Sony Ericsson Z520a - Cellular phone - GSM - folder (flip)

I've been looking for a Bluetooth phone for over two years now. I've never bought one before because they were always high-end phones with more features than I would ever care about using. I'd been following the Sony-Ericsson phones, but they were always expensive when new and followed the same pattern of featuritis.

I just found this phone last week, and I bought it on the spot. It is exactly what I have been looking for -a good phone with some very useful features, plus a few gimmicks for the young and hip (or young at heart and hipless). Among the more important features for me, mainly from a practicality / safety standpoint:

Voice-activated dialing (super-easy to set up, and it even recognizes partial commands -I'd set up my home number as "Call home", but it worked just fine when I only said "Home")

Speakerphone function (a little fuzzy, but serviceable as long as you're not in a moving car)

(Brightly!) Backlit, reasonably large keys

Lightweight

Small, but not too small to hold comfortably (I'm 6' 3" with large hands, and I have no problems holding or dialing)

Caller-specific ring tones to spare me from reading the display (my wedding song's playing? Must be my wife calling)

Very good signal reception (I generally get 4 or 5 bars in my home, where I used to get 1 or 2 with my old Nokia [both on Cingular])

Good sound quality, almost as good as a land line

But for me, the most important feature in a cell phone has long been Bluetooth. I really think this is the best technology to come to mobile phones, and Cingular (unlike some other cell service providers ::cough::VERIZON::cough::) doesn't cripple or limit what it can do. Without reading the manual, I quickly navigated to the phone's Connectivity menu, turned on Bluetooth, and told it to find local devices. My Apple PowerBook was right there and turned on, and the phone found it almost instantly. It paired up without any hassle (the PowerBook notified me right away when I needed to enter the passcode for a permanent pairing), and a few seconds later I was using iSync to send over my contacts, saving me a good hour of time vs having to manually key them all in. iSync recognized the phone with no issues and configuration of sync options was a breeze.

I was also able to send an MP3 file from iTunes via Bluetooth (after first pulling out the bit I wanted to use as the ring tone through QuickTime). The phone took the file without any additional software -I just used the Bluetooth File Transfer utility that came bundled with the PowerBook. The phone automatically recognized it as a sound file, put in the right place, and made it immediately available as a ring tone.

I plan on purchasing the S-E Bluetooth car kit (HCB-700) and possibly the advanced music mute to route the sound through my car's speakers instead of using the kit's speaker. Then I'll have a perfect wireless hands-free setup!

If you travel overseas, you want a quad band phone. However, until recently that pretty much restricted you to Motorola. I've had three Motorola phones, and they all fell apart within a year, so I wasn't about to buy another one. In addition, I find the current Motorola user interface (on the RAZR) ugly and hard to use.

So, I was delighted when Sony Ericsson finally released a quad band phone in the USA, and Cingular picked it up. The Z520a is a phone for people who want a phone. It's small, robustly built, and has all the features you could reasonably want for telephony. The flashing lights are a gimmick, but a gimmick that can be useful in noisy environments.

If you want to use high speed data services, this phone is not for you, as it lacks EDGE support. If you want to browse the web, this phone is probably not for you--it has a web browser, but the screen is small. If you want to listen to music, get an iPod--this phone only has 17MB free when you get it, and there's no headphone jack. If you want to take 4x6 photos, again, this isn't the phone you want--the 640x480 resolution is good for e-mailing fun web snapshots, but that's about it.

But as I say, it's a phone. It's small enough to fit in the pocket of your jeans. It'll pair with a Toyota Prius via Bluetooth for hands free use. It'll pair with a Mac and sync your contacts and calendars via iSync. It'll play your choice of MIDI files or MP3s sent from your computer as ringtones, so you don't have to pay for overpriced downloads. For my phone at least, Cingular didn't lock down the Bluetooth or otherwise cripple the phone's functionality.

I had a Sony Ericsson T68i, which was incredibly slow. I'm happy to report that this phone is lightning fast by comparison--no noticable lag in the user interface. Java applications take a while to start up, but run fine once they're up.

Why not 5 stars? Well, the inner screen is absurdly easy to scratch--you'll want a screen protector. Also, the arrow keys are a bit fiddly to press; a scroll wheel or joystick would have been very welcome.

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This is a very good cell phone and Amazon.com gives the best deal. But, you can't transfer your old phone number from different provider to Cingular through Amazon.com. If you transfer your old phone number, you won't get your mail-in rebate. Please read amazon.com mail-in rebate rules carefully!!!

You can read about how to transfer your number through this link : http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/feature/-/508597/102-6686881-6992121

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We have THREE of these phones from Cingular. COmpared it side by side against the Razr.

After about 2 weeks of intensive use, we like this phone better than the Razr in everything area except for two things: reception sensitivity and screen size.

Pros:

Lighter, smaller, slightly more tactile key, and most importantly more analog sound both in the earpiece and transmitting than the Razr. It simply sounds more natural. Also, having a synthetic body (some kind of plastic) along with its lightweight, should be more durable than the Razr. GREAT talk time compared to the razr etc. Bluetooth with plantronics works just fine. Zero problems there. Finally, the speaker phone is quite usable and noticeably better on both the transmitting and receiving end compared to the Razr. Also, very consistent quality all three of our phones work identically in reception strength and sound quality. Kudos there.

Cons:

Razr has better reception. This is a big one. Our home is in the fringe area of reception in the mountains. Decending to the 'basement', we have very very fringe reception. Barely 1 bar at times. Razr takes the call no problem and maintains rock solid connection. The Sony would make the call maybe once out of five times, and then drop it repeatedly after seconds. Basically not usable in this very fringe environment. We continue to drop calls with CIngular often even with 3 bars in different environments. Not sure if it is the phone or Cingular.

Also, Razr does have a bigger screen that is just more of a pleasure to see. This is minor for us.

Currently, we are keeping the Z520 but the weaker reception than the Razr and dropped calls on all three Z520 is driving us a bit 'nuts'. We have 30 days to decide whether to keep it and are still evaluating.

Hope this helps.

Addendum after 3 weeks:

I would not give it 1 or 2 stars if I could. Called Cingular multiple times to resolve our problems to no avail and received some erroneous information. With all three phones, we would regularly drop calls even with 3 or 4 bars showing. Further, just sitting on our desk, the phone would bounce from 1 to 4 bar and back in seconds. Something is wrong with the internal algorithm. It is possible that the phone is searching for alternate bands? Can't set the band manually. VERY frustrating and poor performance after extensive testing with 3 phones.

Final update:

We traded all 3 for Razrs and the difference is remarkable. The Razr exhibited NONE of the problems of the Z520 with the many dropped calls. Simply blows the Z520 away. We tried our best to like the Z520 but am very happy with the Razr. Also, we racked up a bunch of unintentional charges with the Z520 as you can push many additional $$ services inadvertantly with just ONE button. THis happened on ALL three Z520s and was very irritating. We never saw this coming until the bill showed up. Cingular charge $20 for games which we never intentionally loaded. They did reverse charges though when we challenged it. In all, one star phone.

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We upgraded our phones right after Christmas and bought 2 RAZR's and 2 SE z520a's. My sons love their phones. My daughter and I loved ours, too, for about 2 weeks!

As much as we hate to, we've boxed them up to send back to Cingular. They are great phones as long as long as they are working. My daughter first noticed she was missing calls. She said the phone would vibrate without ringing and when she tried to answer it she could not hear nor be heard. Since it only happened a couple of times and this phone had good reviews, I didn't worry about it. Then I noticed there were times I would be talking to someone and then couldn't hear them, although the call timer was still running. I wanted to believe that Cingular was having some service problems and then it happened. I noticed my phone with it's cool lights dancing and realized that I didn't hear a ring. I popped it open to answer and got dead air. Isn't it funny how it's always worse when it happens to you? Well, this was serious.

