folks.

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I loved so much about this clock before buying it: big numbers; displays date and alarm time simultaneously as clock info; ascending alarm; auto backlight. Plus, after having spent some time with it, I love how dead simple it is to set up. However, after using it for over a week here are some of the issues:

1) Can not read the numbers if your eyes are situated below the reading plane. Yes, if you are seated/lying below this clock you will NOT be able to read anything on its display. Really BAD.

2) Poor side visibility. The viewing angle is something like 70 degrees or so, which is generally ok, however I am used to the old digital clocks where viewing angle was not really an issue (think 80's and 90's red colored number displayed alarm clocks)

3) Washed out lcd during daylight. I had to cover the auto-backlight sensor with some black electrical tape so that the backlight would be on all the time in order to gain the contrast needed to view the lcd numbers during the day time.

4) No way to tilt this. I understand most clocks don't have this, however because this clock can not be seen from below it really needs to have some tilting mechanism so that its display can be angled upward.

I am thinking I may still keep it. I really like the big display, and from what I've found almost all the new led clocks can't be viewed well unless you are directly in line with them, so apparently this clock is not alone in its display problems.

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Just received this clock. It arrived a day earlier than estimated. Easy to set up and works as described. The numerals are large and easy to read. The backlighting is a soft green, but, I find it quite bright at night due to the large clock face. My previous clock had a soft blue backlight which I found to be not too bright. Blue light is also supposed to be more stimulating to the brain so it might be more disturbing. The bright green backlight can accessed by pressing the snooze/light button on the base and it is really bright. The alarm starts out as a single beep/second and increases in steps to a constant series of beeps. I would think that should be enough to wake up most people. I noticed that others had commented about viewing angles. I think this clock is designed for use in the bedroom using a nightstand or similar table that is even with or below the level of the bed. As such, this clock can only be viewed from above a point level with the clock face. The digits start to fade as one drops below the level of the face. Viewing from the sides does not appear to be a problem until one has difficulty seeing the face. The digits are still visible in ambient daytime lighting coming through a draped window. The nightime sensor is on top left, seems pretty sensitive and triggers the low level back light before the room is fully darkened. The sensor can be turned on or off.

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Philips DC350 iPhone Docking System with Bluetooth

• Enjoy music from multiple sources - iPhone/iPod, MP3-link, FM radio, bluetooth enabled mobile phone
• Auto-sync iPhone/iPod to your PC via USB
• High quality built-in speakers
• Charge iPhone/iPod
• Hands-free calls from iPhone via Bluetooth

Unlike the other 2 users, I didn't have any problems with the shipping of this product. The original box came inside the Amazon.com box and was in good enough condition. The remote was included (which actually didn't really matter to me too much cause I don't use it).

SPEAKERS:

I bought this product primarily for it's speakers and bluetooth function and they serve quite well, although the speakers aren't wonderful, if you live in a small apartment or have it in a room it is well enough. Not powerful enough to blast music like party speakers though. The sound quality isn't as good as per se a JBL on stage sound system. I wish it had EQ, but it doesn't, but the speakers are good enough, I don't really mind.

BLUETOOTH SPEAKERPHONE:

The bluetooth speakerphone works very well and seamlessly. I never had the trouble that TechGuy experienced with the volume being to quiet. That only happens if you are listening to radio or music WHILE you are on a phone call. If you answer it, it automatically turns off the music (so you can hear the person talking). If you insist to play the music in the background of the call, it is more quiet. I can always however hear the person speaking, it's just the music that is more muted. When I have someone on speakerphone, I usually have them on volume 20 or so, and max volume is 32, so as you can see it's not a problem.

FM RADIO:

This is where I seem to have a tiny bit of problem, and it's probably more where I have placed the speaker and where my apartment is located, but the radio reception isn't particularly great and even moving it around doesn't work that well. It doesn't come with an actual antenna that you can adjust so I guess it's just too bad if you don't have good reception. I'm also not sure if weather affects the reception.

IPHONE DOCK:

Another big reason I bought this was because it has an adjustable size for the iphone dock. I have a pretty thin case on my iphone, but some docks you have to take the case off for it to fit, but this one is adjustable so you can keep the case on. That was a big deal for me as it would be the most annoying thing to do.

All in all I think this is a great unit, especially if you're using it for a small room and also use speakerphone.

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This is an excellent unit. Does everything as advertised. Sleek styling. Looks great with the new iMacs. Syncs perfectly with iTunes. Sounds surprisingly good for so small a package. FM reception crystal clear, no cellular static from the iPhone whatsoever. Make and take calls, nicely fades music in the process, picks up music where you left off. Set the iPhone to listen to Pandora, Public Radio apps, so even streams Internet stations. The sleek styling renders button names not easy to read immediately, but you quickly get used to what buttons go with what function. I could say much more, but just wanted to counter the rating of the jerk who because Amazon royally messed up the shipment of his actual unit, crashes the entire rating system for the unit itself. Grossly unfair way to let off steam--kick the dog because you're mad at your boss. Geez.

On the other hand, actually, in terms of Amazon, I agree with the jerk 100%! I had THE EXACT SAME EXPERIENCE. My unit delivered and clearly had been opened previously. The Philips box itself was scuffed up and had a few "creases" where the side had been pushed in some, even though the Philips box was inside an Amazon shipping box. My Philips box ALSO WAS MISSING THE INCLUDED REMOTE CONTROL, just like the other fellow. That's really weird. Amazon, what the hay is going on here? You really are stumbling on getting this new Philips unit into consumers' hands in factory fresh condition. Something is really amiss in your order/processing/shipping line. Get your act together, because your actions are hurting a really fine product.

