RCA RP3720 Clock Radio with Extra-Large 1.4" Blue Display, Auto Time set and Dual Wake

As noted previously, this is *not* an "atomic" clock (the word is no longer used on the packaging). The clock comes preset with the time at the factory, with batteries, and then you can adjust it to your time zone by changing a switch on the bottom. Not terribly intuitive (and it didn't actulaly work that well).

The blue face is attractive, and as a room clock does a nice job of adjusting itself to the ambient light. It's still too bright in the middle of the night.

Having two alarms is nice, and the main reason I bought this, but the interface is not terribly intuitive. It also leaves by default an alarm active for the next day, which, on the one hand, means you don't have to set your alarm each night, but which might get you into trouble on Saturday mornings ...

Still, it's an attractive clock, the use of digitial dials instead of buttons is nice, and, as I begin to learn its quirks, I don't regret buying it.

But, no, it's not...Read more

This clock does not set itself using the radio signal from the U.S. Atomic Clock. It merely is packaged with batteries already installed and the time set at the factory. The use of "atomic" is clearly false advertising. It's a nice clock radio otherwise. Cool looking blue digits, a good ramp-up alarm, and dials to quickly set the time and radio frequency. The speaker is tinny sounding, but it works for background music or to wake you. But, if you're looking for a super-accurate clock that uses the NIST radio signal to automatic set itself, this isn't it.

So I've been searching for weeks for a decent clock radio to replace our dying Sony dream machine. I thought my requirements were reasonable: attractive form, multiple alarms, decent radio reception + sound, a "gradual wake" function and battery backup. Oddly enough I found very few clock radios that could even meet these simple requirements. Sony and many other brands now use a capacitor instead of battery backup in most of their units; this provides only a few minutes of backup should our power go out. Not acceptable.
I did seriously consider the Boston recepter - the sound on that radio is truly /amazing/ for its size, but it has no gradual wake, and it will cost you $150. If I pay that for a clock radio, it had better be _perfect_.
Then I found this RCA. Attractive, functional - real battery backup - easy to use, and cheap! After I read the specs, I simply could not believe the price. Even after I ordered it, I was fully expecting to be disappointed in its...Read more