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Really Neat Clock
when I was living at home, I used a stereo to wake myself up in the morning. The trouble was, I got too used to sleeping with music on that I would always sleep past the alarm. My parents sent me this clock in graduate school to wake me up. I really like the gradual waking feature, which doesn't wake up up abruptly, but the alarm gradually gets louder. The nap function is also wonderful because you can sleep by it or you can time things like food or laundry. The only problem I had with it was the fact that the alarm will turn on at the set time every day unless you cancel it. I once forgot to cancel the alarm when I went home for a weekend and my apartment mates were very cranky when I got back. It's a very loud alarm, I don't blame them. Overally, it's a really good alarm clock, but you need to remember to cancel the alarm when you don't want it. It's...ok hilarious rants about this poor little guy; it's compact enough, never realized how gigantic the cord is 'till mentioned. Keep the manual nearby, settings and cancelings are so not intuitive. Not an a.m. person, gradual wake is appreciated, surprisingly decent sound, good for price Not a Bad Clock 11/2006 update: The clock is still going strong. It's difficult to believe how annoyed people are by some of the positive features of the clock. The alarm-cancel and alarm-off functions are different. The latter lets you turn off the buzzing without having to remember to turn the alarm back on at night. Unfortunately, that means you'll have to remember to turn it off on Friday nights. It seems a fair trade-off. The battery backup feature means you need to put a battery in there so that when there's a blackout, your clock will keep time. If you don't personally put in a battery or the battery you put in there goes dead, you will have no battery back up. This is a standard feature with almost all alarm clocks and GE certainly did not go an extra step to build-in an internal battery. It's a cheap alarm clock. Let's not get too obsessive about it. ================ I got this clock about 6 months ago. It's been a reliable, decent purchase. I like the graduwake feature and the alarm cancel feature is convenient. It's also pretty sturdy and I've dropped it a couple of times without damaging it. It's pleasing enough in appearance and the thick, flat cord doesn't bother me. It resists becoming twisted and keeps a neat appearance. Cons: My very curious and wandering cat inadvertently sets the alarm and also switches the clock between alarm/music mode when she walks on our dresser. So keep it out of reach of wayward pets if you have them. I wish it had a weekend feature so that I wouldn't have to remember to turn it off on fridays. But the clock is so cheap, I don't think it's fair to ask for such features. Conclusion: You can't really go too wrong with such a cheap clock. It's only $10. What have you got to lose? I don't know of any other clock that offers the graduwake and the alarm cancel features at such a low price. Don't think too much about this purchase. No good I started having problems with this clock about six months after I bought it. The buttons stick and you have to keep pressing them to unstick them. I will be listening to the radio on it and it will just shut off. The volume dial is very touchy..You have to turn it just right or it will start blaring. I am very disappointed with this alarm clock. I have a different alarm that is almost ten years old and have never had one problem with it. I do NOT recommend this item to anyone! Not a Deal at Any Price I bought this trusting the GE brand. My sturdy GE clock radio of ten years took a few too many bangs and drops, and wore out. It lived a good, useful life. I thought I could trust GE for quality with my next clock purchase. This is the worst clock I have ever owned. The numbers are big. I like that. The dials are big. I like that too. The loss in quality comes with the functioning of the clock, not the appearance. When tuning a station, even a major megawatt big city AM station, the most careful attention must be paid when rotating the dial. It is far too sensitive, allowing no room for accuracy. Increasing and decreasing the volume is the same way. Fine tuning is impossible, and so I suffer with the station sounding fuzzy and too loud. The electric cord is unusually thick and inflexible. It has an industrial-strength look to it, making it inappropriate radio for any visible place in my home. The alarm has a feature that the makers brag about which frustrates me. It gets louder beep by beep, becoming annoying if you happen to get up early and jump in the shower minutes before the alarm goes off. It feels silly to go on about what a poor product this is, given that it is an economical item. Be warned. Whatever the price is, it is no bargain. Anthony Trendl editor, HungarianBookstore.com | |