I will report back when I get a replacement unit. That may take months. The first unit was ordered May 7 and did not ship until July 6, two months later. However, in my brief time with the Philips DC350, I was delighted with the unit, so I am willing to wait. This is almost the only FM radio, iPhone docking/charging unit out there that also has a USB port to sync to your computer. Definitely worth the wait for me. I love convergence to lessen desktop clutter.

REVIEW UPDATE--Aug. 19, 2009

OK. I have had my replacement unit for a few weeks now and have an update on the review. After settling into the unit, I've had a chance to notice some items. Some are just minor details. Other items, while they may or may not be deal breakers for you, perhaps for others they would. Here are my additional notations:

(1) Faulty shipping--the second Philips DC350 box was just as battered as the first one I got from Amazon, even though inside an Amazon box. I finally figured out why I had two units in a row show up on my doorstep that way. The Philips DC350 units are being shipped directly from their overseas source in the original Philips box--the overseas shipping label is affixed directly to the original Philips DC350 box. Boy, talk about cheap, and expensive at the same time, because individual units are much more subject to shipping damage, or pirating, as a number of original cartons do not have remotes or other accessories, like my original Philips DC350 was missing the remote.

(2) No landline--the unit has no telephone line in, even though marketed as a "business solution" device for executives, so I lost out on the convergence idea. I still have to have my old landline phone cluttering up the desktop right next to the unit. Even if no handset could be included in the sleek design, they at least could have used the speakerphone capability already a part of the unit and included a number pad on the remote control. I'm pretty bummed out about this.

(3) Missing inputs/outputs--no earphone out (very strange; I don't think I have ever owned any audio device that did not have an earphone out). Also, no audio out of any kind; hence you cannot hook the device into your existing desktop shelf, mini-stereo, or stereo system to supplement the sound. Fortunately, as I mentioned already, this unit has very impressive sound for its size. They use the Bose technique of funneling the base through long channels on either side (pretty much the entire height of the device; outputs on the side at the bottom).

(4) Remote conflicts--if you own ANY OTHER Philips device in the room, the DC350 remote triggers functions on the other Philips devices. You can tape over the IR receiver port of other devices, but then you cannot remote control them. Unfortunately, I have other Philips devices in the room. I found ways to get around the problem, but what a hassle.

(5) EQ challenged--you cannot customize the sound with an EQ of any kind. However, they do give you 4 EQ presets (Pop, Jazz, Classic, Rock). I still think the sound overall is good, but some really like to fiddle with EQ settings.

(6) Alarm settings--you get two alarms, but with unnecessary limitations:

(6.1) For example, both volume and source (buzzer, FM, iPhone) are hardwired to ONE SETTING for BOTH alarms. Very shortsighted for those looking to use the unit in a bedroom, such as spouses with quite different sleeping habits, waking up ability, or audio source preferences.

(6.2) Another limitation is the failure of the designers to think the alarm setting could be used for anything besides waking up, that is, besides assuming that the unit invariably would be off when set for alarm. What about setting the alarm for your favorite FM program, such as NPR every afternoon? No go. The alarm works in STANDBY MODE ONLY. That is, the alarm will not interrupt your listening to background music from your iPhone playlist to cut in with the FM for your favorite afternoon radio program.

(7) Non-rotational dock--Movies are out, obviously, because of the fixed vertical orientation of the iPhone in the dock, so you cannot watch movies, YouTube videos, iPhone videos, etc. Other Philips devices have rotating docks for the iPhone connection. The length of the base of this unit could have accommodated the iPhone in landscape orientation nicely, so really could have been more designed with a rotating dock for the actual use of an iPhone. Now that iPhones have video capabilities, this is a definite limitation.

(8) Remote miniaturization--the remote control got shrunk in the Philips dryer. You have to MEMORIZE REMOTE FUNCTIONS, because the font size on the screen prints on the remote buttons requires a well-lit room and magnifying glass to read. No kidding.

(9) Speakerphone volume--the speakerphone volume is WAY TOO LOW. At first, I thought my DC350 Bluetooth connection to the iPhone was not working. I would receive a call, try to answer on the Philips DC350, hear nothing in response, and think the call failed. Then my wife said she could hear me fine when she called, but could tell I was not hearing her for some reason. So, I thought to turn up the speakerphone volume on the DC350. I was listening to FM radio at about level 10, and had to turn the DC350 all the way up to MAX VOLUME (level 32) to hear the other party making the call well enough not to miss words here and there! Then, when the call ended, the FM radio function would come back in, but now at max volume! What a blowout shock! I have gotten used to this idiosyncrasy and have habituated myself to turning the volume down with the remote immediately upon ending a phone call.

So, the Philips DC350 unit has limitations that may or may not be deal breakers for you. While I really get aggravated with some of these limitations at times, they still are not deal breakers for me personally, for reasons that I identified in the original review. Those original impressions about the Philips DC350 continue, even after living with the unit for a while now. In other words, I still would buy the Philips DC350 again, even with its limitations, if this unit broke after warranty.

Still recommended. Probably, realistically, four stars instead of five.

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I'll keep this short and sweet it's a good looking unit with decent sound and a nice set of features. That said, I bought it with the primary intention of using it as a hands-free speakerphone unit for my iPhone 4 on my desk and it fails miserably. Callers complained of static and not being able to hear me while using it to the point where I shut it off and took the call on the phone itself. Even more maddening, you literally have to pair it with the phone every time you turn the Philips on.

In other words, at least once a day, you have to:

1) Turn Philips dock on.

2) Hold down pairing button on Philips dock.

3) On iPhone, go into Settings, General, Bluetooth.

4) Select Philips DC350 and pair.

I have a separate car handsfree speakerphone that works flawlessly with my iPhone if the phone is on and the speakerphone is on, they automatically pair, that's how it should be.

