HD Radio

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Pac Audio Mazda Radio Replacement Interface With Navigation Outputs

Radio Replacement Interface With Built In Pre-Programmed Steering Wheel Control Retention and Navigation Outputs
Pre-programmed retention of Steering Wheels Controls (SWC)
Retains Bose digital and premium audio systems
In vehicle menu using the OE LCD and SWC
Allows the clock to be set without having to plug in the OE radio

I chose this interace over others because the Mazda CX-9 has a supposed issue with the A/C not working using other harnesses. I found details on it through multiple Mazda forums and people suggested this unit or another from a UK company called Connects2. I found mention that this one surpassed the others by not only interfacing with the volume, mode, & seek buttons on the steering wheel, but also the blue tooth phone controls. So far it has worked well with all but the voice control button on the steering wheel..

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3" Touch Screen LCD Monitor/receiver with Bluetooth® and Screen Dial Pad

Custom Tooled Aluminum Die-Cast Basket
Glass Fiber/Foam Composite Cone
Non-Fatiguing Butyl Rubber Surround
High Temperature KAPTON Voice Coil
Chrome Plated Back Plates

Honestly, I didn't have much hope before buying this player and my hunch turned out to be true. Before buying this, I wanted to get some information on the functionality. The crappy manual on the Pyle website turned out to be of no use, so I sent a mail to their support address and didn't get any reply. Then, I sent another mail to all the addresses that I could find on their website and one guy replied and told me someone will send me more information, which never arrived. Thus, I got a fair idea about the product support, but I still went ahead and bought it because it seemed to be feature-rich and price seemed right.

The product works fine. Installation was easy. The audio quality is great (that is the only unexpectedly good part about the whole product). I have tried DVD, CD, SD card, USB and FM radio. They all "work". There end the good things about it. Here are the cons:-

1.While playing a DVD, the screen displays a warning "For your own safety, do not watch video while driving". I can hear the audio and see the video in the background when I go into setup screen, but it is the warning that is permanently on the screen and I can't find any way to get rid of it.

2.While playing songs from SD/USB, the display is horrible. There is no way to change the text size or color. It is almost impossible to read the dull blue display. I even see some Chinese letters on the screen :-)

3.Now Bluetooth: I was able to pair my phone with the unit, but if I get an incoming call while listening to music, it doesn't automatically switch to phone mode. I have to go into the Bluetooth screen and answer it there. What is the point of Bluetooth? It is much easier to attend the call on the phone. To make it worse, I have already come across a couple of situations where my phone wouldn't see the unit.

4.There is no easy way to dim the screen without going to the setup screen. It is very annoying in the night.

5.Pyle may be creating too many products and getting mixed up with the features, manual and firmware. Generally, the console, remote and the screens are very confusing.

6.Of course, the support is non-existent. I sent another e-mail to them requesting how to get around some of these things, but never heard a reply. And, I didn't expect one either. So, if you buy it, consider yourself on your own.

I decided to keep it just because I didn't want to go through the hassle of pulling it out and sending it back. But, if you are considering buying it, I would recommend you look elsewhere.

PYLE PLD70BT 7-Inch TFT Touch Screen DVD/VCD/CD/MP3/CD-R/USB/AM/FM/RDS Receiver and Bluetooth System

DVD/MPEG4/MP3/CD/CD-R/CD-RW Compatible - AM/FM-MPX 2 Band Radio - Brightness: 400nits - Anti-Shock Mechanism - Mute Control - A/V Input & A/V Output - Rear Camera Output - 11 Kinds Of Background Color
Motorized Slide Down Detachable Front Panel - 30 Station Memory(18FM/12AM) - On Screen Display Title, Time, Chapter, - ESP Function - RCA Line Out - SD/MMC Card Slot - Parking Video Input - 320 Watts (4 X 80w)
Treble/Bass/Balance/Fader/Encoder - Built In 7 Inch(16:9) Tft Color Monitor - Subtitle & Angle - LO/DX & ST/MO Selector - Preset EQ - Direct Connection Of Alternate - RDS-EON - Last Position Memory
Volume PLL Synthesizer Tuner - Touch Screen Control Operation - Dolby Digital Coaxial Outputs - Repeat/Intro/Random - Subwoofer Output - Audio/Video Aux Line Input Jack(MP3/Ipod) - USB Connector - USA/Europe Frequency Switch
Auto Store/Preset Scan - Resolution: 1440x234 Pixels - PAL/NTSC Color System - Clock Function - Selectable View Angle - Remote Control - Bluetooth A2dp&Avrcp Support - Dimensions:7.24''W X 2.13''H X 6.69''D

I like this unit but don't love it. I haven't decided if I am going to keep it.

It doesn't say if this was supposed to be a double-din unit, but to me it was more like a single DIN unit with a screen that stays out all the time. The back part of the unit fits into a standard single DIN bracket, but half of the screen hangs over the bottom so I had to mount it to the top slot of my 99 Ford Expedition. To get it to slide all the way back, I had to cut a piece of the plastic bracket in the rear of the radio slot used to hold the factory radio under the dash. The screen stays out all the time and slides down and out to reveal a CD/DVD slot.

My main problem with the radio is that it does not remember which input you are on, so it always starts out on the Radio. Combine that with the fact that the radio is much louder than the other inputs (including DVD). When I am watching a DVD or streaming bluetooth I usually have to crank up the volume to 20-30, but for the radio 8-10 is loud enough. So if I am watching a DVD, streaming bluetooth, or even listening through the AUX input, and I turn off the car, the next time I start the car it default back to radio and the volume is blaring. The rest I'll list below.

Pros:

Price

Nice size screen

Movies look great on it

Easy to bypass DVD so that you can watch while driving

Plently loud enough

Preamp subwoofer output

Fits in a single-din slot

Cons:

Covers half of my AC control panel, this might just be an issue with my ford Expedition

RDS does not work for US radio stations, at least not in my area factory radio RDS worked fine in my area though Note: if you want to try it you have to switch the radio to Euro mode a switch on the back of the right-side of the radio.

Does not remember last input (defaults to radio), but remembers last volume (see above)

Could not play videos recorded by my digital camera.

Can view photos from an SD card, but it is painfully slow (like 20 seconds) switching from one photo to the next

SD card slot is on the top of the unit so for me the Ford trim makes it very difficult to insert an SD card

USB slot is on the front, but you have to connect a small mini USB to full size USB cable. With this cable, the USB stick blocks a little bid of the screen.

Buy PYLE PLD70BT 7-Inch TFT Touch Screen DVD/VCD/CD/MP3/CD-R/USB/AM/FM/RDS Receiver and Bluetooth System Now

I like this unit. Installed this unit in a 2001 Jeep Wrangler. The screen slightly covers the climate controls, but when the screen is tilted, they can be accessed easily. The sound quality is good, all the connectors are solid, and the bluetooth works great for both calls and music. Use this with your Smartphone and stream some Pandora, it sounds great. Picture quality is good, and the touch screen is responsive for a resistive touch screen.

The only complaint is that the screen will show some artifacts when it is really cold. Get the heat goning, and it looks fine once it warms up.

Great buy for the money!

Read Best Reviews of PYLE PLD70BT 7-Inch TFT Touch Screen DVD/VCD/CD/MP3/CD-R/USB/AM/FM/RDS Receiver and Bluetooth System Here

ok I recieved the PLD70BT unit last week on friday, it arrived in perfect condition and on time!

(ordered from amazon not a third party)

I bought this unit for my 2003 Dodge Ram 1500 Quad cab.

a few years back I bought a Pyle PLD45MUT (3.5 inch screen and tv tuner built in.) which after about 2 or 3 years stopped playing the DVD's or CD's and thus was not much use as my kids love to bring CD's in the car and torture me! anyway, I had to buy a wiring adaptor for the old unit and I kept it all wired after I took it out of the truck and shelved it. so when I recieved the new unit I was thrilled to see thaat the Pyle wiring harness was exactly the same from unit to unit and I just popped it off the old unit and onto the new one and it slid right into place in the dash! so if you have a Pyle unit already You can upgrade to this one pretty easy!

ok, that being said let's talk about this unit. it's a good unit for the price and so far I am very satisfied! the sound is good(I will expand on this in a minute) and has adjustments and the menu's are easy to negotiate. the touch screen is responsive and easy to use, and the remote is good with the only complaint being that it takes the unit 1 second to respond to the command you send from the remote, if you get used to this delay it works great. now as for the sound, the radio is LOUD! it cranks and sounds good till about 2/3 up and then starts to distort just a bit, but not too bad. the thing is when you change to the card reader or CD, or possibly USB drive (I haven't tried yet) the volume is much lower, and you can literaly turn the unit all the way up and never get it as loud as the radio itself! I dono't understand this , but it's true of my unit. and the bluetooth MP3 player I connected was even quieter through the system, these are 320kbs P3 rips and they are just quiet via bluetooth, I plan to try other devices to see if maybe its an issue with my player or what.

while I had the factory stereo in the dash I had hooked up a couple of speaker line taps to go to an amp, when I hooked up the new system it was sounding crappy at first, bu then I took out the old connection and used the RCA outputs from the PLD70BT and it sounds better than it ever has! I use the connecter to connect to a 100x4 amp which drive a pair of 150w Speakers set to Low pass on the amp, and WOW who needs subs?!?!?! this thing kicks some serious BASS! it can sometimes be overwhelming if the loudness is on and a deep preset EQ is selected.

in all if you want a good system with some cool features this one will do! and nicely!

