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Roberts CRD51B Glowtime DAB/FM RDS Digital Clock Radio-Black
See it at Amazon.co.uk for £38.30Average Customer Rating
(2.5 out of 5)
Amazon Customer Reviews
Most Helpful First | Newest First | + Share45 of 46 people found the following review helpful:
A DAB Radio with Alarm but No Clock?
(2 out of 5) by MaxiMoog on Nov 27, 2007 (Wirral)As a DAB radio it's fine but as a Clock Radio it is completely flawed:
1) The display is way too bright (why don't they revert to LED rather than backlit LCD?).
2) To set the alarm you need to have the radio on!
3) To cancel the alarm you need to have the radio on!
4) The display is angled upwards so if you're eye level is below the unit the display is not visible: all you can see is the blue glow of the backlighting.
and finally the worst point......
5) When the alarm goes off the full display shows the radio station name so it no longer functions as a clock!!
You lie-in listening to the radio and only news bulletins give you any indication of how late you've slept in.
After one night I took it back to the shop.
1) The display is way too bright (why don't they revert to LED rather than backlit LCD?).
2) To set the alarm you need to have the radio on!
3) To cancel the alarm you need to have the radio on!
4) The display is angled upwards so if you're eye level is below the unit the display is not visible: all you can see is the blue glow of the backlighting.
and finally the worst point......
5) When the alarm goes off the full display shows the radio station name so it no longer functions as a clock!!
You lie-in listening to the radio and only news bulletins give you any indication of how late you've slept in.
After one night I took it back to the shop.
18 of 18 people found the following review helpful:
Avoid
(1 out of 5) by Mr. A. Clark on May 10, 2008 (London)I really hate this clock radio. It boasts some of the worst usability I have ever come across on an electrical product. The actual process of setting the alarm seems to be a real chore considering you have to turn the radio on to set it (why?????). I have the display disabled most of the time because the brightness is so rediculous; it's like sleeping next to a super nova. In addition, the alarm doesn't seem to turn itself off, so if you happen to stay out at night you'll arrive home to the sound of an extremely loud alarm that no doubt will have your neighbours going insane. My favourite bad feature is the fact that having the radio on removes the clock display so to find out the time you've got to turn off the radio. A disastrous piece of engineering..avoid at all costs.
25 of 26 people found the following review helpful:
Roberts CRD-51 alarm?
(1 out of 5) by R. Scholey on Jan 28, 2008A nice looking and seemingly well put together piece of kit, the radio function of which is excellent.
However, as an alarm, I can give it no marks whatsoever - I'd even go so far as to describe it as "not fit for purpose". To set the alarm requires 22 (yes 22!) steps, all of which must be carried out within 5 seconds of each other; miss one step and you have to go back to the beginning and start again. After several attempts I got as far as step 9 before losing it, giving up and digging out my portable alarm clock to wake me up.
The nice lady on the Roberts helpline suggested that I train myself and develop a rhythm, and that she knew 80 year olds who could do it. No thanks Roberts, if I wanted to develop a rhythm I'd join a dancing club!
Why cannot Mr(s) Roberts, change this idiotic programming method?
Not recommended.
However, as an alarm, I can give it no marks whatsoever - I'd even go so far as to describe it as "not fit for purpose". To set the alarm requires 22 (yes 22!) steps, all of which must be carried out within 5 seconds of each other; miss one step and you have to go back to the beginning and start again. After several attempts I got as far as step 9 before losing it, giving up and digging out my portable alarm clock to wake me up.
The nice lady on the Roberts helpline suggested that I train myself and develop a rhythm, and that she knew 80 year olds who could do it. No thanks Roberts, if I wanted to develop a rhythm I'd join a dancing club!
Why cannot Mr(s) Roberts, change this idiotic programming method?
Not recommended.
10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
Lovely little thing - but flawed
(2 out of 5) by A Ryder on Nov 20, 2007 (London UK)I bought one and loved it, despite agreeing with my fellow reviewer about over-complicated alarm menus. However, after one week the unit started buzzing intermittently, sounding like the loud transformers in light dimmer switches. Then after a further week, the display failed altogether and I now can't see what station I'm listening to, the time or anything else useful! I hope it's just a rogue unit, but I'm disappointed nonetheless.
31 of 34 people found the following review helpful:
Finally a DAB clock radio worth buying - price just ok too
(5 out of 5) by Stephen Peacock on Nov 14, 2007 (uk)Most DAB radios and certainly clock radios seem to have been designed by old fogeys. This one at least looks a bit more modern. Sound is good for a clock radio. I did get the Roberts 29 which was dreadful, designed by a tone deaf illogical person, plus £100 is mad for a clock radio.
Bad points
There are some slight niggles though...
to change the alarm time you have to go through a whole menu system every time, and if you are setting the hour for the whole and dont complete it within a set time period it 30 secs or so then it reverts back to the orginal alarm time.
To change the alarm you have to turn the radio on - very strange and not good if you other half is already asleep and the radio volume was set to high volume
Still expensive for an alarm clock but cheaper than almost all
single line text
strangelt standard text shows time and 2 letters for the day (hmm date would be better though that can be retrived via a key press)
Good points
You can dim the backlight or switch it off....hoorah they have listened.
Good size - very small.....i looked at at the Roberts CRD33 but that is monstorously large..made the weighty and fat CRD 29 look very small
You can adjust the alarm volume before the alarm goes off from silent (??) to very loud (hehe!) - - hoorah this BASIC feature is on this one - theyve listened.
All in all though well happy with it as the bad points arent massive ones
Bad points
There are some slight niggles though...
to change the alarm time you have to go through a whole menu system every time, and if you are setting the hour for the whole and dont complete it within a set time period it 30 secs or so then it reverts back to the orginal alarm time.
To change the alarm you have to turn the radio on - very strange and not good if you other half is already asleep and the radio volume was set to high volume
Still expensive for an alarm clock but cheaper than almost all
single line text
strangelt standard text shows time and 2 letters for the day (hmm date would be better though that can be retrived via a key press)
Good points
You can dim the backlight or switch it off....hoorah they have listened.
Good size - very small.....i looked at at the Roberts CRD33 but that is monstorously large..made the weighty and fat CRD 29 look very small
You can adjust the alarm volume before the alarm goes off from silent (??) to very loud (hehe!) - - hoorah this BASIC feature is on this one - theyve listened.
All in all though well happy with it as the bad points arent massive ones