I immediately went to the Cingular forums and found lots of frustrated people wanting help with these phones, most having the same problems with them. Those complaints weren't there when I ordered our phones. I saw today that Cingular has pulled the z520a from their sales site.

Some people believe that a memory leak is the cause. They have suggested powering down the phones each day. That didn't work for us. We put the call into Cingular, boxed up our really cute phones and are now waiting for the labels to ship them back. The new sim cards work great in our old phones. They will just have to do until Cingular puts an improved version of the Z520a or something equally cool up for sale. Something that will match the functions of the RAZR without the blocky width and it needs lights that help you find it in the bottom of a purse. I miss my defective phone!

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Altec Lansing M302 Moondance Home Alarm Clock Radio for iPod and MP3 Players (Black)

• Supports most iPhone and iPod models with Universal Dock Connector
• Enjoy crystal-clear sound in a compact design that fits easily on your nightstand
• Wake to your iPod, radio, or alarm with progressive alert volume
• Auxiliary input also lets you connect a CD, DVD, MP3 player, or other external audio devices
• 1 Year limited warranty

I hate alarm clocks. I tried for a long time to avoid getting one because let's be honest they're ugly, they're big and a waste of space, and they never have all the functions you need in one reasonably priced package. You think the way they make cell phones these days, someone could have figured out how to make a decent alarm clock.

Putting that in mind, here are my lists of pros and cons of this product:

PROS:

1) relatively smaller and lighter than most alarm clocks that charge ipods and allow you to wake up to an ipod. So I don't feel like I have this huge thing overtaking my nightstand. But it's also not so small that i can't even tell what time it is.

2) sound is pretty good for its size. Most alarm clocks when they turn on have poor sound quality, which sounds even more irritating when you're not a morning person like me. thankfully this alarm clock has warm sound quality which is more bearable to wake up to.

3)relatively tasteful, subtle design that doesn't stick out as the first thing you see when you walk into a bedroom. It's not super fancy and somewhat overstyled like some timex models, or tacky like the Hammacher Schlemmer or anything that illuminates stuff in midair, or cheap the popular models of iHome. It doesn't try to "look nice". It just looks like what it's supposed to be, just slightly more efficient, which I think in in of itself creates a more authentic "nice look".

4) numbers are big and clear enough to see across an average bedroom, but not so huge and bright that it screams "hi look at me, I'm digital and easy to read!"

5) does allow you to choose the volume and the track on your ipod you want to wake up to.

6) I LOVE that this clock allows you to adjust the brightness of the display. It really does do down to an acceptable level of brightness where you can sleep without being disturbed by the light.

CONS:

1) not the most intuitive to set up or buttons. however, the instruction manual covers about everything and if you take the time to read through it, you'll get it. But the steps of trying to for example set your alarms is not obvious or super user friendly without the manual.

2) doesn't tell you ahead of time in product description which models of iPod it does not fit. None of the iPod adapters fit my 4th gen. iPod nano. However, it does fit and work just fine without any of the provided ipod adapter.

3) doesn't allow you to set the span of time the snooze should last. You are stuck with 5 minutes as your snooze time even if 8 minutes might be your optimal snooze period.

4) the lowest volume is still not low enough for me. It should be about 1/4 of what level 1 is, and then have 4 increments in between before it gets to what is considered "1". However, their "1" is still lower and therefore better than many other alarm clocks out there.

5) though it allows you to wake up to a song on your iPod, it doesn't allow you to wake up a playlist.

6) no ramp up option

So many cons...so why 4 stars? Because relative to the overwhelmingly lacking-in-function and fugly alarm clocks that exist in this world today, it actually is probably one of the better ones I've used. This is coming from someone who has tried out and experienced the following alarm clocks most recently:

Philips AJ3980 AM FM CD Clock Radio

Digital Zen alarm clock from Now and Zen (E tone)

Retro MP3 Alarm clock http://www.thinkgeek.com/homeoffice/lights/a334/

Sleep Tracker watch

My LG Dare cell phone

My iPod

as alarm clocks. And I would say that of all of them, while it could be improved, it probably functions the best for what an iPod alarm clock is supposed to do.

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There must be an agreement amongst manufacturers of anything designed to dock with an iPod that it must cost at least $75. While the Altec Landsing Moondance Home looks good, the design department and the engineering department really need to get together and figure things out.

I bought one of these and put it together when I got it home. As far as looks and components this product is first rate, however once you plug it in the adventure begins. The setup is pretty difficult, even for gadget nuts like mysself. It comes with four different iPod adaptors and you have to figure out which one works with your particular iPod by trial and error. Get the wrong one and docking connection might not be secure enough to allow communication between the iPod and the dock. Setting the clock, dates and radio stations is not really explained well in the manual and is also very difficult to do.

Once that was all taken care of the first thing I noticed was the sound. Definately not crystal clear as described in the marketing literature, I found it very muddy with little to no high-range; though it filled the room it was very DULL. EQ settings from the iPod can not be heard on this unit and no advanced iPod functions can be controlled from the remote. Also, communication between the remote and the unit were kinda spotty as well.

I returned this two days after I got it and found a similarly priced Sony unit with much better sound, easier setup and full control between the unit and the remote. I could use the remote to control all iPod functions (search songs, create playlists, change iPod settings AND EQ settings could be heard through the docking unit.

Pros: Looks great, small footpring, substantial sound but horrible range.

Cons: Muddy sound, very difficult to program, limited control of iPod with remote and too expensive for its quality.

I would gladly pay $40 for this item, however for the $79 asking price at most retailers I was very dissapointed with the sound and functionality. Definately NOT what I've come to expect from Altec Lansing.

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When I decided I wanted an alarm clock that included an iPod dock, I spent some time looking around and weighing available options and prices -this unit seemed to be the best bang for the buck, and I was very excited to have found it. I really, really wanted to like it -in some ways I did, but overall it proved just too problematic for use as an alarm clock.

Right out of the box I found setup to be very unintuitive and difficult. I work in IT and generally don't have an issue with setting up electronics, but I still had trouble even after resorting to looking at the instructions -this did not bode well, but once I'd gone through the intial work of setting the time, alarm, FM presets, etc., I figured the struggle was over and I could just proceed with everyday use.

Generally speaking, after fighting my way through setup this wasn't altogether a bad clock radio. I liked the design (nice small size -didn't hog a lot of space on my nightstand), LOVED the "set it and forget it" weekday alarm feature (coming from a 10 year old alarm clock, this seemed like a miracle to me -though, of course, it is pretty standard among present day alarm clocks), I thought the sound quality was decent, and the FM reception was very good -it did everything on a day to day basis that I needed it to do, and life was good, until...