I will post an Update and a video review later in the week after I get time to play with it some more.

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Work great..Had it for a While Some kinks. Runs every cd,dvd ect...It's great when out camping or driving with the bluetooth..

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I got this stereo and installed it in my 1990 Dadge Ram W150. With a few adjusments it fits in there comfortably. The sound quality is perfect and everything works just had a problem conected with bluetooth. Trying to get it resolved so that i can connect with it.

I looked closer at my owners manual and the code for the bluetooth is under the BT information.

LG 620G Prepaid Phone (Net10)

I've read many reviews of this phone, and I used to sell cell phones for a couple of years...so this may (or may not be) considered a well-informed review:

Good:

Clean and stylish looking

Automatic key lock when you close the slider

Largish display

Decent camera

Has a video recorder

Slider is strong, not cheap feeling

Large keypad

The Not-So-Good:

Navigation isn't the best

Changing ringstyles sort of awkward

Call volume control isn't on the side of the phone (can be adjusted using "joy stick" while on a call, however)

Caller groups automatically added to your contact list (not a big deal, I just deleted them...I see little value to caller group id's)

I don't use my cell phone for web services or games, so I don't have an opinion regarding this phone. If you are nit-picky about being able to change features on your phone and customize them, you may not want this phone...the fact I gave it four stars only means it's four stars as far as it meets my expectations.

As noted on other reviews: if you want to use the fm radio and mp3 capabilities of the phone...you should find a different phone...you will be disappointed as you'll need to purchase a special headphone to use the radio, and you can't store much music-wise.

I consider my tech abilities above average, but my cell usage is generally pretty basic.

What I really like about it:

Great looking phone...no one sees it and thinks "hey, he's using a prepaid phone"! Not too small, not too big, and light. I really enjoy the slider feature and that it automatically locks the external buttons once the slider closes. I like the display size, camera, and video recorder. Call quality is good, too.

I'm not basing this review on Net10, however, I've found it to be good service...same as Tracfone's service (obviously, owned by Tracfone), which is what I switched from. Activating and porting your number is simple. Everything is self-service, and intuitive, so I'm glad I have little need for talking to customer service.

After an atrocious experience with T-mobile I moved my family onto several pre-paid phones from different providers so that we would have time to decide exactly what we wanted before signing another contract. I have to say that after 3 months on pre-paid service, we are unlikely to go back to a contract.

I picked up the LG620G after reading several good reviews. It does have some nice features: compatible with micro SD cards (only 2g), an mp3 player and radio (the radio requires external antenna), a decent size screen and a few aps installed, also usable as a data phone. It's a clam shell design, so it is small and easy to carry and the screen is protected.

Net10's plans are pretty reasonable: 10 cents/ minute or Net10 has a $25/ month plan which includes data and text.

The bad:

It is a somewhat cheesy looking plastic phone; not the worst, but not the best either.

Many of the features are clunkly to use. The first time I tried browsing with it I was told I had to log into my phone. I still have not figured out how to read email on an external website with it. The data usability was so bad that I stopped using it after and hour or so of playing around to see what it could do).

It has a usb connection but does not come with a cable (or car charger). The cable can be purchased separately, but I have not yet found a car charger for it.

To use the mp3 player you need to move the music onto your micro sd card using an adapter (also not supplied). Using the card is also awkward, as it sits under the battery inside the phone, not in an external slot.

Regards the service: I read a review of net10 which said that service is great, unless you put "customer" inf front of it. The folks I have spoken with at customer service are nice, but not very capable. Some have good command of English and some, not so. Their customer service is in the Dominican Republic). I have not been able to buy minutes online, over the phone (either cell or land). There's a problem with whoever processes their credit cards, such that I was told it was denied, when the card companies said it was not. I now have hundred of $ "pending" hanging in suspension, and ultimately had to go out and buy a physical card to use the phone. My reception, clarity... is better than T-mobile, but not as good as either what my son gets on his At & T LG Prime Prepaid GoPhone (AT&T) with $50 Airtime Credit or what my daughter gets with Virgin Mobile.

Ultimately I wish I had gotten myself an LG prime. The screen is larger, and it is a touchscreen. it has an external memory card slot and takes up to 16g cards. It has better reception, getting signals where I can't. At&T customer service is much easier to deal with. Most significantly, it cost half as much (or less on one I bought black Friday week). At& T has a plan which is *identical* to net 10s, a straight 10 cents/ minute. Their flat rate is now $2/ day unlimited (which is on the high end).

I would recommend this phone only if you are already on net10, have credit you do not want to lose, and are otherwise happy with their service. The 10 cent /minute plan is great for those of us who do not use a cell much (for others I would recommend Virgin mobile).

I am staying with net10 for the time being because I paid $40 for this phone (which is too much for 2 months worth of use. However, I wish I had bought the LG prime instead and if we stay with pre-paid, I likely will ultimately pick one of those up.

******************************************************************************

I am revisiting my review having purchased yet another cell phone :p (gee I have a lot of phones; one could even say *too many*). While the LG 620g performed OK, the service at net10 was pretty awful. I could seldom actually use the phone. sometimes having to stand in the middle of the street to get a signal... and sometimes not being able to get one no matter what I did!

Beyond that, the price of the LG touch has increased so much I would no longer recommend it (i paid $10-20 for it taking into account the credit AT&T provided. They have since raised the price and reduced the credit to where it has become a pretty expensive phone, and... there are better choices for the money). I recently got a palm pixi plus Palm Pixi Plus Verizon Cell Phone ~ No Contract a pretty basic smart phone (i.e. it is not an android, BUT has *a lot* of features for this price range. It actually cost less than the LG620g (I paid $36 from a marketplace seller), activated on pageplus cellular on advice from several reviewers. and oh my what a change! I can get a good signal anywhere! and, unbelievable, it costs 1/3 as much! In fact, I am so happy with it I have bought 3, replacing all of our phones (but my husband's... who is happy with his LG touch... and has lots of minutes remaining on at&t)... but is still considering a palm pixi.

I still think that if you get a good signal from net 10 wherever you are and are otherwise happy with them, this is an OK phone... but just OK, and with all the new offerings in prepaid phones, is probably not so competitive any more; no way as good as the pixi at the same price.

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I very much love this phone, more for the fact that it is on NEt10 rather than the phone itself. The phone works great, got a camera and a multimedia player and all that, very sturdy and reliable. The service is outstanding however. I did a little research and learned that it's because Net10 uses the Verizon and ATT towers to broadcast its service, which means it is truly nationwide. Also, it's darn cheap at 50 a month for unlimtied and 25 a month for 1000 minutes. Woo!

Read Best Reviews of LG 620G Prepaid Phone (Net10) Here

I have used Net10 for several years, as a "back up" phone to compliment my regular service, with a smartphone from Verizon.

The service (leased from AT&T, I think) is fine in my area, and I have had no problems with dropped callsa plus! The phone is very basic, and great as a back-up/emergency phone, or primarly phone for people who do not desire/need all the smartphone features.

To me, the best part of Net10 is the price I do not know of a cheaper way to have a cell phone, particularly if it is not used much. At the moment, I have a rollover minute plan( on their site) that renews for only 15.00 a monthquite a bargain!

I could easily see this as a primary phone for kids, and perhaps for senior parents, who "just want a phone, THAT WORKS!". The camera is nice too!

Nice phone and a VERY affordable range of plans to select from!

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I have been with Net10 for one year and using the LG620G for the last five months. Overall, Net10's service is very good when it comes to connections (no drop calls!), affordability, freedom (no contracts; no hidden fees) and a good variety of calling plans, from the standard 300 Minutes/60 Service Days plan at $30.00 to the Unlimited Monthly Plan at $50.00 (seven different interchangeable plans altogether and they can be purchased online, by phone or at tens of thousands of retailers like Walmart, Target, KMart, RadioShack, Walgreens, Dollar General, and many more).

