8/14/2010

RCA RP5405 AM/FM Clock Radio Review

RCA RP5405 AM/FM Clock RadioI asked for this clock for christmas because I wanted a clock with an adjustable snooze time. This isn't it. Amazon's product description is wrong - once I got the clock and set it up, I couldn't find anything in the manual about the adjustable snooze, so I checked on RCA's website and this clock does not have that feature.

I returned the clock and told amazon about the product description being wrong back in January, but lo and behold, here it is almost April and they haven't fixed it yet. I'm sure this is a fine clock that works well and you can't beat the price, but if you are looking for the adjustable snooze, you won't find it here.

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Product Description:
The RP5405 AM/FM clock radio is the perfect companion in the morning. The 0.6-inch LED, soothing green display offers a pleasant encounter when you wake in the morning. This radio features an AM/FM tuner with rotary tuning and volume dials. The programmable sleep feature will play the radio up to 2 hours before automatically turning off, allowing you to gently fall asleep to the radio. Its alarm can be programmed so that you can choose to wake-up to the buzzer or to your favorite radio station. The programmable snooze can be set to ring between 1 to 30 minutes, or by the default setting of every 9 minutes. It also features a nap function that can be set as a quick alarm for a short interval of sleep without disturbing the alarm settings. You can set the nap function in 10-minute increments up to a total of 2-hours of naptime.

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8/13/2010

Sony ICF-CDK70 Under Cabinet Kitchen Clock Radio with CD-Changer Review

Sony ICF-CDK70 Under Cabinet Kitchen Clock Radio with CD-ChangerI have to come clean.I wrote a scathing review of this unit earlier today.Last night, I set this up in our kitchen, but after fumbling for a couple hours to get decent reception from the ac cord/antenna, I gave up.Static and poor audio from every station on the fm dial -- and we live well within the bounds of Washington DC's radio coverage (and get great reception from all of our other radios and stereos).Well, joy of the internet!I read that refrigerators can interfere with other electronics that share the same outlet and can even interfere with electronics that are simply in the vicinity. As it turns out, I had indeed plugged the radio into the same outlet as the fridge and while I had tried everything to improve receptio last night -- even adding and extension cord to increase the "length" of the ac antenna -- it never occurred to me to try a different outlet.Sure enough, that did it.Problem solved.It turns out circuits with light dimmers can have a similar effect as fridges, too. Bottom line, make sure to select your outlet carefully.Sounds great now -- what difference.Can't seem to change the rating on this, but would give it 4 stars now, at least.

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Product Description:
Interior oriented design - brings the entertainment center into the kitchen with a 3CD Changer and mounts under a cabinet so it takes up no precious counter area

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8/12/2010

HELLO KITTY AM/FM Alarm Clock Radio Review

HELLO KITTY AM/FM Alarm Clock RadioMy mother got me this as a gift to replace my smaller Hello Kitty alarm clock. I can safely say after a year, it still works the same as it did the day I got it. It's very cute and mucho easy to use. I'd recommend it to anyone looking for a cute Hello Kitty alarm clock.
Warning: The beeping for the alarm is annoyingly loud. So, if you set it to beep when you wake up, be prepared to wake up. It always shoots me out of bed!

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Product Description:
Get the day started off right when you wake up with Hello Kitty. This AM/FM Clock Radio allows you to wake up to an alarm, or for those sleepyheads, hit the 9-minute snooze button. If you like to fall asleep to music, there is a "sleep to music" function with an auto off! Power: AC120V/60HZ.

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8/11/2010

GPX CR2307 AM/FM Clock Radio (Black) Review

GPX CR2307 AM/FM Clock RadioThe numbers are so easy to read and the great red color doesn't annoyingly brighten up the room like my husbands old bright blue numbered alarm clock did.It makes for a more restful sleeping transition for us.

