Sylvania 8 GB Video MP3 Player with FM Tuner, built in Camera/Camcorder and 2-Inch Screen (Graphite)

• 8 GB capacity for storage of up to 2000 songs or 25 hours of video
• Up to 10 hours of audio playback or 8 hours of video on a single charge
• Two-inch color TFT LCD display with 320 x 240 pixel resolution
• Supports MP3, WMA, and AMV audio files; AVI and FLV video files; JPEG, BMP, and GIF images; TXT text files
• One-year limited warranty

This is a good buy. It's simple to use, light weight and small enough to slip into a pocket or arm band. Loading music is a snap. If you've owned a MP3 player before, you will find some are complicated. This one is not. I own a more expensive MP3 player that doesn't have a radio. I wanted the option of playing my music or listening to the radio. I was able to afford this MP3 player without spending a ton of money so there's no guilt. The only thing I didn't like is the ear buds. I threw them out and replaced them with another set that I had. Makes a world of difference. If you use the ear buds that come with you, you will think it's not a quality purchase, but the quality and realiability is great with different ear buds. I use mine every day to walk for an hour. The battery lasts about a week which I think is really good for a low cost item like this. A recharge is quick and easy. I would definitely recommend this product.

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I was actually frightened at first to get this MP3 player since all I have ever known were iPods. I have never tried a different company before until now! The thing that gave me the little push was the price, it's affordable as can be! My iPod Touch recently died, and I needed a new little MP3 player, but since it's around the holidays, I obviously couldn't afford another spendy iPod. But I obviously needed something to play my music! I ABSOLUTELY LOVE THIS MP3 PLAYER! It's REALLY easy to download your music on to it. Just drag and drop! So fast! Watching videos on it is a snap and it looks sharp. I own a Mac, and was worried how well it was actually going to work. NO PROBLEMS AT ALL! When I saw the camera was a .3 mp camera, I started to get disappointed. But the pictures and videos have turned out nicely, even in dark settings! Yeah, it's not THE best quality pictures, but it does it great justice. If you were worried about a non iPod MP3, don't be! I am a happy customer!

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My daughter just received this for Christmas and is thrilled with it. She thought it was an IPod. She was certain of it because her best friend has a purple IPod Nano and it has EVERY feature the Nano had except the pedometer. I showed her how it was not and with IPod you were simply paying for a name. She didn't care. She loved it and it is so easy to use! I mean so easy to load music, take pictures and video which you can save to your computer. Don't get me wrong the video and pictures aren't anything to rave about, but to nine year old...it's GREAT. Loading music is super simple. I have Vista on my computer and I simply drop and drag the music that I want and then sync it to the device. As far as long lasting quality, I can't tell you. We luckily have not dropped it yet. It may shatter all to pieces, but let's hope it's more durable. She really loves the FM tuner feature because she can listen to her own music in the car and not mom and dad's "old" music. We're happy!

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I really enjoy how easy it is to set up and start downloading music from my computer. The sound is very good; much better than when I listen to those same songs from my desktop. This is the first MP3 player I've owned, so I don't know how it compares to others, but I am really happy with the sound quality and the price.

This is a neat little MP3 player which does it all. The unit has a 2" LCD TFT display, a built in camera and camcorder, and also plays FM radio! It can hold about 2,000 songs, 2,400 pictures, 1000 videos (at 10MB).

It is simple to transfer files from a computer to the device. The MP3 player has a sleek finish to it, and feels great in the hand. It is easy to navigate throuh the menus. The camera and camcorder takes ok pictures, not the highest quality to replace a camera, but good enoough to capture some funny moments, or for a child/teen to play around with.

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Nokia 6131 Unlocked Cell Phone withCamera, Media Player, MicroSD Slot--International Version with No

I'm extremely happy with this phone. I have owned it for almost a month now. The menus are very responsive and the display is crystal clear and very high definition and more colors. The "free" RAZR that came with my plan is still sitting in the box -doesn't compare.

I have added 1GB of memory using SD micro flash. So can definitely be used as a mp3 player. But you would need to get a NOKIA -> headphone adapter plug from third party vendor. Or you can use speaker on the phone in a pinch.

The camera takes great pictures as long as the lighting conditions are good. The menus have many options for customizing the phone (though some of these options are somewhat hidden from the casual user further down the menu tree).

The speaker independent voice recognition seems to pull up the correct name most of the time or give several to choose from in some cases.

I really like the flip phone button that opens the phone, so you can open it with one hand. It works very reliably and the spring has the right tension.

The keypad is lit and easy to see in darkness. Due to the high contrast and brightness of the display it seems to consume some battery power. On standby the phone can be on for many days if not used, otherwise you would need to charge every other day if you use features that keeps the display turned on for long periods of time (editing notes/organizer etc.).

Some nice features:

-Todo lists

-Notes

-Calendar

-Various kinds of reminders (with reminders that can be set before the event)

-The next item on your calendar today can be shown on the main screen on the bottom.

-MP3 player / w/equalizer

-Radio (need to use headphones (which also works as antenna))

-Black almost rubber-like finish for easy grip and does not scratch easily.

-Simple and userfriendly menus and keypad (the phone I purchased was not branded so did not have any of the preprogrammed "buy ringtones/wallpaper" buttons etc.

-Great voice quality

-Sych phone numbers/appointments via bluetooth/IrDA/cable

Highly recomended!~!

Ok, so the nokia 6131 I must say is a phone that I like to call a "sleeper." It does not look like much, but when You go to use it, it is a different story. First off, the camera is very cool. I have had some issues using it in low light situations, the pics become grainy, but over all it is very cool. The push button flip works just as you would expect it too. In regards to computer compatibility, I am a heavy Mac User. According to Apple, this phone was not suppose to be compatible, but that was an easy fiix. Allowing syncing of all my contact info. and calanders. In regards to the menus, they very responsive, and very quick. The internal and external display are extreamly high quality, and very crisp. For bluetooth compatability, I have had no issues. I previously owned a RAZR and for bluetooth options, this phone blows my old razr out of the water. You have the option of uploading new themes (which are easy to find or make) you can upload ringtones, pics, what ever. And the data transfer is much quicker then my RAZR. I would highly recommend this phone to any user. It is by far the best phone that I have used.

Pros: High res. screens, quickness of menus, BT, Camera, push button flip, speaker is loud.

Cons: Unlocked from Europe comes with bulky euro charger (not a big deal.) And the only thing that I would say is that the battery life is somthing to be desired. I use BT allot and I end up having to charge my phone every one to two days.

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This is a great everyday use phone. It doesn't have all the bells and whistles of the newer Nokia phones, like integrated WiFi (with VoIP integration) and GPS, but it does very well what is designed to do. I use this phone with T-Mobile with their unlimited Internet plan (using EDGE).

Pros:

The build quality and materials chosen are top notch. The plastic cover doesn't look and feel cheap, like many other (some expensive) phones out there. I like the fine leathery touch of the battery cover, which provides a good grip of the phone in the hand.

The internal screen is large, with plenty of pixels and colors. Most of the apps look very well. With Google Maps for example it's very easy to read and discern the details.

The phone' sound quality is superb. The earpiece is very clear, and the microphone and voice processing hardware inside the phone makes the other side hear you clearly. The loudspeaker is fairly good too, although I'm not using it very often.

The Bluetooth software stack is perfectly compatible. My car's Bluetooth implementation is very picky and works only a handful of selected phones. The Nokia 6131 phone is not listed as a compatible phone for BMW M3, but it works just fine with it, while the fancier and more expensive Nokia N80ie phone does not.

The included radio is pretty cool when you're bored, although it requires the included proprietary headset to work (it uses it as antena).

Google Maps and GMail work excellent on this phone. They don't come with the device, but they're just a download away from Google.

The phone's camera does a fairly decent job with well lit shots. It also takes videos, which is pretty cool for a phone. Just don't expect the camera to replace your point and shoot or DSLR.

The ability to use MP3s as regular ring tones is a huge bonus. No more buying ridiculously expensive ring tones from your phone company, when you already own the music. Just take the song you want, edit out a 30 second portion of it that is suitable as a ring tone, convert it to MP3 and upload it on your phone. You could assign different ring tones to different people, so you can recognize who's calling you.