Moving on from the product, in returning it, I found that Vann's couldn't have been more understanding and helpful. I spoke with Ryan and he was the best customer service representative I've ever spoken with. He was polite, funny, understanding and efficient. The experience with Vann's was just fantastic if only Philips new what they were doing.

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I got this for my husband to use with his iPhone The sound quality is excellent However I bought it because other reviews said that the iPhone or iPod Touch would dock without taking off the case that protects the phone. Not true. However, since he has blue tooth he works it that way, just can't charge the phone on the docking station as hoped. If you don't have a case on your phone or iPod it will work perfectly!

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(EDITED, RATING IMPROVED FROM 3 to 4 STARS). I bought this unit primarily because it is about the only thing on the market that can be used both as an audio source and a speakerphone for an iPhone (and I admit I'm baffled why there aren't more of this type out there). In those capacities, it does both fine--not great, but fine--but it has some real annoyances, mainly that when I remove my iPhone from the unit's cradle, I have to go through the re-pairing process all over again. Also, the manual explains how to receive calls but not how to make them. Hint: if you put your iPhone in the cradle, you'll need to make sure the unit's audio source is set to 'Bluetooth,' because it will default to 'iPod.' I have to make this change every time I put the phone back in the cradle.

The speaker quality is adequate for playing music in the background, but nobody's going to be rocking the joint with these speakers. They are on par with really cheap computer speakers.

Only the poor speaker quality and the connection annoyances keep this from a 5 star rating, because in the end it does exactly what I want it to do--charge my iPhone while it plays music in the background, while letting me make calls using the unit as a speakerphone. There's precious little in the market that offers those features as of early 2010.

That said, it works. I do think this unit's price point should be a fair bit less than it is, but it's not like there are really other good options out there.

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JENSEN 1735 UNDER CABINET AM/FM STEREO CD PLAYER

• Front loading CD player with motorized tray, AM/FM receiver with 20 AM + 20 FM pre-sets and digital tuning
• Electronic volume control, Digital bass boost system (bass 1/bass 2/off), Skip forward and back, Programmable memory, Repeat 1 or all
• Clock with countdown timer, Multi-function LCD display with blue back light, 4-speaker system, Adjustable under cabinet mounting spacers (included)
• Power: AC 120V/60Hz, Battery for back-up: 1 CR2025 lithium battery (included), Remote control: 1 CR2025 lithium battery (included)

The first version of this radio I ordered did not work at all. The second:

1) emitted a terrible humming noise whenever it was on, loud enough to be heard even when music was playing

2) could not bring in the NPR station at all it was as if the station didn't exist which both our old GE under counter radio and new Sony under counter radio/cd player could receive

3) could not play a cd with out skipping or simply freezing up.

A terrible product avoid at all costs.

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Not bad sounds good works good is nice a bit cheesy but still nice.sounds very good for the little speakers it has but its because of the two step bass boost.the only reason i gave this 4 stars is the bass boost,it turns off every time you turn the unit off so you have to turn it back on every time you turn the unit on.

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Maybe I got a bad unit, but mine broke down and the CD wouldn't play after using it only 2 times. The radio continued to work for about another day, and then it too went dead. Now, all I'm left with is a $69.00 clock w/timer! I bought this a few months early as a Christmas gift, so by the time Christmas morning rolled around, it was too late to return the darn thing. If you're going to buy this model, I suggest trying it out a few dozen times as soon as you get home to make sure it's not a lemon like mine was.

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Bought this for the wife for Christmas. She is very pleased with the product with one exception. The player tends to have an electronic hum when it is turned on. The hum can get quite loud.

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SimplyVibe SV-X6U1-Black Rechargeable FM, MP3 Player and Portable Speakers w/ DSP Bass for iPad 2, i

• LED Display shows the name of song, singer and support 20 kind of language
• FM radio: Auto search stations and support FM recorder that can play back FM songs/programs
• Turbo bass Technology w/ DSP subwoofer bass blaster, High fidelity sound!
• Plays FM radio, MP3 from a USB Flash Drive or a SD Card! Need to format to FAT32 for all USB and Memory Cards, up to 32 GB
• Headphone output jack and 3.5 mm input cable: works with and amplifies all Android/iPod/iPad/BB devices

I was looking for a clock radio with good sound and some other features. I didn't notice the teeny tiny size measurements, 6.5 x 2.5 x 1.5 inches. Fits in your pocket. There's no on/off switch --you need to read the manual and have a good memory to know how to do that. There's no plug -it charges off your computer, and doesn't keep its charge for very long, even when not in use. I wanted something to entertain me as I fall asleep and then turn off on it's own. Apparently, if I were to turn on a bright light and grab a magnifying glass, for the teeny print instructions and teenier print on the unit, I could re-set the turn-off mode every night, and then return it to the computer every morning to recharge it. The time dislpay is too small to see a couple feet away with just-woke-up eyes but can be seen from close-up with reading glasses. The sound is good. It takes re-setting with the teeny buttons and display for every function desired.

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For many of you "bitrate" is not interesting, for you: the unit has respectable bass for a portable unit, but it is a portable unit. It is not a stereo. However, a stereo won't fit into a suitcase, or fit in your hand. The radio has a nice clear sound. It works well if you hook up an external mp3 player, useful for "lossless" encoding fans.

Now my real review: (for people who know what "lossy" and "lossless" encoding are.

For mp3 encoding, pretty much any player will play any mp3 you create. A nice encoder is included with windows media player (no, i'm not kidding!), media player uses the frauhofer encoder which, if set to 320 kbps, is the best overall encoder for mp3, and honors their patent.

