iLive IC308B Dual Alarm Clock Radio with Nature Sounds and iPod Dock (Black)

List Price: ~~$99.99~~
Discount Price: $48.00

Brand: iLive
Binding: Electronics

Features:

Docking station for iPod
Digital tune AM/FM radio
LCD & projection display
Wake to iPod, radio, buzzer, white noise or nature sounds

Customer Reviews:

Poor performance [Posted on 2008-06-05]
Really disappointing radio. Here are the problems I had with it:

1. Whenever you turn it on, the volume is always set at 20. This is really loud! I expected there to be some sort of 'volume memory'; when I set it at level 10, it should stay at level 10 when I turn it on the next time. It doesn't.

2. The nature sounds have a very clear "silent pause" when the sound loops. This is quite annoying to listen to a silent moment every 20 seconds when I'm trying to relax.

3. The digital time projection states in the manual that it is reversible. It isn't. When it's projected on the ceiling with the clock next to my bed, the projection is upside down. I should be able to reverse it, but I can't.

4. Customer service is virtually non-existent. The website only has .pdf versions of the instruction manual included with the item (which is woefully lacking). They do not have a toll-free support line, so be prepared to pay for a long-distance call. I called their customer service line to address my concerns, spent 40 minutes on hold, then was transferred to the voice mail of someone with a very thick Indian accent. Waste of time and money- thanks iLive!

I've returned this item. Don't make the same mistake I did by purchasing this POS!

could be so much better... [Posted on 2008-07-07]
Ok, I bought this unit to replace the "HoMedics iSound Spa Clock Radio with iPod Docking Station". My initial reason for buying the iSound Spa was the iPod docking and the time projection feature. The primary reason I was now trying to replace the iSound Spa was because the front clock display is so incredibly bright, that I have to keep it covered to be able to sleep at night. I still love the projection feature because if I wake up in the middle of the night, I can simply look up at my ceiling to see what time it is, instead of fussing with trying to move books and stuff out of the way to see my clock. I found the iLive unit here, and had high hopes that it would be a better designed version of the iSound Spa, but no such luck.

Despite the 'back-lit' time display (instead of a dark background and bright blue numbers like the iSound Spa has), the makers of this unit have a very minimal idea of what "dimming" is considered. Pretty much, you're options are, 1) blindingly bright or 2) not as bright but still way too bright for sleeping. My husband has a clock/radio with a similar back-lit display, but his has a dial along the side that allows a much broader spectrum of dimming (even to the point where you can turn the back-lighting completely off). I was expecting this to be similar based on the fact they have the same front display lighting system. I know I'm harping on this, but there's nothing more aggravating than trying to fall asleep with something as bright as a night lite sitting right next to you on the bedside table.

One other thing I didn't care for was that the projection display is red numbers instead of blue, like the iSound Spa has. It may be that the red light might be less "bright" than the blue light at night, but I cannot say for sure. After taking the iLive out of the box, setting it up and finding there was no way to really dim the front display, I put it right back into the box, and will be returning it.

Another thing I noticed, which I could imagine would be quite a problem for many people, is the volume. For some reason, no matter what you have the volume set at when you turn the radio/iPod/nature sounds off, when you turn it back on, it jumps right back up to 20! (which trust me, is very loud! I might even venture to say you could hear it over a hair-dryer or small vacuum.) Nowhere in the manual could I find anything relating to this issue. And since I'm not one for getting blasted by ear-shattering volume as a form of being woken up, it's another reason this unit is being returned ASAP.

If you don't have a problem falling asleep with bright lighting, and don't mind the volume thing, this is a pretty good option for a Clock/Radio/NatureSound/iPod dual alarm with time projection... granted it is 1 of only 2 options with all those features I have found so far. If there was more control over the back-lite dimming, and a more reasonable volume "memory", I would happily rate this much higher, but for the price, I'll just stick with my old iSound Spa and keep looking for more options down the line...

Nobody tested this product. [Posted on 2008-08-17]
Clearly, nobody tested this product before it went out the door. Shame on you iLive!

Pros:
* The alarm clocks, sound, and general functions are decent.
* Works well with the iPhone, if you put it in airplane mode.
* Projection display is very handy.

Cons:
* The blindingly bright back light makes the clock virtually unreadable. Nobody in my family can read it from more than a few feet away, in any kind of light.
* The radio and iPod volume are stuck on 20 when it first comes on.
* No way to adjust the snooze duration.
* Not shielded from cell interference. You can't use it with an iPhone unless it's in airplane mode. The volume of the interference is obscenely loud.
* Controls are haphazard.
* The projection display has no way to rotate the display. It seems backward on the ceiling, and too distorted on the wall to read.

Overall this is not worth keeping. I'll be returning mine tomorrow.

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