The phone now has MacOS X compatibility, with the latest 10.4.9 release. It synchronizes your address book over Bluetooth without any problems, including the people's pictures. When somebody calls you, his/her picture appears on the external display. The picture is scaled up however, making it look a bit ugly. I guess Apple needs to allow for higher resolution pictures to be set in AddressBook.

Cons:

As many other Nokia phones, the phone cannot use a regular headset, it only works with the proprietary Nokia headset. This is understandable, as the headset is stereo, and doubles as an antenna. It would be nice however to have an extra plug for regular headsets.

The package does not include a MicroSD card. Not too bad, they are quite cheap, but you should be aware of this if you decide to buy the phone.

The camera shutter button is on a side, and it's very easy to press it accidentally while the phone is in your pocket.

Setting up T-mobile Internet on the phone could be a pain. You could find instructions online by googling a bit, but it's not the same smooth "just works" experience as on the N80ie.

--

Overall, I think this a great phone for everyday use. It is replacing an aging Motorola phone, and so far it's been a refreshing change. I highly recommend this phone.

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I didn't realize about the size of the buttons until I got it, I have big fingers and it's difficult for me to use a telephone with tiny buttons, with this one, problem solved, big buttons, big screen, big memory.

Very good camera resolution, 1.3 M, I think it is enough for a Cell Phone if you want more quality in your pictures use a Camera.

The screen resolution is incredible.

The FM radio, Bluetooth, IR and MP3 are some valuables in this telephone.

I neever saw a telephone with an "open flip button" this is very comfortable, and helps you to open it with one hand.

The problem, the camera button is outside and you can activate it accidentaly.

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I've used the Nokia 6131 phone for 2 months, it has a great feature set and I initially thought it'd be a good phone beware of reviews posted after only a few days of use.

Battery life is abysmal. With bluetooth, etc. enabled, initially I was getting about 1.5 days of useful life. After 2 months, with bluetooth disabled and all power saving features set the phone won't last 24 hrs between charges.

The phone will not work with a dead battery even when plugged into the charger. You must wait until the battery has sufficient charge before the phone can be used. And charge time is slow charging while driving 45 min daily did not get or keep the phone fully charged. You'll need to plug it in to the charger every night.

Unlike other phones this phone does not charge when connected via the USB cable. And the USB cable is proprietary you cannot use a standard mini-USB.

The Nokia-proprietary stereo headset left earbud stopped working after 2 weeks. The radio and mp3 player do not support a bluetooth headset (mine is mono not sure if a stereo bluetooth headset would work). So for me, no NPR or audiobook MP3s on the bluetooth headset.

The lid of the phone presses the "0" button when very little pressure is applied. Take it out of your pocket and you'll have to clear the "000000000"'s before dialing. Oh yeah those 0's also took your phone out of its power-saving sleep mode and consumed valuable battery life while you were not using it.

The flip-button is neat but I handed my phone to a friend to call home, didn't tell him about the button and when he opened it without the button crack, the cheap-o latch broke. It should have been designed to work ok for the button-uninitiated.

I've had great success with other Nokia phones but this one is a failure. I expect they'll get flip phones right at some point but I'll be using another brand until then.

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Uniden TRU9465 Expandable Cordless System with Dual Keypad and Call Waiting/Caller ID

• 100-name phonebook with 2 numbers per name
• 100-number Caller ID Memory
• IntegriSound life-like audio
• DirectLink 2-way radio feature
• Intercom between handsets

I recently went through a thorough research for a new phone system, going through research and test purchases.

The main criteria were:

1) Good sound quality (most of the decent cost ones are okay)

2) Very good handset speakerphone quality (Can't stress how important this is to me, and how different quality is among brands/handsets)

3) work with voicemail (like sunrocket) message waiting indicator. If a system has an answering machine it can't do voicemail message indicator light.

Most other features are pretty common across models/brands. Battery life is okay not that great with most 5.8Ghz systems.

The best phone I've had is a 900Mhz DSS Sanyo bought in 1997, but they stopped making or selling in the US.

I wasn't looking for cheap and upto a point price wasn't a concern.

The winner is : Uniden 9465 . Any of the Uniden 5.8Ghz digital systems using the TCX905 handset are the same, just different feature sets.

I tried the Panasonic 5.8Ghz high end system , and was pretty close, handset speakerphone quality was slightly worse and was the decider. Talking callerID seems like a great idea but is hopelessly badly implemented in the Panasonic systems. Talks too late, after 2 rings and taks nonsensically most of the time. I'm getting a Classco 9900CW box and will see how it works.

New Uniden DECT phone build and quality was atrocious. GE DECT phone (WalMart) was horrible.

Didn't try the others, including the Motorola

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Good reception, handy features, easy to use. Clear readouts. I like this phone very much and intend to get more handsets for use with the base.

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I've had several of these over many years. With a good battery, it holds a charge for quite a long time and I sometimes spend much of the day on the phone. Range is pretty good. My office is in the basement in the back of the house, and it works through the house (main and 2nd floors), as well as the garage. Even with slight static in the front driveway, which would be 50+ feet and through some concrete. The base with keypad and speakerphone means if I leave the phone upstairs, I can still make and receive calls a real help!

Uniden did a good job with these.

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We have 5 phones [including the base] connected to this system that we use with Verizon FIOS. For those of you unfamiliar with FIOS, it is an Internet phone system. We no longer use the old fashioned telephone wires.

[1] Sound quality is very good.

[2] Audio on speaker phone is good.

[3] Even better, when you're using the speaker phone, audio quality on the other end is excellent. How do I know this? I was speaking with a friend who advised he hates it when someone calls him and uses a speaker phone. We were talking for a half-hour and he never knew I was on speaker phone.

One of the features I like is Paging. I like it because my girlfriend frequently forgets where she left one of our 5 phones. We use the paging feature to find it. So far it's never failed.

I would say the other features are pretty similar to any other 5.8 gz phone system. The important ones for me are those that I described above.

I've had this phone for about a year now, ever since it was introduced. I'm quite choosy about cordless phones and have gone through various models, including two Motorola systems. This is by far the best I've come across and I do recommend it. Lots of thoughtful features that work as advertised. (I note another reviewer claimed "false advertising" and said he couldn't find the 9460-2 model on the Uniden web site; it seems he didn't look hard enough). Is the phone perfect? Naw the screen light could stay on a tad longer when dialing and the "transmit address book to all stations" ought to transmit the customized ring tones, but these are relatively small flaws that are lost amidst the good overall design. In sum, this is the first time I've been able to recommend a cordless phone. In fact, I signed in tonight to place another order for a second system (once again: a base station and four additional handsets) for our vacation home.

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Pyramid 2606D AM/FM Cassette Player with Fully Detachable Face

Shipped and arrived quickly-so far so good. But when unit was installed there was no power from the player to any speaker. Company has a place on their web site to send tech questions so I did so. Re-installed old player (same wiring configuration) and found all speakers worked. Tried a new Wal-mart brand unit and all speakers worked, so I'm pretty sure the unit I got is defective. Never got a response from the company so I called them about warranty issues. Sending the brand new unit to them cost me another $11, and I'll have to wait and see what they do. It is not an expensive unit so any additional money I spend seems like a waste-unless someone can tell me why it's my fault the thing doesn't work. If the manufacturer makes good on the repair or replacement I'll be happy to upgrade the rating, but I'm still out the additional shipping charge regardless.

Don't buy this product. Horrible manufacture. Seems like the knobs are going to fall apart or break with every touch/turn. Cassette player stopped working/no sound the day after I installed this piece of junk. The radio dial isn't accurate and goes in and out of tune to the point of frustration. The AUX INPUT seemed to work OK but who knows how long that would last given the rest of the failures after just a couple days of use? I returned this for a refund. I'm writing this review with hopes of sparing others a headache and hassle.

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When you sent an item to a customer, no matter what it is, it should be tested to be 100% functional before selling it. This wasn't the case with this item. I purchased it I had it installed for my grandfather and it didn't work. Imagine the trouble I went through trying to explain to my grandfather why it didn't work. Very bad situation.

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its worked first month and after that its work when its wanna work,, its junk junk junk dont buy it.

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This car stereo is the best the only thing you need to make it sound good is a car amplifier and this car stereo sounds great better than the expensive car stereo its recommendable

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Sony ICF-CD831 PSYC Clock Radio/CD Player (Red)

The radio is nice with good quality sound.