Watch out if the power goes out! Not for the reason you'd think -of course there is a battery backup, which saves everything so you don't have to go through the hassle of setting up all over again. What I found, though, was that although the desired volume of the alarm can be specified when setting up the alarm, after a power outage the alarm goes off at the highest volume setting -AAAGGGHHH!!!!!!! I am the epitome of the non-morning person and reeeeeeeeally need to ease as slowly and easily as possible into my period of morning awareness -my alarm of choice is to wake to radio, where I can listen to approximately an hour of music, weather, and newscasts through my varying stages of wakefulness (I say approximately an hour, because rather than cutting off exactly an hour after the time the alarm is set for, this cuts off after 1 hour and 4 minutes -huh????????!!!), and the progressive volume feature of the alarm was a little piece of heaven to me. So all was really pretty good between setup and the first time the power went out here. That first power outage came and went before bedtime and I never thought another thing about it, but I had the shock of my life when my alarm went off the next morning -the music was UNBELIEVEABLY LOUD!!!!! I came to an immediate stage of full consciousness that just doesn't work at all for me, and in my state of panic couldn't find the appropriate button to MAKE THE NOISE STOP!!!!! Now, mind you, I didn't know why this happened -I just wrote it off as a weird glitch and went on with life, and the alarm proceeded to perform as expected in the following days. Until the next power outage... Unfortunately, it took me several months and a handful of power outages before I saw the pattern, at which point it was too late for me to return this for something else. Even at this point, having figured out what was going on I could have worked with this by resetting the alarm after I knew the power had gone out -but once in a while those momentary outages occur that don't necessarily set all of the electronics in the house blinking to be reset to tip you off. After the fact, though, and after I'd been blasted out of my bed by the ungodly volume level of my alarm a few times and asking around to find that the power had indeed blinked for a microsecond during the day, I just couldn't deal with this quirk anymore...

I still use this unit -as long as I'm not relying on it as an alarm I still find it a completely acceptable radio and iPod dock, and I've set it up in a different room for this purpose and am still enjoying using it. But as far as an alarm clock radio unit, I replaced the Altec Lansing with the iHome iP90 Dual Alarm Clock Radio with AM/FM Presets and Dock for iPod and iPhone (Black) -I passed this over initially because it was more expensive, but I wish it I'd gone with it to begin with. While it's a bit bigger than I'd prefer, it's very intuitive to set up and in continued use -and after having gone through a power outage, I can report positively that the volume level stays right where it should!!! :-)

So in closing, in my final review ranking I took a star off for the non-intuitive, difficult setup; a second star for the problem with the volume of the alarm after power outages; and a third star because in the end I just couldn't use this unit as an alarm clock, which was my true intended purpose for it. But the 2 star ranking notwithstanding, if you're looking for an iPod dock and radio that you don't need to use as an alarm clock this will serve just fine -and with the price having dropped from the time I first purchased it, I'd certainly recommend it in that capacity. Hope this helps!

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Pros: The unit has a nice solid look and feel. The weight makes it feel like a quality item. There is no thin plasticy feel anywhere. The sound seems pretty good for a clock radio, I'm no audiophile but I would say it sounds rich.

Cons: I consider myself to be very good with computers and electronic gadgets. I found the instructions were required for almost every step of the setup. Nothing about the controls is intuitive. Even after having the unit for several weeks i had to refer to the instructions to change the alarm settings.

The buttons are very small and the type is even smaller! Definitely needed the bedside lamp on to make adjustments.

The radio stations can only be changed via the remote control, so if you lose that I hope you like the station it is tuned to.

The buttons and type on the remote are small, keep your reading glasses handy.

No AM radio.

Lowest volume setting is too loud.

Conclusion: returned the item for another brand, glad to be rid of it.

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I've been looking for a new clock radio for several months now, so when this item showed up as a Lightning Deal, I jumped on it. Altec Lansing has a great reputation for sound, and this did everything I was looking for two alarms, iPod dock, FM radio, etc. It arrived quickly and in great condition. I didn't have any trouble setting it up I'm good with gadgets and the instructions were clear. It wasn't an intuitive set-up, but with the instructions I had no issues. However, the sound... dear Gods, the sound. No matter what I listened to, it sounded like the speakers were hidden under a heavy cloth or under water. A DJ talking sounded like the teacher from Charlie Brown. It was muffled, muttered, all-low sound with none of the excellence I expected from a unit that originally would have cost nearly $100. I thought perhaps there was a blown speaker, but there were none of the tell-tale signs of that. Just bad quality. I tried this with the iPod, radio stations, different locations... nothing helped. It was honestly bad enough that I've returned the item. I'll suffer my ancient Memorex alarm clock for a while longer and keep looking for something else.

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Samsung 4-Inch Galaxy Player

• Powered by Android 2.3.5 , with access to over 250,000apps including games, productivity software, and more
• Uses a Wi-Fi connection (802.11 b/g/n) for Internet access
• 8 GB internal storage with a microSD card slot for adding up to 32 GB
• 4-inch super-clear LCD touchscreen with WVGA (800x480) resolution
• 3.2-megapixel rear-facing camera and a VGA front-facing camera for video calling

My son got iPod Touch 8G (4th Gen) last Christmas and he likes it overall, but there were several issues that we are not so happy about. So, I've decided to try out the Galaxy Player for my daughter. I preordered it through Amazon and, with Amazon Prime, the Galaxy was delivered on Mon, Oct. 17, which was two full days earlier than promised. :-) So, here's what our family's experience has been over last two weeks.

Galaxy 4.0 vs. 5.0: I settled on 4.0 since it is mainly used as a music player and a hand-held game machine for my daughter and, thus, the smaller size makes it more convenient for her to carry it around. I did try out Dell with a 5-inch screen at BestBuy to get the feel for larger 5" screen, and, although I liked it better for web surfing and videos, I felt the 4" would be just fine for her. So, if you are going to use the Galaxy to stream shows over NetFlix or consume media on the web, then you might be better off with 5.0.

Galaxy vs. iPod Screen: There's only an half inch difference between them, however Galaxy looks much larger and much, much brighter than iPod. Although iPod has slightly higher mechanical resolution at 960x640 than Galaxy's at 800x480, I like the Galaxy's screen better and find it to be easier to look at than iPod's.

Galaxy vs. iPod Sound:

(1) For both machines, sounds coming out of earphones are nothing special. Some earlier post mentioned that the Galaxy's earphones are 'crappy/horrible', but in my opinion, they are pretty much dead even; iPod's earphones are equally 'crappy/horrible'. So, if you want much better sound quality, I recommend you to buy a set of more expensive earphones. For non-audiophile, both of them are adequate and serviceable.

(2) For sounds from built in speakers, Galaxy is much better than iPod. Galaxy produces clearer and more crisp stereo sounds than iPod does.

(3) For in-car sounds, they are comparable. They both generate much better sounds than through earphones.

Galaxy vs. iPod Web surfing: For Youtube videos, Galaxy performs faster than iPod. For other general websites, iPod tend to be slightly faster, but it is because many websites have flash contents and Galaxy loads all of them. Actually, I do like the fact that you can view all the videos on the regular Youtube site with Galaxy; it's not limited to just Youtube Mobile videos. Also, that small difference in screen size makes a big difference in viewing web pages, so Galaxy shines here.

Galaxy vs. iPod Apps/Games: It depends on whichever app/game you prefer. For my daughter, Galaxy has a full range of free games/apps that she can play, including Angry Birds, so it's a non-issue.

Galaxy vs. iPod Battery: Yes, we all could use longer lasting batteries. But we found Galaxy's battery to be excellent for music listening and video playing. However, if you play games all the time, then you'll find both Galaxy and iPod batteries to be inadequate.

Galaxy vs. iPod File Management: If you're married to iTunes, you are going to like iPod better, but I found iTunes to be extremely buggy and slow, not to mention very limiting. So, it felt very refreshing not to have to be tied to iTunes to manage my files. In addition, I didn't have to convert videos to play on Galaxy since it plays most of the known video types. Again, if you're tied to iTunes and don't know what else to do, go with iPod. But if you want flexibility and know what you're doing, Galaxy is better.

