Moshi Voice Activated Alarm Clock

Pros: First, I want to say, once set, it's great for someone who just wants to say "Time" and hear it, and the unit looks great. Cons:1) SETTING THE TIME WAS DIFFICULT. (I bought the regular full-size Moshi.) I speak clearly and distinctly, and there were no other sounds in the room. I said "10:20 a.m." and Moshi kept setting various times, like "6:04" which sounds nothing like 10:20. On the 12th try, Moshi set the correct time, and I said well, at least now that the time is set, it'll be a long time before I have to go through that again...but as I pushed it back further on the table, the plug fell out again, and had to re-set the time; but this time, I put the BATTERIES IN FIRST, and after another 15 tries, and 6 plug fall-outs, the time was set, and no matter how many times the back plug fell out, the batteries kept the time. Hallelujah! 2)THE LITTLE PLUG IN THE BACK FALLS OUT CONSTANTLY, it just doesn't click in and hold in place. This led to the discovery of a 3rd problem: 3) THE VOICE RECOGNITION DOESN'T WORK AT ALL IF IT'S ON BATTERY ALONE. I noticed that each time the cord fell out so easily, Moshi said "Voice Trigger Mode has been DISABLED." And when plugged back in, Moshi immediately announces, "Voice Trigger Mode is ENABLED." Apparently, when the plug is out, it still keeps the time with the batteries, but it can't operate the voice recognition. Sure enough, the directions confirm this. So, if you have the plug-falling-out problem, you better duct-tape it into the back like I did if you want to use the voice trigger mode.

(note: there is a Mini-Moshi travel size that works on battery onlyso I guess it operates on Touch-Trigger only). 4) TOUCH TRIGGER IS NOT SENSITIVE The Touch mode on the center top of the display sometimes works after a series of light touches (waiting for response after each touch), but most times you have to keep pressing it rather strongly, (again waiting for response after each press); ... usually only a hard press works, but since I figure this would break it fairly quickly, I opt to keep it plugged in and use the voice trigger mode only.

I bought this for my mother age 90 who can't see clocks (macular degeneration), and so after explaining she should just say "Hello Moshi" and when it lights up green and says "Command Please" all she has to do is say "Time" and the voice is loud and clear with the time. Works great this way, so I'm happy with it. Since the touch mode really doesn't really work well, I didn't even tell her about it. (Can't comment on Alarm function, we don't need it).

So, Tips: Put Batteries in First before setting time, etc.

Moshi can only hear you when it is green (when it's dark, it's only listening for "Hello, Moshi"; You must say `Hello Moshi" before asking it anything. You can stop Moshi from talking and go back to rest by saying "Cancel." To stop the night light from cycling colors and stay on one, there's a switch in the back for "Multi" or "single" color. When it's plugged in and set to IVR on the back, the unit will accept both Voice (IVR) or Touch triggers, but voice-command trigger only works when plugged in.

***

I apologize for the quality of this video--I worked on it for over four hours to shrink it and edit it to fit Amazon's requirements...I did everything I knew how to do to improve it while keeping it short enough!

Still, I think it does a good job in showing you more about how the Moshi alarm clock works. This is a great clock if you want to take the time to work with it. It's really, really easy to set up, but using it takes a bit of finagling. In this video, I demonstrate some of the features of the Moshi clock. Sometimes it takes a couple of tries to get Moshi to understand. Also, in order to turn off the alarm with your voice, you must speak the command in between the alarm sounds. This is really hard to do when you're half asleep. It is easier to just use the alternative buttons, which are on the back in an awkward place and impossible to see without a flashlight. It's a great little clock, but does have some problems.

The reason for the variability in the reviews is that not all clocks work well; there are apparently quality control issues. You may have to return your clock and exchange it for another. One of our functions didn't work but we didn't need it so we kept the clock anyway.

Even though I give Moshi only three stars (because it is new technology and not what an alarm clock should be--you need to be able to turn it off easily, for example) I still enjoy it and am glad I bought it.

Recommended for people who can work with a temperamental alarm clock in exchange for the voice technology.

***

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Cripes.... I bought this clock for my BF because he is obsessive about triple and quadruple checking his alarm set (drives me NUTS).. so a clock you could talk to and that actually SAYS the time to you seemed perfect. And it was... at first. Look, this product is a fantastic idea but it really, really, really needs to go back to the drawing board.

1. The touch sensitivity of this thing is iffy, at best. Sometimes it will say the desired "Command Please" so that you can go about your business of setting the clock, but all too often it squawks (quite loudly) the date, time, and temperature at you instead. Then you sigh and try again... often several more times. Sure, you can say "Hello Moshi".... but sometimes you don't feel like saying "Hello" to an inanimate object and just want the touch feature to frigging work!

2. The clock is not illuminated unless you turn on the "nightlight". Yea... that light is as subtle as a brick in the face. I am someone that NEEDS a light on at night and I cannot sleep with the Moshi light on. So someone suggested to just "turn it around"... yea well, that defeats the purpose doesn't it? Still can't see the clock. And believe me you DON'T want that clock talking to you in the wee hours of the night. Which leads me directly to....

3. This thing is frigging LOUD. Fantastically loud. The voice is cool and fun at first because, hey, you have a talking alarm clock! How cool is that?! It isn't. The thing practically shouts at you in a decidedly UNsoothing voice. You'd think they would have taken it down a couple of notches and had a Buddhist monk do the voice in a kind and soothing manner. Instead they get a slightly impatient sounding woman to shout things. All right, that's a bit of an exaggeration... but it IS loud.

4. Don't get me started on the alarm sounds. They are all precisely programmed to infuriate. Sure, all alarm clocks suck because they are doing a job you don't want them to do... wake you up. However, the Moshi somehow makes me angry when it goes off in the morning no matter which alarm sound we choose (there are three of them). To add insult to injury, when you smack the clock to make it snooze it actually says (in its shouty voice) "SNOOZE TIME SET FOR 9 MINUTES!" Well, that just about ruins my snooze time doesn't it? You can do this three times before it deigns to actually turn the alarm off. I guess for those of you trying to drop your snooze habit this might be good. I, for one, LIKE my snooze habit!

5. You actually have to slide a tiny button on the back to disable the alarm... if you forget to do this and go to bed on a Friday night with plans to sleep in... guess what? Your alarm is still set and will proceed to shout at you in the morning. Of course, the alternative to that is forgetting to slide the button on Sunday night... oh, you can still talk to the bloody thing and set your alarm but if the button isn't in the correct position..well... you're late for work on Monday.

In short, this thing is beyond annoying when it does what you want it to and when it glitches out you'll want to take it out into a field and smash it with a bat.

This morning my boyfriend looked at me and said, "Honey, I love you. But I HATE this alarm clock!". Meaning, he felt bad because it was a present from me. I gave him permission to terminate Moshi.

We are both relieved.

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I really think this is a great clock and it is amazing how well it works. I agree with others, it should be enhanced to control the night light colors and volume, but it is a very good buy and I am happy with my purchase.

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My husband bought one of these. Moshi "confirmed" all the information, current time and wake up at 6:30 am. The alarm went off at midnight and we had to unplug it to turn it off. This is some designers idea of a nasty joke on consumers.

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Etón American Red Cross ARCFR600R Solarlink Digital AM/FM/SW/NOAA S.A.M.E. Weather Radio with Flash

• Digital tuner with AM (520-1700 KHz), FM (88-108 MHz), Shortwave (5800-12200 KHz), WB, and RBS display
• NOAA weather with alert and S.A.M.E. Technology (location-based weather alerts)
• Digital clock function: 12-hour clock with alarm function, and snooze
• Emergency siren/flashing beacon
• Powered via hand crank, 3 AA batteries (not included), AC via USB adapter (not included), or solar power

Pros:

Nice features great for camping. While outdoors in sunny weather can charge the ni-mh battery pack with solar while listening. You can also charge with a USB cable via your computer (you don't need to buy the AC adaptor).