My only complaints are the lack of station presets and the lack of ramp-up when the radio turns on. The volume hits you with full force when the alarm goes off, rather than a gentle rise. Same goes for the Nap timer the buzzer is loud and will jangle you awake.

I didn't realize that I'd miss presets, but I do. It's a pain to try and find a favorite station.

I am planning to return this radio and find a more gentle model.

I bought one of these for my daughter's Christmas present last year. She uses the CD player for the alarm, and very rarely to play music in her room. After less than 12 months of gentle use, the CD player only works intermittently.

I checked the warranty information after the fact, and SONY only warranties for 90 days, parts up to 6 months. After the 6-month period, you pay for labor to service the product. It's a waste of money, because the labor cost will certainly be more expensive than buying a new radio.

DO NOT BUY THIS PRODUCT.

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I mainly bought this CD/Radio alarm clock simply because I wanted a small boombox cd player. I was very surprised by the excellent sound quality of the cd player and the excellent sound quality of the radio. It sounds ten times better than the regular alarm clock radio I have, so now every morning I wake up to a very clear sounding radio. The best part is, the sound of the cd player and radio has the ability to fill a whole room just as good as any other regular boombox. I'm very impressed!

The only things I wish the cd player had is an ability to repeat one song over and over.

However, I was surprised by the fact that this cd player has the ability to turn on the cd player to the track you want when you want to wake up. I've never had a cd/radio alarm clock like this before.

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Clack-clack-clack! That's the sound you'll hear too often when you put a CD in this player. The CD itself seems to sit on the turntable fine, but the part of the lid that rests on the CD is loose and often misaligns. So when you lower the lid and spin up the CD, it clatters. That can't be good for the CD or the player. Each time you open and close the player, that component moves. No matter how carefully you place the CD in; no matter how carefully you close the lid, you are prone to this problem. You don't want to damage your CDs, and the noise spoils the music. So you have to be careful with it, or exchange it, or buy a different product.

Otherwise, it's a pretty nice product. The clock-radio portion is fine. The CD player, when it works right, is OK. The layout of the controls is no better and no worse than others of its kind. (Why is it no two digital products ever have the same layout?) My only other complaints would be the antenna wire that dangles from the back and ought to be eliminated entirely, and the marketing gimmick of the goofy little logo tag on the right side.

The critical thing to me is the clattering lid on the CD player. I didn't expect that from a Sony product. The other things I've mentioned are minor flaws. It's clear they put some thought into the design, they just should've done a little better.

In summary, buy a different model or buy from another maker. Don't put up with clattering in your CD player.

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I purchased this Sony Psyc for our baby's room to replace a boom box we used to play music at night. Our oldest took the boom box to college! The sound is good and it serves the purpose I purchased it for--playing a cd and having the ability to "repeat". It doesn't take up much room (although there are smaller ones out there), and it has a sleek look. I'm not sure what the "Psyc" clip is for; so I'm sure I'll never use it. I do wish it had presets, but since it's in the baby's room, it doesn't matter that much.

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Samsung YP-K3JQR K3 2 GB Slim Portable Media Player (Red)

• Slim and robust 2 GB audio player with digital FM radio
• Compatible with MP3, WMA, and DRM-Janus audio files and JPEG photo files
• 1.8-inch full-color OLED display
• Five preset EQ modes
• Compatible with Windows XP and later operating systems

Well, here's Samsung's answer to the ipod nano, and it's a beauty. Yes, this is the RED Samsung K3 2GB mp3 player with built-in FM tuner. The unit is sleek, stylish, easy to use, and it offers EXCELLENT sound. The earbuds provided sound as good as my Sennheiser earbuds, unexpected performance for pack-ins. Though I haven't filled the K3's memory to capacity, it would appear to hold around thirty albums or 500 songs at the standard 128bit sound quality. There are a number of EQ settings designed for different types of music, but you can also set up your own custom setting using the built-in seven-band equalizer. FM performance is excellent as well, with adjustable sensitivity. The little color screen works great as a GUI but washes out in sunlight and doesn't do the greatest justice to your photos. This unit excels at playing music, not displaying photos. Beyond that, battery life is claimed to be 25 hours. I have been using the K3 with the Belkin mp3 armband designed for nanos and K3's, and it's very unobtrusive and comfortable to wear. For someone who grew up in an era of portable battery-powered record players accompanied by a stack of worn 45's, this is an amazing device!

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I bought this item about 6 months ago, to replace my outdated Creative MuVo n200. I have loved every minute with it.

The user interface is very intuitive, and in my opinion it makes more sense than the ipod's. The touch controls are great too, because there aren't any moving buttons for dust to get down into. The casing is very sturdy, and with six months of shuffling through my backpack and being thrown on my desk, it still has only a few minor scratches on the back and none on the screen/front.

Two more great things: 1.) The earbuds. I have tried several that I have bought in the store, expecting greater sound quality. I haven't found any. The earbuds are comfortable for long periods of listening, they stay in my ear, and they have good sound quality. 2.) The battery life. I can use this for (it seems) days on end without recharging it. I drove 8 hours in one day, 4 to my destination and 4 back, listening to music the entire way. The battery still had 3/4 charge left.

One possible con: the memory size. I'm quickly running out of space for my music, and I'm having to be more selective about what I put on it. It's only 2 gigabytes, but I believe that Samsung has a newer version with more space, which I may be looking at soon. Definitely go with Samsung: their mp3 players beat ipods in both price and quality.

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Overall this is a fairly good product. I like the option of the FM radio in addition to the MP3, screen looks good, easy to use. The down side is that the battery doesn't seem to last very long, the plug for the USB doesn't seem to stay in very well when charging, and the software is not very intuitive. All in all it is still a good option over the iPod especially for a kid.

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I was looking for a decent portable mp3 player w/o video and after much research and reading the reviews, I decided on the Samsung K3 2Gb. I have only had it a couple weeks now but it was extremely easy to setup (with windows media player I just created playlists and synced them with the K3) and easy to use. The sound quality is very good (for a device of this size) and I haven't had any issues with the battery life that others are stating...but I haven't use it for extended periods of time yet. My only complaints, if you can call them that, are: 1. there is no way to delete songs w/o connecting to your computer (might be a good thing to keep from accidentally deleting I suppose) and 2. there is no "stop" button, only a "pause/play" button (which may explain the battery life issue).

All in all this is a great mp3 player that looks great, is easy to use, and sounds really good! I highly recommend it! In fact my children are asking for the 4Gb for Christmas after seeing mine, and that is what they are going to receive (if they're good of course ;).

This player is awesome. It is extremely slim, has amazing sound, holds an unbelievable amount of songs and you have many sound options. I love that you can pick the sound style depending on the song you are listening to. The battery life is amazing too. It seems I barely have to charge it and do listen for an hour or so at a time. It is a great MP3 player and a great value for your money. I highly recommend it.

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Audiovox XMH-10 Home Kit for Xpress XM7 Satellite Radio Receiver

• Designed to be used with the Audiovox Xpress XM satellite radio receiver, allowing it to deliver XM satellite radio to any compatible XM-ready audio player
• Works with a wide variety of products, including home theater and stereo systems, DVD players, mini and micro shelf systems, clock radios, and portable media players
• Comes with an RCA cable that provides plug-and-play connectivity with your XM-ready audio device, and a weather-resistant windowsill mount antenna
• Windowsill antenna is equipped with a 20-foot connecting cable so your home dock can be placed next to your audio device, while the antenna is placed with clear visibility to the satellites
• Includes an auxiliary audio input so you can use it to connect an MP3 player or other peripheral audio device to your stereo, and is backed by a manufacturer's limited 12-month warranty

The reception with the antenna is great. The cord is long enough to reach our stereo from the window. A good 15 ft.

I come home from work, unplug the Audiovox XM Xpress from the car dock and slide it onto the home dock next to the stereo. I recommend the wired audio output to stereo. Overall, works great and has a small footprint.

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This receiver is perfect for my office. The antenna cable is long enough to route it around and under everything so it stays hidden. It delivers great sound quality with no humming or buzzing like some others do.

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Kit included everything you need to set up the reciever playing thru your home stereo. It is common with my auto units so operation is the same. Trouble free installation.

