Sony ICF-C773 Dream Machine AM/FM Clock Radio With Fifteen Station Presets Review

When it comes to consumer electronics, I expect a certain amount of embellishment in the product portrayal, but with the ICF-C773, Sony has come precariously close to the realm of blatant false advertising. From the misleading description to the blatantly false picture, nothing about this clock delivers what it promises.

Based on the description, I *thought* that the clock would gradually ease me out of sleep, with a warm soothing light and soft music.The Amazon product description talks about a "calming effect" and adjustable illumination.Sounds nice, doesn't it? Instead, when this thing goes off it is like the apocalypse has finally arrived. The harsh, alien, LED lights will blink on and off, and if you combine that with the godawful alarm tones, you will find yourself leaping out of bed and looking for a weapon of some sort. Infuriatingly, you have NO control over this blinking feature, other than to turn off the light completely.

Right now, I bet you are thinking to yourself: "Well, at least it looks cool..." Alas, no. It seems that Sony could give Maxim magazine some tips on airbrushing.The clock looks NOTHING like the picture. The sides of this thing are pure, bright white, from top to bottom. But what really stung me is the LCD display. In Sony's artistic rendering, the display is pure black and the numbers are pure white. This grossly misleading picture caused me to assume that the clock would just light up the numbers, like older clock radios do. This method produces easy to read numbers during both day AND night while producing a minimal amount of extra light at night.In reality, the entire display glows blue-white and the numbers are a slightly lighter shade. During the day you can barely see the numbers and at night you can read a book by the light this thing puts out. Thankfully, Sony included a low setting for the screen, which is OK for night, but makes the clock completely unreadable during the day.

Then there are the buttons, buttons, buttons. This thing is covered with buttons, and in what I am sure is some fiendish attempt to drive me to insanity, the buttons you will use the most are located on the back of the unit, where you cannot see them. Prepare yourself for countless moments of frustration as you fumble around the back of this thing pressing buttons until you get the right one. And while doing so, be careful not to bump the analog (not digital!) wheels that control the radio volume and light brightness.

This clock is a huge disappointment, not just because of the reasons above, and not just because of the grossly inflated price, but because it teases you with cool features that just don't deliver. Avoid this clock at all costs.

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Product Description:
The Sony ICF-C773 AM/FM Clock Radio makes it a lot more pleasant to wake up in the morning. The illuminated sides act as mood lighting, creating a more relaxed atmosphere. The new design and backlit LCD display let you enjoy your favorite AM or FM radio station in style. 15 station presetsNap timer Extendable snoozeLCD brightness control

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