Galaxy vs. iPod Camera: This is one of main gripes that I've had with iPod. Galaxy's camera wins, hands down. Also, Galaxy handled Skype video chat with ease and we didn't have any issues with casual picture taking. However, if you want to take really high quality pictures, buy a separate digital camera.

In summary, my son likes his iPod and my daughter is happy with her Galaxy. However, if I'm interested in a media player/mobile internet device and wouldn't want a phone/data contract, I'll definitely pick Galaxy over iPod Touch. I'm actually considering buying Galaxy 5.0 myself this Christmas. :-)

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This is a review of the 4 inch model. I bought this mainly for it's ability to surf the web and check email at WIFI hot spots, as I was searching for an economical solution of not lugging around a laptop on trips, and I did not want to incur expensive monthly smartphone / data charges.This unit is very lightweight, slim, and easily slips unnoticed into a pocket.

Until this came out, there was only one other choice: the Apple iPod touch. I evaluated both and decided on Samsung for the following:

Easily replaceable / accessible battery

Wins the "drop" test (see various videos on the web)

Expandable memory (just drop in a microSDHC card)

Larger screen

Tip: I went to Samsung's Website and downloaded and read the complete 140+ page manual, to get familiar with this unit before purchase, and also to quickly get it up and running when it arrived.

WiFi: I can honestly say that this unit exceeded my expectations. When it arrived, the unit charged up quickly ( 1 hr). I headed out to our local library to check the WIFI, and it was excellent. Pages loaded quickly. No dropped connections. I repeated this at several other hotspots around town, all good. Although the screen display resolution (800 x400) is arguably not as nice as the Ipod's retinal display, it was nice and clear, even when "pinched" to high magnifications.YouTube videos played with ease. I was quickly able to set up all my bookmarks, set up all my email accounts, customize the home screen to my liking, and load a few free android apps all within an hour.

Battery life: very reasonable; able to surf for all day with music in the background and still had some battery power left. Tip: turn of the WiFi and GPS when not needed. It is easy to access this functionjust swipe a finger from the top of the screen downwardsyou now have a quick menu to turn these functions on or off. Also you can access the "task manager" wigit and shut down all running programs not needed.

Music player: It synced very easily to all my tunes stored on my Windows media player software on my laptop. The earbuds provided with the unit are a step above the usual cheapies, with a pause and skip button. They fit snugly and comfortably into the ear canal (silicone) to block out external sounds and give a better listening experience. Sound is average.

Warranty: It is 1 year. Initially I could not find any warranty info,so I called Samsung to confirm this. I was able to speak to a customer rep quickly, which is nice.

This unit is based on Samsung's famous Galaxy smartphone series. It Comes with a 1 Ghz processor (not dual core), 512 Mb RAM, 8Gb memory (expandable to 64 Gb with external micro card) and Android's 2.3.5 Gingerbread software platform. It has 3.2 MP camera (no flash on this 4" model, only the 5" has flash), and GPS, It is basically a smartphoone without the phone.

Warranty is 1 year.

One annoying note: if you accidentaly push the volume control bar simultaneously with the power on button when you initially turn on the unit (easy to do, they are on opposite ends) the unit goes into a scary "download mode" . It's eay to get out, just power the unit completely off then on again.

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For people who've wanted the capabilities of a smart phone, without the hefty monthly bill, the iPod touch was the best available option. The Galaxy Player provides another alternative. For me the Galaxy Player had the advantage with a removable battery and a mini-SD card slot.

I primarily wanted a device that would easily sync with my Outlook calendar for work and my Google calendar for everything else. The Galaxy Player performs this function flawlessly. It easily hooked up to both of my accounts and shows them in a common calendar without any additional set up. It may give you a prompt about not saving items to Samsung's Kies calendar, but this is irrelevant and can be ignored. The Galaxy easily connected with other Google accounts I use such as Gmail and Google+.

Once you set up a wifi connection in the device it will remember it and automatically switch to that connection when it becomes available. This means I can go from home, to work, to a cafe, and it will connect to each network without any input from me. About the only time I'm without a wifi connection is in the car, and I was pleasantly surprised the the maps and driving directions continued to function adequately with no internet.

As a media player the device performs well. It sounds good and I found it easy to use. Videos are crisp and vibrant. The battery allows me to get through a day of regular use without needing to recharge.

The biggest disappointment (and why this isn't a 5 star review) is the camera. The Galaxy 4's camera has a poor auto focus that only seems to work half the time. It needs a fair amount of light to take pictures that are not blurry. The camera controls are also poorly designed when compared to the controls for the rest of the device.

There were two other minor issues as well. I found the auto brightness feature a little irritating and eventually disabled it. The Google Sky Map did not function correctly until I turned off the magnetism adjustment and restarted the app.

Overall I'm very happy with the Galaxy Player strongly recommend it to anyone who is looking for wifi-based smart phone alternative.

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If you dont like reading or want to see the device here is a video review:

Form/Design: The player is very light me and saleswoman both agreed. For its size you would think it would be alot heavier but it is a nice weight and fits comfortably in the hand. Its is easy to use with either 2 hands or one to control the whole screen.

The player looks really sexy haha, people have said it looks like a white iphone from the back at a quick glance. Everyone asks me if i got a new phone and i say no, and they start to tell me i did its kind of funny to watch people fight about it cause noones heard of it

Screen: The screen looks great, and i choose the 4.0 for this reason. the 5.0 has the same resolution so i figured this screen would look better with a higher pixel density. looks the crisp and colors stay true from all viewing angels. the screen is different from the galaxy s but it looks just as good

Performance: Runs smooth, very responsive, i haven't got it to lag at all, and as far as i know it doesnt heat up much either.

Headphones: I love the headphones that came with this, comfortable and good quality.

Camera: 3.2 rear facing camera is surprisingly good quality with a res of 2048x1536. It also records 720p but the audio on the videos isnt too good, and it wont let you record with the vga (front) camera :(

Reception: Everyone thinks its a phone and will continue to think so until you tell them. Then once you say its like an ipod touch they add in "except way better" its pretty amazing how people are drawn to it

Battery: I have had some weird stuff happen with the battery. It should last you all day, but whenever your not using it put it on idle, the display uses 50-60 percent of the battery on the lowest brightness. Also be aware of applications that use WiFi, they will use wifi even if you exit them in the task manger.

Its a galaxy phone without the phone part, and i love it. I prefer this over the ipod touch and would recommend this to anyone looking for an ipod or mp3 and more. i use this for way more then audio and video its a great device

Ok, first off I would have given this 5 stars if the wifi wasn't a little fritzy. It works, but it shuts down and starts back up periodically all by itself. So far I have not found a fix for this but I am hoping Samsung is working on it since I am not the only one who has posted this problem.

Ok, now for the good news.

Other than the above, this unit has surpassed all my expectations. It is fast, has enough processing power and memory to get the job done and with a $35 microSD card at 32GB this unit now is a 40GB unit. (Eat that Apple!)

Even with the Wifi issues I have been able to use it to view you tube videos, download new android apps, and browse the internet.

The screen is nothing short of amazing. Everyone I show it to cannot believe how crisp and clear it is. The colors are vibrant and deep. It makes the screen of the ipod look like yesterday's news. There really is no comparison.

Also, I have to say it is really nice to be able to load media directly to this unit without rooting or using special software like the crappy itunes garbage software. (I say this from experience because I used itunes for about a week, it is slower than molasses running on win7 with a 2.4Ghz quad core with 3GB Ram) Every movie (.avi, .mp4, .mpeg, etc.) has played on it without a problem. You can load .mp3 files right on it and play them with no problem (which is the main reason I bought this.)