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Product Description:
GPX CLOCK RADIO AM/FM

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8/10/2010

TIMEX T101B Extra Loud LED Alarm Clock (Black) Review

TIMEX T101B Extra Loud LED Alarm ClockIf you just need an alarm clock to tell the time and get you out of bed get this one.It more than gets the job done.I was looking for a bedside clock, no radio, no projection, no gimmicks, and after a very very long internet search came across this nice little clock.If you're just looking for a basic alarm clock for a low price this is the one to get!It has more bells and whistles than a regular clock, 9 minute snooze (of course it MUST have the SNOOZE feature), automatic reset/off alarm button, on/off alarm button, and loud/soft alarm noise button.This really will look attractive on your bedside/living room end table/kitchen counter and it comes in different colors too.The black looks very attractive on my bedside table.It has good heft/weight to it too, giving it a feeling of a quality made product that will last for years.The brightness of the display is perfect, not too dim, not too bright.I was looking at analogue clocks but this one is a beauty compared to the two previous analogue clocks I had and has a PM light indicator, Alarm On indicator, and a low back up battery indicator besides.The alarm will go off for two hours before automatically turning off (leave home/apt. and forget to turn it off), and the snooze feature will go off every 9 minutes as long as you keep pressing it, and the feature will automatically turn itself off after 2 hours (do you really need more than that, reset the alarm).It is nice and compact so it doesn't take up too much room.Besides this clock is electric so batteries are no longer a concern.This is a nice quality, attractive product that seems like it will last a very long time (much better quality than my Timex battery powered analogue clock, much better looking, and it's both heavier and smaller at the same time).Other reviews state the snooze button is located too close to the alarm off button (may accidently press it instead), but I have had absolutely no problem distinguishing between the two buttons, especially given their size, and it isn't even a concern to me. I should also include that I thought analogue was the way to go, but the digital display on this is of high quality, is easy on the eyes at night, and having reach over to press a button to see the time in the dark is no longer an issue.So get this clock it's a no-brainer with more than enough features to ensure this is the alarm clock you will be glad you purchased.I think it's worth more than I paid for it!

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Product Description:
TIMEX T101B Extra Loud LED Alarm Clock (Black)

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8/09/2010

RCA RP5640 CD Clock Radio with Auto Time Set Review

RCA RP5640 CD Clock Radio with Auto Time SetI've had this clock radio up for one night so far, and I'm fairly happy with it.It's got the basic features of a clock radio/alarm right, in that it has a battery backup, tells the time, and does both the regular radio and weather radio things, as well as more which I haven't explored yet, I think.It has a number of other features, such as the ability to play and wake up to CD, which I was looking for.I was able to burn a mini-CD and use that in this unit.

The unit includes autodimming based on (lack of) ambient light, and you can select any of four colors for the display: green, blue, white, amber.The autodimming feature gets very dim indeed.I'm going to have to move the unit closer than its predecessor, which was around 6ft away.That's not a problem.People who want a dimmed display to be dim may be quite happy with this unit.

One big deal from my point of view is similar to those included in reviews here of older models of this clock: the design of the controls is not optimized for ease of use, but for looks.I had to SEARCH for the snooze button!The CD load button is where the snooze button should be, which may trigger an awful lot of accidental unloads.I figure I'm not alone in not being completely awake when an ALARM CLOCK is going off, which should have been taken into account in the design.

Other than the interface design, which I do in fact consider of critical importance, I quite like the feature set here.It will randomly pick a track, or let you pick one ahead of time for each alarm.It can be configured to repeat either the whole disk or one track or to repeatedly pick a random track, as far as I could tell, having not read the instructions in detail, going from the options which popped up on the display as I operated one of the buttons labeled with 6-sided dice.

About the instructions, I figure I should mention that accuracy was apparently not a high priority.In the bit about setting the clock, it says to press a particular button repeatedly until the CLOCK SET indicator came on.Oh yes, I'm overwhelmed with the precision of these instructions.

The unit came with the battery backup installed, so I didn't actually have to set the time.It includes a slide switch on the bottom of the unit for selecting one of four time zones, completely specific to the Americas, as well as a button for selecting Daylight Savings time.

Anyway, I've had the unit for one night, and it worked.The snooze button in particular got a workout, as did both alarms, to make sure they worked well.Yes, that's my story and I'm sticking to it.

We'll see what happens over time.This unit replaced one by another company which worked fairly well for 26 years, so that's what this one is up against.

UPDATE: I've now had this clock radio a few more days, and I've learned more. It turns out that it DOES indeed have a nice big SNOOZE button, but it's perhaps harder to see than it might be because the "SNOOZE" characters are impressed in the long button under the CD door.

When an alarm goes off, the display turns red, which I consider a nice touch.

Given all the above, I'd like to revise my rating to four stars.