Where the simplyvibe speaker shines is that, for me, I have had no problems playing quality 98 Vbr files, also obtainable using media player. The 98 quality files sound almost as good as the cd, and since you are using an sd card, file size should be less of a problem. Not too many mp3 players will play the higher bitrate vbr wma files, this player has for me.

a note about the display, it doesn't seem to display the last few characters of the filename, but usually enough to identify the file.

also, i cannot find a way to randomize playback, though someone else may.

the filename window is useful for finding your place in an mp3 audiobook, also if listenning to an audiobook, if you want the unit to shut off after , say, 30 min. do the following

1. hold down menu (the clock will come on)

2. click menu again briefly

3. use the left hand toggle, just under the screen, to go to sys settings

4. click menu briefly

5. left hand toggle, to light up "tool"

6. click menu briefly again

7. power off set is lit, click menu briefly

8. adjust setting with the right hand toggle, setting is # of minutes till shutoff

9. CLICK MENU TO SET TIME

10. wait for screen to go to clock

11. click mode to sd card mode.

Anyway, that's what I know so far.

ADDENDUM: note addition of bold type step 9.

Also, you can think of the menu button as an enter key and the play button as a cancel button.

I have discovered that you click menu briefly while your music is playing, a menu option cycle mode comes up wherein you can change to random playback.

Also, a thought, for people (Re: Parents) who want an mp3 player which has a speaker instead of headphones, this is an excellent solution. It is a good idea to avoid headphones when you can, because headphones are not really good for the longevity of your hearing. (especially in the ear canal headphones). The simplyvibe has excellent sound, and a very good speaker.

One sad note, there is a little distortion at high volume levels, so to correct this you may have to reduce the volume slightly. For personal use, or in a moderate sized room, it works very well. It has excellent tone.

I'll post any additional thoughts as they occur.

PPS. I had a realization tonight about encoders, the best encoder for a player is probably the one that corresponds to the decoder which is in your hardware. For physical mp3 players this is probably the fraunhofer encoder/decoder because they have the patent and an mp3 manufacturer has to buy their decoder from the patent holder. For pc software that is downloaded, you may have to experiment. Also, there are different fraunhofer encoders available. There are fraunhofer encoders in media player and itunes, and I believe there are some command-line encoders available. To determine the best encoder, you may have to use the empirical method and see what works. Try everything you can, use what works.

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My laptop speakers are pretty crappy, so I was looking for some portable, compact speakers that had decent sound quality. Well, this one has all that and more! The sound quality is really fantastic, much better than I was expecting even after reading all the good reviews on Amazon. It sounds nice and clear and doesn't distort at high volumes and as for volume, it can get loud enough to fill a medium room.

I also really like the radio mode, which is useful, even though I admittedly don't use it that much. I primarily employ it as a laptop speaker, and the connection and setup is quite simple and takes up minimal port space just the audio line, in fact. I love that the battery is USB chargeable. I just charge it with my wall socket ipod usb charger and it's ready to go, no need to take up usb ports on my laptop.

The screen is really useful too, and just a nice thing to have.

And lastly, the design it looks great and complements my samsung 9 series very nicely. I also like the slightly rubberized bottom, which helps keep it stable.

All in all, a freakin awesome product! I would definitely recommend it for college dorms, which are short on desk space and often in need of some music. :)

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I bought this product on August 29th and at the beginning of December it quit working. The deadline to return it has passed and now I am stuck with it. Don't waste your money.

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This thing took a lil bit to figure out, but once I read the instructions THOROUGHLY> It was easy! Everything you need to know is in the instructions, I just had to read them a few times before it all sunk in...lol This small speaker/radio does so much & the sound is just AMAZING! > Loud, clear and full of bass, just unbelievable for such a tiny speaker.. And the FM radio was easy to use to scan for channels & it picks up many more stations than my home stereo, and they are crisp and clear. I inserted a 16 GB SD card and connected it to my PC and easily transferd music files to my device. I am so happy & impressed with this small speaker/radio that I am going to buy a few more for gift and one for the garage... This thing is just amazing.

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Journey's Edge 72-TC390 Traveling World Time Clock and Flashlight

• Features include: Circular dial to adjust time to different cities in the world Alarm clock Calendar with year, month, date and day
• LED displayRubber gripsTemperature in Fahrenheit or CelsiusCountdown timer
• 5 different language capabilities: English, Spanish, German, French and Italian3 Super white LED lights for bright illumination
• Dimensions: 5. 125 x 1. 375 x 1. 5 inchesFlashlight requires 2 AAA batteries (not included)
• Clock requires 3 AG13 Button Cell batteries (included) Includes retail packaging

The clock arrived quickly from the seller. It is easy to set the time and finding the time in other time zones is quick and intuitive. I've used it on several trips and find it works well and the alarm is easy to set.

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I got one of these at Eddie Bauer a year (or maybe two) ago, and it's really convenient. The turn dial for alternate time zones is a great feature. I'm about to buy a 2nd one now that it has finally crapped out. Only 2 things to note... be careful where/how you pack it, a light bump can wipe out your settings, and the failure mode i experienced that has sent it to an early grave was a weird one where the alarm kept going off an hour earlier than what i had set.

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The time display characters are not contrasted well enough with the background of the clock to be easily read unless the backlight is turned on. Flashlight and time zone components seem to be OK, but the difficult-to-read display rendered this useless for me. I returned it and won't buy another.