Nice sound on the FM and AM bands short wave nice option for those really remote areas (but is there really anything on SW to listen too?). Digital tuning a real plus I never could tune a station properly with analog dials

This has a 'true' hand crank generator. Yes you can charge your cell phone or anything that charges via USB cable (i.e things you plug it into your computer to charge). Good only for emergency charging (too much cranking to fully charge a cell phone) but this is a real crank generator charger, unlike some other products I have purchased.

Cons:

Battery hog, (good thing you can recharge)

It is more rugged than most radios, but this is not really waterproof don't leave it out in the rain

Expensive in the end you get a mono radio, sure you get a crank generator but this thing 'aint cheep.

Solor only works in bright direct sunlight (no clouds).

Manual what manual?

Flashlight ok but SOS LED flasher and siren are worthless. Those are just marketing items to get you to buy the radio.

Weather alert -NOAA SAME code descrimiter is buggy and weather alerts go off (when my other SAME radio does not) randomly. Eton custom service don't know how to fix this issue, and I've even had replacement radios sent. If you buy this radio for NOAA alerts using S.A.M.E. this is a big problem. I did and a big reason why I am rating this radio low. For $80 a radio should work properly. IF you don't care about S.A.M.E. alerts, then this won't be an issue for you. For me I like to have an emergency radio SAME turned on all the time in case there is a emergency/storm etc that I need to know about. I don't care to hear about storms that are in other areas and that is what SAME does, is only give give you alers in your area.

UPDATE (April 2010) I've had this radio for about a year now, and while it is still a battery hog and I can't use it for my NOAA weather alerts (as it gives false alerts all the time), but I do like this radio. I'm glad I bought it, it's my main radio when we go camping, or I'm working outside but still think it's overpriced.

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Bought this multi-use emergency radio for use during power outages and other emergencies. When I received the radio (loved the case and knobs) I cranked the generator for about 1-2 minutes and gave it a try. Volume was very good and dialing in the stations was quick and easy. I set all defaults then GONE battery died. I then cranked the generator for over 5 minutes and again set things up and played with everything for about 3 minutes and the battery died again. I then added 3 AA Energizer batteries, cranked the generator again for 3-5 minutes. I set the switch to the generator mode for the evening and set the alert system to monitor for a single county. In the morning, the unit was dead again and not only the built in battery was dead, the 3 new AA batteries were also dead. As a final test, I took the unit outside and placed the solar panel in direct sunlight. (even moved it during the day to track the sun). I turned it off that evening and did the same the next day. When I turned the unit on the FM radio it died in less than 30 minutes.

NOW, here is the biggie and I would caution anyone thinking about buying this product. I emailed Eton Customer service.

QUOTE -

Thanks for the email Mr. J. I need to know if you were trying to charge it through a window. The solar charger only charges with the radio in direct sunlight, not through a window or in shade, with the power selector switch in the solar position while charging.

Cranking for 90 seconds should allow the radio to play for about 5 minutes, at low volume.

The FR600 is a digital receiver with NOAA and S.A.M.E. technology. It is therefore harder on batteries than other radios.

When you're using AA batteries and have the radio in the ALERT position, the radio is still on, monitoring for alerts. We suggest that you use an AC adapter if you're using the ALERT position. An AC adapter can be purchased for $9.95+shipping by calling 1-800-793-6542.

END QUOTE

I answered their questions but IF USING THIS RADIO IN EMERGENCY WHEN NO POWER IS AVAILABLE Wouldn't that make the AC power adapter kind of usless????

Finally Quote from Eton CSR I agree Mr. J, something just doesn't seem correct. Your return authorization number is #####. We'll evaluate your unit and repair or replace it, at our discretion. Our process takes 4 to 6 weeks, or sooner. ENDQUOTE

4 to 6 weeks to repair/replace a brand new radio Give Me a Break

The radio was returned to Amazon for a refund. I am still looking for a real emergency radio that will play for at least hours upon charging with solar or crank and more using batteries

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This is a review of the Etón American Red Cross ARCFR600R Solarlink Digital AM/FM/SW/NOAA S.A.M.E. Weather Radio with Flashlight, Siren, Solar and Cell Phone Charger in Red.

My interest is usually in survival products, particularly in coolers and flashlights. In this case, I was looking for a emergency weather radio that had a NOAA feature and could be powered through various means. This product appeared to meet everything I could ask for in an emergency radio.

I actually just received the product yesterday and spent the entire evening trying out every feature at least two to three times. I did not bother reading the manual as I wanted to see how intuitive this radio is and if I could figure out how to use the features easily. Like a previous review noted, once you figure it out, it is easy to set up presets, time, and date. The display lights up with a bright, even, white backlit display. The only complaint I would have is about the backlight not staying on very long. But I understand that this helps conserve battery power.

From the appearance, this radio appears to be sturdy, having a rubberized covering that appears to be sealed well. The radio has some heft as well, and you can see deep-set screws along the body, that holds the radio together snug. The rest of the radio is made of plastic, including the knobs of the dials, which in my opinion is not a bad thing. The antenna fits in snug, which provides protection should the radio suffer from a fall. Even the solar panel is set in a little, which will protect the panel if the radio should drop. Bottom line is that Eton has taken measures to create a sturdy and practical design for this radio. I did not test this radio for water resistance due to the pricey $80 cost.

The date, clock, and digital tuner including the AM/FM, NOAA, and Short Wave features worked really well. I did not have to use the antenna much. The speaker works well and can handle the volume when it is pumped up, though the quality of sound including treble and bass is not that of my Sony ICF36 Portable Radio, which I rate as the top of speaker output for portable radios. I am not knowledgeable on S.A.M.E. system and did not know how to use that function. The siren, flashlight, and signal beacon worked fine. The solar power, crank, rechargeable battery, and regular batteries worked fine to power the radio. The radio does not come up with cell phone connections, so I was not able to test out the cell phone charger or hook up the radio to a USB port.

Overall, the Etón American Red Cross ARCFR600R Digital Radio is a comprehensive package of features for disaster/emergency situations. All of the features that I was able to test worked well. The radio has a well thought out, sturdy design. I rate this radio a 4.5 out of 5.0 score. The score could be higher if the flashlight had a brighter and efficient CREE LED and speaker could put out a little better bass sound.

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I found the Eton FR 600; on sale at my local Brookstone store for less than what I could buy online anywhere (Including Amazon). If you look at the reviews for the Eton FR 600 here at Amazon, the Eton got mixed reviews, when I was looking at this item (for example) 12 people had rated it with one star... So it seems that it was nice to actually try it out in the store before I bought it at the store [sorry Amazon] and the unit I bought worked well. Reception on all bands was good: AM, FM, NOAA. It also is supposed to receive short wave but I'm not really into SW so I can't really comment on how it does with that. I really like the digital tuner with the preset memory... many emergency radios out there are analog, which means you have to search for what you want every time... so 20th century.

The other cool thing about the Eton FR600 is this new S.A.M.E. feature which allows you to enter the code for the county you live in and the NOAA alarm will only go off if severe weather is headed toward your county (instead of 3 counties away). Real nice feature if you choose to set the radio to alert you in case of approaching severe weather; not so many "false" alarms. You have to go online to get your code and it's only for counties in the U.S. and Canada as of this writing. You can also enter multiple counties for this selective SAME feature (I guess in case you have loved ones elsewhere?).