The customer service is extremely poor, but one has the option of contacting them through their Facebook page (see net10.com) or direct to their corporate office (CorporateOffice@net10.com). My research reveals that those are bettet options to deal with any issues that may arise, although I have not had a need to contact them at all. Just once did I have to contact customer service by phone and the issue was resolved to my satisfaction although after long waiting periods. Another tip: If one speak Spanish it is better to use their Spanish line since it is easier to communicate with them in their native language, usually in Colombia). If not, one will be contacting a rep in India, Pakistan or the Phillipines with very limited knowledge of the English language, although not less polite. By the way, I have experience dealing with them calling for other relatives that use TracFone and SafeLink. TracFone, SafeLink, StraightTalk and Net10 are all operated by TracFone Wireless, Inc., and they all use the same customer service infrastructure.

The LG620G cell phone itself is very good, especially considering the price. It has a nice, sleek look; it is pretty much sturdy, a compact size for easy carrying, but still great size of keyboard and screen. While I don't use the FM radio feature much, I do use the MP3 player alot and am very happy with it. The web is slow, could be expensive if one is using any of the pay as you go plans, as opposed to the unlimited monthly plan, and uses a WAP browser. Personally I stay away from it since I use my laptop anyway, and only use it ocassionally like to check the local weather, if needed, or to check sports scores if away from my laptop. I don't do texting all that much, but when I do it is easy and comfortable to do so.

I certainly would recommend this phone to anyone, especially if in a budget, and I would also recommend the Net10 service. I must confess: Net10 has made me a fan!

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Onkyo DXC390 6 Disc CD Player

You can even remove and replace 5 CDs as one continues to play
128x Oversampling digital filter assures that you get the most precise and faithful playback of all recorded frequencies
Multiple playback modes with 40 track programmability and 6 selectable repeat modes
Optical Digital Output for optimal digital sound performance through many current amplifier or receiver components
Single Bit DAC for optimal accuracy and superb sound output from your analog components

I bought an Onkyo C-390 refurb model a few months back and have had excellent results. I burn my own music CDs on blank CDR or CDRW media using the CD burner on my Home PC. The C-390 tracks everything I've thrown at it very accurately without a hitch. It even plays MP3 files burned onto CD. Plus the remote control unit is full featured and works flawlessly.

There are two digital connections, a digital fiber optic TOSlink and a digital coax connection on the back of the unit. I use the fiber optic TOSlink connection to my reciever. A digital connection will give you the purest output. There is also the typical analog RCA jack connection.

The only flaw I have to report is the carrousel makes a bit of a whirling noise when changing CDs. This is NOT reproduced through to the speakers but is simply low-level ambient room noise. Other than that one minor quibble I can give this CD Changer my highest recommendation.

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This 6-disc CD changer from the audio experts at Onkyo is most definitely an unbeatable value. It's sound quality clearly rivals that of other high-end players costing up to three times as much! The construction is very, very sturdy and the remote control is very easy to use. The sound quality is all-around-excellent with smooth and deep bass, an almost-crystal-clear midrange and a well-defined treble (highs). If you're looking for a good CD changer priced at under $300.00 this is the one to get.

Read Best Reviews of Onkyo DXC390 6 Disc CD Player Here

Well, buying this player was a mistake. We were in a hurry to find a multi-disk changer before our wedding. I always thought Onkyo was a good name and I had found some favorable reviews. The audio is fine with this player, but about 2/3 of the time it won't recognize CDs. It doesn't matter if the CDs are commercially produced or home-burned, and I keep my CDs in very good shape so it's not a matter of fingerprints and scratches. It's also interesting that if I advance to about track 3 until the CD is recognized and then back up to track 1 it will usually work... what a pain in the ___. It's done this since day one but with the wedding arrangements I didn't have time to return it to the vendor within the first 30 days.

Now the changer is bad, but so far trying to get through to their support has been even worse! For 4 months I've been trying to call in at different times of different days during their support hours. First off, I always get "your call will be answered in 59 minutes". After about 30 minutes I typically can't wait any longer so I have to hang up. Once I let it go on for 30+ minutes than was disconnected. This morning we're up to 66 minutes (since I started this I'm up to 72 minutes) on the phone timer and they say the call will be answered in 8 minutes. If I get anywhere with them I'll update the review, but my current opinion is DON'T WASTE YOUR TIME ON THIS COMPANY'S PRODUCTS, especially this model CD changer.

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I don't typically take the time to write product reviews, but I also rarely feel as frustrated as I do right now.

I purchased this CD player in March 2008. Six months later it stopped working. Onkyo gives you a one-year service warranty and advised me to take it to the nearest repair facility, which turned out to be about 45 minutes away from me.

It took the repair people 2 months to fix this unit. They had to order three rounds of parts, and basically rebuilt the entire unit at a cost that well exceeded the original purchase price. Fortunately, the warranty covered the expense.

Unfortunately, the unit broke again a week later.

I tried calling the original retail store for an exchange, but they referred me back to Onkyo.

An Onkyo Service Manager refused to take back the unit or offer any compensation. He said I needed to go through three rounds of service repairs before they would offer an exchange. When I explained that their service center had already gone through three order of parts and still couldn't deliver a working unit, he said there was nothing more he would do.

I'm not the kind of consumer that gets upset easily and makes unreasonable demands. But after all the hassle I've been through with this product, I feel Onkyo should offer me an exchange. I have several other Onkyo components and am otherwise happy with their performance. However after this ordeal, I'm inclined to find a different product maker.

Caveat Emptor!

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I give this unit 5 stars because I feel that it is an exceptional value you get very high quality for a realistic price.I was after an audio system for my den that wouldn't break the bank.I figured on using my dvd player to play my cd's as well,but then remembered the purpose here was to play MUSIC.I decided for a modest investment,in this case around 150 bucks,I would be getting enhanced audio fidelity compared to the dvd player.6 disc wasn't too important to me,but it's a fun feature none-the-less.Mine hasn't produced any noticeable mechanical noises that I feel would detract from the value of this equipment.I have been very pleased with the sound quality,not really an "audiophile" but I can hear a distinct difference playing my cd's versus the dvd player (I was a bit sceptical that their would be any discernable difference).

As other reviewers have noted,dedicated cd players are oddly becoming increasingly more difficult to locate.If I had any negative thing to say with this player would be that it's rather LARGE,to accomodate the changer carousel I would have prefered having a single tray player,but ironically couldn't find one with comparable quality that wasn't more expensive!

Pharos PTL600 Unlocked Phone with Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, FM Tuner, and Digital Camera--International Vers

I read all the reviews of the Pharos 600 and bought it anyway. I'm glad I didn't listen to the people who disliked it. The Ostia navigation software, contrary to a review I read elsewhere, is easy and intuitive to operate. I programmed in a house address and followed the prompts while driving, and it got me there perfectly. I was early for my meeting, so I kept driving, and Ostia kept calculating new routes to get me back there!

The phone sounds crisp and clear, and it's easy to use. The only thing I'm reserving judgment on is the camera, since I haven't fully tested it yet. The images I've taken so far don't impress me, but as I said I haven't mastered all its settings.

It connects to the nearest WiFi for internet access, and even displays the week's weather forecast on the home screen. I downloaded Google Maps, and when using the GPS it can show the satellite image with traffic report overlays.

My goal was to have one compact device to carry around, especially on trips, that had a phone, camera, internet, basic computing (MS Word), and GPS all in one, so my briefcase wouldn't be cluttered with crap and all the power cords and adapters necessary. The Pharos 600 does it.

Very disappointing. I had hoped for a full-featured Windows smartphone plus a substitute for an in-dash car GPS. I got neither.

First, the good parts. Nice feel, small form factor. Crisp screen. The windshield mount worked well, and the belt clip is nice. Deserves at least a star for that.

However, the small form factor kills ease of use, as the 1.25" X 2.75" screen is far smaller than an in-dash car GPS. Many important features require tapping tiny icons or pull-down menus not linked to buttons and you have to pull the Pharos out of its carrier to get at the stylus.

It is difficult to add waypoints to force it to take a certain route on the way. The manual barely covers this. I guess I'm spoiled by google maps, the Ostia zoom-in/out requires 5-6 diagonal strokes to get to city level and street names don't show. While moving the map with finger or stylus I often accidentally zoomed in to some part of the city I couldn't recognize and had to start over. It appears the designers thought of this and put in a Power User feature to display the entire route, but that menu item was always grayed out for me. Only alternative is to check the route in turn-by-turn text form.

And check it you must. In Houston we have these feeder roads that run alongside the interstate. The GPS often thinks you're on the feeder when you're on the interstate and vice-versa, and gives bogus instructions accordingly. More than once I was told to exit travelled along the feeder road through a light and then back on the same interstate! If you didn't spot this before departure, it's too late when you're driving to try to zoom out and see where your GPS is sending you.

