COBY MP-C341 Portable MP3 Boom Box w/256 MB Flash Memory & SD Card Slot Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)The Coby MP-C341 boom box is the real deal.For the price, you really can't go wrong with this product.I can't think of a better companion to hit the beaches with this summer.

It is not only a boombox but also an alarm clock, an FM radio, external speakers for your iPod, and a direct-to-mp3 recording device.Try getting that from other manufacturers.Let alone for the price of $100 or less.

On the outside, it looks like a white gigantic capsule.Something a giant would swallow when he has a headache.Four speakers are embedded in front for pumping out your favorite tunes.There is a 4-line orange-yellow display right in the front center; just adequate enough to display its current mode.The slots and connectors are at the back for additional SD card, USB cable, AUX in and earphones. You don't even need to buy the cables, they come with unit.The only thing you need to shell out your money for is an extra SD card.

The boombox supports two digital audio formats:WMA and MP3 up to 256 Kpbs.As expected, it does not support DRM, so you can't play any of encrypted WMA song files.The sound quality is what you'd expect out of a low-to-mid end speaker.But still, pretty good.The 256MB internal memory is hardly enough storage.So I suggest buying an additional SD card for this little baby.

What if you already have loads of your music on your iPod already?Well, no fear.Use this boombox as your external speakers.Just connect the provided audio cable from your iPod to the AUX-in jack and you're rockin'.

OK, I saved the best for last.If you're still not impressed with this device, at least get it for its direct-to-mp3 capability.Still have a 45's collection?Convert those into mp3 using this device.Connect the boombox to the audio source and hit the "Record" button.it cannot be simpler than that.In addition, you can also record off the built-in radio or internal microphone.

Why am I not giving it 5 stars?Well, two minor things:the build quality and that 4-line display (hardly enough to get any detailed information).

Want more information?You can contact me at [...] and I'll be happy to share my experience on this device with you.

Click Here to see more reviews about: COBY MP-C341 Portable MP3 Boom Box w/256 MB Flash Memory and SD Card Slot

Product Description:
An ideal choice for those looking to take group jam sessions on the road, the Coby portable MP3 boom box comes with 256 MB of built-in flash memory and an SD card slot for unlimited playback capacity. Measuring only 11 inches long and only 3.3 inches in diameter, the boom box's capsule-like shape makes for an easily portable device. The convenient size and shape of the boom box makes it easy to throw it in a backpack or beach bag, and it even comes with a detachable shoulder strap should you want to carry the device alone. Complete with four built-in speakers powered by four C batteries (included), you'll have enough volume output to party like it's 1999, no matter where you are.
Loading music onto the boom box is simple: All you need to do is connect the boom box to a PC or Mac with the provided USB cable, drag files onto the device, and then you're ready to rock and roll. The boom box also features a digital voice recording mode and real-time MP3 encoding, useful when you want to record directly from other audio devices or live performances. A built-in FM tuner helps you keep tabs on current weather and news updates. To ensure that a variety of playback comes out loudly and optimally clearly, the series of equalizer presets includes normal, classic, rock, jazz, and pop. Other great features include an easy-to-read LCD screen that can display song title and artist information, an alarm clock, mass-storage capabilities, and upgradable firmware. Designed for plug-and-play convenience, the boom box supports Windows 98 SE, Windows ME, Windows 2000, Windows XP, and Mac OS X operating systems.
What's In The Box
MP-C341 portable MP3 boom box, AC adapter, USB cable, stereo earphones, shoulder strap, and installation CD.

Stereo headphones help deliver optimal sound for your MP3's.

The included USB cable delivers plug-and-play convenience.

Want to read more honest consumer review about COBY MP-C341 Portable MP3 Boom Box w/256 MB Flash Memory and SD Card Slot now ?

Philips PSS110 GoGear ShoqBox 256 MB Personal MP3 Sound System Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)I got this little guy hoping it could be a good alarm clock replacement, but I've found that it doesn't work so well in that regard. That is not to say that it is a bad music player though, it's just not meant to be an alarm clock.

It looks like it would be perfect as a portable speaker set for an iPod or something, due to it's size and rechargeable battery. Or if you didn't have a computer at work and wanted something you could bring in to play music files on. It's very portable.

The good:
1. sound - puts out some pretty decent sound considering the size.
2. size - smaller than I thought it would be. not pocket-sized, but not prohibitively big or heavy either.
3. looks - very polished design.
4. accessories - comes with cord antenna, line-in cord & carry case, all good add-ons that complete the function of the unit.
5. firmware upgradeable, so more (or more improved) features may be yet to come.