I like being able to crank this thing for about 2 minutes and listen to the radio for about 10-15 minutes; not great but doable if you HAD to hear what was going on via radio; basically just crank it when the program "goes to commercial" and you won't miss anything important. Other reviewers have mentioned problems with solar charging through a window... It is a bit tricky, especially with the short days we have this time of year but I've had success with laying it on it's side or tilting it directly at the sun (and then moving it periodically to make sure it is still facing the sun). I have no doubt this thing would be great on a sunny day at the beach. The fact that this also uses "conventional" batteries for the back up to the rechargeable batteries is also nice. Multiple power sources means that, in an emergency, at least one of them will be working for you. The light on the side of the unit is nice as an additional feature; can't have too many lights in a power outage. It seems reasonably bright, just for kicks I shut the door to the bathroom and used only this unit's light to go through the morning routine ~ sufficient for that job.

I was disappointed that it did not come with an ac adapter (because it takes one, and a mini USB power input too) but I'll probably buy one from Eton soon. Agreeing with others who have posted here, I was disappointed with the manual, one of the many shortcomings is that it says nothing about specs to use the mini USB port to charge the unit and good luck trying to get more info off of Eton's website.

I guess my advice is to give this little radio a try, run it through it's paces. If you got a quality unit keep it. If not Amazon has a great return policy. Otherwise you could always check one out at your local purveyor of radios...

U P D A T E 1 / 31 / 2011 -

I called the Eton toll free number (1-800-872-2228) and asked for technical support. After a short wait on hold I spoke with one of their tech guys, Walter Hess. I called because I had just received my Eton ac adapter and both the manual and the unit say "5V" but the adapter they sent me said "6V" and when I tried it a RED light came on the unit (when I was used to a green light when I cranked it). So Walt told me that 5 to 6 volts was acceptable and that the red light is to indicate charging via ac. Then I told him what I thought of the manual. He said that they had just updated it and he emailed me a PDF of the new manual. If you want to email Walt yourself and ask for one here is his email: whess@etoncorp.com

U P D A T E 11/ 29 / 2011 -

One other tip for everyone. The unit takes 4 AA batteries but keep the batteries in a drawer nearby, not in the unit, until you need them. The batteries seem to be used if the "dynamo" batteries get low, even if you keep the setting on "dynamo."

I hope that helps. Take care everyone.

This radio is useless it only gets one or two FM stations while standing outside in the open air and I am in NJ which is only 50 miles from NYC, the radio capital of the world... Can't get any AM stations to speak of... Manual says that hand-crank needs to be cranked for 90 seconds but that this will only provide enough power for 1-2 emergency phone calls on your cell phone.. in an emergency, when the power goes out, the cell phones probably won't be working, so that will really help! Was unable to get ANY shortwave radio transmissions. I am returning this product.

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PYLE PLD3MU 3-Inch TFT Touch Screen DVD/VCD/MP3/CDR/USB Player and AM/FM Receiver

• DVD/VCD/MPEG4/CD/CD-R/CDRW Compatible - 30 Station Memory (18FM / 12AM) - PAL / NTSC Color - Repeat/ Intro/ Random - Subwoofer Output - Parking Video Input
• Treble/Bass/Balance/Fader/Encoder/Volume - Built-In 3'' (16:9) TFT Color Monitor - On Screen Title/Time/Chapter/Subtitle Angle - Clock Function - Selectable View Angle - USB/SD-MMC Card Reader MP4-JPEG/MP3 WMA Playback
• PLL Synthesizer Tuner - Touch Screen Control Operation - Anti-Shock Mechanism - Mute Control - A/V Input A/V Output - 320 Watts (4 x 80 W)
• Auto Store / Preset Scan - Resolution: 1440 x 234 Pixels - ESP Function - RCA Line Out - Remote Control - Last Position Memory
• AM/FM 2 Band Radio (USA/Euro) - Brightness: 400 NITS - LO/DX ST/MO Selector - Preset EQ - Rear Camera Output - Dimensions: 2.47''(W) x.83''(H) x 2.75''(D)

I just installed my Pyle PLD3MU and had the chance to do some testing with it. Overall I am impressed with all of the features and functions it has. There are some quirks and the instructions are poorly translated but for the price I feel the total package was a good deal.

DVD It plays DVDs well the screen is rather clear for its size. I wouldn't equate it to an ipod or iphone video screen but it has more than adequate resolution for a tiny screen. Hardly jagged edges if at all. Excellent viewing angle and lots of color/tint contrast settings that I can adjust. I'm playing the DVD through an overhead mounted LCD screen and the resolution is adequate for passenger viewing but not HD... so don't expect perfection here.

CD the sound is great but out of the box the display of the track, time, etc is so small it can hardly be read. I am not sure if the display size can be adjusted or not in CD mode (haven't tried yet).

Radio AM/FM operation works good; it appears the pre-sets must be done automatically, I haven't found a way to set my own stations. Since there are no preset buttons I supppose you just auto-program and skip from station to station. Not quite as fast as presets but close enough. The display is much better for AM/FM radio than for CDs, it has nice big letters and selectable backgrounds. Clock only shows military time from what I can tell (i.e. 00:00 to 23:59).

Remote control works good out of the box. Button presses are reliable. To FF or RW a DVD, hold down the skip forward or skip back buttons while aiming at the screen.

When switching between sources, there is a short period of blue screen with source name listed, then the desired selection will show.

Touch screen is easy to use and seems to associate finger vs. intent rather accurately. Not too soft or squishy. Detachable face detaches and attaches akwardly but easily enough. When removed, the rectangular LED under the disc slot blinks slowly to indicate anti-theft while the car is off. I appreciate this because higher end units seem to have gotten rid of the blinking LEDs when face is detached (at least Kenwood has).

The instructions included with the unit are sparse. Some areas not translated into english very well. However, I had no problem installing because the wiring all matches the aftermarket in-dash recevier convention for colors of wires. There is a matching wiring diagram on the bottom of the unit affixed as a sticker, in case the one in the manual gets lost or is not available. A large square connector is at the end of all the wires to facilitate testing at the factory. It must be cut off to allow for installation to a vehicle specific pigtail adapter. Manual didn't explain this.

The brake wire (gray or brown) from the back of the unit needs to go to a ground (-) source when the car is not moving (example: parking brake or foot pedal brake). If your brake activates a positive lead like my Dodge pickup, you'll need to find another way to ground the unit to be able to see the video on the 3" TFT screen. Whenever this lead is connected to ground, the video will show on the detachable face screen. The video output always shows through the video out port regardless of brake wire connection or not.

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for it's price, this is a very good product. although the maunfacturer is not as well known as other popular brands, it is a user friendly product which performs or plays what is indicated as represented. to put it simply, there is no misrepresentation. it's a solid performer

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I was looking for a DVD player for my van and I wanted the biggest bang for the buck. I chose the PYLE PLD3MU based on specifications and reviews. I have not been sorry. This stereo/DVD works as advertised and so far has worked flawlessly. I only have one complaint. The LCD screen does not dim in the dark. On a dark road at night this can be annoying. I give this stereo 4 stars only because of the bright night display.

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Ok, overall works good. Haven't tasted all features yet... Connecting back up camera was pain in the rear since no instruction for ether thing. No bluetooth though! The icon is Grey like it is inactive. It says how to set up hands free calling but damn thing is just not active! Maybe it is just me? Any help?

DISCOUNTSJUNGLE..They sent me another model and do not respond to the claim, is irresponsible.