The area I live in also has some new roads and exits since 2003 which aren't on the map a minor annoyance when you know more than the map, which squeaks and squawks in protest until you come into an area its familiar with again. POIs out of date and incomplete, and Live Update takes too long to load to be useful here. Also, if you forget to turn off the GPS after arrival you might not have enough battery to make it through the day.

As a PDA the Pharos 600 is unstable and memory-starved. I think that comes from it being an ETEN 500 repackaged by Pharos with GPS stuck on, and they tried to squeeze all the maps into memory. Getting MS Active Sync to work was an agonizing troubleshoot I'm not sure that is all Pharos' fault, though their technical assistance was zero help unreachable after 5.30pm and don't return calls. The website is for marketing with one screen of FAQs masquerading as support. True, I do have 6500 contacts but I never had a problem with the Palm, which synced in minutes, not overnight.

I've never really played with any of the other features like email or internet, if it can't do rock-solid contacts it's worthless to me. In fact, right now it's locked up again and even a hard reset isn't bringing it around. If I can get Tech Support to pick up the phone I'm reluctantly returning this what a potentially nice device.

My advice: skip the Pharos. Spend slightly more for an in-dash GPS for the car, and a Palm for contacts. And spend more time with the kids, rather than listening to hold music.

Buy Pharos PTL600 Unlocked Phone with Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, FM Tuner, and Digital Camera--International Vers Now

First of all the Pharos 600 is manufactured with a major flaw that when it does break the motherboard will be useless. The power plug/usb connector in the phone is made with a gap, space, void area that allows preassure on the soldered connection to the motherboard inside. At any time, the slightest preassure will break the soldered connection with forseen leverage on the usb connector. This is not the case with every other phone on the market. Other manufacturers do not have this planned designed defect.

Then you have to deal with the company that will acknowlege the defect, unconcerned of the effect on the customer. You will have to pay for basicly another phone or walk away with your broken one.

If less stars than one was available it would have been my pick ... for customer service at Pharos headquarters.

Read Best Reviews of Pharos PTL600 Unlocked Phone with Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, FM Tuner, and Digital Camera--International Vers Here

I have been their customer for a while ( I should say almost 5 years). But since then their customer service has become hopeless. Recently I purchased this phone and found out some features that are standard to Windows Mobile is missing. I have sent them several e-mails for support and yet no response. Not even a single automated mail stating that they received it and assigned a case or doing something about it. They have just gone down hill.

Regarding the product, it's fairly ok with many features. But the processor is slow. I have to reboot it atleast once a day. If you have the phone , wife and gps on , most time it hangs. Some phone features that are standard to Windows Mobile will be missing because these guys reprogrammed the ROM I guess. For e.g auto answer and setting # of rings etc. Not worth the price.

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Got this for free for getting an A in an online college course from the Naval Academy.

Loved the device! Works great on the ATT network checked email, created powerpoints, and even wrote papers using the MS word program. I reccomend buying the external keyboard sold seperate.

jWIN JXM133 All Hazard SAME Weather Band Receiver with AM/FM and Dual Alarm Clock

NOAA Alert
SAME Technology
Weather Band & AM/FM Radio
Dual Alarm (radio or buzzer)
3.5mm stereo headphone jack

I've had this for about 3 months now. For the price this is good buy I wanted something that didn't look like it was from 1980 and still had defeatable alarms. I've got that here, and I can disable everything, even tornado warnings if i wanted to. It's probably worth mentioning, because I haven't seen it mentioned elsewhere, that even if you disable all alarms, the NWS can still send a NWR Activation signal and set your alarm off... they don't do this very often, but can be confusing, especially when you've disabled everything!

The build quality could be better. You have to be careful how you push the directional buttons or it might think you've pushed left or right when you were pushing up... you eventually get the hang of it, but it should be built better. It's a little goofy going into the menus to se the alarms, but they can be enabled or disabled with the side switch pretty easily -it's not a deal breaker but kind of strange. I should also point out that the display is the reverse of what amazon shows in the photos. All in all, the unit works well, looks better than alternatives that cost more and has served us well for many sever storms, and only woken me up when it was important :)

FWIW, I've had no issues with reception at all.

UPDATE 1.22.2011

===============================

I have now had reception issues jWin has been quick to contact me for me to send it in for service Though I'm not optimistic about it working any better when it comes back. I keep seeing "No Reception" on the LCD... not very comforting.

UPDATE 2.18.2011

===============================

Received my "repaired" unit back yesterday plugged it in. Today we have a Flood Warning, and Winter Storm Watch which , this radio apparently know nothing about. I have it next to my window on the outside wall of of my home so reception shouldn't be an issue, but apparently it is. I can listen to the NWS broadcasts just fine and the radio, but this refuses to receive alerts, for the 2nd time. I've double checked my SAME codes several times, trying with and without the leading 0, nothing works. This thing is junk. Going to try out the Sangean CL-100 hoping to have better luck with that. Will update with how it works.

UPDATE 3.29.2011

===============================

The Sangean weather radio has been great it's worth noting that I'm using the external antennae that comes with it, but it's receiving weather alerts like a champ. Check my full review over on the Sangean CL-100

Buy jWIN JXM133 All Hazard SAME Weather Band Receiver with AM/FM and Dual Alarm Clock Now

This thing is badly-designed, badly-constructed junk. It broke after less than 12 hours plugged in. When I got home from work the first day I had it, it was screeching and had gotten very hot. The transformer brick got hot, too. I'm worried that, if I hadn't gotten home in time, it would have burned my house down! I don't think it's UL listed (i.e. the insurance industry doesn't think it's safe), and I'm going to be looking for that the next time I buy any plug-in electronics.

The user interface is awful: it's full of endless menus, and the navigation arrows are difficult to use. When you want to press Down, it often presses Right instead.

I got it from a credit card rewards program. Now I know why they don't have reviews on that web site!

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I bought this at the end of the storm season last fall. Set it up with battery backup and plugged in. Then we got a tornado alert which I heard via the city sirens. But why didn't the radio announce the alert? I checked the radio, it was plugged in but dead. It does not turn on, replaced the batteries, still does not turn on.

For a radio that is supposed to alert us to hazards, this is worthless. Nothing like an emergency alert system that fails in its first 4 months, with no warning.

I can not in good conscience recommend this product. And I sure wish I could return it but its past the 30 day limit.

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Great weather alert, AM/FM radio, easy to program. Best feature I like is the dimmer on the clock face, goes from bright to no light at all.

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Skip it. Yes, it does what it's supposed to do, but there are other weather radios out there that do it better. The 4-way navigation button on my radio didn't work unless you pressed the button very firmly, and a lot of times you pushed up and it would register as left, or push right and it registered as up. The user-interface was pretty clunky, too.

Sangean America RCR3 Radio-Controlled Atomic Digital AM/FM Clock Radio (White)

Radio Controlled Clock
Large Lcd Display
14 Station Preset
4 Wake Up Timers; Pll Tuner
Radio Controlled clock available for DCF/WWVB/MSF/JJY
4 alarms by radio or HWS (Humane Wake System) buzzer
Easy to read LCD display
Time display both on LCD and analog clock
Time zone selector switch

SANGEAN Atomic RCR-3 AM/FM Clock RadioSANGEAN Atomic RCR-3 AM/FM Clock Radio

I've owned many Sangean clock radios over the last few years and this one is by far the best. Many of my complaints have been addressed making me a very happy camper ;)

This radio is an update to the Sangean rcr-1. As far as I can tell it only comes in white. Improvements to this one include:

1. A change from blue backlighting to white. You can now read the display from any angle and from across the room.

2. Gone is the unsightly ferrite antenna stuck to the back of the rcr-1, rcr-2 and rcr-22.

3. They added two more customizable alarms for a total of 4. The first two are buzzer only and the remaining two are for radio alarms.

4. Humane Waking System works in both radio mode and buzzer mode. (Radio mode is undocumented) HWS in radio mode was previously ONLY available on the rcr-1 and absent on the rcr-2 and rcr-22.

5. When the alarm sounds the display lighting of the analog clock changes to amber. Nice touch!

6. Power is now supplied with what I call a wall wart, LOL. This can be a double edged sword, it has a much thinner power cord running from the wall to the clock but the transformer is rather large and can get in the way.

7. Setting and operating the alarms has been greatly improved. It is more intuitive and takes less time to setup.

The radio is very sensitive and is able to pull in stations with ease. The sound quality is very good for a clock radio. It sounds very natural and pleasing. The snooze feature lets you snooze for 5 min. at a time with no option to change the interval. I've owned several clock radios from other manufacturers that let you program the snooze duration. I also wish this clock had a photo electric dimming circuit for the backlight. It does have a dimmer button and an adjustment for brightness on the bottom of the clock. When you press the dimmer button the brightness gradually decreases or increases, another nice touch! If you leave the clock in dimmed setting and momentarily push a button the display will go bright for a few seconds and then resume the dimmed setting.

