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Philips AJ3136 Groovy FM Alarm Clock Radio
See it at Amazon.com for $7.00Average Customer Rating
(4.0 out of 5)
Amazon Customer Reviews
Most Helpful First | Newest First | + Shareit is a ok staff
(3 out of 5) by Zuo Xue on Jan 9, 2007Not very practical, especially it is a ball-shape, you have to handle it with care, or it would generate big noise
A cool clock, an okay alarm
(3 out of 5) by Amber Hathaway on Dec 26, 2006 (Boston, MA)This clock is certainly the most unique one I've ever had, with the positionally-dictated alarm sounds and the clock face flip-flopping whenever the position is rotated. It's extremely cool and works well as a regular clock (though you do have to press the face to get the backlight to come on, which I thought was silly).
The worst thing, for me, was the alarm setting/resetting functionality. The buttons are small and hard to find when it's 6am and you're fumbling without your glasses on. The snooze (pressing the face of the clock) is easy, but actually turning the alarm on and off requires a button hunt, and setting the time for the clock and the alarm is a pain.
That being said, it will wake up even sound sleepers (and for me, a person who will wake up to crickets, the submarine sonar ping and the frog noise aren't terrifying first thing in the morning). It certainly works, and after being beaten up in a dozen moves and drops, it still flips correctly (though flipping it to another alarm/display position makes this loud noise that I sometimes forget about and it scares the hell out of me) and works. I recommend it for someone who doesn't need to snooze more than a couple of times (as a previous reviewer said, the snooze does stop after a few hits, so beware) or someone who just loves funky gadgets, as this surely qualifies.
The worst thing, for me, was the alarm setting/resetting functionality. The buttons are small and hard to find when it's 6am and you're fumbling without your glasses on. The snooze (pressing the face of the clock) is easy, but actually turning the alarm on and off requires a button hunt, and setting the time for the clock and the alarm is a pain.
That being said, it will wake up even sound sleepers (and for me, a person who will wake up to crickets, the submarine sonar ping and the frog noise aren't terrifying first thing in the morning). It certainly works, and after being beaten up in a dozen moves and drops, it still flips correctly (though flipping it to another alarm/display position makes this loud noise that I sometimes forget about and it scares the hell out of me) and works. I recommend it for someone who doesn't need to snooze more than a couple of times (as a previous reviewer said, the snooze does stop after a few hits, so beware) or someone who just loves funky gadgets, as this surely qualifies.
It depends on your point of view
(5 out of 5) by Jorge Solis Aguero on May 17, 2006 (Costa Rica)At least for me it works really well and I like it!
You have to take into accound that this Clock Radio ONLY USES BATTERIES (4 AA)!
+ You can wake up listening to your favorite radio station (is loud and reception is good).
- But that means is not right for you if you want to use it to be listening to music all day.
The display is backlit only when you press the face of the unit (otherwise the batteries wouldn't last too long):
+ Perfect if you like to sleep in the dark: so you don't have to worry about the brightness of the screen at night.
- No good if you want to be looking at it often at night.
----o----
Use:
+ Is very easy to use and the sleep funtion is activated by pressing the face of the unit, so it doesn't matter the orientation of the clock.
- You may have to spend seconds finding the buttons depending of the position of the unit.
I found the alarm sounds not loud enought (even the sonar). But if you set it up in radio/alarm works great.
The ALARM RESET / SLEEP button: If you want the alarm mode to be stopped immediately but also wish to retain the same alarm setting for the following day.
You have to take into accound that this Clock Radio ONLY USES BATTERIES (4 AA)!
+ You can wake up listening to your favorite radio station (is loud and reception is good).
- But that means is not right for you if you want to use it to be listening to music all day.
The display is backlit only when you press the face of the unit (otherwise the batteries wouldn't last too long):
+ Perfect if you like to sleep in the dark: so you don't have to worry about the brightness of the screen at night.
- No good if you want to be looking at it often at night.
----o----
Use:
+ Is very easy to use and the sleep funtion is activated by pressing the face of the unit, so it doesn't matter the orientation of the clock.
- You may have to spend seconds finding the buttons depending of the position of the unit.
I found the alarm sounds not loud enought (even the sonar). But if you set it up in radio/alarm works great.
The ALARM RESET / SLEEP button: If you want the alarm mode to be stopped immediately but also wish to retain the same alarm setting for the following day.
i can wake up
(4 out of 5) by E. M. Yakout on Jan 16, 2006 (alexandria, alexandria Egypt)its loud,lovely shape and cheap price.i wish that the backlight was brighter and the control keys were in front or any position with better accessability..like this i will give 5 stars for this product.
1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
A Really Cool and Unique Alarm Clock!
(4 out of 5) by David Smith on Dec 21, 2007 (Richmond, VA. USA)This is one really cool-looking alarm clock! I purchased this clock because I wanted a completely battery-powered clock as a back-up in case the power went out and also because I do alot of traveling.
The clock features an orange-colored backlight, three different alarm sounds (submarine sonar, froggie, and ringing bell) and the fourth alarm is the FM radio. To choose which alarm sound you want, you simply turn the clock so that the little icon for that sound is facing-up. The clock has an inner gyroscope that automatically flips the digital display right-side-up no matter which way you turn it - again a pretty cool feature!
Here are some Pro's and Cons:
Pros:
1. Very unique design
2. LONG LONG battery life (I bought mine in January 2006 and it's been almost 2 years and I haven't changed the batteries once! No kidding!).
3. Very compact - takes very little space on your nightstand and is excellent for traveling.
4. Alarms are pleasant to wake-up to, yet loud enough so that you don't sleep through them.
5. Very solidly-built.
Cons:
1. You have to push the orange outer part of the face to illuminate the backlight. This saves batteries, but in the night you can't just glance at the clock and see what time it is. This means you have to place the clock withing reach in order to see the time at night.
2. The time set, alarm set, and sleep buttons are located on one side which may not be on the side that you chose to face-up as your alarm. This means you may have to actually flip it over to turn on and off the alarm. Not a huge deal, but worth mentioning.
3. The tuner is one of those dial tuners (not digital). Most alarm clocks have the dial tuner so this isn't a huge deal - but the digital ones (like on car stereos) are much easier to tune than dial ones.
The clock features an orange-colored backlight, three different alarm sounds (submarine sonar, froggie, and ringing bell) and the fourth alarm is the FM radio. To choose which alarm sound you want, you simply turn the clock so that the little icon for that sound is facing-up. The clock has an inner gyroscope that automatically flips the digital display right-side-up no matter which way you turn it - again a pretty cool feature!
Here are some Pro's and Cons:
Pros:
1. Very unique design
2. LONG LONG battery life (I bought mine in January 2006 and it's been almost 2 years and I haven't changed the batteries once! No kidding!).
3. Very compact - takes very little space on your nightstand and is excellent for traveling.
4. Alarms are pleasant to wake-up to, yet loud enough so that you don't sleep through them.
5. Very solidly-built.
Cons:
1. You have to push the orange outer part of the face to illuminate the backlight. This saves batteries, but in the night you can't just glance at the clock and see what time it is. This means you have to place the clock withing reach in order to see the time at night.
2. The time set, alarm set, and sleep buttons are located on one side which may not be on the side that you chose to face-up as your alarm. This means you may have to actually flip it over to turn on and off the alarm. Not a huge deal, but worth mentioning.
3. The tuner is one of those dial tuners (not digital). Most alarm clocks have the dial tuner so this isn't a huge deal - but the digital ones (like on car stereos) are much easier to tune than dial ones.