Oh yeah! I almost forgot to mention. The sound quality with headphones is incredible. Crisp and clear with plenty of volume to spare. I have noticed that is another downfall of the ipod, it lacks in quality of sound a little, but really lacks in volume. This unit has stereo speakers on it that provide ample volume but of course do not sound nearly as good as headphones. It is nice for games and movies on the go though.

The GPS works nice too. You have to load the maps ahead of time because of the lack of internet access on the road, but as long as you load the maps ahead of time, the navigation works like a charm.

Well, guess I will stop now. My conclusion is this unit crushes the ipod. It is far superior.

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Magnasonic MAG-MDVD500 Portable CD/DVD Player Boombox with 7" Widescreen LCD, AM/FM Radio, Karaoke F

• CD/DVD player in a portable system; 7" crystal clear LCD TFT display
• AM/FM stereo radio with telescopic antenna; SD/SDHC/MMC card slot; High speed USB 2.0 port; AC and battery powered
• Plays DVD/DVD+/-R/RW; CD/CD-R/RW; formats; Multi-language OSD: on-screen display in English, French and Spanish
• Auxiliary audio-in jack for MP3 players, headphone jack, and microphone jack
• Parental controls for DVDs; Aspect ratios include 4:3PS (pan and scan), 4:3LB (letterbox) and 16:9 (widescreen)

We ordered this in October and gave it to my son in December for his birthday. He started watching a movie and all worked well.

The next morning, he started his movie again, and the player would not turn on, power up, etc. Because we ordered it so far ahead of his birthday,

we were outside the time frame to return it through Amazon. I proceeded to call 800-663-5954 which is the number provided with the product if one has a problem. This number linked me to

a customer service representative in Canada. That representative told me that I could mail the player to them, and they would replace it. I was given a file number and a Toronto, Ontario address

to use for the mailing address. I paid my $ to UPS and had the package sent. UPS called me a week later and explained that the company called NESA would not accept the package, and UPS would either need to send the package back to me in the U.S. at my cost, or the package would be destroyed. I called NESA back, and they told me they would never decline a UPS package; we confirmed the address and the File #, and I gave this info to UPS Canada. NESA still declined my package and it was sent back to me, unopened, and unrepaired. Stay away from Magnasonic!

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I'm shocked. Unlike other portable DVD players I've read about, this one played both my home recorded, and 'store-boughten' DVD's very well. I thought at first it was DOA, but then I found I had to push-in the AC cord pretty firmly into the unit's socket to get a connection. After that, it powered-up Ok. The volume control 'could' be made to go higher on some of my DVDs, but for most DVD's, it's fine just as it is. By the way, the manual doesn't mention this, but there is a 'nearly hidden' On/Off switch on the back of the unit to turn On/Off the 'Display'...so be advised, in case nothing shows on the screen. Also, I had to 'tilt' the unit at a downward angle to get lower 'contrast'...which gave a brighter picture...but I think I read in the manual, somewhere, that there is a 'tilt-screen' control...or maybe not.) Now, as for the use of this unit under alkaline battery-power: I loaded 8 alkaline C-Cells under optimal conditions: They were just bought at a big box store which has high product turnover...so they weren't very long on the shelf; I never 'stored' them for any length of time (or used them in any other device); I inserted them in the player within 2 days of having purchased them; and they were (alkaline) Duracell's which, hands down, are the 'best' quality in my opinion. Over a 2-evening test, with a break after 4 hours of DVD's the first night and then continuing the test the next night, the batteries lasted almost exactly a total of 6 hours of playtime. That's not too bad. I know now that I can watch about 3 DVDs on one set of 8 c-cells...given the optimal conditions I described above. If the battery conditions are not optimal (such as being stored for 9 months before being used, etc.), I'd expect less than 6 hours of playtime. Also, I used the default factory settings for the screen brightness and contrast. As I understand it, if you make the screen dimmer, the batteries last longer (as was told to me by a different manufacturer.) By the way, an 'AA' battery DVD player that used to be on the market required 6 AA batteries to get 2.25 hours of playtime. So, that will give you a basis for comparison. I hope all this helps. It really IS a good unit in my overall estimation. (I just wish it would take 8 'D'-cell batteries, instead of 'C'-cells...which would likely have given it considerably longer playtime.) And I just don't know anything about long-term durability. (Follow-up: I went to the manufacturer?/distributor? website as printed in my package/box inserts, and this is what occurred: 1) The player being reviewed is no longer being shown as a current product (i.e. it's just not 'shown' at all). I'll let you decide how to use that information. 2) I emailed their tech support department to ask what kind of battery was used in the remote control of the model I purchased, and after 3 days, I haven't received any reply. Again, I'll let you decide how to use that information.]

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The actual boombox is not bad looking, small and with a nice screen for its size. But it didn t work. I took it out of the package, red the scarse instructions, started a dvd and boom the dvd stopped working.I thought I had done something wrong so I went to the instructions again, all was ok, started everything again and nothing. A few hours later it worked again but again, 1 minute and then nothing. Expecting warranty, yes but only if you are a canadian citizen; and amazone will only refund if I get lucky, so... don t buy this boombox. I got lured cause it looked ok and was cheap but this was really a bad surprise. Maybe I am a rare case but the lack of service or warranty does not help much... hope this is helpful.

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This is a great video player and boombox for the price. The picture quality is great and the sound is good, I am very happy with it. I would give it five stars except for (1) the remote does not have a volume control and (2) you can not shuffle the mp3 files, they play in the same order all the time and start from the beginning each time. I shuffled my mp3 files on the computer before loading them on a flash drive. I wish it had a digital tuner. I knew these problems before I bought the unit but still think it's a good deal.

Update, the video screen has died. I can hear dvd movies but can not see them. I can not play music from flash drive. It was great while it worked but didn't last very long. It was used very little. Cheap quality.

Update. I received a replacement unit after a two month wait and it cost $37 dollars to mail it to Canada. The new replacement was DOA, would not play movies or CD's. This is a JUNK product and Amazon should not being selling it.

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The first DVD boombox was defective. However, after working with Shoptronics and the Manufacturer, I sent back the defective one and received a new unit today! Their Customer Service reps are the greatest. Thanks again Dii, Dan, and all the other Reps that worked so hard to take care of this matter. The one I received today works great and I love it! I would recommend it to anyone who is thinking about a compact all in one entertainment center. And finding a company that stands behind it's product is very rare. Thanks again.

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Sony ICF-C492 Large Display AM/FM Clock Radio

• Sleek AM/FM clock radio with jumbo 1.4-inch green LED display
• Variable brightness control adjusts to lighting and environment
• Sleep timer and amply-sized snooze bar; 2-level buzzer alarm volume
• 9-volt battery backup; measures 7.88 x 4 x 4.38 inches (W x H x D); 1-year warranty

My trusty old Sony alarm clock's radio selectivity was getting on my nerves, and the cheap General Electric model I chose to replace it did not measure up. Fortunately, this new Sony easily surpasses both its older brand-mate as well as the ergonomically-botched offering from GE. Advantages include precise, dial-adjustable display brightness, better radio reception and selectivity, and simple controls for sleepyheads to understand and operate. Audio is clear but undistinguished--about what one would expect from a clock radio. Nevertheless, for such a low price that is forgiveable.

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Since most of the other reviewers have been gushing over this alarm clock, I thought I'd post with a few annoyances:

This thing has two alarms, but you can't have both of them set to buzzer. One has to be set to radio and the other to buzzer. This is aggrevating.