Sangean reduced the size of the digital display from that used on the rcr-1. As a result it can no longer display the time and date simultaneously. In order to see the date you must first push the date button. I'm nitpicking but in my opinion this radio is not quite perfect.

One last comment, Sangean still has not added a battery backup! In the event of a power outage the alarm WILL NOT sound. Why did you do this Sangean? Haven't you guys been listening to all of the reviewers on this site? I know someone who supposedly works for Sangean responded to my comments on the rcr-1. To clarify, the clock will maintain time for anywhere from 1 to 3 hrs if the power fails but the alarm will not sound. To get around this issue I have plugged it into an uninterruptible power source (UPS). I live in FL and can't take chances with the alarm.

I also wish it had Radio Data System (RDS) and a HD tuner. To really put it over the top it would be nice to have stereo speakers and an iPod dock. Put all of these features in a table radio and you'll have the ultimate clock radio.

Buy Sangean America RCR3 Radio-Controlled Atomic Digital AM/FM Clock Radio (White) Now

I was torn between the venerable Proton/Sangean RS-330 and the RCR-3. The RS-330 has been the de-facto ultimate clock radio, one of the last great ones from the early 90s when Proton, Nakamichi, and others produced high-end alarm clocks. At the same time, the RS-330 hasn't been updated in nearly 20 years. No CD player, no atomic clock synchronization, uses vacuum fluorescent displays which fade over time and aren't all that energy efficient (~$20/year to run the RS-330 and RS-332). So, I hesitantly bought the RCR-3 with the atomic clock feature being my primary requirement, still wishing I could get all of these features PLUS the great sound & slave clock of the RS-330.

The RCR-3 is quite simply the best alarm clock I've ever had. Totally exceeded all of my expectations. The more you use this clock radio the more you realize just how much thought was put into it. I'm planning on buying two more, one for the other side of the bed and one for my office. Might even get one for the kitchen.

Pros:

4 alarms, programmable by day-of-week. Each alarm has a separate button on the face of the clock and the actual buttons illuminate to signal which alarm(s) are turned on. The alarm button currently going off blinks to indicate such. I also appreciate that the backlighting fades up to 100% when the alarm is going off. To show the level of thought put into the alarm clock, the alarm's beeper will sound instead of the radio if the radio station's signal is low/off-air. Alarm volume (beeper and wake-to-radio) is separate from radio playback (sleep) volume. Programming the alarms is quite simple as well. Push the alarm button, then push SET and just arrow up/down. No finger gymnastics of trying to hold multiple buttons down or having to go all the way around the dial because you missed the time you wanted.

The digital radio tuner is rather good. I'm picking up FM stations from ~80 miles away crystal clear. AM reception is clear, full-range audio, and rejects interference well.

Sound quality is good, great for its size. It's been many years since I've heard a Proton clock radio, but this sounds very close. Bass depth is impressive and balanced, particularly for a radio of this size. It doesn't suffer from the boxy exaggerated mid-bass many small speakers suffer from. I've heard worse sound out of much larger speakers. I work with and own many pieces of professional (Meyer) & audiophile (Bowers & Wilkins) sound equipment yet am still impressed by this little radio. It's not at the same level by any means as the sound is heavily coloured, particularly the midrange, but it's quite enjoyable.

Large analogue clock: I'm terribly near-sighted. Digital clocks usually require that I put on my glasses to read them. The clock is also very quiet when advancing to the next minute. Even the lightest sleeper wouldn't be bothered by it. No second hand ticking either.

Dimmer: Full range dimmer. From bright enough to read by to 0% brightness, only going to 100% momentarily when you push any button. There's even a night-light button on the front of the clock that will turn the backlighting up to 100%.

Energy efficient: Uses less than 1 watt on standby, even with backlighting at 100%. Compare this to my old typical alarm clock which used 8 watts on standby. I know this sounds insignificant, but considering it's using this 24/7, it adds up over time. Figure 1 watt * 24 hrs * 365 days = 8.76kWh/year , 8 watts =70kWh/year. Multiply this by the # of clocks you have plugged into the house and you're starting to talk about decent money.

Thin plug/power cord. I know some people dislike power transformers (wall warts), but I'd much rather thread a small DC power connector through things than try to fit a full-size AC plug through an already-too-crowded wire hole in furniture. It also is safer and easily replaced if it gets pinched between the bedframe & wall, etc.

The negatives?

Lack of a backup battery. See my solution below. Sure, it has that backup capacitor AND it does show the time on the digital screen while the power is out, BUT the alarm won't sound if the power's out when the alarm is supposed to start.

No line out. I've not hooked this radio up to my bedroom's Bowers & Wilkins stereo yet, but I would prefer to do so via line out rather than headphone jack.

No HD tuner / CD player. Okay, there's a line-in for this, but I wanted just one piece of equipment on the nightstand. MP3 playback via SD card would be awesome.

No remote control. Why a remote control for a clock radio? Because the sound quality on this clock radio is better than many mini stereos!

No Stereo/slave unit. Not that it's entirely needed with atomic clocks that can sync themselves, I'd love to have the master/slave clock setup that the RS-330 had, if just for the stereo sound alone. I might just buy a 2nd one for the other side of the bed. All that I'd be missing over the RS-330/332 setup would be stereo audio.

As others have mentioned, the manual is lacking in detail. Where detail is provided it over-complicates what is really a well thought-out, logical to operate clock radio.

A few useful bits missing from the manual:

When you first power up the radio:

1) The analog clock will advance until it reaches 12:00 and the radio will scan through the stations and automatically set pre-sets the strongest ones.

2) The digital clock will show a flashing -:and the antenna symbol.

3) The upper right corner of the screen will show L:0, representing signal strength of the time signal. Signal scale is 0 (weak) to 9 (strong).

This clock uses WWVB for time, located in Fort Collins, Colorado, on long-wave radio frequencies. For those unfamiliar with shortwave radio, it's basically AM radio that bounces off the earth's atmosphere and the ground. As you can imagine, reception of this signal is highly variable.

Don't worry if your radio shows a signal strength of 0, especially during the day. Most locations will get the best signal between 1-4am. Keep in mind this clock uses the atomic clock signal to sync its clock so it doesn't need to see it all the time. Once a day is more than enough.

4) Once the clock is receiving WWVB, the seconds display on the screen will start to tick, verifying that it is indeed seeing a signal. After a few minutes of this the clock will set itself and you're good to go. Keep in mind that under IDEAL conditions it would take the clock 3 minutes to acquire a signal. It took my clock about 15 minutes for its first sync.

Mislabeled controls department:

Light button: Should be Night Light. Turns backlighting up to 100% until pressed again when it'll return to the level you've set with the dimmer dial underneath the radio.

Tone control: Should be Loudness control. It's a bass and treble boost/cut control, similar to some car stereos and some smaller home stereos. Both bass & treble are boosted / cut at the same time with this dial.

**Back-up battery fix:**

Since I live in Florida, complete with an electrical grid only a 3rd world country could be proud of, Sangean's capacitor trick isn't going to cut it with our extended outages. Here's how I fixed this problem. I bought:

1) Ademco AD12612 alarm system 16VAC -> 12vDC power supply/charger board. (~$10-$20)

2) generic 16VAC/40VA transformer for the AD12612 (~$5-$10)

3) generic 12v 4amp-hour alarm battery (~$5-$15)

4) A spare DC power cord since I didn't want to hack apart the Sangean's power supply.

5) Some spare wire to connect the transformer to the AD12612.

So I connected all of this together, sticking the battery and Ademco board underneath the bed. Even an electrical novice can't really screw this up. The Ademco board is well-labeled (AC in, DC out, color coded battery leads). For reference, the clock is expecting 12vDC, positive tip, negative shield.

By my estimates, the clock will run for about 4 days with the backlighting on 100% 24/7. Much longer with the backlighting dimmed or off. If I bump it up to a 7AH battery that'll be 7 days, maybe 10-14 days with the backlighting dimmed. This beats out any off-the-shelf battery backup (APC et al) since everything stays in the DC domain. Those off-the-shelf UPSs won't last more than a few hours with no load connected. With the alarm system power supply there's no DC(battery)->AC(inverter)->DC(12vDC transformer) conversion and no DC->AC inverter loss. Dead silent when running too.

As a side benefit, this will be a nice hurricane/emergency setup down the road. The backlighting on the clock is bright enough to read by and certainly more than enough light for emergencies. 7+ day runtime is just icing on the cake. Want more functionality out of this setup? Hook a car cell phone charger up to the 12v output on the power supply.