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I have this installed through my computer speakers (with subwoofer) and it works very well. I listen to talk, sports, and music while I work. I have the antenna sitting in the sill of a window with northern exposure and get a full three bars worth of reception.

I hate to admit that I get very excited when I product actually does what it was intended to do.

This one does.

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I go the Audiovox XM receiver as part of a promo with a GM vehicle so I didn't really expect much. But it works quite well and I hardly listen to regular radio any longer. The home stereo kit works perfectly but since there are basically no moving parts its hard to screw that up.

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Grundig S350DL Deluxe AM/FM/Shortwave Field Radio, Black - (NGS350DLB)

• AM (530-1710 KHz), FM (88-108 MHz) and shortwave - continuous coverage from 3 to 28 MHz.
• Highly sensitive and selective analog tuner circuitry with AM/SW
• Frequency Lock, Rotary volume control and Variable RF Gain control
• Inputs for supplementary AM/FM and shortwave antennas
• This includes 13 international-broadcast bands (11, 13, 15, 16, 19, 22, 25, 31, 41, 49, 60, 75 and 90 meters)

I purchased this radio to replace a Panasonic RF1100 that I have had since it was new sometime in the 1970's. The 350DL has a lot of useful features and the primary ones for me include the sleep timer, alarm colck and the published claim of good sensitivity. The overall sound quality of this radio is pleasing. The sensitivity compared to cheap radios selling for a lot less is good although not as sensitive as my GE Super Radios models 2 and 3. As I have more sophisticated equipemnt for listening to shortwave, this was not one of my primary objectives for buying this radio although the inclusion of shortwave is a nice plus.

The controls are nicely laid out, the instruction manual quite easy to understand to enable you to derive the full enjoyment of all this radio has to offer.

The big drawback and dissapointment I found with the 350DL is the tuning control. There is a lot of " slop " in the control, not just the knob but from what is behingd the control panel. Another problem with the tuning control is an overabundant " backlash " when trying to set the tuning on a station, particularly when tuning in shortwave stations. You tune in the station or desired frequency, let go of the tuning knob and you can actually see it change as it moves forward or backward from where you left it. For those desiring to tune around the shortwave bands to see what is there this is a big drawback. I actually wonder how long the tuning control will last on this radio before it falls apart. The entire tuning knob assembly wiggles and wobbles while you turn it. This should not happen, and I feel is a major cause for concern. For the $100 price tag I am not expecting a mil-spec radio by any means but the poorly designed tuning system in this radio gives me no other choice than to down rate it. That is unfortunate too as this radio has many other features so worthwhile.

If you are planning on purchasing this radio to use for AM & FM broadcast reception and not change stations too frequently, it's a decent radio. If you plan on tuning to different stations frequently you may wish to consider looking at other makes and models befoe buying this.

I purchsed this radio primarily to use as a bedside clock radio with sleep timer and only occasional tuning. The digital display is not absolutely accurate but for the price it is good enough.

Buy Grundig S350DL Deluxe AM/FM/Shortwave Field Radio, Black - (NGS350DLB) Now

If you're looking for a basic table radio without presets and digital tuning, you would do well to consider the Grundig S350 Deluxe, which I have owned and used for the last 3 years. The S350 will get you best FM performance possible. AM is great also. The speaker is loud and fills a room easily.

The antenna is very long. Make sure you have room to extend the antenna so it doesn't bend by jamming against a wall or a ceiling.

The tendency to drift in the old model of the S350 has been fixed with the new Deluxe model.

You will also like the fact that though the radio is analog, you can see the digital read-out, so you always know what station you're on.

Another outstanding feature is fine-tuning and RF grain so you can filter as much as you need in the event you get AM overloading.

My only complaint about the S350 is really a complaint about all modern radios: They are built of light plastic. Gone are the days of heavy, high-grade radios. But on balance if you are a stickler for AM and FM reception, you will find that you have a reception champion in the S350.

Read Best Reviews of Grundig S350DL Deluxe AM/FM/Shortwave Field Radio, Black - (NGS350DLB) Here

Radios are all about sound and the Grundig 350 has very good warm tones that are easy to listen to all day long. This radio can do very well as a table radio which is how I use it. The sound is solid with no distortion even if driven to full volume. This radio is a keeper for the sound alone.

As far as Am/Sw reception goes the Gundig 350 does very well provided you use external antennas to pull in the signals. The new added frequency lock works well to stop the drifting this radio was so infamous for. The Fm reception is very good pulling in many stations on the built in whip antenna and holding them rock steady.

If you want SSB ,or better Am/Sw signal capture, a full sized proper Communications Receiver is a better choice. That said, for every day casual listening ,on all bands offered on the Grundig, it does a fine job that will entertain one and all. This radio does Am/Sw well enough I can take my time now to find a deal on a decent older Communications Receiver in the used market. For now (maybe longer????) I'll just enjoy the Grundig.

All the controls on the Grundig work as they are supposed to instead of just being dials/switches to look good. Reading the well written manual will help the new user to gain full benefit of just what this radio can really do. One point about this radio that is little understood is the analog tuning. Analog tuning gives the user a way to really control this radio in ways not possible with electronic tuning while holding down the cost to enable Grundig to put in other features that normally would cost more. More bang for the buck 'cause you do your own tuning. Oh yes, I prefer analog tuning because I can slide right onto a weak signal I couldn't with electronic tuned radios.

Can I recommend the Grundig 350DL? Yes, as long as the buyer understands this is a first rate "casual" radio and they will not be disappointed at all.

Follow up after external indoor antenna added........

WOW!! Talk about an improvement!! A simple $2.50 300ohm wire dipole that I bought at the hardware store worked magic on this radio. I just hung the dipole & clipped it to the radio's antenna and this little radios was able to reach waaaaaaaaaay out there with ease. There is still the imaging problem but that is to be expected. That said, now I can listen to lots of stations that were not there before !!!!

Want Grundig S350DL Deluxe AM/FM/Shortwave Field Radio, Black - (NGS350DLB) Discount?

With many SW radios to choose from, some prohibitively expensive, there's no wonder that many consumers are left confused about which one is right for them. Costs for a radio can range from $10 to $10,000 depending on the make, model, and features one is looking at. Many radios in the price range of the S350DL are tiny and due to compact size, have terrible sound output as limited by the accompanying small speaker. So is the S350DL a good middle of the road option?

That all depends upon what you need, and what you're willing to put up with. The features of this radio can be summed up in basically one sentence; AM/FM/SW, with tone control, band filter, Hi-Z input, and gain. That's pretty much it.

As far as sound quality, the S350DL is rather good. I've used various other SW radios and this one puts out some of the best in its price range. I've seen other reviewers hold the sound quality against this radio when actually in my opinion and experience, this is one of its shining points. The sound quality is on par with my 750 Satellit, and blows away the compact portables such as the G6 and Sangean portables.

Other great options with this radio not available in other radios of this price range is the option of RCA stereo line out and plugins for Hi-Z antennas. Just get a very long speaker wire, plug it into the back, and you've got a super cheap and effective shortwave antenna with a length and the geometry of your choosing. MOST SW radios do not have this. Kudos.

But the Achille's heel of this radio is the tuning. The tuning is so bad, it's almost unusable except to all but the most determined and patient. Sure there is a digital readout, but the tuning itself is analog. That's ok, but the analog tuning is very poorly designed, leaving cheap radio tuners outperforming this one.

For one there is no consistency with the tuning. We're afforded coarse and fine tune knobs but this makes little difference. Turning the fine tuning knob 1/4" at one part of the band might move you 5khz. Another part of the band it might move you over 100khz! I was first listening to the clock in Colorado at 5000khz and managed to tune to it within about 20 seconds. Same thing at 10000khz took almost 2 minutes and I almost gave up on it entirely. Couple that with the fact that there is no direct entry tuning or frequency lock, and you're stuck fiddling with the knobs for a ridiculous amount of time.

In addition to that, when the radio is overloaded it will drift quickly on you. I tuned to 27185khz to test the radio with my handheld CB (which is channel 19). Keying up the mic at low power settings on a 5w transmitter made the radio drift several hundred khz! I had to employ my wife to drive down the road with the radio while I watched and at 1/4 mile away there was no drift when she keyed up. What this means is that if you're tuning to a station, by the time you know you're overloaded (which happens easily), the station has already drifted before you can even adjust the RF gain, and you're stuck fiddling with the clunky knobs for a minute or two to get back on track... provided that you haven't reduced the gain so much that you don't get the station again. Very frustrating!