PYLE PLD3MU 3-Inch TFT Touch Screen DVD/VCD/MP3/CDR/USB Player and AM/FM Receiver

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Midland XT511 GMRS Two-Way Emergency Crank Radio

• Emergency radio with 22 GMRS/FRS channels and all 10 NOAA weather channels with alert function
• Includes AM/FM radio reception, a clock with an alarm function, and a 3-LED flashlight
• Features VOX automatic voice-activated operation, and a USB port for charging cell phones, radios, etc.
• Rechargeable battery can be powered by dynamo hand crank, or included AC or DC power adapters
• Constructed to be water resistant, and backed by a manufacturer's 3-year warranty

If you are looking for an Emergency 2 way radio, look no further.

Pros:

1. AM/FM These are not Bose speakers, but they are clear. It works just like portable battery powered radios. This is useful in emergencies when the TV and cable are knocked down so you can get news from stations that are still transmitting. I take it out with me on my patio and just listen to music or news.

2. Multiple power source Can run on Alkaline, included Rechargeable battery pack, AC socket, DC through the cigarette lighter, or just cranking to recharge the batteries. With all those sources of energy, you will never run out of power.

3. 5 Watt GMRS Radio It truly is powerful. Just as strong as my professional radios. Excellent as a base station when traveling or trying to look for help in an emergency.

4. Portability It comes with a strap so that you dont have to hold it when moving about. It also has a handle so you have a firm grip when carrying it.

5. LED flashlight You will never be in the dark. I have tried leaving it on the whole night and it still had have charge. I just used the crank to fully charge it again.

6. Weather-proof I actually used it when there was a one week heavy downpour here LA. It got wet in the rain, but it did not fail.

7. VOX It has 3 levels of sensitivity. At level 1, it is so sensitive that it will transmit if someone in the room speaks.

8. External Speaker Mic It is very clear and is functional. It uses the same connectors as my Professional Icom handheld radio, so you can even upgrade the Speaker mic if you wish.

Cons:

1. Durability As a base station, or if you don't drop it it is perfectly fine. It is not built to withstand a drop on a hard surface like Professional radios. This is an emergency base station so, you aren't expected to treat it like a walkie talkie. They never stated that it is as durable as a professional radio, so I was not expecting it. So it isn't such a big deal.

2. No carrying case It would have made it more useful if they included a small bag where you can put this and the accessories, as well as some basic emergency supplies. But, again, this was something I knew that was not included so, it is just a nice to have.

Summary:

It does everything it says it can do, and does it very well. If you were caught after an earthquake, this is the equipment you will need to have with you. It delivers what it promises, and is better than the other Midland Walkie talkies.

*****UPDATE APRIL 2, 2010********

I performed a distance and clarity test.

Test equipment:

1. Midland XT511($65)

2. ICOM F21 4 WATT PROFESSIONAL RADIO($200)

3. ICOM F40GT 4 WATT PROFESSIONAL RADIO($500)

Test Scenario:

1. My wife standing on the balcony of my house. She has both the Midland and the ICOM F40GT.

2. I will stop every 1 mile and get down from the car and I will use the ICOM F21 to talk to her.

3. I will ask her to communicate first with the Midland, then the ICOM.

Test results:

Mile 1:

1. Midland I can hear her and understand her without static or noise. The audio quality was a little muffled and was not as loud as the ICOM.

2. ICOM I can hear her and understand her without static or noise. The audio was noticeably louder and clearer than the Midland.

Mile 2:

1. Midland I can still talk to her. There is some static and a little noise. The audio did not drop.

2. ICOM Just as good as it was at 1 mile. No static or noise.

Mile 3:

1. Midland Barely audible. Trails in and out.

2. ICOM Noticeable static and noise, but I can still communicate without drop of audio.

Summary:

The ICOM can reach further and is clearer than the Midland in transmit and receive, but it still does what it was meant to do and it does do it well, standing up to an ICOM. But keep in mind that the ICOM is just a tranceiver, it does not have any of the many functions of the Midland. I still give this 5 stars for function and excellent value.

****UPDATE November 28,2011****

I am very happy to report that it still works fine and I have had no problems with it. I use it as my mobile base station when we go outdoors. Still doing a great job. do not leave batteries inside if you intend to store it so that the battery will not leak or cause corrosion.

****UPDATE October 26, 2012*****

Amazingly, both Emergency GMRS radios are alive and still used daily. I have one under my car seat, and the other one is supposed to be in my Bug Out Bag, but instead of shelling out money, I used it as my patio radio. I listen to my favorite Radio station, 104.3 FM in LA. Of course I switch over to AM and NOAA just to be sure there are no emergencies, or just to find out the weather forecast. I also Kayak, so it helps to know if the waves are high in the beach area.

All consumer radios have limited warranties, usually lasting only a year. So please TEST YOUR RADIOS extensively in the first year so that if there is a problem with it, they will replace it. But, I am so happy with how long these radios have lasted. $65 for 3 years of extensive use as an emergency radio, flashlight, Patio entertainment and weather forecasts. I only had to change the rechargeable battery and bought a spare after 3 years.

Hope to catch you on the air.

****UPDATE January 16,2013*****

Coming up to 4 years and these radios are still working great. The AC Adapter wire got cut because I accidentally ran over it with the Vacuum cleaner(Genius, I know). I called Midland now and told them, no questions asked, they told me they were sending me a brand new adapter for FREE! That is EXCELLENT customer service right there! Kudos to Midland.

Anyway, I am using the Dual channel watch option now since more of my neighbors also got into radio. I have 2 groups talking on different channels so that it does not get crowded. I then use the Dual Channel Monitor feature to monitor 2 channels simultaneously. We have our radios always on so that we can call each other, and I am acting as a repeater/operator since I have the XT511 Basecamp. We make sure to always have someone in the neighborhood monitoring the radios. It does give us peace of mind that we can call for help to the entire neighborhood at a press of a button.

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I have to think that there is tremendous quality control variability with this radio based on the wildly different reviews.

I'm a radio geek and have been collecting radios for the last 40 years. When I saw the ad for this Midland I just had to have it. I thought it would be a perfect addition for my camping adventures. The radio seems to be totally loaded with just about anything you would need. It has a GRMS/FRS 2-way radio, an AM/FM radio, a weather radio, a clock with alarm and even a 3 LED flashlight. Add to this the fact that it runs on both alkaline and a wind-up rechargeable battery! Wow.

Sadly, none of the functions work very well. Both the AM and FM reception are very subpar. AM reception could only receive the strongest stations and they bled over adjacent frequencies. Many stations that I could pick up on a cheap pocket radio could not be picked up on this radio. FM was worse, only picking up a couple of very powerful local stations.

Weather band worked, but only barely. I was able to pick up many more channels on a little Grundig/Eton wind-up.

FRS/GRMS radio functions were similarly mediocre to poor.

Cranking was more awkward than on other emergency radios that I have used including those by Freeplay and Grundig.

On a positive note, the LED flashlight is nice and the clock/alarm is also a nice feature. You also get a lot of accessories, including an external mic, both car and AC chargers and a carrying strap.

Overall, I was disappointed by this radio. The fact that others like it suggests to me that there may be a lot of variability between radios. However, in general, I would pass on this radio. There are many inexpensive GRMS/FRS radios that would do a better job. If you are looking for a good emergency broadcast band radio check out those made by Freeplay or Grundig/Eton.

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I bought this radio based on Google reviews as I wanted a crank AM-FM primarily. But the GMRS side of this radio is superb, the NiMH battery with additional AA alk options, hand mic/speaker are most welcome.

I use FRS/GMRS quite a bit both on the Motorola commercial side, Ham and family. I have used scores of different radios from $10 junk FRS walkies to $1000 commercial 2-way. For the price, the GMRS performance is excellent. Sensitive receiver, credible power (not published; but I'm guessing 2 watts on the GMRS channels), good carrier and PL/DCS squelch systems and all the junk beeps and bops are disabled by default. The weather and other features are icing on a a fine cake.

