Altec Lansing M302 Moondance Home Alarm Clock Radio for iPod and MP3 Players (Black)

So, I've only had it for a day and am seriously thinking of buying a second unit for in my bathroom--to listen to either the radio or my ipod whilst in the shower.If you've owned anything else from Altec Lansing you'll know the rich bass you get from their equipment and, this little beauty continues the tradition. I have an ipod classic so I couldn't use any of the plastic adapters but my ipod's not going to fall out/off the unit any time soon--maybe if I had a small child or sticky handed roommate. It did come with 4 black plastic adapters, so I'm guessing it'll work with any of the ipods/iphones on the market; if not there is an aux port on the back of the unit so you can plug your non-apple MP3 players, walkman, whatever in.My favorite feature is the dimmable LCD display....it basically can be turned off! Absolutely my favorite feature, as I have to sleep in a pitch black room with earplugs. And, I figure if the alarm works this will be my alarm clock for the next 20 years. Then, on the other hand, it can go as bright as you want it....very much akin to the brightness adjustment on your car's dashlights.Volume range is great....you might be able to throw a houseparty at the highest volume but then, on the lowest I think babies could sleep through it.Realistically, if you have trouble operating this dock then you just didn't bother reading the directions. The quick start guide isn't going to cut it on this one...you have to read the instruction manual. It's concise though, so you won't feel like you're reading a dissertation but you will pretty much know your dock backward and forward by the end (like 5 full-size pages in total).Another thing that I didn't see mentioned but I was really happy about was the fact that they included 2 batteries for the remote. For the price I paid I thought that was pretty good. And, the remote allows you to practically do everything on the dock....if you're lazy and live on the side of the bed opposite the dock then you'll have no problems using the remote to basically do anything. The snooze button doubles as the dimmer for the LCD display.Only quirky thing is that I believe you have to use the remote to change pre-set stations when listening to the radio; not sure because I don't plan on listening to the local radio stations (trust me, you wouldn't either if you lived here!!!).If you get this unit, you won't be sorry. Longevity? I don't know and don't care....for under 50 bucks I'm not really bothered.

Overall, this is a decent unit for what it does, but it has some very annoying aspects that eventually lead me to return it.Pros:- Sound quality is quite good for a small unit. It obviously is never going to be an enveloping sound, but it has a good amount of dynamic range.- Charges both iPod and iPhone devices while they are connected.- Works with iPhone 3G even though it doesn't specifically say it does.- Multiple alarms. For someone who doesn't need to get up at the same time every day, this is very helpful.- Includes a radio. Many of these iPod dock units don't include a radio.- Includes a remote which is nice if you want to keep the unit across the room.Cons:- The buttons are confusing and non-intuitive. Some functions require an odd series of button presses. I found myself either looking in the manual or just randomly pressing buttons in order to try to do some things that should be easier to figure out.- Some functions can only be operated from the remote. This is a real pet peeve of mine. The remote is going to be the first thing that breaks or gets lost so all the functions of the device should be able to be operated with the buttons on the unit.- As others have said, the display is quite bright and it doesn't have enough contrast. At even a moderate brightness, it lights up the whole room at night. Turning the brightness down just dims the whole thing to the point where I can't read the numbers (due to the lack of contrast).- The sound level is pretty loud even on the lowest setting. In many cases this would be a benefit, but if you want to listen to your iPod before going to sleep, even the lowest volume setting is still not low enough to be what I would call "relaxing."One of the other really annoying things about this unit has more to do with Altec Lansing than this particular unit. The unit is advertised as working with many different iPod models. It specifically says "Made for:" and lists at least 10 different iPod models it works with. When I received my unit it only contained four dock adapters that covered maybe 6 of the models, and none of them fit either of the 2 iPods I have (a classic with click wheel and a 3rd generation nano, so nothing really obscure). When I called Altec Lansing support to inquire about this and see if some of the adapters were missing, the rep said they were not missing and in a somewhat annoyed tone said, "We can't provide adapters for every model." Of course you can, you just choose not to. He said I could order them from their website for free, but there was a shipping charge. Then he said I didn't really need the adapters and the iPods should just sit in there on the dock connector (which is true). So I asked him "If you don't really need them, then why provide any of them at all?" His response was that they do provide better support for the iPod and help protect the dock connector. So it really would be better to use the adapter, but you're not going to provide them for all the models you advertise it as working with. I wouldn't call it "working with" an iPod model just because you can physically connect the iPod while not providing the appropriate adapter in order to use the device the way you suggest it be used.If you were mostly going to use this unit as an iPod dock, you would probably like it. It sounds good and it's stylish enough to use anywhere, you could turn the brightness way down and you only need one or two buttons to turn the iPod on and off. If you want to use it as a clock and/or as an alarm, you are going to be frustrated with poor button design and an overly bright display.

We read the feedback about this item before we ordered. We should have paid attention! We can't recommend this item. We like this company's other products, but cannot recommend this as an alarm clock. Not only is it difficult to program - too many steps - but it is not a reliable alarm clock. So if you have places you need to be on time, don't buy this clock.

I recently purchased this after returning my far-too-expensive iHome. I love the sleek and subtle appearance, and it actually looks like it belongs in my apartment. I find that most iHome's are too flashy, but this blends right in with the rest of my electronics. The sound quality is excellent and it's fairly easy to use once you read the manual. It only took me about 5 minutes to set up all of my radio stations, alarms, etc. Unlike other products, the set-up isn't exactly something you can figure out on your own, but a quick read and a few minutes will be all you need. For the price I paid, I am highly satisfied with my purchase. I don't think I would have boughten it full price, but for under 40 bucks you really can't go wrong. I've had mine for about a month now and haven't had any issues whatsoever.Overall, great product for the price!