Even without overload there is inherent frequency drift. Drifting 20khz in less than 10 minutes is not uncommon... and getting back on frequency means dealing with those knobs again...

These problems presents themselves with FM and AM as well, although the results aren't as debilitating to reception. I was trying to tune to 93.3 FM and just couldn't get it right. I'd be at 93.50, tune down a bit it jumps to 92.8, back and forth, back and forth. FINALLY I got it to 93.39 and just left it there. I could get the station but stereo was in and out because I wasn't right on frequency.

If you're looking for a cheap radio and you know exactly the stations you want to listen to, then this will serve you better than some of the $100 miniatures that lack options for antennas and have tinny sound with no tone control. If you want to "browse" the SW band looking for interesting stuff, then avoid this one. If you're even somewhat serious about SW DXing, spend a little more and get the Satellit 750. Look for my review on that radio as well for more details.

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I originally ordered a Sony ICF-SW7600GR World Band Radio thinking I would sit here at night listening to radio stations from around the globe. Well it turns out I don't enjoy that as much as I thought I would. Plus, I just was not that happy with the sound quality of the Sony as an everyday AM radio, plus the antenna on the Sony was just horrible When in the straight up and down position it would wobble back and forth between the 11:00 and 1:00 position and drive me nuts (unacceptable to me on a $140 radio). So I did a little research and came across this radio and it's ideal for me.

This is my everyday AM radio that sits on top the 'fridge and the sound quality on AM and FM is wonderful. Its ability to pull in distant AM stations is great and it works really well on shortwave.

The old fashion tuning takes a little bit to get use to and it can be a bit of trick sometimes to get it right on the exact frequency, but the look and feel and sound of this radio outweigh any of the negatives. It reminds me of an old Radio Shack radio from the 70's I used to play around with as kid.

It is really fun to sit there and turn the dial and see what I can find from across the country. I strung up 75' of wire from one end of my attic to the other and with that attached to the connection on the back (another plus as I don't need to clip it to the antenna) I easily and clearly pull in stations from Cuba, Mexico, Canada and even a few from Europe. Plenty interesting to satisfy my shortwave appetite.

I don't have any problem with the tuning dial being cheap and flimsy as others have mentioned. Sure it could be a little more solid, but I don't foresee any issues down the road. This radio will last me a long time. Oh ya and the antenna on this radio is strong, stable and quite long.

So if you're looking for a nice, fun to use, good sounding, all around table top radio give this one a try.

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Elgin 3465E Multifunction Alarm with Projection

• Displays time, day, date and temperature
• Projects time and temperature
• Repeating snooze function

I ordered this clock thinking it was electric with a battery back-up, but I guess I should have read the product info more closely. it's a good clock, but it's totally battery powered. Easy to use. Snooze button must be pushed to have it project the time on the ceiling/wall. Projection image is clear & easy to read. When you tap it a second time it displays the temperature...very cool. Just wish it had been electric!

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iriver CXW-2G Clix 2 GB Digital Music and Video Player, White

• Ultra-compact 2 GB digital media player with support for music, video, photos, or downloadable games
• Vivid 2.2-inch color LCD display with 320 x 240 resolution; direct-click touchscreen control interface
• Supports MP3, WMA, ASF, Ogg, JPEG, MPEG-4, and Flash Lite 1.1 files; compatible with PlaysForSure services
• Stores roughly 32 hours of MP3 (at 128 kbps) and 64 hours of WMA (64 kbps) files; built-in FM tuner
• 10 EQ settings and SRS WOW sound; measures 2.7 x 1.8 x 0.6 inches (W x H x D); 1-year warranty

*I bought the Clix with the Dock as a complete package from iRiver and this review covers both items*

Packaging

iRiver does a good job with their packaging by making it simple and clean, probably taking note of Apple's packaging strategy, though not as refined. All the included accessories are placed in clearly labeled paper boxes making it simple and easy to find what you need quickly. There is no foam padding of any sort to protect any of the accessories or the player itself but I do not think this will be a problem because the Clix is a flash based player. The Clix itself is protected by a sticker with a printed on animation of the "now playing" screen. There is a "starter kit" that comes with the Clix that contains the manual, quick start guide, software CD, various documentations, and a neoprene case with a screen cleaner. The case fits the player very snugly and is padded enough to ensure proper protection. The screen cleaner does a decent job though I sometimes found that it just smeared the oils from my skin instead of absorbing it.

The packaging for the cradle dock contains a series of boxes as well with no foam padding to protect anything but everything came out of the box in perfect condition. The cradle comes with a line-in cable, 3.5mm extension plug, the dock itself, and an IR remote.

I enjoyed the packaging but it did not wow me as Apple's packaging does. I was concerned with the lack of protection for the components though none of them were damaged. I would like it if iRiver included some plastic molds to hold their components to make it seem more professional while adding some protection at the same time.

Design

The Clix is one of the most beautifully designed MP3 players I have ever seen. The button-less screen creates a very clean and sleek look that resembles a flat panel television. Since there are no buttons to press, navigation is done through pressing the sides of the screen. The sides of the screen are tactile buttons and not touch sensitive, which would have made it too sensitive. The rest of the controls are located on the sides of the player which include dedicated volume buttons, a power button, a "smart key," and a hold switch. The hold switch does not only cease the function of the screen buttons but actually locks the screen buttons into place so they can not be pressed. This is a wise choice by iRiver because it will prevent wear and tear on the buttons. The back of the player is made of glossy white plastic and has a clean look to it instead of having a bunch of Windows, SRS, WOW, and other logos. While the screen of the player seems very scratch resistant, the back seems to be more prone to scratching so users should exercise caution. One of my favorite design features of the Clix is its ability to switch between landscape and portrait modes. Portrait mode is useful in allowing one-handed operation of the player, though it is a little more difficult that I would have liked it to be. Since users have to touch the sides of the player to navigate, they will find their thumbs and hands obstructing their view when pressing some buttons. Though it this is a little annoying, it is bearable and does not take away from the overall pleasurable experience of using the player. Another gripe is that the reset button can only be pressed by inserting a paperclip into a pin-sized hole located at the bottom of the player. Both Creative and iRiver have to find a simpler way to reset the player. I really like the simple button combo that makes the iPod reset itself. Creative and iRiver should take note.

Once in the Cradle Dock, the player will resemble a retro-style television which will draw stares and wow your friends. There are tiny speakers on the back of the dock that allow wireless use of your player. The dock gives the player the awesome feature of line-in recording but also disables an important feature, the FM tuner. I assume this happens because there is no headphone lead to act as an antenna, which would have given the player horrible reception. The dock also lets you connect a line-out cable so you can listen to your music on better speakers and there is a mini-USB connector to allow you to sync your player while it is still in the dock. The included IR remote is the only method of navigating the player while it is in the dock. The remote has a very slim profile and membrane type buttons and while this remote provides excellent functionality for the player while it is in the dock, it is poorly designed because the buttons become a little exhausting after prolonged use and the directional buttons are a bit more spread out than I would have liked. The remote also looks quite cheap with an uneven fit and finish and lack of attention to detail. Perhaps I am being nit-picky but I do enjoy the fact that every function can be accessed wirelessly.

One design feature that I find refreshing is the USB cable that is provided with the player. It has a mechanism that locks the player into place on the cable and can only be unlocked by holding buttons on the side. This results in a secure attachment to your computer, making it impossible to accidentally disconnect your player while it is performing a sync which could wreck the player. More manufacturers should take note of this simple, yet ingenious locking mechanism.

Finally, if you are worried about the durability of Clix, worry no more. I gave this Clix to my sister as a present and she has the reputation of having the "touch of death" with all things electronic. It has been over two weeks and I'm happy to report that the player has not scratched. This is truly an amazing testament to the kind of plastic that iRiver chose to make the Clix's screen with.

