Philips AJ3600 Time Projection Clock Radio
From Philips Consumer Electronics
Philips Clock Radio with Time Projection that beams the time on any surface - just wake up, open your eyes, and you'll see the time!
- Amazon Sales Rank: #2403 in Consumer Electronics
- Brand: Philips
- Model: AJ3600/37
- Dimensions: 4.10" h x 3.70" w x 4.20" l, 1.50 pounds
Just what I was looking for!
I just received this clock yesterday and have already fallen in love!
To avoid hitting the snooze or reset button(s) and never waking up, I keep my alarm clock across the room from my bed. This way I wake up enough to get out of bed and walk across the room before I hit any buttons. As my eyes are getting older it has become increasingly more difficult to focus on the clock when I wake up in the middle of the night.
When I decided that a projection clock would solve my problem of focusing on the clock in the middle of the night, I started to look around for one and I was not pleased with what was out there. I did not need nature sounds, nor did I need a light to turn on as part of the alarm. I do not have an MP3 player to dock into my clock, and I do not need a complete weather report when I open my eyes (LOL, I will find that out soon enough when I shlep out of bed and let the dogs outside!). I do not need to know what time the alarm is set (I just like to be reassured that it is on), and I am perfectly capable of pressing a few buttons to set the time all by myslef.
This little guy projects the time and whether or not the alarm is on...the two things that I am most interested in when I open my eyes in the middle of the night. The projection can be moved 180 degrees and the further away you project the time, the larger it is. It has an adjustable backlight on the face so it is not too bright. It has an AM/FM radio with ten station presets, and when the alarm is set to chime instead of the radio, it starts gentle so as not to jar you awake. It does have two alarms, but instead of having a choice of alarm types (chime or radio) Alarm 1 uses the radio and Alarm 2 uses the chime. The chime is a little bit quieter than I am used to, but it woke me up just fine this morning.
So far (after one night) I love this clock, it's a great price, and I would defiantly recommend it!
Projection image limitations and display orrientation off (defective unit)?
I'm replacing a similar sharper image projection clock. My complaint with that one was the main display would only light up if the snooze button was hit. I was looking for a projection clock where the display was always on. The AJ3600 has that feature! The huge disappointment was the projection piece; which most likely is the reason you're considering this clock.
You can only rotate the projected image 180 degrees. Most allow 90 degrees rotation. The reason this is a gigantic issue is if you're laying in bed and the clock is facing you and you look up, the image will not read left to right! It's off by 90 degrees!! If you're fine with that, you also need to be fine with the clock to your right. This is because the projection shoots at an angle (up and left). If it's to your left, the image will be projected onto you wall (not ceiling!). Ugh.
The only way to make the clock read left to right is to face the clock out (so you cannot read the display from bed - defeating the purpose of even having a display) and have it to your left side only. I really believe no one tested the actual functionality of this clock!
I'm sure there's better projection alarm clocks on the market (I just need to find them!)
UPDATED: M. Kearney commented on my review saying the unit in his room reads left to right. I guess I have a defective unit! I have more faith in the product development at Phillips now (quality assurance not so much!). I still will return it since I want the clock on my left and not right. If I could change my star level, I would up it to 4 stars (-1 for right side only)
Projection is cool, but otherwise...
A good bedside clock is very important...it's probably the first and last thing you see/hear before you are off to bed. So what of the Philips Wake up & Beam! Project clock radio? Decent, needs improvements!
First, as a clock, it's fine...good orange glow with 3 dim settings and very large digital display, although when laying in bed, I cannot exactly see the dark black of the letters against the orange glow at certain angles.
Setting the alarms is extremely easy, you get one on the left and on the on right side of the LCD display...you can set to beep, sound or radio...and a large snooze button on top, which I find irresistable to hit!
Radio works great, there is a long antennae included...and the LCD shows the station numbers very clearly. One of the problems with the radio is that there is only one speaker on the side of the clock so the sound is a bit not-balanced, because the other size of the clock has the projection. The other problem I have is with how the volume is set on the back side of the round-clock, so when turning it down or up, you'll hit the dimmer/snooze button. Also, when adjusting the stations and AM/FM or on/off for radio, I keep accidently moving the position of the clock since it's not at all weighted down and the rubber feet aren't grippy enough on the flat surface.
That movement of the clock makes the project screen awkward and continually move from one spot on the wall to another, where you cannot visibly see the time anymore! This is annoying...maybe there should be a suction cup attached at the bottom of the clock so it doesn't move as easily.
Also, while the projection is very bright red at night, it does disappear in daytime/during sunlight hours. The projection is very adjustable for a full 360 angle, and you can set it to read forward/correctly or backward, depending on where you project [in a mirror/reflective surface]. I also like the idea of having an on/off switch for the projector, in case you just dont want it all the time showing, if you're sensitive to light during sleep.
I think the buttons for the time/radio and projector are of good tactile feel, but a bit small. I wish it was more easy to click like the top large dimmer button. The materials used to make this clock is very nice plastic, soft edges and just a good feel to it when you pick it up. Just need to add a bit of weight so it feels more sturdy.
I like the overall design of the Philips AJ3600, but definitely could use the listed improvements I mentioned above. I think it's a good simple clock radio and if you like seeing the time before/after you sleep, it's definitely for you!
I do have to nitpick one thing, I wear glasses and have take them off when I sleep, so when I see the projection on the ceiling/wall without them, it's just a red blur. Sadly, you cannot make the project font bigger so near-sighted people like me can see it better! So keep this in mind if you don't have 20/20 vision.
