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. Altec Lansing M302 Moondance Home Alarm Clock Radio for iPod and MP3 Players (Black)
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. - Ipod - Altec Lansing - Ipod Dock System - Ipod Dock'
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