Performance

Once I fired up the player for the first time, I was immediately impressed with the fluidity of the interface and how beautifully simplistic, yet sophisticated the menus were laid out. Everything is laid out very logically and can be picked up without reading the instruction manual, which I believe most people do. The GUI reminds me of Windows Media Center, which makes sense because iRiver worked very closely with Microsoft on the development of this player. The "now playing" screen really impresses me in that it uses its screen real estate to deliver tons of information without searching through a sub menu. Song title, album name, song rating, artist name, year of album release, time, battery meter, EQ setting, number of songs in current playlist, and my favorite, next song. More companies should add a "next song" display on their players. Though this may seem like an overwhelming amount of information to be displayed on one screen, I did not find it confusing at all. One thing that bugged me about the interface was the fact that you could not delete songs or recordings from the player.

Pictures are browsed on the player in list form, displaying a small thumbnail of the highlighted picture. Photos look accurate and fluid on the screen as it would on the computer screen though detail is lost because of the 320x240 resolution. There is no over saturation as with other players, namely my Creative Zen Vision: M. Videos can also be played on this device and look good for 15 frames per second (fps). I expected the video experience to be severely degraded compared to the 30fps that my Vision: M is capable of but I am pleasantly surprised that there was minimal difference. Music videos looked great and the screen provided excellent viewing angles. I would advise against watching anything longer than a few minutes on the Clix because of two reasons: one being that the screen is so small and will fatigue your eyes and two being the fact that the player maxes out at a dainty 2 GB.

My favorite feature about the Clix is its ability to record in several different ways. There is FM recording which is very handy for catching shows or songs you want to save, thought the RIAA will not be happy about the latter. You can also perform voice recordings and line-in recordings. Voice recordings were of average quality and had a hard time picking up sounds that were far away. I would not use the Clix to record lectures or conferences though it is a handy tool for taking notes or to do a casual podcast. Line-in recording provided much more of a use because of its excellent recording quality. If set at "high" recording quality, files are encoded at 256kbps MP3s and 128kbps at "medium" quality. Recording whole albums is a simple process though editing the file names and ID3 tags of the songs is not as fun or pleasurable. I did encounter a few problems when recording, one of which was the recording volume. Even when set at the highest recording volume and max volume from the recording source (my ZVM) the volume of the recorded tracks was still lower than I would have liked them to be. Another problem I encountered was the track splitting function which breaks up the recording when it doesn't sense any sound for 2 seconds. For classical albums, it could not sense the gaps correctly and recorded the album as one huge MP3. My final gripe about the line-in recording function is that the recordings are stored deep in the submenus of the "Extras" section which is irritating when you want to find your recordings and listen to them since they are not included in your library. Hopefully a firmware update will place a folder in the music library for recordings.

With all of these extra features, it is easy to forget what the Clix was designed to do and that is to play music and boy does the Clix deliver. This is one of the best sounding MP3 players I have ever heard. There is also an incredible amount of adjustability with this player. Users can choose from a number of very good EQ presets or tweak the SRS and WOW features to their liking. The SRS WOW features really impressed me by generating great sound to whatever type of music I was listening to. The TruBass provided enough bass to literally blow my brains out. I could feel the insides of my ears vibrating from the powerful bass. One downside to all of this adjustability is that users might be intimidated or might not know how to adjust the settings to make their music sound great. It takes some time to fiddle around with what settings sound best but once you find them, you will experience musical nirvana. Cliché, I know, but there is no way else to put it. The included headphones may not be the most stylish but they do sound pretty good for stock headphones. They reproduce a neutral sound across the spectrum but a little more bass than the stock headphones from Apple and Creative. The ear-bud design may be problematic for some as they easily fall out, which is the case for both my sister and father. As with all the cables that come with the dock and player, the headphones are gold plated for better conductivity. Though the stock headphones are decent, anyone looking to improve their musical experience should definitely look into buying noise isolating or noise canceling headphones.

Syncing the Clix with Window Media Player 11 is a pleasure. Everything works seamlessly and swiftly. I am impressed with its sync speeds and how the Clix did not have to rebuild its library after syncing which means it can be unplugged and is ready to use in an instant. Throughout the whole experience, I never had the player freeze on me except when the battery was completely drained. I tried connecting the player after its battery had drained to recharge it but it would not respond at all. I had to reset the player and everything worked again. This is quite odd as there should be a little battery life left to sustain the player long enough to be connected. I would advise users to charge their players without draining them all the way first because lithium ion batteries do not like being completely discharged. Continually draining the battery until there is no power left will hurt the battery, causing lowered capacity which equates to shorter battery life.

As you can tell, I am enamored with the Clix but there is one thing that bugs me to no end which is that audio files are not normalized. This is annoying beyond belief because I have to keep lowering or turning up the volume for different artists and albums. One thing that iRiver can learn from Creative is the "Smart Volume" function that is included on many of Creative's players which normalizes the tracks automatically. Users can use programs such as MP3Gain to normalize their MP3 on their computer but it would be more convenient ifthe player itself handled all the normalization.

Conclusion

iRiver has created a beautifully designed and incredible performing MP3 player that they can be proud of. Despite its few flaws, I fell in love with the Clix and would definitely recommend it to anyone. It is easy to use yet has a billion features that will satisfy the most demanding techie. I hope that iRiver will come out with a Clix that has a higher capacity, which should not be too hard seeing as Sandisk just released the Sansa E280 which has a whopping 8GB of flash memory and an expandable Micro SD slot which makes it capable for a mind blowing 10GB of storage. Once iRiver crams more memory into the Clix and fixes its other minor problems, they might finally be able to compete with the Apple juggernaut. I am so impressed with the Clix that I'm going to say it is an iPod killer. Let the flaming begin.

Nano who?

Buy iriver CXW-2G Clix 2 GB Digital Music and Video Player, White Now

This is the best mp3 player / personal media player I have ever owned. It has a large, well lit screen and great sound quality. It comes with some fun games and you can download more at the iriver website. I havent done much with the videos yet but the ones preloaded on the clix are good looking. It also displays pictures quite nicely which you can set as the wallpaper. The interface is very intuitive and works well with the "tilt" screen. You can also make "quicklists" on the go which is very usefull. It also has cool features such as FM radio (which can be recorded), a voice recorder, the ability to view text files, an alarm clock (which you really need the dock for), and it works seamlessly with URGE. The only thing bad about the clix is that it is only 2gb. Otherwise it is a small, reliable mp3 player, well worth the money.

Read Best Reviews of iriver CXW-2G Clix 2 GB Digital Music and Video Player, White Here

I had researched for months on which mp3 player to buy, and I was really nervous about getting an iPod because of the battery and crash issues. I came across this, and the search was over. Few important things to know.

1. The size is 2GB obviously, so it replaces the nano more than the large ones.

2. You can buy the iPod outlet chargers and use it for this. Simply take out the USB cord that runs from the outlet charger and would go into the iPod, and instead use the USB cord that comes with the clix. Works just as well. I bought the Griffin PowerBlock.

3. I think a review here said that you can't use this as a storage device, but you can. Simply follow the instructions on page 11 of the manual booklet. (All you have to do is add a folder).

4. To convert videos to the acceptable .avi files for the player, go the iriver.com and search for 'iriverter'. The first link will take you to a page to down the program. You can even convert DVD files.

5. When you go to delete files from windows explorer or my computer, delete the free stuff, but don't delete the iriver folder under music. The player just uses this on its own.

6. WMP 11 is fine. It's tries to do more than it should, but you'll be set up within 5 minutes. Also, if you delete songs, make sure to do it from WMP 11 only. All other files can be deleted from explorer, but music must be deleted from WMP (or whatever you use to sync up.)

These are just useful notes about the player, nothing that distracts from it at all. Simply put, this is the worry free mp3 player. You won't buy it and then fret that you are missing a key feature or that it will crash on you. And the interface is so intuitive, the iPod should be ashamed.

Want iriver CXW-2G Clix 2 GB Digital Music and Video Player, White Discount?

Well, you have to take look at one Clix to see how cool this little player is. Pictures don't make justice to it. The design is really nice, it's small, it's light and its screen is clean, bright and colorful. And beside the design, the features of this player are also great.

Don't get me wrong, the ipod nano is a beautiful player but the Clix has a different approach with its original design. The controls are quite different, but work flawlessly with the player. The synchronization with the computer is easy and fast. The video playback is really nice (even if it's 15 fps, it's enough for musical videos, tv series, cartoons, etc.). The ability to read Text documents is a handy addition. Pictures slideshows work fine. FM radio may be helpful (not for me really). And the games are cool enough to pass some time (Sudoku is great!).