Like almost every other alarm clock in existence, the button to turn off the alarm is hard to find, while the snooze button is the size of Jupiter. If you enlarge the image of the clock on this site, you'll see three buttons on the lower right below the display. The one in the MIDDLE is the one that turns off the alarm. Yeah, good luck finding that button in the dark at 6:30am. I guess the engineers who build these things don't actually USE alarm clocks, or else they wouldn't do STUPID things like this.

Having the dimmer as a dial rather than a switch means you have much more control over brightness. However, the little indicator that lights up when you set the alarm is brigther than the time display itself. So while you may be able to get the display just right, the alarm indicator will be just a tad brighter than you want it. It's not a huge problem, but just another minor gripe.

The snooze on mine goes off every 7 minutes when pressed. (Why 7? I have no idea.) I have lost the manual and can't verify this (somebody please correct me if I'm wrong), but I haven't found any way to reprogram this. On my older alarm clock (which, unfortunately, had no dimmer switch), I could set it to 5 minutes, or whatever I wanted.

Sad to say, but I think this is the best alarm clock I've seen so far. My search for a good alarm clock doesn't suck will go on ...

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The first one we ordered gained between 30 to 45 minutes a day--we returned it and have a replacement that runs about 20 minutes ahead each day--we're about to give up and send that one back, too....It's a great looking clock for our needs--large numbers, small enough not to clog the bedside table....but it simply can't keep accurate time.

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This is the fourth alarm clock I have tried in the last year, and this one is a keeper! I wanted a dual alarm that I could set very quiet since I am a light sleeper. I was shocked that two brand new alarm clocks I bought simply did not work right. I would set the alarm and it would not go off. This one works every time.

The dimmer on the display is great. I had one alarm clock that I had to drape with a cloth because it was so bright. That pretty much defeats the purpose. There's no need for a drop cloth with this clock.

The one little complaint that I have is that the dual alarm has one alarm on music and one alarm on buzzer. You can not have two different alarm settings that both play music.

This isn't as bad as I thought, though, because the alarm time is very easy to chage, yet you can't accidentally change it by bumping into it.

The radio reception is even good.

I brought this clock considering the lengendary sony trademark. But it turned out to be a complete disappointment. Its gaining hours and I am about to return in today. Well,the display is not so bright. If you are looking for a good bedside alarm clock with radio, please don't go for this one.

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Sharp SPC800 Quartz Analog Twin Bell Alarm Clock (Silver)

• Quartz analog twin bell alarm Clock
• Button for backlight
• Luminous glow in the dark hands
• Luminous dial

This appears to be a totally decent old-fashioned alarm clock. I've had it as an occasional-use backup for the last six or seven weeks.

Some characteristics:

* The single alarm is loud. Damn loud. Not to fire-alarm levels, but I wouldn't expect a sleeping partner to ignore it.

* The alarm is set by a twist dial on the back. There are two dials; the other one sets the time. You have to be careful which you grab.

* There's no snooze capacity here. The alarm is either activated or not, as set by a small switch on the back.

* It ticks audibly. I sleep with earplugs so I don't care. If your sheep can't stand a fixed rhythm, you won't like this.

* There's a small button on the back to activate a side light. The face is otherwise invisible in the dark.

* It appears to hold time. The first few days I used it, it seemed to lose time, but it's been steady for the last month.

* It really is a pretty clock, especially for the $8 WM wanted for it.

The only question mark for me is the battery wear rate. This clock uses a single AA rather than a proper AC adapter. I've erred on the side of caution with a 1.5V Alkaline rather than the usual 1.2V Eneloop. I'll update when it gives out and add back a star if the clock turns out to be reliable in the long run.

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This is an awesome alarm clock. The ticking sound is not that irritated unless your annoyed by minor noises. It can wake me up and I wont wake up to anything. All over its a great clock and if you need an alarm clock and are a heavy sleeper. Buy it

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I've never written a review before, but when I saw this clock on Amazon, I had to.

I bought this exact same clock about 3 years ago, and I still have mine. I lost the cover to the battery compartment about a year ago, but other than that, it still works as great as it ever did, and I'm really rough on my alarm clocks! The best thing about the clock is how loud the alarm is, no other alarm clock that I've tried could wake me up.

I highly recommend this clock!

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If you have trouble waking up...if you have a child with trouble waking up...if you just want to wake up your neighbors for a few laughs -Buy this clock. It's cheap, and I swear to God the thing will wake the dead. I have issues waking up because of my meds, and I'm capable of dismantling a phone while asleep to stop the beeping, throwing an alarm across the room, snoozing for two hours, etc. My poor fiance finally told me that one super loud alarm would be better than two hours of alarms every few minutes, while I manage to stay in bed.

I set this thing for 5am, and I swear, I was up and trying to make it stop within 30 seconds, afraid it would wake the entire house. Plus, you can't hit it or push a button to make it stop, you have to find a tiny little black switch on the back.

The only drawback is that you since it's a traditional manual alarm clock, you have to remember to set it each night, so I now have a reminder alarm on my phone so I can remember to set my alarm.

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For the price the alarm clock is amazing. I tend to sleep through most alarms, but this one woke me up immediately. The ringer is loud and distinct. If you can't fall asleep with background noises then this might not be your best choice, the ticking is fairly loud. Nevertheless I am happy with this alarm clock. The back-light button is a nice feature and the clock is easy to use.

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Tecsun PL390 DSP Digital AM/FM/LW Shortwave Radio with Dual Speakers, Black

• PLL Synthesized AM/FM/LW/SW Radio with DSP (Digital Signal Processing) Technology
• Dual 2.5" Speakers prvoide FM broadcasting in stereo
• Patented ETM Tuning (Easy Tuning Mode) plus 550 memories
• 12/24 Alarm clock with C/F thermometer + Sleep timer + Built-in battery charger
• Earphone jack for private listening & Line-in for MP3 Players

I have read some positive reviews of various Tescun radios with the DSP chip included for enhanced performance. I finally decided on this radio from the Tecsun family. I primarily use this radio for AM talk programs as well as FM for both talk and music. I will play around with the shortwave to see how well that works over the next few nights.

First of all my location is in northeastern NC. There are lots of FM stations within a 100 mile radius of my residence. Some of these stations are local, but not in my backyard so to speak, so there is no interference with a strong versus weak station. I am amazed at the stations this radio receives. In scan mode it seems to stop every second or so with a station I have never heard of before. I mean the dial (sic) is full of FM. Listening through headphones is fantastic....great sound even from $10.00 cheapos.

The AM is fantastic as well with lots of stations. Only low power AM stations here, so no interference with tuning across the dial. There are several filters on the AM from which to choose. Select the one that offers the best balance between noise and voice. I ultimately chose filter 3, which for me, offers the best balance. Rotate the radio to null out the signal for best reception.

The manual is well written, but with so many features, keep it handy to reference functions that you only occasionally use. Playing around with the different buttons is very helpful to learn their function. I like simple stuff, so anything over an on-off switch, tuning and volume controls are sometimes challenging. The learning curve on this radio will be short for most folks.

In summation, I find this radio more than meets my expectations. Accessories include a fabric travel pouch, shortwave antenna, patch cord, and in-ear headphones. The sound is ok from the radio speakers, but they are small speakers, so, one would not expect symphonic sound. The radio measures approximately 7x3x1 inches. This radio will probably be a lot smaller than you would expect, it was for me. This is not a negative, its highly portable. Rich in features, this radio for me, is like experiencing radio for the first time. Its that good.

