iPod Touch Alarm Clock

Now that I have my fancy schmancy new iPod touch, i've been looking into a new alarm clock that integrates with the iPod, since that is kind of the big new thing. My alarm clock is pretty old, and i'm always a nerd when it comes to new gadgets.

So I was poking around Wal-Mart and found this one made by Scosche for (I think) $79.95, or right around there - the Scosche iALM3. I had never heard of this brand before, but it was very professionally packaged (unlike most stuff you see at Wal-Mart). It also seemed like a great value as it has a pile of features:

* wake up to iPod or buzzer
* snooze control
* safely charges your iPod while the included AC adapter is plugged in
* 3.5mm audio input allows you to connect your iPod shuffle or other MP3 player
* completely portable with 6 AA batteries
* multifunction backlit display
* FM tuner with 20 preset stations

I got it home and got it hooked up (with the iPod attached), and it worked great. Very simple to use and a great sound to it. HOWEVER.......the display is absolutely terrible. It is a little LCD display (like on a digital wrist watch), and you can only read it from the perfect angle. On top of that, the backlight (which can only be manually turned on or off, not dimmed or anything) is a very bright blue which is so bright it actually hurts the eyes to look at. I tried to convince myself that I liked it and could deal with it, but it didn't even make it one night. I packed it back up and returned it to Wal-Mart the next day.

So my search continued for a good iPod Alarm Clock.....and I finally checked out Apple's official site at Apple.ca (which I probably should have done from the start). There, I found this nice little piece of equipment. The features for this one include:

* Dual alarms to wake at separate times to separate sources: iPhone/iPod, playlist, or AM/FM radio
* Reson8 speaker chambers for astounding clarity, depth and power
* Universal dock that charges your iPhone or iPod while it plays
* Distinctive design to complement any decor
* Infrared remote to control volume, EQ, alarm functions, radio, and navigate basic iPod and iPhone music functions
* 3D circuitry expands the sound field to enhance MP3 audio
* Touch-wheel tuning, setting and volume controls
* DST switch for quick daylight saving time adjustment
* 12 radio presets (6 AM/ 6 FM)
* Line in jack for connecting other audio sources, such as a computer or CD player

Now this one is a little pricier at $99.95 (although it does have free shipping), but some of these features sound excellent. For one, I was able to choose my color - so after some intense debating (well, actually I bought it online at about 2 AM on New Year's Day after being out partying all night, so my decision making maybe wasn't the best at that time anyway), I went ahead and chose the black one. The one thing that really clinched it for me was the sentence on the website that said "extra large blacklit display with dimmer for easy control and readability.". The fact that it comes with a remote, has dual alarms, automatic Daylight Savings adjustments, Atomic clock (sets on its own), and some of those other goodies really didn't hurt either.

So this unit is on the way...and if I get around to I plan to give my take on it once I use it for a few days.

Knowledge Is Power
CM