Anyway, in my opinion this Clix is one of the better players I've seen. The features are great, but the design is truly breathtaking. It's goood to see different and original designs.

I really enjoyed this player--for a week. Great battery life, very simple to use, beautiful screen, intuitive interface. Sound quality is absolutely first rate.

BUT: A few cons. After a week, it just froze up, refused to power up, and couldn't even be re-set. It just died. Also, Windows Media Player, which you must use to get the most out of this device, is in beta, and so is full of bugs. You can use the Clix with version 10, but you miss out on many features. Lastly, the included earbuds are very mediocre.

I plan to return the Clix to Best Buy and get a replacement. If the new one dies too, I'll post a follow up review.

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The Sharper Image EC-B100 Sound Soother Alarm Clock

• Enjoy 20 digital soothing sounds for relaxation
• Extra large display with full sound titles
• Dual alarm, auto-off timer and convenient automatic time reset after power failure
• Choice of two alarm wake modes: Soothing Sounds or Beep Tone
• Elegant design is beautiful in any room decor
• Features: Dual alarm, auto-off timer and convenient automatic time reset after power failure and daylight savings time

The Sharper Image Sound Soother has a very sleek and modern design, however, there are a few flaws that detract from the overall experience.

First, the digital display is very bright in a dark bedroom. Unlike a regular, cheap alarm clock where only the time is lit, the entire display of the Sound Soother is backlit. If your bedroom has little ambient light at night, this display will emit a glow that some people may find too bright. Although there are three display brightness settings, there is little difference between them and the lowest setting is still bright. We have to turn the clock away from the bed at night so it's not directly in our face, but the glow is still significant.

Second, the sound quality could be better. This could be a tradeoff for the sleek design, but the sounds are not very natural coming out of the small rear speakers and are a bit tinny as another reviewer has noted. The volume control is not very good either, as the difference between the first, second, third, etc. volume selections are very noticeable. In other words, 1 is too soft for some sounds, but 2 is way too loud. The audio loop on some of the sounds is too short as well, and if you are concentrating on the sound you may be able to detect the pattern, which can be distracting as you are trying to fall asleep. Also, the control buttons themselves make a very loud and abrasive "click" sound when you push them, which seems odd for a machine designed to relax you.

Overall, the Sound Soother is a decent alarm clock that gets the job done, but it could definitely be improved (display too bright, audio quality is lacking, and buttons take away from the overall experience). Although it is made by Sharper Image, it has a somewhat "cheap" feeling to it. Despite the flaws, it is one of the better sound machine/alarm clock I came across that was less than $50.

Buy The Sharper Image EC-B100 Sound Soother Alarm Clock Now

Found this sound soother at QVC for $36.50. I hated waking up to a loud "give-me-a-heart-attack" buzzers on regular alarm clocks and was hunting for a more soothing wake-up call. The beep on this clock is ok not near as screeching as some other clocks I've tried. The sound system and its many nature sound options are great. I don't know why other buyers complain about the quality of the sounds, they must miss their big ole stereo system or something, its just a clock people duh! I love the rainforest sound and the summer night as well as the oceanside waves. I chose most often to set the alarm to the foghorn, its a nice soft realistic sound of boats in the harbor. If you're a deep sleeper, the beep probably would be better to use. I found the manual for this too sparse on instructions. There was no instructions on how to set either the beep or the sound option, by accident I found out how. The luminous figures are not too bright, good grief I can't believe other buyers complained about that too. It's like having a very, very, low night light on not too bright at all. I am pleased with having bought this item, I like the fact it has battery back up. Only down side for me was that it was made in China, would have preferred finding an alternative made in USA.

Read Best Reviews of The Sharper Image EC-B100 Sound Soother Alarm Clock Here

I had high hopes for this thinking it was similar to a clock I saw a few years ago and can't seem to find now. Those of you who are light sleepers will appreciate the sound library. The digital recordings have long loops and sound pretty good, but the speakers are on the tinny side. I like to sleep with a surf sound and that is decent. The problem is the alarm (which wasn't even covered in my manual). The alarm allows you to wake with either a beeper or a sound. The problem is if you sleep with a sound playing, that is the same one used for the alarm so it doesn't quite work! I was hoping you could set different sounds for the alarms. The clock I saw a few years ago allowed you to listen to surf but the alarm added in foghorns or other related sounds. That was pretty cool! If anyone knows what clock I am talking about, please let me know. Don't be too disappointed if the Sound Soother isn't available on Amazon. It is available at Best Buy for the same price.

Want The Sharper Image EC-B100 Sound Soother Alarm Clock Discount?

I've been a Sharper Image fan for some time, due in large part, to their Sound Soother products. After having bought two (2) of these EC-B100 products, my total Sound Soothers number six. I've had expensive woodgrain, modern, portables, and now these and I've put them through many miles of travel and years of daily use.

So why on earth is their so much bashing about this product? It's unclear to me. Specifically:

1. I found these units to be plenty variable with respect to their contrast and light emission. In no way are they distracting from my sleep and I am an extremely light sleeper. In fact, I have two EX-B100s on both sides of my and my wife's king side bed. True, they are dimmed all the way, but we both sleep just fine. There is plenty of room for increasing the brightness; however, it's just not necessary.

2. To those other buyers who complained that the soothing is so loud that it keeps them awake, all I can report is the following: Either there is tremendous user/operational errors or Sharper Image responded by provided more than 8 variable sound levels ranging from super quiet to yes very loud.

3. Not that this unit is without fault....mind you, I'm picky only after having had many other Sound Soother units. To begin with, I really miss having an auxiliary sound input (for either CD, iPod, etc.). I also miss having an AM/FM radio in the unit....something that most clock radios include. Finally, the stereo separation isn't as good as it gets with older units....however...to the users who complained that the sample loops were highly discernable in a distracting way, please be advised: I am an audio engineer by trade and get paid to create loops all day long. I simply can't distinguish the, on this unit...and I know that you will like the quality.

Lest you think that I'm an employee for the Sharper Image....rest assured, I am not.

Just simply a satisfied customer who every now and then enjoys standing up for a great company and successful product line.

I read reviews of this clock for a while before purchasing it. Two things worried me complaints that the sound has only 2 settings (very loud or very soft) and that the backlight was too bright.

The version of the clock I got has 5 volume settings and it's a good range. The lowest is very quiet, but a setting of 2 or 3 is quite nice. The sound quality isn't awesome, but it's not bad.

The backlight, however, is too bright, even on the lowest setting. It was like having a pretty bright nightlight on the table. Since the clock had everything else I was looking for, I hoped to fix this. I took the clock apart (removing 5 screws on the back. The display is a circuit board with 3 LEDs on either side. They angle toward the window for the display. I removed the circuit board and bent the LEDs out so they face the inside edge of the clock. I then reassembled it (it's critical to screw the circuit board back in VERY TIGHTLY since this pressure contact runs the display) and the light is *perfect*. I can see it at night, but there is no glowing light, and I can read it fine during the day.

I know it's an annoying fix, but for me it was worth it to have the dual alarms and nice set of sounds to wake up to.

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Clarion MiND 4.8-Inch Bluetooth Portable GPS Navigator (Black)

• Portable Internet-connected navigation/entertainment device in black with for GPS turn-by-turn directions and multimedia playback
• Pre-loaded with Navteq maps and 2 million POIs for U.S. and Canada; send Google Maps information to device; 2D and 3D map views
• Store music, movies, and photos on 4 GB internal memory or on optional MicroSD memory cards; pre-installed MySpace and YouTube software
• Connects to the Web via Wi-Fi (802.11b/g) or through Bluetooth-connected cell phone; access to email; PDF viewer
• Includes car and AC chargers; rechargeable battery provides up to 1.3 hours of continuous use

6/3/2009 Update

I've been using the device for a few weeks now. It has a lot of potential and things can be done, but many applications/features lack the quality of a mature product: inconsistent and unfriendly interface, missing features etc.