Update 6-9-11: Still very pleased with Tecsun 390 radio. I have tried the shortwave bands and reception is very good. I use the supplied wire antenna and this helps reception, but the telescopic antenna works great too. The station presets are a joy when tuning thru the stations. Using the presets, you turn the tuning wheel up or down to the next preset.....which is a great feature because it so simplifies finding the "right" station to listen to....no scanning the dial listening to unwanted stations. The only nit to pick is with the volume wheel. When listening in bed at night, turning the wheel just one click, the volume goes from being just a bit too low to being just a bit too high. I have read where others share this same observation. Maybe this will be a running correction to the circuitry that controls the volume. Still, I love this radio and have no regrets buying it.

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Picked this up a few months back, and I'm amazed with this radio. It's well made, has a good "feel" to it. The sound is quite good for a small radio. But the big part is the tuner is so dead-on and easy to use. The first time I fired it up in my house I was amazed with how fast it found stations. (I'm in Northern California, not really the best place for Shortwave reception). I've used other radios before but none were able to lock on as well as this unit.

Highly recommend it... I use it during the day to listen to AM (it also can do FM Stereo, and ack as amplified speakers), and at night I listen to the world on this gem of a radio.

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Considering that it only has one tiny speaker, the sound from the Ipad is pretty good. It's only mono, though. Also, its volume doesn't go high enough for larger or noisy places.

It would be nice to have a set of external speakers for it. But most of the computer speakers I've seen are either without any power of their own, or they eat batteries too fast to be that much use. And most of them are too bulky to haul around much. Granted you could use a big set of speakers around the house, but it would be nice to have some that are as portable as the Ipad is.

I was considering this problem, wondering where I could find a set of self-powered portable speakers for the Ipad, when I remembered that my Tecsun PL-390 has a line in. A stereo line in...

This puppy hooks to the Ipad with a standard stereo patch cord, one of those two-ended things with a miniature stereo headphone plug at each end. So it would hook to anything that has a standard miniature headphone jack, like your Walkman (if anybody still uses those things) or your MP3 player.

Here you have a set of portable stereo speakers that also picks up AM, FM. shortwave, and (for anybody in Europe) longwave. Plays stereo on FM too.

Not only does it pick them all up, it picks them up WELL. The "Easy Tuning Method" is especially nice. You set it to scan whatever band you're listening to. It makes note of all the listenable signals there are, even on the shortwave broadcast bands. After that, when you turn the tuning knob, it jumps clear signal to clear signal, skipping all the spaces in between. Cool!

They also make a smaller version without the right side speaker. I got the larger stereo version because it has a longer case that gives space for a longer AM antennaand for a miracle, they did actually put a longer AM antenna in it, instead of the shorter antenna of the one speaker version. It makes it borderline amazing for AM reception.

Plus it does all the "usual" radio thingsit works as an alarm clock, it has more memory presets than I can find use for, and so on.

This is a great little set. Amazon has them for $66 or so. That's not too bad just for a set of speakers, let alone the other features. Recommended.

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I was very excited to receive this radio after doing a lot of research on reasonably priced but feature rich shortwave radio receivers. Several radio hobby sites metioned this radio in very favorable terms. Indeed when the radio arrived I was pleased by the build quality of the unit, and the feature set that the radio had, especially the DSP chip.

I was able to pull in a slew of shortwave stations in quite clearly (of course a lot depended upon time of day and atmopsheric conditions.) I could routinely receive signals from Asia, Australia, South America and Europe. Most came in very clearly especially considering the 390 is not a high end radio. The 390 pulled in over twice the amount of stations the Sony ICF-SW7600GR I had purchased before this radio.

I was very pleased with this radio in the beginning. So much so that I bought two as gifts and another for work. After having the unit for three days, the 390 started to continually freeze up for no reason. I would have to remove the batteris, wait 20 minutes and put the batteris back in. The day after that the tuning dial went wonky. So before the other radios I ordered arrived I had to send the first one back. My opinion of this radio plummeted shortly thereafter.

The other three radios arrived. I thought it best to test them before I gave two of them as gifts. I ran each of them for a seven day cycle, carefully testing then out. One of the three was bad right out of the box with a defective display and a defective tuner. That one went back to Amazon for a replacement. The second unit had terrible radio reception on all bands and very poor sensitivity. The third froze up continually from the beginning.

So four radios ended up going back to Amazon for replacement. To make a long story short, after several exchanges to try and get four that worked properly, I ended up finally getting two that worked properly. At that point I gave up exchanging the 390's and kept the two I had.

What I found most intersting and aggravating at the same time is that I received several radios that were consecutive serial numbers, and none of them performed the same way even though they came of the line at the same time. I'll use radio reception as a prime example. I set up three of these radios up side by side (all three consecutive serial numbers) and the quality of signals they could pull in were all over the map. One could pull in several stations very clearly, one pulled in almost as many stations in fairly well, and the third could not pull in any sations clearly and had a constant buzz .

So as much as I love the feature set of these little radios, they suffer from the worst QC I've ever encountered in a radio.

What prompted we to write this review, is that one of the two I still have has just started to continually lock up.

Until Tecsun can improve the QC on their radios I suggest you avoid them all together. This is another glaring example of a great product ruin by unforgivably poor Chinese quality control.

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Simply put, this is a great little radio. Not only is the sound very good, given the size of the unit, but the built-in features are useful and sometimes entirely surprising. I listen to AM, FM and SW (at night) and am more than happy with the reception.

Very impressive for the price!

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Brand New Alpine CDE-HD137BT Single Din In-Dash Car Receiver/BT Plus Bluetooth Wireless Technology w

• Alpine CDE-HD137BT Single Din In-Dash Car CD Receiver
• Peak Power Output: 50 Watts x 4 Channels
• 3 Pre-Outs for Front, Rear, and Subwoofer channels w/Subwoofer Level control
• Front USB and 3.5mm input
• Built-in HD Radio® with iTunes Tagging

Bluetooth works amazing took my speakers to a new clarity and power this head unit is the one alpine for life

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This radio works very well. Also the bluetooth is excellent no back echo. You can hear the person clearly and my ipod works great.

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Tecsun PL-606 Digital PLL Portable AM/FM Shortwave Radio with DSP, Black

• AM/FM Shortwave receiver with DSP (Digital Signal Processing) & ETM (Easy Tuning Method)
• 30" telescopic antenna extender greatly enhance FM & Shortwave reception
• Tecsun's patented ETM tuning offers easy & comprehensive access to all local stations
• Alarm clock + sleep timer + 550 memories
• Compact size with outstanding sound quality

I didn't know what to expect from the radio itself. The outside pictures look impressive. This radio delivers.

Here's the pros: 1) long antenna; 2) excellent reception for reasonably available FM stations (50 miles); 3) over 100 stations can be placed in memory; 4) reliable, smooth tuning dial; 5) comes with long (+15 ft) plug in wire antenna for SW and FM.

Here's some negatives: 1) not balanced well --plant with something to support it so the sound is maximized; 2) speaker capacity is good but not great, given its size; 3) no power supply (5V) is provided --it runs on two AA batteries; 4) control is a bit complicated for a radio but it should be fun learning and is not too complicated to be appreciated as a radio; 5) because it is rather delicate you'll want to treat it like a camera and buy a case for it; I bought a "Lowepro" case 1 that measures about 6.5-in. and 3.5-in. in diameter --case 1 resembles a drum.

By the way, for a power supply I bought a "Digipower" wall charger, for video cameras, etc.. The power supply will need to have a mini-USB port to power the radio and recharge the batteries.

Another nice feature is the "easy tuning mode" (ETM). [to quote the manual] "ETM is the unique tuning method designed by Tecsun. It skillfully combines the reception circuitry and control procedure to pre-select the suspected radio station and temporarily auto stores them in the ETM memory (not the regular memory)."