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Grace Digital GDI-IRC6000w Wi-Fi Music Player with 3.5-Inch Color Display (White)

• The Grace Digital Mondo GDI-IRC6000 streams over 17,000 radio stations and on demand contact included Pandora, SiriusXM, iHeartRadio, Live365, NPR, NOAA weather and Weatherbug
• Play music directly from the Internet without a PC or play your favorite computer files from your computer. Supports: AAC, AAC+, ADTS, AIFC, AIFF, CAF, MP3, NeXT, OGG , WAV, WMA,ASX, M3U, PLS,HTTP, HTTPS, RTSP, Apple Lossless, and FLAC 24-bit 96kHz files
• Play your digital music and enjoy crisp highs and deep base via the 3 inch woofer and 1 inch tweeter via the class D digital amplifier. Even wake to your favorite music via 7 separate alarms with built in adjustable sleep timer and large snooze bar
• Connectivity includes built in 802.11n Wi-Fi, Headphone, RCA line out, Aux-in, USB (to play flash drive music or optional Grace Digital Ethernet Adapter) with built in Battery Backup and Real-Time clock ( RTC)
• Included accessories: Power Adapter, Remote Control, RCA to 3.5mm connector, user's guide. Download your free iPhone or android remote control app
• Optional Rechargeable Li-ion battery pack sold separately

I love wi-fi radios and have a Pandora One account and also a Sirius account. I don't think there is a room in my house that does not stream some sort of internet radio whether it be a Chumby, Roku, or through my iPod touches.

Opening the box I liked that the unit it small. It has a big plug, I tried it in the kitchen but the plug is so big I was not able to plug back in an air freshener to the top plug because the Mondo took so much room in the outlet.

Once plugged in, I found my wireless network and entering the password I had to laugh. Get ready to spin the dial in front up and down and all around. Once connected, it asked if I wanted a firmware upgrade, which of course I did.

I went and logged into my Sirius account, again be prepared to be patient and sit there spinning the dial all over the place. One typo is hard to fix. I went into the settings and changed the clock, it will display it in 12 format or 24. I also wanted to register the device; you just go to the website and enter in the code that is provided on the screen on the Mondo. Once registered, it will display a screen with many options such as "Get more stuff". I am glad I clicked it because you can link your accounts through your computer and you do not have to sit there and spin the dial like crazy. This was a nice feature. I added Pandora through this feature and it linked it right away. I love that Pandora is integrated on the device and also on the remote. Quick thumbs up or fast forward right there without trying to find it, great feature! The next option on the website is to "Manage My Stuff". This is where you can manage your station, your streams, and your podcasts. The last is "Manage My Radios". It will display the unit you have registered and if you have more than one you would select it here.

I like that the unit comes with a remote. The remote is rather bulky though. I am used to iHome devices that have really small remotes and the size of a lighter and really thin. This is about half the size of a TV remote and thick. It works OK but I found using the buttons on the device a lot easier to navigate around than the remote. It does come with batteries which is a plus. It also comes with audio cables if you want to hook it up to your home stereo system. Since I have all the channels I want streaming from my Rokus, that is not a feature I will use but it is nice to have. It also has an AUX jack if you want to plug in a MP3 device. Plus a USB input as well.

One great thing, if you add a channel through the website, it lets you know the kbps that it is broadcasted in. I think that is important, you want to make sure you are getting a high stream. I will admit I could not get a lot of the stations to play even when associating them to the correct program. Several did not work, but when they did, it was nice to sample it on my laptop and add the channel to my list and know it will be in my station list on the unit.

From the main unit it has my weather built in; it shows the weather for several days with one click, or dial! It has my local fm stations which you are able to record through the DAR.fm, which is a free service. It has a built in equalizer or presets to choose from. I can't think of one feature it does not have!

Right now my favorite device in my home is either my iPod touch that I kept docked on my iHome or streaming my Pandora through an Acer tablet through a Bluetooth speaker. However, this device has everything my other favorite units have, and it is all built in! The sound is wonderful! I have kept it in the kitchen and usually stream a new age station on Pandora while cleaning or if cooking/cleaning I turn it to Sirius and listen to Hair Nation, I am a metalhead at heart. Very impressed with this unit, I have never owned a Grace unit but they have proved they are up there with the other competitors.

Updated on January 30, 2012: I use this product every day I am in my kitchen. I had to forgo my air freshener since it takes my whole outlet but the trade off was worth it! Every time I am in the kitchen I am listening to the channels. I did want to add that if you add Sirius, you must have a main subscription then you add the internet radio part to your account, it cost $3.50 a month. With that you are able to get regular channels internet radio only, which to me is great. I tried to see what live365 was about but did not like their channels and found their prices to be extremely high if you want commercial free. I believe it was $71.40 billed every 12 months for the cheapest per month subscription. I am a hard core Pandora fan and user and pay $36 I believe a year to have commercial free, more skips, and higher streaming quality. The Mondo is Pandora friendly so it really suits my needs. I did try out iheartradio which is another application and I like it so far. It is like Pandora, just not as sophisticated, it is also free.

Updated March 26, 2012: I still am in love with this radio as much if not more than the day I got it. I have it in the kitchen and did a firmware upgrade on my router and noticed after I could not get connected to the Mondo. It kept saying enter saved key and kept me in a loop. It also would say connecting and not buffer. It was easy to understand it was my router, and not the radio. I went back to the older firmware and it still was not working. One of my friends asked if it the signal was possibly being blocked to the radio. Living in a small home I discounted that. The radio does let you see your wifi signal strength and mine was reading 5%. I then unplugged it and brought it into another room and it read 100% percent signal and immediately connected and buffered. I then moved it back to the kitchen and noticed the wall it was next to has a lot of metal in it. Once I pull the radio away from the wall the signal goes straight up and I stay connected now. Basically if you have problems connecting, trying plugging it into another room, see if that works. Something might be interfering with the signal. I also wanted to add I never use the remote that came with it. However, I did download from the Apple app store an application called, "grace digitalremote control". I kept searching for grace radio, so be sure you look up grace digital. Once you load the app it finds your radio on the wifi network. It then loads the song that is playing in Pandora and has the Pandora interface. I LOVE it. I will take a picture of it and upload it to the gallery to show you the difference. It has a color image of what is playing and the thumbs up, down, volume control, skip, etc. I love it because I keep my iPod touch with me and it is easier than the remote.