UPDATE: I've now had this clock for 2 1/2 years.This morning, the alarm didn't go off at all.I have it set to use the CD for a music source.When I woke up, it displayed "ERROR".I haven't been able to open the CD door yet.If this clock has become that kind of unreliable, it's headed for the electronics recycling at the local dump.I'll find a unit from a different manufacturer which takes a memory chip containing MP3 files instead.I said it had to compete with a clock that lasted 26 years, and it lasted more like 30 months.

It's a shame 'cause I like the display and I'm, well, used to the shortcomings I listed earlier.And I'm used to the way the "snooze" time changes all by itself to smaller numbers (I thought I just hit it!It *can't* be 10 minutes yet!...and it's not, it's 2 minutes).And I'm used to how non-random the "random track" selector is.Whoever designed "random" for this thing seemed to like the middle track of whatever CD you put in it.Or maybe it just likes track 10 always.I'm unclear on that.

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Product Description:
The RP5640 CD clock radio by RCA is the perfect companion in the morning.The CD clock radio features digital tuning which tunes with maximum accuracy and minimum drift.It has a large backlit display that can be set to one of four colors making it easy to see and read.The CD clock radio has a motorized front load CD player for smooth and easy access.The CD clock radio can play mp3, CD-R, CD-RW and audio CDs.You can connect your mp3 player to the audio input jack and then sit back and enjoy your music without having to use headphone.Clock features automatic time set that will set the clock to the current Easter Standard Time once clock is plugged in.Simply flip the switch to select your current time zone.The clock automatically adjusts to different levels of brightness to accommodate for different lighting situations.Clock radio has two different alarm settings that are perfect for couples who wake at different times or for those who need a second reminder to wake in the morning and you can set the alarm to wake you up to the buzzer, your favorite radio station or CD.The battery backup gives reassurance that your alarm will sound even with the loss of power.

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8/08/2010

Denon S-32 Internet Radio with Built-in Speakers and 2-Alarm Clock Review

Denon S-32 Internet Radio with Built-in Speakers and 2-Alarm ClockI did a lot of research before I got this unit.It came down between the Philips Streamium and the Denon S32.I decided to go with the S32 because of past experiences with Philips - they make awesome products, but they have the nasty habit of canceling production AND pulling all support (Many years ago - 14 to be exact - I had a Philips Nino PDA, and all of a sudden: bye-bye! from the company!) Unlike other folks, I did read the description of this product, so I did not expect a CD nor a DVD player (weird!)

The pros: Internet radio, ability to create favorites lists - so it adds a semblance of organization to the thousands of radio stations that you can end up with! News from around the World, in their original languages. I speak several languages and this is a great way to keep the practice up! Deep rich sound, not over bassy like other systems.I love the high contrast white led display - I can read it from almost any angle (while in bed - perfect!) and you can always dim it if you think is too bright.I also really like the sleep function, I like to read before going to sleep and this function serves as a reminder!

The cons: no Mac support! What up with this???!!! Even though it says: "Plays audio stored on PC or Macintosh computers..." NOT true... I read the instructions, top to bottom and unless I missed something (or I was having too many drinks!) I did not find any mention whatsoever of Mac, anywhere, at all! - that's the 1st star off.The 2nd star off comes because of poor WiFi reception.It comes with a bitty 3db antenna, come on, for the price, they could've thrown in at least a 7db antenna!I have a "Chumby" ([...]) which is also a WiFi radio player (of sorts) and this bitty thing has much better reception than the S32 unit; I solved the problem by getting an Airport Express and extending the coverage of my Airport Extreme... kind of disappointed about the reception issue (but solved by spending $100 extra!) Another fact, but I do not consider it a negative (more or less) is that I cannot charge my iPhone on the S32 - kind of silly, when almost all iPod products coming out these days CAN charge the iPhone - but then I appreciate the peace and quiet of not having a phone in my room when I go to sleep!

Overall:Highly recommend it!

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Product Description:
The Denon S-32 wireless network music system with built-in speakers and 2-alarm clock, one of Denon's first two networked audio products, delivers a smart way to play music from your computer throughout the home. The WiFi certified S-32 offers the ability to stream music either via Ethernet, or wirelessly, from internet radio sources and other network attached storage devices such as PC or Mac computers on the network. The S-32 built-in speakers were targeted to have internationally accepted sound reproduction that is excellent for music with a powerful bass response. Its mono-out allows the use of separate subwoofer of one's choice if ever required. The S-32 comes with a clock with two alarms with auto clock set-and-adjust via internet, and FM/AM radio as well as a built-in dock for iPod for easy drop-in functionality.

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