Read Best Reviews of Sangean America RCR3 Radio-Controlled Atomic Digital AM/FM Clock Radio (White) Here

There are many great features to this clock. Some of the things I like the most are: 1) the ability to control the brightness of the display on a continuous scale (not just high & low like most alarms); 2) the ability to control the volume of the buzzer alarm or radio alarm on a continuous scale (but note that the buzzer alarm volume is controlled by a dial on the bottom of the clock, NOT by the radio volume control, a mistake I made & learned the hard way when the buzzer didn't sound); 3) the intuitiveness of the alarm set-up makes it easy to do & easy to remember; 4) the excellent digital reception for the AM/FM radio signals; 5) the ease of resetting the time & date after a power failure (just keep it plugged in & the Atomic Clock feature automatically re-sets the time & date); 6) the "Humane Waking System", which starts with a low volume beep & gradually increases (this is good for preventing heart attacks for those people shocked into awakening by the sound of most alarm clocks, which sound like a huge garbage truck has just backed up into your bedroom), but for those who need a real loud alarm, just turn up the volume & the initial beep/radio sound will be loud to begin with; 7) the tone quality of the radio is very good for such a small unit & there is a single adjustable tone knob (bass/treble). Other nice things about the clock are its superior looks (a combination of modern digital display with Art Deco features & analog clock display), & the fact that 4 alarms per day can be set & there is a separate alarm setting for each day of the week (including weekends). From the first night I used it, I slept very soundly, because it was the first time in years that I didn't feel like a light was shining in my face (from my previous clock). There are two things wrong with the Sangean: 1) the lack of a battery back-up, for those people who have blackouts, & 2) the operating manual. About 12 pages are devoted to operation of the clock in English; three of those pages are diagrams of control locations (very well done with clear layout). The instructions themselves are written by someone who does not have a good command of the English language. Words are misused, sentences end without the usual English structure, grammar is off, & it looks like the manual needs a thorough re-writing & proofreading. This is not a minor quibble, because this clock does so many things (& does them so well) that a better written & more thorough manual would enable the user to get much more out of the clock if its operation were better explained. It would be a 5* clock if the manual were better. Before buying this clock, I literally investigated over 100 clocks on the internet, & this looked to be the best I could find anywhere, considering all of its features. Now that I own it, it has lived up to its promise (except for the manual).

Want Sangean America RCR3 Radio-Controlled Atomic Digital AM/FM Clock Radio (White) Discount?

Did a lot of on-line research and this seemed like a good product. I did see one review where the person said the analog hands continue to revolve and ended up sending the clock back. I chose to ignore that one, since all others seemed positive, figuring it was one fluke clock.

I shouldn't have!! When the clock arrived, followed the instructions (not well written, BTW)as precisely as I could. However could not get the clock to set by radio or manually. The hands just continued to turn and the radio never seemed to get a signal, even thought it sat next to an older clock (another mfgr)that updates daily.

Wrote to their help desk and never got a response. Sent second note and got response e-mail from Selwyn Wynstock, VP Marketing/Sales to call him and discuss my problem. When I called, he basically said "Yes, we've had those reports and have contacted the factory. Return your clock for replacement."

A few days later, got another e-mail from their help desk saying "Oh, it shouldn't do that, you must have a defective clock, return it with $8 for replacement."

The VP's comment tells me this is a known, on-going problem and they don't control the factory (contracted manufacture?). The Help dept. just doesn't get it.....wanting 8 bucks to replace a defective clock that never should have been shipped in the first place. Doesn't this firm have a QC program?

Returned the clock today to Amazon for credit. I'll find another manufacturer.

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I have owned a Sangean world band radio for over 20 years and have been impressed by its performance and build quality. So, I took a chance on the RCR-3 in my long quest for the perfect clock radio. The RCR-3 is heavy, so it's not going to fly off the nightstand. To my eye, the design is beautiful, with design cues reminiscent of 1930's Machine Age radios. The radio reception is outstanding and the RCR-3 just sounds terrific. I like the progressive alarm feature very much since my hearing isn't what it once was, and I just LOVE the nap feature. In short, Sangean has hit a grand slam homerun with the RCR-3.

DBTech Stylish Big Digital LED Clock with Circling LED second indicator - Round Shape (10" / Blue LE

Stunning bright display, easy to read in sunlight as in darkness.
Beautiful and modern design makes it perfect for any wall.
Stylish seconds indicator, showing every passing second with Circling LED light.
3 Levels of brightness. Easy to control to your needs.
No need to be reset if it loses power. Powerd by AC adapter (included).

This is a great clock stylish and techy. I wanted something to use in my home gym so I could easily see the second hand in order to time my recovery between weight lifting sets (30-90 seconds). This is a perfect fit and totally easy to track seconds with the LED. the only thing I wish was different is that it would run off of batteries so I didnt have a black cable hanging down my wall but really that's minor in the overall usefulness and style of this clock.

Buy DBTech Stylish Big Digital LED Clock with Circling LED second indicator - Round Shape (10" / Blue LE Now

The DBTech LED Circle Wall Clock is a new take on an old clock design. The clock is encircled in small (blue) LEDs that indicated the number of seconds after the minute. Who needs a sweeping second hand anyway? The clock is big enough (10" in diameter ...although I say 12" in the video I misspoke) and bright enough (more on this later) to be seen across the largest of rooms.

Notes -

Like some of the other DBTech clock's this LED clock has three brightness settings. On the brightest setting you could probably use it to read in it a dark room. On the dimmest setting it is still easy to see even in direct sunlight.

Completely quiet no ticking.

Time is maintained even during a power outage. If you lose power the display will go dark but you will not need to reset the time.

Will only work with an AC power outlet I would have loved an option for batteries.

The cord is a little on the short side... either 6' or 8'

Final Verdict The DBTech Circle LED Clock is big enough and bright enough to be seen across the largest of rooms. It is perfect for classrooms, gyms, or people who just happen to like large clocks!

4 Stars

Please Note I received this product for reviewing purposes

Read Best Reviews of DBTech Stylish Big Digital LED Clock with Circling LED second indicator - Round Shape (10" / Blue LE Here

This is a very cool looking clock, featuring blue colored LED's. A digital readout of the time is in the center, and it also indicates the passing seconds, by lighting up a series of 60 LED's, located along the circumference of the clock face. The 1.7 inch high digits are easy to read, and it's easy to get accustomed to the stream of travelling LED's, as the follow a circular path.

The clock is approximately 10 inches in diameter, has a glass face, and a metal housing that is 1.5 inches high. Setting the time is simple and easy, and the brightness of the LED's can be adjusted to one of three different levels. That is about it, for the clock's primary features.

Be advised that this clock is a cord and plug device, and provisions for power will be required, wherever you mount it. Even in you have a dedicated clock outlet mounted high on the wall, there is no space on the back of the clock to conceal the transformer and 6' long cord. As the cord is black, it will blend in easier on a darker colored wall.

There is an internal battery backup in case of power failure, so when power is restored, the clock will light up and display the correct time, without having to be reset. The time limit is for this feature is not stated, but it's at least 12 hours, as I have been I utilizing this particular feature to reduce electrical consumption. I have the clock plugged into a switch controlled outlet, and turn off power when I leave for work. When I return home and switch the power back on, the clock still displays the proper time. The savings may be small, but I appreciate being able to do so.

Cool looking and with great visibility, this clock is also available with red LED's. It may appeal to those with progressive tastes, looking for something stylishly flashy. A sample was generously provided for purposes of review.

Want DBTech Stylish Big Digital LED Clock with Circling LED second indicator - Round Shape (10" / Blue LE Discount?

This clock from DBTech is a 10" wall mount with some unique twists. It is digital with a bright, blue LED display and an LED-lit AM/PM designation next to the time. The twist is that the seconds count up around the face in LED lights!

It comes well packaged with plenty of Styrofoam around the clock to ensure it arrives damage-free.

This clock is well made and feels solid. The face is glass and the frame is a simple black metal. It is electric and requires the included 6' power cable so you will need to place it above an electrical outlet or use an extension cord. It does feature a chip that keeps the time even in the event of a power outage. The clock will not display during an outage, but you won't need to reset it when the power comes back on. This is one of my favorite features.

You set the time by pressing three buttons on the back of the clock labeled A, B and C. The included instructions explain clearly how to do this. You also adjust the brightness level using the B button.

The LEDs are very bright. There are 3 brightness settings, but it is still pretty bright even on the dimmest setting. The numbers are large enough to read from across the room, even without glasses. I have this hung in my young son's bedroom, but the blue light doesn't seem to keep him awake. However, for a person who is a light sleeper or easily disturbed, the bedroom probably isn't the best place for this clock.

Because of the unique seconds display, my son absolutely loves this clock. At 10, he is always wanting to time things how long he can hold his breath, how long he can stare without blinking, how many seconds he can stand on one leg, etc. It's easy for him to time all sorts of things with this clock. And he also likes that because the display is bright, it acts as sort of a night light when he wakes up and gets a drink.

