Philips AJ3231 Mirror Finish Clock Radio
From Philips Consumer Electronics
Philips elegant mirror display clock radio with dim-light mode makes this an ideal bedside companion. Built in AM/FM radio for wake up calls, and a line-in connection for your portable music player.
- Amazon Sales Rank: #1308 in Consumer Electronics
- Brand: Philips
- Model: AJ3231/37
- Dimensions: 5.50" h x 5.50" w x 2.40" l, 2.00 pounds
Beautiful but lacks functionality
Pros:
*Gorgeous contemporary design with mirror and stainless steel look. The LED display magically floats in the mirror.
*Very low level brightness yet perfectly legible and without glare. Many alarm clocks are way too bright even on dim settings. If the brightness of alarm clocks bothers you, this clock should work well for you.
*Easy to figure out without instructions which makes it a viable option for guest bedrooms.
Cons:
*When adjusting the alarms, there is no indication on the LED display which alarm you are adjusting. Compounding this problem is when you turn on an alarm, there is no way to see what time the alarm is set for. It's far too easy to adjust one alarm and turn on the other by mistake. This is a MAJOR negative. The display also doesn't tell you if the alarm is set for buzzer or radio. The lack of information on the display makes it impossible to adjust in the dark.
*No fast reverse. To adjust times, there is a fast forward button and a slow reverse button. I like clocks that also have fast reverse which makes changing alarm times easier and quicker.
*Slide controls are small and difficult to use. The distance between settings is very small so it can be frustrating.
*Buzzer volumes are not adjustable. Alarm 1 is set at a low volume which is very quiet and might not work for sound sleepers. Alarm 2 is slightly louder but it's still quieter than any other alarm clock I've used. With both alarms, you do have the option of waking up with radio which is volume adjustable and gets very loud.
*No gradually increasing alarm volume.
*Radio is not digital (Amazon description states it is digital but that is incorrect). Not a major issue but the dial is small so it's hard to know what station you're on.
*No nap function.
*The audio cable in the back doesn't stay in the holder and flops around annoyingly.
*Snooze not adjustable (set at 7 minutes).
Overall, this alarm clock would work well in a guest bedroom where style is of paramount importance. For your main alarm clock, you should consider something with better functionality.
Pretty and Pretty Basic
The last thing I want to do when I wake up is look in the mirror. However, even thought this Philips Alarm Clock's face is mostly one large mirror, it still looks sleek. The time is shown through the mirrored surface in bright yellow with adjustable brightness. It looks great, stands vertically about six inches and has all the basic features of a typical alarm clock. However, don't get too excited.
My previous alarm clock was easy to just reach over and slam the snooze button until I was ready to wake up. The snooze here is not so easy to find being a small tab on the top. There are two alarms (typical) that you can set to the radio, a buzz (one second beep tones) or off. They are difficult to set as the front display does not show you which setting is which. The font is very hard to read, being a tiny gray typeset on a black background. The other side contains the volume wheel, a radio tuner for AM/FM and a small dial to find radio stations (Look at the photo I included for size comparison). There is also an AUX setting as you can hook up your iPod/MP3 in the back. The cord for the iPod/MP3 is supposed to fit snugly around the back, but the slot it was designed for is too short, so the cord hangs loose. The top has the small linear tabs for `On/Off', `alarm reset' and `sleep'. The largest tab is the `Repeat Alarm/Sleep Off' on top. Its very compact, but not the easiest to set up. Do note that you need bright light to work any of the setup functions; not a dark room.
Aside from the small settings and type, this Philips Clock does look nice with the mirror finish and yellow clock shining through. That is it's sales quality. The materials are all plastic and I wonder if it could survive a drop to the floor. The 1.5" speaker is not Hi-Fidelity. Other than the appearance, there isn't much else going on here, so you might think about keeping your current alarm clock. It just looks good. Think about that with the price.
Nice & Pretty but awkward.
The fit and finish was very nice. The mirror is stylish but I really don't want to see my ugly mug early in morning.
The orange LED was a nice touch. Not as bright as the 'regular' green LED's on most alarm. On dim mode it doesn't light up a dark room.
The MP3 mode leaves something to be desired. If you're in the room with your MP3 player hooked up your OK listening to tunes, but I like waking up to certain music in the morning. I don't know about your MP3 player but I cannot leave it on all night without the battery dying by morning.
It's a cool alarm clock but only adequate for an MP3 Player.