Only downside for my application is that the size of the unit is fairly large. It currently is on 7/24 in my office sitting on GMRS channel 7, PL 22. It is replacing my desktop Audiovox 2000 as my full time monitor radio.

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I just got my Midland XT511 today; This unit pulls in wx signals with clearer and louder reception than my Cobra WXST and my Cobra Microtalk. It also pulls in am and fm frequencies with more clarity and loudness than my Grundig FR200. I also sent out on my familys' GMRS channel a call and in moments got two reports back from my brother who lives about 1/4 mile distance and my father who lives about 1/3 mile distance. Its not actually printed on the box or owners manual that the XT511 transmits at 5 watts output while on Hi, but I will assure you with confidence that 1/3 mile distance with loudness and clarity through homes packed with all sorts of electrical appliances is impressive enough to suggest the full 5 watt output is being emitted from the XT511. Another point of interest that perhaps sets the Basecamp as more of a Basestation above all of the walkies; I've yet to hear the annoying chirp that barks from my Cobras, I believe the autosquelch featured in the XT511 is some nice noise filtering that really keeps the barks and belches from stealing the peace, better squelch than my Audiovox GMRS-2000. On a critical note, I suggest that Midland should enhance thier AVP-7 battery pack and upgrade the 700-mah to something offering longer standby and transmit capability, perhaps 2500-mah or 2900-mah. This surely isnt a 300mw transmit like the radio shack walkies from yester-year and the solid state circuitry offers some loud audio thats going to suck down that old-tech 700mah pack quicker than the avp-7 was designed for. On a side note, the 4AA alkaline slots are a nice home for some 2500-mah energizers that I have charging(seperatly from the unit) as I write; perhaps Midland will make a slight engineering adustment and let you crank-charge the alkaline slots as though it were apart of the nimh system. Nevetheless, the Midland XT511 offers consolidated and refined features; someone or some commitee at Midland must be very happy and proud to be able to brainstorm something into existence that integrates this much form and function into a marketable product. I love my XT511, Thanks Midland.

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Being an Extra class ham operator, I am always looking for radios which could be used in an emergency. i.e. When a disaster has downed all forms of communication, Ham radio operators provided the communications for civil authorities & civilians. This radio is a welcomed addition to my shack. All of the features work as advertised, and work well! My other primary reason for purchasing this radio is my 30 year old son, who has Duchene Muscular Dystrophy. He has extremely limited use of only his fingers & speech. He now has this radio setting besides him on the #1 VOX setting. It is sensitive enough to easily pick his voice up, using the included mic, setting near his shirt collar. His speech comes over the receiver clearly. And best of all, we can now talk back to him, when he calls, needing assistance. I also bought the Midland GXT1000VP4 set of radios. We use one to monitor my son's frequency, while the 2nd charges. When the 'in-use' radio's battery is depleted, we simply set it in the charger and use the other, which is fully charged. It is a great addition for my son's piece of mind! THANKS Amazon for the great prices!!

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SONY ERICSSON HAZEL J20i / UNLOKCED GSM PHONE (BLACK)

I seem to be in a minority. Most phones these days seem to be touchscreens , or they have qwerty keypads. I don't like either. I prefer the normal numbered phone keypad. It's simpler to use, there's normal tactile sensation/feddback and you get T9 predictive text.

I personally feel that many of the phones are out there are not so much because consumers want them and the manufacturers are meeting demand, but the reversemanufacturers are spitting out more and more touchscreen phones and consumers are having to take them up. To me, proof of this is the Japanese market.

In Japan, touchscreen phones are the minority. For the last decade or so, Japanese phones have been far more advanced than those of the rest of the world, and they have always had phones with keypads and very large screens, be they sliders, clamshells, and even candybars. The last time a slider in the rest of the world had a "large" screen, it was the Nokia N96 and Samsung Innov8both 2.8 inches. In Japan, 3-3.5inch screens for sliders and clamshell phones have been the normal for half a decade.

Away, back to the Hazel :)

THE GOOD:

1. It's a slider with a large useable large keypad, so fingers don't keep bumping wrong keys. I like sliders and physical buttons

2. 2.6 inch clear bright screen with glass, so it's scratch resistant. It's larger than all other current sliders and clamshell screens, except the LG Joy. (3 inchlove the size, but crappy features as meant for teens)

3. Call clarity & volume is very good & I have no problems with it.

4. Texting is even better now because they have included 'conversations' as a feature. This means that all your SMS's with that person are included in a scrollable frame & you can see who said what & when, as it is dated. You don't have to go through your inbox and look up each individual message. Also, if you receive a SMS from that person while you are typing or reading, it automatically includes it, so you don't have to go out, than back in to update it.

5. Has camera for the back for photos and video, and one at the front, if you want to use the 3G features and have a vid call. I never use this feature though.

6. Camera and video are quite good. Some reviews say the video is only "adequate". I have no problem with it.

7. Reasonably fast phone. Moves between screens smoothly.

8. Good value for the price. I keep thinking back to the Nokia N95 and comparing the two.

NOT SO GOOD:

1. The theme of the Hazel is 'eco', & there are some software add on's so you can see how many steps you took today when walking, or something about some Panda. Gimmicky stuff of no real use. The box it comes it is also smaller, saving paper, apparently.

2. The keypad lighting is quite dim, so if you don't hold it up to the light at a certain angle, it's hard to see the numbers, as it seems to make the numbers look silver, blending it with the silver paint of the keypad. Also, the keypad is completely smooth, so there is no texture to differentiate the buttons for typing.

3. The MultiMedia window is unchanged from previous editions, so there's a lot of redundant button pushing, imho. E.g. If you press photos, you should instantly see your photos, right? No. You then go to another page with a whole lot of choices, most of which are irrelevant.

4. The phone doesn't look very attractive, imho. I feel this phone is substance over style. I have tried other phones which look better, but have less features, but in the end come back to the Hazel because substance is important too.

5. Perhaps the gravest mistake of all is the inclusion of earphones which are really really really pitiful quality. They are about the same quality as the earphones I got with my 1989 walkman. If you use the included headphones, you'll thiink the music player is useless. Fortunately for me, I had another set of SE earphones with their proprietary connection (yes, the Hazel has the SE connection dammit) and it allowed me to hear the true SE music player quality.

6. The last thing which annoys me abou the Hazel (which also applies to all SE phones) is the amount of screen real estate that is taken up by the showing the clock, date, alarm and mobile service provider. I think it takes up about 30% of the screen. Compare this to the Nokia N86, which is also 2.6 inch screen, but slots everything neatly into to lines at the top and bottom, leaving 85-90% of the screen free for whatever theme or wallpaper of your choice.

That's all I can think of for now. I don't use Internet, so can't talk about that, sorry folks! Hope this is helpful!

This is a tremendous phone. The best things about it are the camera, the applications, and the ability to use wifi. The GPS feature is amazing as well if you are willing to pay a bit more. I can't wait to use this phone when i travel in the future to save money on overseas expenses. Being unlocked certainly has it's benefits.

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The Sony Ericsson j20i 'Hazel' is a fine talk phone. I use my cell phone almost exclusively to talk. I have a computer to do the other applications. The phone is well built and has good feel in hand. High quality plastics are used. The sliding mechanism works well. Display is bright. Navigation is easy. Sound quality is good in both directions and callers sound normal. Design is good, however some may find it a little dated. The only complaints I have are minor. The battery is not up to the hype, although it still provides sufficient talk time for most individual's needs between charges. Hazel is from the 'Green' line of phones made by Sony Ericsson which means many other used products were recycled to help create the phone. I find being kind to nature admirable, but Sony E's audible reminder to unplug the charger when not in use to save electricity is annoying. This automated reminder reminds me of the 'Microsoft Paperclip Guy'. I nuked that bit of animation after about 3 appearances. The phone came from a third party ShopEBest.com. This company was prompt in providing me the product I ordered. The phone arrived in good working order which was a little surprising considering it rattled around in the box it was shipped in, making it prone to damage. ShopEBest could improve the cushioning within the boxes their items are shipped in. Outside of the shipping box issue, I would do business again with the company should I elect to do so. I recommend the phone.