Update March 28, 2012: Since I like this radio so much I want to have the flexibility to take it from room to room. I sometimes stay in the kitchen if a good song is on, I want to be able to unplug the unit and carry it with me. Plus, I am moving into a much bigger house with a lot more room and land, meaning a large deck. I wanted to get the rechargeable battery and noticed it was almost 35 on Amazon. I then noticed it was almost 40 on Grace Digital. I looked online for coupons but found none. I ended up calling and spoke to Megan at Grace who was very polite. She said she would give me 20% of which the battery was about 32 and free ground shipping. Once I get the battery, I will review and link it from here.

Update March 28, 2013: I can't believe it has been a year since I updated this. My mondo is still used daily in my home and looks like new! I have moved it into a bathroom so my daughter can get ready with it and I can use it when on that side of the house. I bought the battery back from Grace so I am able to unplug the radio and take it into any room with me. I love the bigger clock display. If I could change one thing about it, it would be while the music is playing that the time in the lower left was a bigger. I have to be right in front of it to see the time, it is small. But otherwise I use it primary for Pandora and just LOVE it!

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At 68 years of age, I have been a radio nut, owning innumerable radios since I was 10 years old (including many amateur and shortwave radios employed during more than 50 years as a "ham" operator). I have never enjoyed a radio quite as much as the Grace Mondo.

I have owned other internet radios, including a Sanyo R227 and have used iPod Touch and smartphones to listen to internet radio. I once used Sirius XM in the house for a couple of years (still use it in the car). I've had countless FM radios, shortwave radios, high-sensitivity AM radios, and even many scanner radios. But none could provide the width and depth of information and entertainment that this unit does -and as easily as it does it.

Basically, the Mondo will pick up just about anything in the world, including every single AM and FM station anywhere near me (and it knows what those are from your IP address). It can tune in thousands upon thousands of podcasts. It can easily find and provide any kind of music you want, including many channels without advertising.

I am an OTR (old time radio) fan -not the music, but the drama, comedy, western, sci-fi, mystery, and other shows from the 30s through the 50s. Scores of internet broadcasters provide non-stop OTR around the clock, and using Grace's relationship with Reciva, I can quickly find and save many old-time broadcasters to listen to on the Mondo. (I was introduced to Reciva with the Sanyo, and it has a user-friendly, efficient, uncluttered website that lets you search for and sample tens of thousands of stations with your home computer, and then program them into your Mondo.)

Aside from internet channels, there's Pandora, the free music (and comedy) system that works very well on the Mondo, enabling you to create customized channels in almost infinite variety.

"Little things" I like:

* The bright, colorful screen (not boring like monochrome, text-only screens -which are so 20th Century and difficult to read)

* Earphone jack on side toward front; if you use radio bedside, as I do, and listen to radio at night with an earphone, you want it to be easy to connect and disconnect earphones; radios with plugs in the rear are just awful for this.

* The ability to use a battery (though the required optional battery, in my opinion, is overpriced). It's very cool to be able to easily move the radio and enjoy its sounds anywhere within range of your wi-fi. There is a built-in finger handle to make carrying easy.

* Size: Not too big, not too small. Just right.

* Controls: work smoothly, solidly and do not feel cheesy.

* Volume control: It's a knob atop the set, an odd location, but at least it is a knob instead of those annoying, hard-to-use buttons found on many sets, including the Sanyo.

* Pandora: This radio works very well with Pandora, and even has the ability to thumbs up/down selections (though sometimes I get a message that the thumbing service is not available -don't know why).

* NOAA: Many of the VHF weather channels have been preprogrammed into this unit so you can listen to NOAA weather broadcasts all over the country (and Canadian versions, too). Unfortunately, a few are miscalibrated. When I try to listen to the Connecticut NOAA station that's listed, it returns a Minnesota station.

* Remote: Unit comes with a remote, which you might think is unneeded, but which I use a lot, especially for the fact that it has all 10 memory keys; the radio itself has only five plus a shift key to get you 6 to 10. Some people complain it's too big; I like the size. The little ones, like the Sanyo remote, are easy to lose.

* Input and output jacks, if you want to increase its sound quality or usefulness.

* Setup: It was really quick and easy.

Things that could be better:

* Sound: It's good, clear and crisp -and, of course, digital -but I wish it were a bit richer. The sound is adjustable, by the way, with a modest equalizer.

* Buttons, such as memories, should be backlighted. This is a great bedside radio -but that means it may be used a lot in the dark. (I find myself using the remote in the dark because the keys are light-colored, and the screen gives off enough light so I can see the keys!)

* Screen fonts: could be bigger for my geezer eyes. On many channels, including Pandora, you are told what is playing, but if your eyes ain't great, you have to get up close.

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The Grace Digital GDI-IRC6000 Wi-Fi Music Player with 3.5-Inch Color Display (Black) (Mondo) is the latest digital audio product from Grace. The setup was a breeze, and I connected with my Wi-Fi router within 2 minutes, and was up and listening to Internet radio in literally 5 minutes. The voice and music quality are excellent. The color LCD display is a joy to navigate through.

I only have two small nits about the Mondo:

1. Be careful when you use the built-in handle to move the Mondo around, it could slip from your grasp easily.

2. The supplied remote control works, but the Mondo at times responded sluggishly to my commands on the remote.

There, I just laid out all my complaints about the Mondo.

People, buy this radio if you can. You will be glad you did.