In other words, ETM finds local stations that are strong enough to pull in.

Like I said, don't lose the manual.

If this review was helpful, please add your vote.

PS:

Oddly the ETM was reset by a spark. I was walking along the carpet and the ETM was reset.

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I have owned this radio for a few months.

--"Positive":

____________________

1. VERY good FM, nothing more to say.

In fact the PL-606 beats even my "KAITO/ DEGEN 1103" (the 'gold standard' among radio aficionados).

2. Really good AM, important for us 'news and talk radio' junkies.

The selectable bandwidth (from 6 down to 1kHz) unique. REALLY valuable at night.

3. For the international traveler (UK, France, Eastern Block countries), the PL-606 LW capability

is unique. The long ferrite rod (which makes its AM good) should also boost its LW performance.

4. Love the ETM tuning (which leaves stations that you have stored for local use "untouched").

REALLY useful feature to have TWO sets of stored frequencies, one "permanent" for home,

i.e. no re-setting required when you return from travel. The other for when you arrive at a

new location. All of this one-touch button "automatic". Done in two or three minutes.

It really picks up and stores ALL useful stations.

5. 1000 mAh NiMH rechargeable from a USB port device using an internal charger:

NICE feature! Charging takes a full night. The battery consumption is very low. (Note, my PL-606

came with two 1000 mAh AAs. I assume this is, so that a USB port/ outlet can fully charge

the two AAs in less than 10 hours.)

6. NICE also that there are only TWO AA batteries required. (Some external chargers will take only

TWO AAs, in series.)

--"Negative"

_______________________

1. On my PL-606 the station selector has developed a tendency to skip, repeat and jump back on the stored

frequencies. Not clear why. Is this possibly a 'beginning failure mode'?

2. The VOLUME control is in digital steps. On FM it is never right: "6" not loud enough. "7" TOO loud. Wish they had a "6.5" ..

3. TUNING -I miss a DIRECT frequency input.

-AM in the US: the frequency steps are NOT "10kHz" i.e. it does NOT jump from one North America station to the next. That would have been a desirable feature. Instead you must fiddle with the station selector until you come to an occupied frequency.

4. Speaker -tinny. But who would complain given the PL-606's size!

5. LW -The manual does NOT explain how to switch LW on; press AM and FM simultaneously.

Read Best Reviews of Tecsun PL-606 Digital PLL Portable AM/FM Shortwave Radio with DSP, Black Here

I'm not a power user of this device. I bought it in order to have a portable radio to receive FM college radio stations around Boston from the urban sprawl. My device operated much as noted by the other positive reviewers and I am happy with it's sound, sensitivity and discriminating power. I only give four stars because I lack much experience to compare by, so, perhaps there are better radios out there. If you are like me, in a rich radio area looking to pick out lower-powered stations, then perhaps this, or one like it, will serve you as well as it has me.

Edit (~3 months in): As another reviewer noted also, my tuner dial has begun to display curious-sporadic "skip-reverse-jump" characteristics making for the occasional "random walk" to a desired station.

Want Tecsun PL-606 Digital PLL Portable AM/FM Shortwave Radio with DSP, Black Discount?

I've had the Tecsun 606 for two weeks. What I like is that it is a small design, uses two AA cells instead of 4, and has competent electronics and performance. It wasn't until I read a review where a user said he liked the "ETM" feature that I decided to read the manual for the first time, and I agree. The Tecsun ETM feature is very good. You press down the ETM button once you are on SW, AM or FM, and the radio will scan the entire range and find stations with enough signal to be useable. On SW this means the radio starts at about 2.3 MHz and goes to the end of the 21. MHz band. Once it finishes, taking on SW about 2 minutes, you then use the tuning dial to select the stations that ETM found. My experience is that ETM finds stations that you would stop on if you were band scanning, and that it does not skip over useable signals. The manual of course suggests you use the ETM scan several times a day on SW to compensate for reception conditions, and this is what all of us SW listeners do anyway.

The sound of the radio is not hi fi, but its performance is excellent. On AM it does a very good job, but sure with a longer AM bar antenna it could do better. On FM it is fine and SW is very good to excellent. No SSB.

There is no keypad tuning on the radio, so if you don't want to use ETM, you need to band select and then use the tuning knob on the side to get the frequency you want. The bandwidths of 1 3 and 6 khz are fine.

I've found I'm using ETM all the time now since I have gained confidence that ETM will indeed find listenable signals. You have to try it to convince yourself that ETM is credible and not some kind of cheesy scanning scheme. I think ETM is well done.

If I had an issue, it is this: the whip antenna will become lose and will need to be tightened using a very small phillips screwdriver. At least on my radio this happens. Time will tell if this radio's tuning and volume dials will survive hundreds of uses per day, but overall, I think this is a great small two battery radio and for new shortwave listeners especially, as well as us old crusty ones, ETM is a nice gift!

Fidelity will not blow you away, but the performance is great, with low power consumption and a competent design using the latest DSP technology from a US company. It's a buy in my view and a great emergency radio in a pinch.

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I am a DX'er. A DX'er is one who listens to and logs, distant radio stations. I have heard over 800 US and Canadian AM stations plus dozens more from Central and South America. A recent fad has been to DX the AM broadcast band with small, pocket radios. This one fits the size bill for these "Ultralight Radios."

DSP: The Tecsun PL-606 has one glowing feature that sets it apart from other small radios. It features Digital Signal Processing (DSP). DSP allows the listener to hear a station on a frequency adjacent to a stronger one. In fact, the DSP is further refined by allowing users to select the bandwidth. You can step through the bandwidths, from 6 KHz, down to 4 KHz, 3,2 and 1. Obviously the best fidelity is at the 6 KHz setting while the 1 KHz setting sounds fairly awful. BUT if you are trying to listen to a baseball game on 710 KHz with a powerful station on 700 KHz, the 1 KHz or 2 KHz settings just may allow you to hear the game.

TUNING: This is where the 606 is just plain odd. Most similar sized pocket radios have keypads. This one does not. There are three ways to tune the radio. One is to scan and pit the strongest stations and then you can tune only them. Nice is if you only want to listen to a few locals. The second way is just scrolling through the band. Unfortunately, each click of the control, only moves it 1 KHz at a time. Thirdly, you can put frequencies into memory and scroll through them. The downside iws that there is only 100 memories for AM (of 550 total) and not every frequency 530-1710 KHz could be put in. It gets full at just over 1520 KHz.

OTHERNESS: Most similar radios have where you could press a button and the LCD backlight stays on until you turn it off. No option on the PL-606. The light stays on for a few seconds per key press or dial movement. The power switch isn't really an on-off switch, it is a sleep timer switch. After 30 minutes, it goes off. Most similar radios start this "feature" at 60 or 90 minutes. The radio can use rechargeable batteries and it can be charged via USB. The display has TONS of options including temperature and signal strength readings.

PERFORMANCE: A very sensitive radio om AM, FM and SW, it really is a non-starter on Longwave, unless you can couple it with an external antenna (the antenna jack is only for FM and SW). On AM the radio is SEVERLY plagued with internal (microprocessor based) noise, on certain frequencies. That is a hard pill to swallow.

OVERALL: You get ALOT of radio for $50! There is a steep learning curve but it is alot of fun to try all of the options and settings that are often found in radios costing 5 times more.

PRO's:

DSP

Compact

Selective but still very sensitive receiver

Lots of features for $50

CON's:

Odd tuning

Internal noise on many frequencies

Inept on Longwave (as equipped)

No Light control

Short maximum sleep timer option

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