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I used it for two years, and recently broke it very stupid way small piece a plastic got inside the slider, and cut main wire harness when I close the phone.

Great phone, I used it in my trip to NY for three days with almost no charging, and many times used GPS for long. GPS is very useful and easy to use, now I can't get to Galaxy's gps interface. Camera is pretty decent, although night pictures could be better, wifi really doesn't take much juice, but guys from tech support are useless (at least t-mobile staff), so you will need to google internet settings yourself. Although I couldn't find how to use camera (neither back camera, nor front)with Skype. Skype itself works fine. Any way I think, I even didn't use all features of the phone. And it's small. Small, and solid. Couple years ago I bought it brand new for about 170 or 180 bucks, so it totally worth the money. Actually, after Sony Ericsson it's difficult to use something else, that was second SE I had, they are way too good :-)

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The main attraction for me was the WiFi feature as I don't have data or 3G service because I really want the phone for a phone... With the WiFi I can tag along some open network (or closed network when I know the password) and use probably the best feature of this phone: the free Google Maps! It works like a GPS too. But since it is google maps, you can pan out, zoom in, move around, etc., using the phone as the most up-to-date map.

I have the WiFi add-on on my phone plan, but I could not find a new WiFi phone through my phone company.

Typing is frustrating, but it is so on any phone for me. The alarm and ring sounds could have been louder. A real manual, even in a downloadable PDF, would have been great, as the manual provided on the phone is hard to read and navigate through.

When double pressing the send button to call a recently called number, a multiple choice pop-up menu covers the screen. I could have done without this 'convenience' which does not even provided 'dial number' as an option. It takes some finger gymnastics to get the tempo right and just dial the number before the pop up covers the screen.

Reading my review one wouldn't surmise that I am happy with the purchase, yet quite the opposite, I am elated. A comfortable phone to handle, the keyboard is tacked away so you cannot dial accidentally, it has a very sensitive WiFi receiver and picks up the signal very easily. What else could I ask for!!!

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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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Logitech 2.4 GHz Cordless Presenter (Black)

• Launches slide show and allows escape.
• Has volume control and integrated laser.
• Works with any PC, no software required.
• 50 foot range.
• Long battery life
• 50 foot range
• Has volume control and integrated laser
• Launches slide show and allows escape
• Works with any PC, no software required

I have been using the Logitech Cordless 2.4 GHz Presenter for about three weeks. During that time I have used it in 18 one hour lectures. The presenter does everything it was designed to do effortlessly. I decided on the Logitech Presenter for a two reasons. First, it installs with no software. Just plug the USB radio transmitter/receiver into the back of your computer and it is ready to go. During my initial installation Windows XP said there was a problem, but everything operated just fine. Second, this presenter has a limited number of functions. It was my view that when giving a lecture the last thing you need is to have to hunt among a dozen or so buttons to do something. Also, more buttons increases the likelihood of hitting the wrong one. On the top the Logitech Presenter has 5 buttons: 1) forward, 2) back, 3) laser pointer which is between the forward and back, 4) F5/ESC which starts PowerPoint at the first slide or returns to the work view and 5) black the screen. All of the buttons are conveniently placed, work as promised and are easy to find without looking at them. On the left side is the on/off switch and volume control and on the right side is the button to set the countdown timer. The timer starts vibrating at set intervals 5 minutes before it reaches 0. It appears to use batteries sparingly. After about 18 hours of use the battery meter has yet to move.

There are two possible negatives to the Logitech Cordless 2.4 GHz Presenter. First, it has no mouse (I actually consider this a positive). So if you need to use a mouse in your presentations this is not the presenter to get. Second, it only appears to work with PowerPoint. It may work with other programs, but I have found no mention of it.

Based on the above review and the fact that the machine does exactly what it was designed to do, I give the presenter 5 stars. However, before purchasing one you need to decide if you really need its capabilities. If you regularly teach/make presentations in a large room it no doubt is handy. As Logitech advertises, the range is at least 50 feet. If you always present in a small room, the Logitech Cordless 2.4 GHz Presenter is really of little advantage. Nevertheless, it is cool to be able to change slides away from the projector. Perhaps the determining factor should be who is making the purchase. If your employer is springing for one, get it. If it is coming out of your pocket, consider carefully.

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I purchased this about two weeks ago, and have already used it several times. I'm just wrapping up my graduate education, and wish I knew about this sooner. If you present in teams, and usually have someone controlling the slides, you know how its difficult to sync your presentation with the other person. The Logitech Presenter puts the control into your hands. This also allows you to step away from the computer, and focus on the actual presentation than changing the slides.

This unit does the following:

start presentation/exit presentation

black out the screen (good for when you want to have people focus their attention on you instead of the slides)

forward/back, to navigate through slides

volume control

laser pointer

time limit notification (warnings at 5 mins and 2 mins)

Also comes with a compact fabric case.

Contrary to what a previous reviewer stated, this receiver is NOT a USB bluetooth receiver. It is only USB, and transmits at a 2.4 GHz frequency.

As some others have stated, this is NOT a mouse. The more expensive Logitech Presenter (that costs over $150) can double as a mouse.

I have only utilized the Presenter with PowerPoint. I do not know if it is compatible with other presentation software.

Pros:

The buttons are well positioned making it very easy to learn.

very light, fits comfortably in hand

the usb receiver is compact, and can be stored within the Presenter. I like the fact that it is so compact because on certain laptops, the USB slots are stacked on top of one another. With some other over-sized USB cords/receivers, it can cause trouble connecting both simultaneously. The compactness of the receiver is perfect!

battery indicator

comes with batteries

the laser pointer can double as a toy to play with a cat. my cat chases the red laserbeam all around the room. who knew the Presenter could be so much fun? :)

Cons:

time limit notifications can only be increased in 5 minute increments.

the USB receiver can easily be put into the Presenter in the wrong way, making it somewhat difficult to take out.

did not work on a couple older laptops. They were both running WinXP. However, these could be isolated incidents.

Took at least 30 seconds on new systems for the Presenter to be recognized and set up.

No resume feature

The fabric case should have come with a belt clip

I took the Logitech Presenter to class, and fellow classmates loved it so much they all wanted to use it. They were able to learn it on the fly. This unit is money well spent!

Read Best Reviews of Logitech 2.4 GHz Cordless Presenter (Black) Here

I've owned 3 other remote clickers, and this one is the best by far. For starters, it uses AAA batteries which are easy to procure and replace, whereas other models use those little quarter-size batteries that require a special trip to Radio Shack to buy. Plus, AAA's hold more juice to begin with, AND this clicker has an on/off switch, whereas others turn off on their own after time without use, meaning after they drain the battery! The transmitter on this clicker has plenty of power to reach the back of the computer/USB receiver stub from long distances, whereas others require the presenter to be close to the computer because they transmit a weak signal. The form factor of this one is perfect in your hand and the buttons are easily used, even by people unfamilar with it -it's very intuitive. It has a very useful timer/clock that allows me to watch how much time I have left to finish my presentation -it will also vibrate in my hand with 5 minutes to go, 2 minutes to go, and when my time is up. It allows me to add more time on the fly. This remote clicker is absolutely perfect in every way, and I can't tell you how many colleagues have purchased one after they tried mine. Don't waste your money on anything else -they really got it right in all the human factors/UI aspects and all the engineering aspects when they made this.