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After knocking my beloved Logitech Squeezebox off my nightstand, I was in the market for a new radio. I decided to give the Grace Mondo a shot, and it was well worth it. From a distance, it looks very similar to the Squeezebox. Even up close the radios looks very alike. The finish on both radios is an identical gloss black. Layout of the controls is different, with each radio having its advantages. The biggest difference is that the Grace Mondo has a 40% larger, easier to read screen. It really makes the Squezzebox 2.4" screen look tiny. Performance wise the Mondo works flawlessly on my network. The biggest thing I miss from my Squeezebox is the lack of "Slacker". The Mondo comes with a remote, which was an option on the Squeezebox. If you're in the market for a Wi-Fi radio, The Grace Mondo is an excellent choice.

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Grace Digital's Wi-Fi Music Player A.K.A Mondo (Black) is a very good Internet Radio player there is no doubt about it. We now have a very serious contender for the Logitech Squeezebox . Competition is always good. It will make ways for better products in the future and I strongly believe on this that "Internet Radio" is the future of radio technology.

Well, I have seen AM Radios Long Wave, Medium Wave, Short Wave Radios in my past, Then came "FM radio" and I was blown away by the "Stereo" sound and still is a very good medium to listen to even though the broadcasting range is severely limited. Satellite Radio is there but comes with a steep price in terms of monthly fees and the hardware to run it is generally more expensive also.

Internet Radio which was already there in the PC is now being made available in a portable easy to use interface without the need for a PC to stream music from radio stations.

The beauty of Internet Radio technology is that you are not limited to a specific location in order to receive the broadcasts around the world, now you are not limited to local stations on your AM dial or FM dial nor you need a long antenna to get Stereo sound. Internet radios like Grace Digital's Mondo makes listening to radio stations around the world super easy!

PROS

[+] Sound quality is very good Love it!

[+] Rich Glossy Black design Looks beautiful!

[+] Remote and all accessories included

CONS

[-] Remote feels very cheap.

While it is a serious contender for logitech's Squeezebox there are some annoying bugs which can be easily fixed

by firmware update. Please read the comments section to see the observations in detail and feel free to comment on them.

As it stands now, if you were to choose between Logitech Squeezebox Radio Music Player with Color Screen (Black) and Grace Digital Wi-Fi Music Player with 3.5-Inch Color Display (GDI-IRC6000) (Black) I would still consider Logitech Squeezebox for the feature rich offerings and excellent display even though it does not include remote.

If good quality sound (Ability to stream at high bit rates) and ease of having a Snooze button is a priority for you then Mondo is a very good choice!

Bottom-line: It is a 3 star product! It is a very good Internet Radio player No doubt about it.

If the price falls below 120 dollars it is a "steal" and will have serious competition with Logitech's Squeezebox.

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The Sharper Image ESI-B622 Relaxx Dual Bedside Audio Dock

• Motorized dual docks for charging two devices simultaneously
• USB charging port
• Aux-in for connecting non-Apple devices
• Convenient remote control
• Auto-set clock with dual alarm and gradual wake

Bought this at a steep discount at Kohls so figured I'd give it a try since I've never had an 'alarm clock' like it.

Bad things

Way too many buttons on the top. Hard to remember which are the volume buttons and which are the navigation buttons since they look similar. You'll have to memorize what does what unless you want to keep looking at the instructions.

Not easy to scan the radio. You'll want to make presets and leave it at that.

Confusing to set up with all the buttons. The 'auto time' didn't even work.

The grille display is completely unnecessary. Can't even read 'PM.' Cheap alarm clocks have better displays.

It has three dimmer settings, but the least brightest still lights up the room. Need it dimmer.

No AM radio?

Too many unnecessary buttons on the remote, such as the bass adjustment. The difference in its bass isn't big enough to justify adjusting it remotely.

It's relatively big and takes up a lot of table space.

Can't turn down the volume of the alarm while the alarm sounds. Hitting the volume button while it's sounding turns off the alarm.

Good things

It will charge your iphone/ipad.

You can set the alarm for just the work week and not have to worry about it going off on the weekends.

The speakers are decent. Might as well listen through those instead of using your device's speakers.

The gradual wake-up volume adjustment is nice.

Simple things could've made this a much better product and well worth the price, and I'd say it's unfathomable how Sharper Image thought that this was something suitable to release as is.

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I had really hoped this would work so I could avoid the $240 spend on the iHome or Phillips unit. Well, it doesn't. Besides the other review's gripes about the grill obscuring the clock, and the vague buttons, this is why I'm returning the B622:

Rear dock didn't charge my iPad

Neither my iPad nor iPhone would fit with their cases on (I have the VERY small MagPul case for the iPhone and it just wouldn't seat)

The Auto-set for the clock didn't work

It was pretty big, and probably didn't need to be since it felt as light as a feather, so it was just filled with air

I did like the rear USB charging port, but I didn't see the need for the motorized iPad dock. Why spend the money on something motorized? Didn't make sense to me.

Read Best Reviews of The Sharper Image ESI-B622 Relaxx Dual Bedside Audio Dock Here

Received this unit for Christmas. Had never seen it before but I like it. These are my first impressions and if they change I will update.

First of all a feature I didn't see mentioned is a Video output jack to send video to your TV/monitor. Nice extra feature if you have it near a video device.

Now as far as the docking ports go. The iPad port is motorized sort of like a CD drawer on a computer and comes out of the Rear of the unit, most pictures make it look like it is on top. The iPod dock is NOT motorized but does flip down manually and pop up automatically. The plugs on these docks are a little tight at first so you may want to support the area they are mounted to, when plugging in my iPod the first time the dock wanted to pop back inside unit. Also should you have another device that charges via USB they have included a charging port on the rear, nice extra.

As with any new device there is a learning curve on what each switch does on top of the unit. Most of the switches are the same size except the Snooze button which is dead center just like on 99% of the alarm clocks out there. Also it is the largest button on the unit and the remote.