It's somewhat unusual to find a wall clock that is corded these days, but I prefer it. In a house full of children, I already spend a fair amount of time searching for batteries for one device or another. I'm relieved I'll never have to replace batteries in this one.

Recommended.

Note: I was provided this clock in exchange for my candid and unbiased review of the product. No promise was made or implied for a positive review.

The DBTech Stylish Big Digital LED Clock with Circling LED second indicator is a refreshing makeover of the typical black circular clock we all know from elementary school. This clock features 2-inch tall hour and minute numbers and has a circling light count up to the next minute. An illuminated AM and PM appear to the left of the hour, indicating the time of day. It's worth noting that this particular clock isn't able to display military time (though DBTech does make ones that do military time).

This clock is great for even the brightest room in the house and can be clearly seen even in direct sunlight. One of the features of this clock allows you to adjust it to three levels of brightness which is great to tailor it to the ambient of your room. The best use for this type of clock would be in a exercise room or even a kitchen where timing by the second is very important. With its sleek black metal finish, this clock is designed to fit into any décor.

Setting time on this clock is as simple as A... B... C. The clock has three buttons on the back labeled just that way; with `A' being used to select either the Hour or Minute, `B' used to raise the minute or hour and `C' being used to exit setup mode. You can also us the `B' button independently to adjust the brightness. All of this (and more) is in the handy instruction sheet included with the clock.

One really fantastic feature about the clock is that it has a built-in memory that will resume the clock to current time, should you have a power failure or the clock becomes unplugged. As soon as power is restored, the unit will pick up at the correct time without adjustment. This is a really useful feature if you are planning to put the clock in a hard to reach area. The included power cable is approx. 6-feet long; a good length if placing the clock just above an outlet. An extension cord may be required for greater distances.

Disclosure: I received a sample product from the manufacturer for the purposes of providing this review. A review in exchange for the review sample was not promised. The views and opinions expressed in this review are my own, and in no way represent the views or opinions of the manufacturer or vendor.

Panasonic SC-HC55 Compact Stereo System

Wireless Music Streaming via Bluetooth
Internet Radio Application for iPhone/iPod
Touchless Open/Close Sensor Door

I purchased this, and I think it's a great system. Great sound, and the ability to open the iPod and CD sections with a hand wave is a cool feature. The design is slick, and I like the thin size of it. I've played around with the Internet radio too. Some people will balk at having to buy the vTuner app, but if you're not going to use Internet radio, skip buying it. Of course, if you're not using Internet radio, you may want to look into the SC-HC35, which costs less, and has the same basic function as this unit.

The only real issue I have with this unit is that it seems to be designed for the iPod Touch or the iPhone, as opposed to the iPod Classic. When skipping to the next track, there are times when the system will fast forward about 5 seconds, instead of moving to the next track. This happens about every 5 or 6 tracks.

Aside from that small gripe, this really is a nice system.

Buy Panasonic SC-HC55 Compact Stereo System Now

I was skeptical at first upon purchasing this item based on the reviews here on Amazon. When reading more carefully I found the one out of four reviewers that rated this stereo poorly was based on the customer service of Panasonic, rather than the actual performance of the device.

Just received the stereo today and unwrapped it. It only took me a matter of minutes to pair my iPhone and my iPad to the device. I was previously using the Panasonic SC HC3 Micro system which is designed for iPods only and not iPhones. When I used my phone with that stereo I had a ton of distortion and interference with the speakers to the phone which made the sound unbearable and annoying. Not to discredit the product, it wasn't made for iPhones.

MOTION SENSOR

This stereo however far exceeds its predecessors by leaps and bounds. I love the motion sensor to open and close the iPod/CD sides. I feel like saying "Open Sesame!" I was worried at first that by simply walking by the stereo, it would activate the sensor, but that isn't true. Works seamlessly.

IPHONE COMPATIBILITY

I have a 'speck' case for my iPhone 4 and I was concerned it wouldn't fit in the docking station. I was wrong. The phone fits in the docking station with room to spare WITH my case. However I was unable to connect directly to the stereo due to the limitations of my case. The port connector wasn't big/long enough in the stereo to make a flush connection to my iPhone. This is a fault of my case and not one of the stereo. When I took my case off, my phone played like a charm. No distortion or interference to be had.

BLUETOOTH CONNECTIVITY

After reading the directions on how to pair my phone and ipad, I successfully paired two separate devices to play music from, including Pandora, which was my main goal/concern. So now as I type, my iPad sits next to me with the stereo across the room easily playing my favorite Pandora station with a clear and loud sound.

INTERNET RADIO

Honestly, I haven't played around with the internet radio yet as I have no need to. I'm sure if that was what I was interested in, the app purchase of 2.99 wouldn't be a problem for me.

DESIGN

The design is sleek and stylish and quite compact. Very classy and eye appealing.

AM/FM STEREO

After setting up the stereo antennae I have to say I didn't have much luck of receiving more than four stations on the FM channel. I live in an apartment in a city, so that may play a role.

Overall I am VERY pleased with my purchase and feel like this was an upgrade well played out!

Read Best Reviews of Panasonic SC-HC55 Compact Stereo System Here

First off I'd consider myself a bit of an Audiophile. I was looking for something to replace my Logitech Audio Station which is getting a bit long in the tooth. I was attracted to this unit because of the slick look and bluetooth capability. Setup was easy enough and I was able to sync my Ipad and Ipod touch after reading the directions, no problems. For the most part it has a lot of features that I wish a lot of bookshelf units had like the "magic door", streaming bluetooth and internet radio (via $1.99 app you have to buy from Itunes). The tuner seems to work fine and CD player is very nice as well.

Now for the bad. For some reason I cannot get this unit to sync with my HTC EVO. Don't know if it's only geared for Apple products but I tried my phone and my wife's BB to no avail. Number 2 the sound quality, the high and mids are just outstanding and I would consider it on par with Bose and Soundfreaq units. The bass, well that's another issue. The bass is just OK but not earth shattering even on high settings and the "D bass" sound option seems to muddy everything up. With a unit this thin I knew there would be compromises, but if your a fan of hip hop and like earth shattering bass this in not the unit for you. I wish there was an option to connect a subwoofer but that does not seem to be the case. Maybe because it's wall mountable the unit needs something to reflect bass back?

I'm debating whether to send this back and get something else but I'm going to wait and see if it grows on me. It has a lot going for it but the lack of bass really hurts this unit.

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This stereo system is a tremendous bargain. The sound is outstanding. I don't crank things up that loud so am not chiefly concerned about power.

Antenna positioning is a great feature, and allows you to tune in AM and FM.

The feature I really love is the bluetooth capability. I now stream Pandora radio to it from computer or from phone.

We weren't really interested in the ipod docking feature, but our daughter gave us her old ipod which had control problems, and we dock it and run it with the Panasonic remote. Works great

We replaced a clunky boom box that had control panel issues.

This unit is without a doubt the best stereo value I have ever had. I grew up through the reel to reel, 45-33.33 rpm records, eight tracks, surround sound speakers, etc. Nothing else comes close for the price.

Some friends were over the other night, I put on Loggins and Messina from Pandors. They were so impressed, they ordered one that night.

I have never been disapointed with a Panasonic product. Can't say the same for Sony, Aiwa, etc.

Buy it.

If you have an Android device, you can connect via bluetooth to play music from Panasonic SC-HC55. I was able to establish Bluetooth connection on my Samsung Galaxy s2 and my Asus eee pad transformer. I had this playing side by side with a Bose SoundDock (this Bose has no Bluetooth capability and is about $120 more expensive), the sound quality is not as good as the Bose especially for songs with a lot of bass. But considering it being only half the price of the Bose and it comes with Bluetooth connection, it's a trade off I can live with. Although it's no Bose, the sound quality is still very good. I would definitely recommend this to anyone looking to get a speaker to play their music library.

Coby CX61 Mini FM Scanner Radio with Neck Strap

Sensitive FM tuner with lighted digital display
Sleek and compact design, weighs just a few ounces
Uses two"AAA" batteries, not included
Lightweight earphones for stereo sound
Convenient, comfortable neckstrap keeps your hands free

It keeps trying to jump up to the next frequency. Sometimes it will jump back down again, but other times it has to be reset.

I have used scanning digital radios before (cheaper than this one) and didn't have this problem. At first I thought it was a reception problem, but when it happened on strong signals as well as weak, and seemingly at random, I knew there was no hope for this radio.

I like the neckstrap and I use it with a different radio.

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I experienced the same station-jumping that other users compained about. It just won't stick to a station. Also, mine broke after three months of light use. You get what you pay for.