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My husband "bought me" the other Logitech cordless presenter (which costs about 3x as much as this one) a year or so ago because, as a high school teacher, I often use PowerPoint to teach new lessons and to show photos of unfamiliar events or references in literature. The truth is, I took the thing to school once before he hijacked it for his own laptop/flat screen combination and used it as a glorified cordless mouse, with laser pointer.

Honestly, this little thing is a lot more convenient than the other one for use in a classroom, and the reduced cost makes me less concerned about it "getting jacked" by one of my well-meaning but sometimes-misdirected students. It doesn't have the cordless mouse functionality, so I can't switch between programs. It's pretty much only functional for use with PowerPoint, but that's fine for me. I can now move around my classroom freely, switching back and forth between slides and pointing out specific things on the screen without having to be right next to my computer. It helps to be able to spot-check my students' progress and walk the room, and students everywhere are just more attentive when they see presenters who can actually move more than in just a 5-inch radius. I also love being able to "black screen" the TV at certain points (to answer questions, to address side issues, at the end of the presentation) without having to interrupt my presentation/presence in front of the class.

I especially like the little case and the USB storage in the unit when it's not in use -I tend to lose things. I also like the size and feel of this presenter over the other one, which was too bulky for me. The 50-foot range is GINORMOUS, and not having to have "line of sight" to my actual computer is a lifesaver. I don't use the timer/vibrate feature at all, and the on/off switch is really easy to get to -not like the one on my cell phone that requires a lot of fumbling and fighting to get it to depress.

I bought this recently and it was easy to use. Most people have written on the positive side of things so I will just add some shortcomings. It can only be used for power point presentations. It would be better to use Keyspan or something like that which includes power point presentation and a mouse as well. Secondly, this does not have an auto time out. I tried it the night before but forgot to switch it off (there is no LCD light anywhere so one does not realize it is switched on), and the next day when I tried to use it at a presentation it was out of power! Other than that it is a really cool device and easy to use.

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iLuv iSP100pnk iSP100 Portable Speaker for iPod/MP3 Players & Laptops - Speakers - Retail Packaging

• Ultra portable stereo speaker
• Ideal for iPhone, iPod, and any other MP3 players
• Powerful built-in speakers
• Power indicator light
• Carrying pouch included
• Loud and high quality stereo sound
• Operates with 3 AAA batteries (not included)
• Compatible with any audio devices with 3.5mm jack
• Protective carrying pouch included

I've happily ended the long search for a pocketable speaker system for my mp3 player. The iLuv iSp100 is perfect for this use compact, fairly inexpensive, self-contained with its own micro plug. Runs on 3 AAA batteries so you don't drain your mp3 player. The speakers come with a drawstring pouch and are just the right size for pack or pocket.

The sound? First I tried Glenn Gould playing the Goldberg Variations, and found a nice range of sound solid midrange and definitely not tinny at the high end. For contrast, I played a couple of rocking numbers by George Thorogood. Jacked to nearly full volume, the speakers produced an ample high-quality sound that belied their size and price.

Highly Recommended! I'm going to tell everyone I know about these amazing little speakers.

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I have bought 5 other mini speakers, hoping there was good sound in a small package. From $4 to $24, every one of them was all treble with little midrange and NO bass. When I got this iLuv, I was expecting yet another tweeter-type speaker, but was AMAZED how much bass was coming out of this little unit. I grabbed some pocket radios with 2' speakers for comparison... NOT EVEN CLOSE! I'm sure there are some larger portable speakers that 'may' have more bass, but if you want small AND bass.... check out one of these. Almost NO distortion either!!! Rechargeable batteries work fine too!!! You won't be sorry.

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I read a lot of reviews before selecting these little speakers and even though people wrote how great the sound was for their size, I was still skeptical. Well, the sound is just as good as described. It's clear and not tinny at all. My one complaint is that it's far too easy to accidentally turn the speakers on. The little 'on' bar sticks out so it can get pushed in with very little pressure. If the switch went back and forth as opposed to in and out as this one does, it would be much better. Overall, if you're looking for small size and quality sound, these are fantastic.

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I love this product, works great and the sound is amazing. Just becareful cause sometime when it is in your carry on or purse the on button gets hit and then you might find yourself with some dead batteries. But love it none the less.

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Bought this speaker based on reviews from Amazon. I wanted soemthing compact that I could travel with and listen to my iPod in bed without the earphones digging in my ears. I purchased this back in November and LOVED it. Simple, sleak, decent enough sound for something small and I definitely intended to travel with it. Put it in a drawer by my nightstand and when I pulled it out again last night to use it, found that the on/off switch was broken. The contact has somehow gone bad and it will not stay on --press the button and it immediately goes off again. It's not the batteries and I definitely didn't abuse it! Quality control definitely NOT working on this one. Now I have to see if either Amazon or the manufacturer will replace it. What a hassle.

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Samsung K3 Ultra-slim 2GB MP3 Player, Red

This is an awesome player. I started with the YP-JAB model that has the slide out speaker, which I still have and am in love with. I decided I wanted the slimmer version for when I am exercising. The previous was a bit to bulky for me during this time but otherwise a non-issue.

The controls are a bit sensitive but adjusting the amount of pressure when using them will definitely do the trick. You don't have to press these controls just a little tap will do.

I have Microsoft XP and use Media Player 10 to sync my music edit my audio files and whatever else I need to do (don't really care too much for the Samsung Media Studio that is included in the software). Every thing works perfectly and performs as it should.

Creating playlists is a bit tricky and it took me longer than I wanted to figure out but once I had it, I was able to add my playlist as easily as I add everything else.

The only con as far as I am concerned is the lack of accessories for this device. I wanted to buy an arm band or a case for it and the few I found were very unattractive and all were black. I happen to love my red player so it would have been nice to buy a decent looking case that doesn't take away from the appearance of it. ~~~~~~~ All said, I definitely recommend this product and if you take the time to actually learn to use its features I am pretty sure that you will love it as I do!

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AT&T 962 2-Line Duplex Speakerphone with Caller ID (Dove Gray)

• 2-line operation
• Caller ID with call waiting and call waiting deluxe
• CLEARSPEAK duplex speakerphone, minimizes clipping
• 99-name-and-number caller ID memory
• Message-waiting/new-call indicator

Well I had hoped to replace my separate caller id and voice mail flashing light boxes with the built-in functions of this phone, but... the caller id function does not work. It will not scroll through all the calls received, and I found the new call light failed to flash when I had voice mail to receive, and it was impossible to turn off the new call light, I thought the phone was a defect and Amazon exchanged it, but the new one failed the same way. AT+T/Lucent 800 number in the manual was of no help either...

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I, for one, am very pleased with this phone. I bought it because the Visual Message Waiting indicator on my caller ID box wasn't working right, and I was sick of dealing with the two separate boxes. I'll agree the backlight being on all of the time is a little annoying, but otherwise I found it very easy to set up, the voice mail and caller ID features work great, and it's all-around a very good phone. For under $100, I found none better.

Read Best Reviews of AT&T 962 2-Line Duplex Speakerphone with Caller ID (Dove Gray) Here

I use this phone in my home office with Verizon caller-id and voicemail services and it works great. The caller id works for both lines as does the voicemail indicator light.

The phone was painless to setup. It is very clear which lines are in use, which lines caller id calls went to, etc.

