Average Reviews:
(More customer reviews)The first thing you notice about the unit is the flat front, rather stark but common nowadays in i-docking devices. A slide-away dock is a neat feature if/when you don't need to dock your phone. The second thing that stands out is the drab color scheme. I'm no fan of battleship gray... The aluminum mesh front is fine but the shiny plastic panel on top calls out for a more imaginative color scheme. Maybe an unfair quibble.
I looked at a lot of units before choosing this one. At this price range most were cheap looking or worse cheap-feeling. This unit is quite solid and it works as advertised, all the features I wanted, in a tidy package that doesn't take up too much space on a bedside table. Where things fall apart a little for me is in the human interface. Nothing to make me return it but I wish I had seen/touched one before I bought it.
Pros:
1. Radio and sound quality are good. The rear of the cabinet sports a small bass speaker with a tuned port firing on either side. Volume is fine for a bedside radio and sound is good if not hi-fi.
2. Excellent iPhone (3GS in my case) compatibility. Occasionally the phone gives one of Apples patented "This device is not designed to work with iPhone" messages but I bet it's a connector-mating thing because the two ARE compatible and work as advertised. You can wake to iPhone music, to a buzzer or to radio.
3. The dock accepts Apple Universal adapters. I got an adapter (white sadly) with the case I bought for my iPhone and it makes for a nice trim fit that supports the phone well while docked. Slides away neatly when not in use too.
Cons (No deal breakers but things I feel are less than perfect):
1. The front face is blank of buttons except for 4 curious touch-activated switches top-right that select basic modes: radio, ipod etc. These are a little uncertain in operation but not bad. I imagine they could be troublesome for thicker fingers? Time-set, alarm set, station presets and other less-used controls are behind the flat front on the main body of the unit. Pretty standard stuff. The most often used controls (volume, snooze, tune etc. ) are on the top edge, in fact they ARE the top edge of the unit. They can be hard to tell apart in the dark but sense memory is a wonderful thing. Undocking the iPhone is a little awkward because your natural instinct is to undock the iPhone with a finger as a lever on the top edge just where the large Snooze bar is located.
2. Setting the wake times is easy enough but the nap and sleep modes are counterintuitive to setup and even worse to cancel.
3. The blurb boasts of "auto-timeset" but don't be fooled into thinking of atomic clock signals from Denver or sideband information from a PBS station. Basically they set the clock at the factory and inserted AA batteries to keep it going. When you first plug it in you choose your US timezone and it magically seems to know the time. Remove the batteries however and it's flashing digits like every other clock :-(
4. The clock display has two brightness levels though some may think even the dim setting too bright at night. More troubling for me is the limited viewing angle. Like most displays this one is designed for maximum clarity and contrast when viewed from above. Sadly when lying in bed most people will be either level or below the line of the display, making it harder to read.
So that's it. Not entirely comprehensive but hopefully useful. Regarding price, I think it's very reasonable for the quality of the unit but I would certainly like a more imaginitive color scheme :-)
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RCA RC65i Alarm Clock Radio with iPod/iPhone Dock (Black)The RC65i clock radio by RCA is the perfect companion in the morning. The clock radio features a large LED display that makes it easy to see and read in the morning. The clock features automatic time set that will set the clock to one of seven different time zones once clock is plugged in. Simply flip the switch to select your current time zone. The iPod docking station easily connects your iPod to the clock radio and is compatible with most iPods including the 3G iPhone. The elegant design with thin undercut and chrome trim treatment complements the iPhone 3G and allows for placement beyond the bedroom. The retractable docking drawer easily tucks away when iPod is not docked on the radio, creating a clean and chic look. Enjoy the quality of the high performance sound system that plays your music with clearly with crisp sound. Set the alarm to wake you up to the buzzer, to your favorite radio station or your iPod. 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. The 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. Enjoy the Graduwake ramp up alarm system that gently wakes you from deep sleep by gradually increasing the volume of the alarm. You'll no longer have a loud, rude awakening in the morning. The nap function can be set as a quick alarm for a short interval of sleep without disturbing the alarm settings.The 'No Worry" battery backup keeps the clock radio working during power outages. You'll no longer have to worry about being late to work or needing to reset the clock and alarm.
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