As noted by other reviewers the speaker grill covers the entire front of the unit which is nice for uniformity however it does make it difficult to read the PM/Alarm 1/Alarm 2 indicators but once you learn where they are it is a mute point. The time format can be switched to 24hr format which is a nice touch. As for the self time setting I am not sure how it is getting the signal to do so, mine was one hour fast so I set it back but the minutes and day were correct. Guess time will tell.(pun intended)

Oh yes it does have FM radio that tunes just like most car radios today and it lets you store 10 favorites. No AM which is no big deal, does anyone listen to AM anymore?

All in all I really like this unit so far.

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Pros sound is decent, and my iPhone and iPad are both able to dock and charge as advertised.

I also like how you can switch between the devices as inputs to the speakers.

Nice to have iPad and iPhone docks, plus a separate USB can be plugged in for an additional device.

Cons -

Charging: I have iPad 1 with the Apple case. As thin as that is, you must remove from the case to dock and charge. I did this a few times but then noticed the USB port on the back. So now I'm charging off a USB cable. It gives me the added benefit of being able to charge while using my iPad. (but, obviously I'm not getting the benefit of a dual charging station this way). The iPhone also needs to be removed from its case to use.

Brightness: this is why it's going back. The LEDs for the clock are so bright. I saw a reference in one review that they can be dimmed I haven't found this (not sure if there's a hidden switch? A button? A combination of the many buttons?) I end up having to completely block the display when I go to bed, otherwise it feels like a spotlight on you.

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I read through other reviews before buying this product and I agree w/ some but don't agree with others. I think if you take the time to read through the manual, you will have a great deal of success using the product. First, as for the phone dock, there is no way to make the dock accessible for the many different phone cases available on the market. So if you are ok w/ removing your case to dock then the product will work just fine and charge your phone very quickly. As for the iPad dock, yes I agree I didn't feel confident using it to dock so I chose to use the back USB to charge my iPad. I don't use my IPad to listen to music but I do like the fact my iPad is next to the product. Using the controls is easy as well. Just take moment to read the manual. It will make using the product more streamlined and effective for you. I bought mine for about 38 bucks including shipping so that's probably the price point you want to be at when buying this product. Hope this is helpful. Good luck.

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Apple iPod nano 8 GB Pink (6th Generation) OLD MODEL

• 8 GB capacity for about 2,000 songs
• Up to 24 hours of audio playback on a single charge
• 1.54-inch (diagonal) color TFT display with 240-by-240-pixel resolution (220 pixels per inch)
• Support for AAC, Protected AAC (iTunes Store), MP3, MP3 VBR, Audible, Apple Lossless, AIFF, and WAV audio formats
• One-year limited warranty

I, JenNA, bought the 6th generation Nano when my 3rd generation got stolen. I absolutely hated the new one. I am pretty open to technological change but in my opinion this one was not just a step backwards but might as well have been run in the opposite direction. It was pain to play music because after a short ways into the song the screen would fade out so you could not just click a button to change songs but rather had to turn it back on and go through the whole process of finding that song to change it. It also lost the TV show and movie features. I was just absolutely disappointed with the Nano and quickly bought another one.

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I have owned many iPods in the past (different generations of nanos, shuffles, iPod Touches and the basic iPods). I generally use my nano in the car to listen to music. My last nano was stolen so I was grateful to receive a new one as a recent birthday present.

This nano is very difficult to use. The touch screen is really hard to use if you have fingernails. The screen is so little and it doesn't give enough room for your finger to select the small icons. And half the time even when I am able to select anything it doesn't recognize my selection.

If you want to pause the music in the middle of listening or switch to the next song that's even more difficult. You have to 'wake up' the screen to get the pause or switch buttons to show but it is really hard to get it to wake up. Then if you don't make your selection immediately the pause and switch options go away. Nothing about navigating this iPod is easy or user friendly. I'm sure the idea of giving nanos touchscreens sounded good on paper, but they shouldn't have reduced the size of a nano down to a shuffle at the same time!

This is my first apple product I am unhappy with. If I could I would return it because it's definitely not worth the almost $150! This nano is probably fine for teenagers who will navigate it smoothly after a few uses but I wouldn't recommend it to anyone else.

I expect apple to change the design and retire this one quickly.

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Got this thing for my wife for her birthday and it completely died the 2nd day she had it. The Apple store would not exchange it for a new one but they would let me make an appointment to come back and have someone look at it to tell me what I already knew it wouldn't turn on. They still would not give us a new one but would offer us a refurbished one..... when they got one in stock.....??? So they told us they would call us when 1 came in so we could come back a third time to get a refurb (one that has already been defective and hopefully repaired) for a unit that died on day 2.

Btw, read the news, you'll see Apple is now the #1 most valuable company in the world. Now that they are the big dog instead of the underdog, I'm sure they can get away with this kind of attitude and people will still buy their pretty, overpriced junk.

Thumbs up to Amazon though, they always do their customers right when it comes to returns!

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Received my Apple ipod nano 8 GB 6th Generation newest model very excited to down load my music on it. Turned it on to find out that after a few minutes the music would stop. The icons would also start shaking. I sent that one back to get a replacement. I received the replacement in about 5 days. I down loaded my music charged it over night. When I turned the nane on it was even worse. It stoped playing right away and you could not move the icons. Not a happy camper with this item...

Sorry, but this is not the reliable iPod that I was expecting. Maybe it is the design, but it skips around from song to song, sometimes, shuts off. My first one ended up with a dead screen, and Apple gave me a new one, but same (or maybe more) problems. I love the price, and the compact size. But, if it is made for motion (I use mine for around the house when cleaning and on the elliptical), then it needs to be reliable. Nice try Apple, but back to the drawing board.

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