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People complain all the time that they can't hear me when I speak on this phone. It does not matter if its the headset or the speaker. I even get cut off by answering machines who think I am not speaking. I do not recommend this phone.

this phone has all the makings of a great device. very good button layout, all the functionality one should need, a pleasant feel in the hand, an attractive package. BUT IT SUCKS!

the sound is nearly unusable. on the handset, people tell me i sound really quiet. on the speakerphone, they can barely hear me. on the headset, they can't hear me at all. additionally, the speakphone output fades away when there's even a little bit of ambient noise in the room -this is a common problem with home office phones but it's exceptionally bad on this model.

i've tried returning this phone and getting a new one a couple times but to the same result. i contacted AT&T to see if they could help but they gave me the cold shoulder. it's no use -this phone is awful.

i really want to like this phone but it can't. i'm only holding on to it until i can find a good, corded, two-line phone that works. any suggestions?

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Nokia C3-01 Unlocked Touch and Type GSM Phone--U.S. Version with Warranty (Silver)

I purchased this phone as a gift for my teenage daughter, she loves the phone...Initially, she was upset at me as I didn't ask her about her thoughts on what kind of phone she would prefer, so I thought I could use this phone if she didn't like it, well, after playing a bit with it, she got in love with this nice piece of technology...She is used to texting via traditional keypad, so she loves the idea of navigating through menus and options via the touchscreen while keeping the phone keypad for dialing and texting functions. Quality of the phone is great (my daughter has tons of pics she can keep in a large memory microSD card, so this is a plus too), the phone feels very resistant and the silver version is very elegant, fits perfectly into small pockets. You'll need to adjust touch screen sensitivity to your preferrences, but the phone has a good feature for completing this task easily. 3G and Wifi capabilities works great in my country, and even when my daugthers' sim card is from 2G technology, the phone has extraordinary reception at areas where her previous 2-3 Nokia phones (various Music express models) never had signal. Quality of pictures are awesome (have not used the flash at this time, but we'll see...). Overall, I highly recommend this phone for someone who needs good battery performance, nice quality pictures, all good stuff such as music, videos, etc., good signal reception and also wanting to keep keypad control for dialing/ texting while improving menu navigation through touch screen...Great product!

UPDATE! I had one of the first reviews for this phone, (maybe the first?) on Amazon and I can no longer recommend this phone for US customers. No US GSM carrier has sold this phone so Nokia has apparently decided it is not worth supporting in the US. They have some way of identifying the hardware and the new firmware is not available or downloadable through their software application. They have not only added features but according to release notes they have added bug fixes. Great, now I know I have a phone with software bugs that will never be fixed. My phone is also dropping calls indoors where I have never had problems with previous phones. I wonder if that is one of the bug fixes.

I tried to open a ticket with Nokia customer support, this was my response from May 3rd.

Thank you for contacting Nokia.

You will be receiving a reply from one of our Customer Care Representatives at the earliest.

Have a good day.

It's June 9th, haven't heard a thing. Nice way to treat your customers.

I had to replace the phone on my ATT plan ( Nokia Mural ) because the battery life was horrible, it dropped calls, would not receive calls and the menu navigation was awful.

I am not interested in a smart phone. My top priorities are battery life, call quality and ease of use. I could also care less about a camera in a phone. I also carry my phone in my pocket so the size and shape of this phone is important. For the 2 weeks I have owned this phone it has met all of these criteria. I went 3 days before the first charge and that was after playing with all the phones features like WLAN, bluetooth camera and media player and I still had battery left. The call quality is superb, people talking to me on the other end have also noticed the difference, no dropped callls so far. The ring volume is EXCELLENT! The main screen and goto menus are totally customizable so if you don't find this phone easy to use it is your own fault. The resistive touch makes navigation easy. The screen is also very clear and the picture quality is excellent. Texting uses the traditional key pad and utilizes the touch feature for special charachters. This phone is thin and the back is rounded so it carries well in my pocket, sometimes I forget it is there.

Now for the extra features. The camera takes pretty awful pictures but I find that true with most phones. Flash photography on this thing produces incredibly washed out colors. I the WLAN feature is great!, the default browser is very poor but it also comes with Opera Mini web browser pre-installed and that works surprisingly well. This does not surf the web as well as a "smart" phone but it is certainly tolerable. One of my favorite features is the * button can be held down for 3 seconds to turn on the camera flash for a flashlight. Love it! So far the software support from Nokia is poor because the phone is so new. There is no ActiveSync which I think is true for most phone. SUPL location, which uses tower triangulation to find your location, is available but I have not found an app that it works with yet. The java google maps does not support the touch screen. It comes with a built in mail app which support gmail. The is no plugin yet for Apple iSync. Hopefully there will be better software choices the longer this phone is out. The music player is relatively good, decent sound and a regular sized headphone jack is awesome. I also appreciate the ability to charge with both the Nokia barrel charger and micro usb.

I own an ipod touch which senses electrical conductivity, this phone differs in that it uses resistive touch which senses pressure. It is not as sensitive but has the advantage of not exposing a glass surface ( possibly more durable ) and you could still use it with gloves on. Once you get use to using the touch on this phone it goes smooth. It seems to work best with your thumb.

I would recommend this phone to anyone who likes to use their phone as a phone.

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This phone is one of the best innovations by Nokia. It combines both a touchscreen factor and a keypad design that users can make use of. The large keypad really helps for typing and the interface, as usual, is very user friendly.

There are somethings you have to be careful for... For instance, when you're sending a text message, if you accidentally touch the screen, you may hit the "cancel" button and your text will not go through.

I wish the text message interface woud be a little bit better. It just takes time to get to a text message especially if it's a recent one in my opinion. For some users it may not be a problem at all.

Also, this phone's vibration is a little light. You may not feel it vibrating for a call sometimes if you're walking or doing physical work.

Other than that, it's a really nice, SUPER slim stainless steel phone. the camera is very good. it has a flashlight. the dialpad is really large for your fingers.

Surely, the advantages outweigh the disadvantages & that's why I still use mine

Read Best Reviews of Nokia C3-01 Unlocked Touch and Type GSM Phone--U.S. Version with Warranty (Silver) Here

'Bought this phone about a month ago, I think it's fantastic. 'Best advice I have to give is know what you're looking for in a phone. Pictures are decent if you hold the camera extremely steady, video is average, call quality is good, honestly it's average.

The selling points it had for me include:

-Hefty phone, it's not flimsy especially w/ the Stainless steel backing I love it. The plastic isn't flimsy either.

-Wifi capable, not a deal breaker but it's convenient if you're bored in starbucks. No Ovi maps, but a physical map works just as well.

One of my keys creak, but I'm sure it's an isolated incident, 'still feels just as strong as the other ones and doesn't bother me at all.

I dropped this phone twice in the course of the same minute, and two of the keys were knocked loose (protruded slightly, but no play)

I googled dis-assembly for the phone and apparently nokia supplies a free manual for complete tear down of the phone, which I love.

If any think breaks on this phone, the screen for example, just get one for 20 bucks, look up the information, and install it yourself, no hassling with people over the phone.

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I have always been a Nokia fan, but their basic phones sort of disappeared during the smart-phone craze. This phone was described somewhere as a hybrid, and I have found that this is a very good description. I really didn't want a smart-phone, but this gives me the best of both worlds. Battery life is great, it's an attractive phone, and I can go on the internet if I want to. AT&T doesn't consider it a smart-phone, so I am trying out an unlimited internet access plan for $10 per month. If I want, I can drop that plan and get free wi-fi access where available. The free Ovi mail account is good for folks like me who don't want to "text" but who occasionally like to communicate via email on the go. I did have some trouble hooking up to the internet initially, but thankfully there are folks out there (on the web) who have left great trails of useful tips--and so I programmed myself onto the AT&T links. I highly recommend this phone.

May 1 update: I'm still enjoying this phone, but buyer beware: I have noticed that this phone "jumps around" without my hitting any keys. I'm not sure why, but just be very aware that you have actually "locked" your phone, and are back at the main screen when you're done using any application.

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