Read Best Reviews of Coby CX61 Mini FM Scanner Radio with Neck Strap Here

The sound is a bit distoted, radio reception is OK. But the headphone cable is too short. The most anoying is that there is now way to keep the unit from changing stations at the slightest touch, CDs and iPods have a hold switch, this item keep going ot the next station with no way to lock it to a station. Also it does not store presets.

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It's great. Lightweight. However, you can only go forward with changing stations. If you go by a station you cannot go back but have to go to the beginning on the FM dial and scan upwards again. Occasionally, station signals will fail and the nearest station will come on. Perhaps it may be where I am located inside the health club. Don't know....but the radio serves the initial purpose while I am on the treadmill.

i bought this little radio for work. i tried it out at home first it was just "ok". when you find the station you want and you turn off the radio you have to do a search all over again to find your station. it will NOT return to the last station it was on. when i got to work with my new toy it did not work at all inside the building. what a waiste of money.

Emerson CKS2237 Dual Alarm Clock Radio (Silver)

Emerson's exclusive patented smartset auto time setting technology
Battery can last 5-8 years depending on the length and frequency of power interruptions
Low battery warning indicator
High-lo display dimmer control
Snooze and repeat alarm

First of all, I must say that this is a great idea for a clock. It really is great how it sets itself the minute you plug it in. It's easy to read but put on the dimmer switch -it is way too bright. With that said, the actual product is made very poorly. We didn't have ours very long, about 3 months, before the buttons to set the alarm dropped down inside the clock and well, it's nonfunctional. Plus now, the time is off by about 20 minutes and it just isn't worth the kind of money they're asking. It's cheaper on QVC but they don't stand behind it either. It only has a 90 day warranty and believe me, you'll need it! I bought one for a gift, however, and it is holding up fine so maybe I got a lemon. Don't know because others have had the same problem as I have. I'm going to reorder it and try again, keeping my fingers crossed. But I'm also ordering an atomic clock to be sure.

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to say that this clock "sets itself automatically" is a bit misleading. that is, mine arrived with a big flyer warning that when daylight savings time changes (new law for 2006), it won't be able to automatically set itself. therefore, the flyer warns, it will be necessary to set time four times per year--the correct dst changes (twice), then the old dst changes (twice more).

my best guess is that this thing has a factory set, built-in clock that automatically sets the digital readout when it's plugged in. it preys on folks who think they're buying a clock with a receiver for wwv time signals (which my parents, who gave this to me, thought the clock had).

Read Best Reviews of Emerson CKS2237 Dual Alarm Clock Radio (Silver) Here

After about 1 month the display numbers were unreadable due to portions of the digits being burnt out, like when a light bulb goes out. Once that happened, the unit became unusable to me. Also, even after the burn-outs, the display was way too bright to be on my nightstand. I went to a window tinting place and they gave me a scrap piece of dark tint which I put over the display and that made it just about right-easily readable, but not too bright.

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I've been using one of these clocks for the last few years and have never had any trouble with it. However, with the 2007 changes to Daylight Saving Time start and end dates, it was necessary to replace my old one. I liked it well enough that I wanted to keep the same model and found that they were still available from Amazon.

The first one Amazon shipped had a label inside the box lid that indicated it was an updated model with the new DST dates already programmed. Unfortunately, the clock was defective and wouldn't turn on when plugged in. The replacement sent was an older interim model that was factory set for Pre-2007 DST operation, but has a paper addendum insert that outlines a button-push procedure for adjusting it to the new DST operation. Anyone getting that version will have to make the DST change or it won't keep the right time.

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Well what else can I say other then the clock is great and the alarm is very dependable and I like the alarms settings as you can set it to sound on weekdays, weekends or all seven days a week. As for the radio, well that's another story, the engineer that designed the antenna (Built Inside The AC Cord) needs to see the poor job it's doing picking up radio stations, it'll pick up high powered radio station but only if they're local, as far as the distance radio stations......forget it. Overall the clock is great but the radio needs a regular antenna, not this so called new and improved engineer special class. Oh and last but not least. This clock radio only cost about $14.98 at Walmart based on years of 2004-2005, I just thought you should know that.

Altec Lansing inMotion iM413 Portable Audio System for Sansa

Robust and sleek speaker system and dock designed for use with Sansa MP3 players
Delivers crystal clear playback via custom, full-range, twin bass-enhanced neodymium speakers
Built-in radio with programmable presets; easy-to-read LED; fully compatible with Sansa models that have alarm clock and sleep timer features
Charges your Sansa player while docked
1-year limited warranty

I own a Sansa Connect and wanted to find a portable and reasonable sounding set of speakers to acccompany it for use at my office, home, and other locations where I might prefer not to use earphones. The iM413 seemed to fit the bill nicely so I bought one this weekend. The build quality is excellent and the overall sound is good for speakers of this size, especially when using the bass boost and surround sound functions controlled by the included remote. The tone is pleasing and easily heard across an average sized room even at relatively low to moderate volume settings. There is some distortion at the highest volume, but I won't be using that level much anyway, so I don't find that unacceptable for my needs. The system looks great with the Connect attached and presents a very clean, high tech profile. I particularly like that the speaker dock also charges the player. The Connect has a short battery life when using WiFi, so being able to stream Internet radio for several hours with no concern for the battery running low is a big "plus". I can listen to and download plenty of music and still have a fully charged battery when I'm ready to go moble with just the player. The iM413's FM reception has been quite good and it is nice having another option for music that my Connect itself does not currently have. Since the system is also compatable with the Sansa c200 and e200 series of MP3 players, both my son (e260) and duaghter (c250) can also make use of the iM413 when I'm not using it. The only problem will be the fighting to get it! My one compliant is the FM antenna which is a single, thin wire. It tends to get in the way when moving the unit around and seems easy to accidently damage or pull off if it were to snag on something, etc. Perhaps a small, fold-away telescoping antenna may have been a better option in my opinion, espcially for a portable system. Overall, however, this is not a big enough issue to stop my liking the iM413 so much. I wish it were not so expesnive ($99 at BestBuy), but as they become more available, I'm sure there will be some great deals out there before too long. For what I use it for, the iM413 is a great product and I would recommend to anyone looking for a solid sounding, portable speaker system for the Sansa Connect, e200, or c200 series.

Buy Altec Lansing inMotion iM413 Portable Audio System for Sansa Now

I have always made it a point to find what I want on Amazon, and then go to the manufactures web site to make sure I am looking at the current version or model.

The pictures listed here are OLD photos, the iM413 has been updated on Altec's web site as follows. (and the antenna is a wire)

Immersive, crystal-clear sound

Full-range custom-designed speakers and surround effect technology combine to widen the audio image.

Powerful bass

Bass enhancement technology delivers quality bass without a subwoofer.

Easy to carry

It's the perfect music companion around the kitchen, bedroom, or workshop.

Charges your Sansa

Built-in dock recharges your Sansa during play.

Built-in Radio

FM radio with convenient remote controls and station presets, LCD display, and FIXED-WIRE antenna.

Full-function remote

Speaker, FM radio, and select Sansa functions are at your fingertips.

Input jack

For second device connection, including CD, DVD, and MP3 players.

AC or battery-operated

Advanced Class D amplifier delivers maximum power and up to 24 hours of battery life.

Read customer reviews

Specs

This detailed PDF document itemizes product features and performance specifications.

Read Best Reviews of Altec Lansing inMotion iM413 Portable Audio System for Sansa Here

It's an excellent product, and I'm quite satisfied with the quality of the speakers. The only missing feature is a built-in alarm and a clock. But what I really wanted to point out is the antenna. In the product description and in the accompanying picture, it lists the product as having a "telescopic antenna," and shows it in the picture. However, when I received the item, the system had a wire antenna. It's quite annoying and out of sync with the portable design of the entire unit. It's a 55-inch wire that dangles off the speakers. A complete design flaw in my opinion! Why the discrepancy? Are there older and newer versions of this model? Whoever you buy from, double check with the seller if you care about this.

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Every aftermarket product available is always for an ipod. For those of us that actually do research before we buy, we find that the Sansa is a better product. I was happy to hear that Altec Lansing stepped up and out of the ipod trend to offer this system.

This is an excellent unit. Drop the sansa in and you are set. It charges the sansa and the sound is crystal clear. Would you expect anthing less from Altec Lansing? When your sansa isn't on hand the FM tuner is very handy.

Don't look for other systems, this is the one!!

What great speakers. I needed some kind of speaker system for my Sansa MP3 player. I searched around looking for something specifically for this unit. I didn't expect sound like I get from my big stereo but the quality from these speakers was more than I expected. All I needed was some way to listen to my music and this fills the bill. I really like the fact that I can unplug it and take it outside and run the unit on batteries. This will be great for camping this summer. I'd definately recommend these speakers to anyone looking for a sound system for their MP3 player.

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