The bad:
1. clock displays in 24hr format all the time. I'm guessing Europe is the primary market for this thing.
2. When plugged in and turned off, the LCD backlight is on all the time. Might bother some people who are light sleepers. and when you have the unit on, the backlight has a 5 sec timeout? it would seem to make more sense the other way around to me.
3.alarm snooze is only 10 minutes, and automatic. I prefer it to only go into snooze when you hit a "snooze" button, so I can leave the radio running while I get dressed and stuff in the morning. as it is now, you have to turn it off after the alarm goes off, then turn it back on again, or else it will automatically go into snooze mode after 10 minutes.
4. you have to use musicmatch jukebox to upload music to it. well, you can upload music manually, like it was a flash drive, but the device uses a SQLite database, which needs to be updated or else it won't see any new music in the music folder. there are some third party apps for updating this db for you, but they are flaky at best. I just hate having to use an app to do something as simple as moving files.

The good news about most of these bad things is that because the unit is firmware upgradeable, Philips could release fixes for them eventually, if they are on the ball.

So, I will still say I like this thing, even if I do have to still stick with my older, uglier alarm clock for now.

UPDATE: the latest firmware for this has fixed two issues:

1) it now does 12 hour time display as well as 24 hour.
2) the backlight will dim after a short timeout period when it is plugged in.

Just an FYI.

Click Here to see more reviews about: Philips PSS110 GoGear ShoqBox 256 MB Personal MP3 Sound System

Product Description:
Philips, Personal Sound System MP3/WMA/DRM, 256mb, FM radio, clock/alarm, AC/DC, unique styling

Want to read more honest consumer review about Philips PSS110 GoGear ShoqBox 256 MB Personal MP3 Sound System now ?

Sony ICFC180 AM/FM Clock Radio Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)My wife and I have been using the same clock radio for the past 20 years - It's a dual alarm Panasonic and it still works pretty well. Some of its features such as individual up/down alarm/time set for the minutes and hours are not even available on clocks today. And it has a 10 minute snooze - not nine minutes, another feature hard to find these days. But it's lacking in other areas such as no battery backup. So we decided to replace the old clock.

Some research was necessary. For the most part, only Timex, RCA and Sony have competitive products. My requirements were simple - AM/FM dual alarm, battery backup, 10 minute snooze, easy to read display, and not too bright. I did not need a CD or MP3 option. Here's why I bought the Sony ICFC180 and rate it so highly:

Form Factor and Buttons: This is not a large clock radio - it's about six inches square. The case is pretty much all white. Buttons are well spaced and nicely shaped. You can easily learn to use this clock in the dark or by feel alone.

Display: The backlit LCD displays not only the time, but both the alarm settings, each in its own quadrant. This is a great feature. The time is large enough to read from across the room although it could have been a bit larger. The alarm displays are smaller, but fine for viewing bedside. Viewing from different angles seems fine. It has two manual brightness levels and here Sony cheaped out a bit - an auto dimmer with sensor would have been nice. The high level is fine for the day and the low level is acceptable for the night, but who's going to move the tiny switch each day? I leave it on the low setting. I really like the room dark when I sleep and I would have preferred the low level to be a bit dimmer. The display is mostly green, with orange for the weekday alarms. The green is fine, but the orange is just a bit too bright. But again, it's acceptable.

Time Features: Auto time set - well not really. The auto time set feature prominently displayed on the box is a bit misleading. Unlike other clocks (such as from RCA) which can set the date and time and change daylight savings automatically, this clock is just set at the factory and uses a lithium battery to keep the time. If you happen to live on the east coast of the United States, then the time is correct when you first plug it in. Otherwise, you need to adjust the time zone. Since the clock doesn't know the date, daylight savings is also manual, but here at least Sony provided a single button to change the 1 hour offset. My only complaint is that the daylight savings button is on the top and could be accidentally pushed - the display does show an icon for the 1 hour offset, but it's really tiny. I would have made the daylight savings feature a toggle switch (not a push button) and put it on the back - you only use it twice a year.

Radio: Old style analog display and thumb wheel for tuning. Digital with presets would have been nice, but let's not forget, this clock only cost $25. The tuning wheel is stiff enough that it won't be accidentally changed when pickup up, moving, or just dusting the clock.