Major issues:

1. Small POI database. Only 2 mln POIs, and so far, no way to buy or import additional POIs. Big problem for me, and no easy way around. Finding missing POIs using Google at home takes longer than on a regular GPS unit with built-in POIs. You cannot use Google on the road (or it is much more difficult). Some GPS devices have 6 or more millions of POIs; you can really appreciate it after using the limited 2mln Clarion's database.

2. POI search speed can be from 10 seconds to 3 minutes!!! depending on user's entry. 3 minutes it is just an absurd number. It must be fixed.

3. No Bluetooth hands-free calling. (The GPS is supposed to work with a phone. Why not hands-free calling? I need a BT headset? How many more electronics should I carry?)

4. Bluetooth dial-up network (DUN) doesn't work with my phone. I was surprised because it was one of the major selling points. Clarion provides only a list of compatible networks and my network is on that list. No list of compatible/supported phones.(My phone's DUN works with my other devices)

My hope is that Clarion will keep releasing updates and improving its functionality.

Written before 6/3/2009

The great:

1. Integration with the Internet:

a) You can send POIs from the Internet to ClarionMiND. Even with good GPS units finding POIs may be difficult: you either don't find it or you find too many. ClarionMiND lets you plan your trip on your computer at home using Google Maps, and send POIs to the device. Great feature!!!

b) Great desktop-class Internet browser. You will be able to do everything you can do on your desktop at home, including Flash videos.

c) Google search, and it is integrated with navigation.

2. Navigation (I will update this review on route quality after I use the unit more):

a) So far routes look good.

b) Lane assist. It shows which lane on a multi-lane road you should take.

c) Nice job with voice directions. For example, it tells you something like, "go to the right side of the road" in order to prepare you for right turn.

d) All info needed for navigation is on the screen: compass heading (N, NE, E...), arrival time, distance, next and current street.

e) auto-zoom.

3. POI

a) Very fast search

b) You can preview POIs on the map. This is something nice and unique. You can select a single or a group of POIs and see them on a temporary map.

4. Address entry

a) Very fast.

b) QWERTY keyboard

c) Predictable entry. Only valid keys are active. As you keep entering data, it shows what was found at the top of the screen.

d) It remembers previous entry, and lets you re-start search from any level: state, city, street.

5. Hardware:

a) Gorgeous, high-resolution, large screen

b) Touchscreen works well. It is responsive.

c) Dedicated hardware buttons for Home, Top Menu, Music/Sound.

d) Great to hold in hands

6. Free Internet traffic. So far, I didn't find if it is integrated with navigation. There will be an option for radio traffic which, most likely, will be integrated.

7. Internet weather, news, email etc

8. Fast GPS lock. Less than 30 seconds.

The bad:

1.POI database is small. I couldn't find retail stores like, Walmart, Target, Costco etc

2.The car mount is awful. It is a few 100s dollars device with a "$1" mount. Very difficult to mount/dismount.

3.After you mount the device, it automatically limits its Internet functionality. Result: you cannot use the Internet in your garage when the device is mounted. You have to dismount it 1st, check the Internet, mount it again. AWFUL!!! If they wanted to make it safe, they should detect vehicle speed from the GPS.

4.Addresses are not displayed in the American format (number street, city zip), but as zip city street number.

5.Keyboard

a) Inconsistent keys. Sometimes, it is character-only; sometimes, characters and digits.

b) Inconsistent behavior: to accept, sometimes you have to click "Back", sometimes "Enter"; sometimes something else.

6.Too many keystrokes needed to see the route overview.

7.Current time is not displayed during navigation.

8.The device gets very hot.

9. Video player doesn't accept many video formats.

The bottom line:

It is a great navigation device: very fast, detailed spoken commands, plenty of details on the screen, great map, good routes. The device could be a perfect GPS but they have to add more POIs, BT hands-free calling, and polish the interface. ClarionMiND works very well with the Internet: it will have more or less of a practical meaning for different people.

Buy Clarion MiND 4.8-Inch Bluetooth Portable GPS Navigator (Black) Now

Overall as a GPS I pretty much agree with "Stan Matofu's" review of the device above. However, I purchased this device in December primarily as a portable media player for my car. Everything else that this device offers was extra, especially considering that I purchased this device for a shade over $100. After having it for a couple of weeks and hacking on it for a while, I would say that I am pretty pleased with the device. Firstly, the device has an Intel Atom Z530, Intel GMA500 (Poulsbo) integrated graphics and 4GB SSD, which is pretty "standard" netbook/UMPC class hardware. With the standard USB port that is built in, one can attach a thumbdrive of practically any size for an infinite amount of music on the go. Additionally, by plugging in a USB keyboard, and switching to virtual console 3 (Ctrl-Alt-F3), you can login as the root user and hack the device to your pleasure (default password is '1234'). Wifi support is pretty rock-solid. DUN support over Bluetooth works well with my Blackberry Storm, which is great because I can use this device as a quasi-internet tablet while in the car(parked of course :) ) The device itself is based on Asianux Midinux Linux which is a offshoot of Fedora. Ubuntu's netbook remix also runs on the device. Installing whichever OS you want on the device is pretty simple, as the USB ports are 1st in the boot order of the device. Heck, even Windows XP runs like a champ on this device. The hardware, according to its specifications, supports up to a 4GB microSD card. I've happily been using a Transcend 8GB microSDHC card with this device to store my music. At its original price of ~$600, there would be no way that I would have bought it. As a ~$100 GPS unit, it is quite serviceable. It has its quirks as all devices do, yet it has some pretty nice features, especially if you can connect it via PPP over Bluetooth so that it gets Internet in-vehicle. Finally, as a portable Linux based computer, it is very much worth the cost alone. I am purchasing a second one, just because it is so hackable.

Read Best Reviews of Clarion MiND 4.8-Inch Bluetooth Portable GPS Navigator (Black) Here

I have used this unit for a few weeks. The navigation part is excellent. Google search is useless without Wifi. POI is a joke...it cannot even find Walmart down the street. In order to get any usefulness in searches, I had to setup Wifi in my car. Traffic integration is awful. The traffic applet cannot zoom. You have to switch screens to see traffic. This cannot be done if you mount the unit. Mounting the unit switches it to car mode. The traffic receiver NK1U works okay if you get a signal. See my review. Overall, the unit is still very rough. I am hopeful that with software updates, traffic can be updated via Wifi instead of the Docking station. I had a Dash Express prior to this unit, but it got stolen. The Dash Express had better traffic information...I miss my now stolen and dead (company is on skeleton crew) Dash Express.

Want Clarion MiND 4.8-Inch Bluetooth Portable GPS Navigator (Black) Discount?

1st off, I use this device primarily as a "MID not a MIND"; can do without the GPS navigation, I know my directions well nuff and can still actually read a map.

1. What I find are its outstanding qualities:

Amazon price for this product for what's basically a miniature surfing computer spells out as a nice little cheap toy!

Wi Fi connection, this machine seems to instantaneously hook up faster than my laptop or hard rive.

Browser, surfing, e-mails, etc. as described; works just like a larger laptop or desktop. I understand you can surf with most smart phones now, but their screens are still way to small for my taste.

File manager and RealPlayer software for storing some important pics, those good enough that you can use for your Clarion wallpaper choices, other so-so pics can stay in the flash drive.

Good enough size LCD screen, clean picture resolution, vibrant colors. Audio good enough for this small device.

Real Player software good enough to use for watching MP4 movies while sitting around in a plane plus opening your picture files.

2. Good: 4 GB internal memory only, however, I am always using USB 2.0 flash drives. One of my 8 GB flash drive hold ups to 6-7 full length DVD movies, MP4 files that is.

3. Sucks: Battery life, charged and re-charged this a few times and I feel like I'm only getting 30-45 minutes life out of it. This in mind, I usually keep it plugged in while monkeying around with it in the sofa. I am getting a Duracell 100 watt mobile power source to use, see if this'll get me an extended 2-3 hours more when I can't find an outlet.

Bottom line, for a $129 mobile internet device with Free Amazon Shipping, what's not to like about this?! Gave this a 5-Star, discounting battery performance which I believe is totally independent of this device's useful capabilities.

It is a great device. It would be much better if it was able to hook up to any available wireless or Wi-Fi connection automatically. Also the GPS is not as accurate as my Navigon unit. Maybe with a few firmware updates it can be an excellent all around GPS and internet device. It is a great device for the new price.

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