Sony ICF-C7IP Clock Radio for iPod and iPhone with Hidden Sliding Dock Tray

Comment: I originally bought this from Best Buy because I'd finally had it with my Griffin iPhone amplifier and decided that I needed a real speaker system for my office. I use several of the binaural beat/ambient music applications as productivity enhancers at work and required much better sound quality as well as the ability to charge my phone. Anyway, I read the Amazon reviews and decided to go to Best Buy to determine whether my phone would fit while still in the case. Well as with all other iPhone speaker systems (I also have a very expensive Altec Lansing Speaker/Dock), you cannot use the dock adapters if you want to keep the case on your iPhone 3G (I use the Sena Dockable red leather case). Although I'd rather be able to use the adapter, this isn't a major problem for me since the phone seems to stand up fine without it. You just have to make sure that you dock it correctly to avoid going into Airplane mode or receiving a non-compatible accessory error. The bottom line is that the fit isn't perfect but isn't any worse than any of the other top of the line speaker systems.

Once again, I digress: onto the product review. I love it. It is small and takes up very little desk space (9"x5") and it has a clock radio. This is very cool since I can't get good enough AT&T 3G reception in the office to run any of the Music streaming applications. I also like being able to see the time without looking at my watch. Anwyay, I was so impressed with this product after buying the first one two days ago, that I ran out and bought another one last night for my nightstand at home. My Altec Lansing 612 space guzzling monster speaker system (apartment dweller) still works fine but isn't compact enough to sit on my nightstand which is where it should be if I decide to use one of my many sleep inducing music applications. As for sound quality, I don't have the best hearing in the world so I might not be a good judge. For me, the sound quality on the Sony is equivalent to that of the Altec Lansing; however, someone with more sensitive ears might hear a difference that just wasn't apparent to me. Since it is less than half the price of the Altec and a third of the price for a Bose system, it is probably worth buying to see for yourself.

Regarding cost, I needed my systems quickly so I bought them both from Best Buy. The Best Buy price was approximately $20 more per unit than the price shown here on Amazon. If you can wait a few days to receive your system(s), I recommend purchasing from Amazon.

Comment: I brought this primarily as an alarm clock for my bedroom. The ability to charge my iPhone is definitely a bonus. The big drawback for me is the brightness of the display. Even on its dimmest setting it is too bright for the room - so have to cover with something to get to sleep. I will still keep it but will move to being my office clock.

Also the battery back-up is not your standard AAA battery but a specific Sony battery - CR2032.

Comment: I am so happy with this little Alarm Clock. I wanted a Dual Alarm, easy to set, small enough for my nightstand, and play / charge my iPhone..... this little guy has it all. I had a little difficulty at first setting the alarm. You do have to be careful where you put your fingers because it has buttons on both sides, the top and the front but once I got the nuances down, it really is easy to set / change.

My favorite feature is the snooze feature, hit the button once for 10 minutes, twice for 20 minutes or 3 times for 30 minutes. I do have to take my iPhone out of the case so it sits securely in the slide out dock but other than that I would say this is the PERFECT alarm clock. I was never able to wake to music with my old clock as it was pure static, but the FM signal comes in very clear and considering how small it is, it has very good sound. I love it!!

Comment: I have commented and said the product was over priced, then some one e-mailed me promissing an Amazon gift card if I removed my comment - I did remove the comment and the gift card never arrived therefore, I am stating my opinion again; it is a good product but way overpriced like any Sony product - and this time I will not remove my comment even if I was promised the world - and this is my own personal opinion.

Comment: I received this clock for Christmas and couldn't be happier. It was a replacement for a run of the mill clock radio that was way past its expiration date. This "clock" is pretty awesome. The slideout dock for charging/connecting is a big plus. Instead of using an outlet to keep my ipod/iphone charger plugged in, I just pop my phone in the dock overnight and slide the tray back in in the morning. Sometimes if you are trying to dock your gadget and you aren't paying attention it can be hard to align the plug to the port on the bottom of your phone (mostly because the tray slides in/out a little). I'm thinking about putting tiny rubber feet on the bottom to make it slightly more steady.

For it's size the speakers are surprisingly good. They won't replace your stereo, but they hold their own. I don't use the radio feature too often so the fact that the control buttons are on the back of the clock aren't too much of a nuisance, but I could see it being a problem.

The only major issue I have with it is that even the lowest brightness setting is still really bright. At night when I look at the clock I am momentarily blinded by the display. So if I were to redesign it I would add one more dim level.

While the look is modern it doesn't stick out like a sore thumb in a normal decor.

Hope this helps!