July 20, 2006
iHome iPod Alarm Clock Review
The iHome is an alarm clock that doubles as a dock and speakers for your iPod. I don't usually do reviews of products on here (because I don't usually own any of the snazzy things I write about), but I've enjoyed this clock enough that I thought I'd share my thoughts. Yeah, I know, alarm clocks and "enjoyment" don't exactly go hand-and-hand, but here are the features that make this one a winner for me:
- It charges my iPod and can play music, podcasts, etc. at the same time.
- It has an excellent battery that will keep the clock running if it gets unplugged, and this is huge for me because I hate resetting clocks after a power outage (Recently, I couldn't find my regular iPod charger, so I took the iHome on a six-hour trip from Seattle to Spokane, and when I got there and plugged it in, it still had the time displayed).
- It has a sleep function that gradually turns the volume down on your iPod as you're going to bed, so you don't get jerked awake when a boisterous song slips into the playlist 5 minutes before it was set to turn off.
These are just the features that matter to me. It does all the other typical alarm clock stuff (you can choose to wake to radio, buzzer, or your iPod). I've had it a year, and I move my iPod in and out of the charger at least once a day, and I haven't had any technical issues. As I mentioned, it's survived road trips too.
Anyway, the iHome is available online over at Amazon for $76 (which figures, since I paid $100 for it at Best Buy last year), and you can get it in either white or black: iHome iH5 Clock Radio for iPod