Alarm: Here's where this clock really shines. The box says it has two alarms, but in reality it has four individual alarms! The thinking by Sony is that two alarms are for the weekdays and two are for the weekends, but since the weekday/weekend feature is a manual push button, you can really use the alarms however you wish. My kids have Timex clock radios with a 7-5-2 feature which lets you determine if the alarm should be used for weekdays, weekends, or both. This is nice because it's automatic, but on the other hand you only get two alarms and have less flexibility. I think the Sony solution is excellent. The clock also makes it totally clear which alarms are active - orange background for weekdays, green background for weekends, and no display in the quadrant when the alarm is off. Setting the alarm time is also very easy with a separate twist knob for each displayed alarm. The time can be adjusted forward or backward one minute at a time. Holding forward or backward changes the minutes quickly and after a few seconds, switches to 10 minute increments. This is a much better solution than just increasing the speed as most other clocks do. In fact, the only other clock that works better is my old Panasonic which has separate forward and backward buttons for both the minutes and the hours. Regardless, this clock has excellent time set controls!

Snooze: What is it with 9 minute snooze alarms? My theory is that increments of 9 are much harder to add in your head and all that thinking wakes you up - but in reality I think it harks back to a limitation of the old mechanical alarm clocks. Anyway, I needed a 10 minute snooze and this clock has that. Plus, if you continue to press the snooze button (which is big and easy to find without looking), the snooze can be increased in 10 minute increments up to an hour - a nice feature. The clock even blinks the alarm set time after you press snooze to indicate you're beyond the original wake up time.

So that's about it. There are some other features (nap timer, alarm melodies, no power no problem), but I haven't really used these much. If you're looking for similar features and also need a CD player, Sony makes another Dream Machine alarm clock (ICF-CD843V), but that one costs $70 and looks like a weird space helmet. All in all, this is an excellent clock radio with well designed controls, tons of features, and a low price.

Click Here to see more reviews about: Sony ICFC180 AM/FM Clock Radio

Product Description:
Stylish Design - takes up a minimum of space on the nightstand, desk or dresser.

Want to read more honest consumer review about Sony ICFC180 AM/FM Clock Radio now ?

Sangean PR-D7 AM/FM Digital Rechargeable Portable Radio Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)I recently read analysis of the Sangean PR-D5 vs. the Sangean PR-D7 radios.The reviews missed the point:These two Sangean radios target different market niches and needs.The PR-D5 is essentially a table radio while the PR-D7 targets folks that need a radio for domestic travel.I'm sure the engineers at Sangean see it this way.Why not buy both radios?

The Sangean PR-D7 has a clean crisp sound with very low noise floor on AM and FM bands, a great improvement over Sangean radios of similar size such as the ATS-505 or the ATS-909.BTW, I've tuned in all the major stations in the greater Phoenix area without a problem including the hard to catch 89.5, a classical station.

I have been very surprised at the overall performance of the PR-D7 radio and listen to this radio on a daily basis.The Sangean PR-D7 ($59) does 90 percent of what the Trivoli Songbook does at 25 percent of the Songbook's $200 price tag.

Still, the PR-D7 could use a multi-voltage AC adapter and a lock switch to be a complete global travel radio (like the Sangean ATS-606).Also, when traveling, cloth pouch would be a really nice touch.And while I'm making my wish list, the PR-D7 in a red or yellow case would be neat and easy to spot in a hotel room so you don't leave it behind.

One of the things I like about this radio are the controls, easy to learn and use, plus you can see the frequency and time on the display.

Update September 2008:I just recently purchased Sanyo's Eneloop AA rechargeable batteries for my PR-D7 giving me greater flexibility whenenjoying this wonderful portable radio.I highly recommend Sanyo's Eneloop batteries.

Last week, from my greater Phoenix location, I picked KNX 1070 Los Angeles about 10PM in the evening.

Update October 2009: After owning this radio for 2 years, my little PR-D7 fell off a second story balcony and is now in pieces, so I ordered a second PR-D7 this morning.I suffer from cancer and kidney disease, so I've been in and out of the hospital several times this year, each time, my little Sangean PR-D7 went with me.

One of the neatest features of this PR-D7 is the no hassle recharging of the AA batteries, the radio automatically does this for you!!!

BTW, I ordered this radio from Amazon on a Friday morning and received the radio the next Tuesday morning.How's that for service!!!

Click Here to see more reviews about: Sangean PR-D7 AM/FM Digital Rechargeable Portable Radio

Product Description:

An ultra-compact AM/FM digital radio, the Sangean PR-D7 weighs just under 1.5 pounds and measures 8 inches long by 4-1/2 inches tall. It features conveniently located and an easily readable display for frequency and current time. It offers excellent sensitivity and selectivity, and will surprise you at its ability to pull in distant stations.

Want to read more honest consumer review about Sangean PR-D7 AM/FM Digital Rechargeable Portable Radio now ?