iHome clock Radio for iPhone

I recently started hunting for portable speakers for my iPhone.

My needs were modest: I wanted to be able to listen to music while I was in the shower and putting my makeup on in the morning.  An occasional bubble bath accompanied by my “Relaxing” play list would be divine.

It took me about one month of research to finally make a purchase, because I’ve had less than stellar results in the past.

The main problem is that I have an iPhone, not an iPod.  iPhones, when hooked up to most iPod speaker systems, tend to create a lot of interference noise.

Apparently this problem is less of an issue with new iPhones, like the 3G iPhone.  Damn me and my “I WANT IT RIGHT NOW AND I WILL NOT WAIT FOR LATER VERSIONS!” eagerness.  Also damn my “ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR MIND?  I AM NOT PAYING ANOTHER $200-$400 TO UPGRADE MY PERFECTLY AWESOME IPHONE!”

In other words – I have an old iPhone, and the most compatible accessories are designed to work with the new iPhones.

In the past, I’ve had an iPhone alarm clock and an iPhone speaker with docking station.  Unfortunately, both of these items were clearly designed to work with an iPod, not an iPhone, and I had to put my phone in airplane mode in order for it them to work at all, and then there was still a considerable amount of interference buzzzzzzz.

What I was looking for, specifically, was:

• Something that would ideally charge my iPhone while it played music.  The alternative is a device that drains the crap out of my battery.
• Something designed specifically for an iPhone that would let me receive calls while the phone was connected to the speakers.
• Something with no interference issues.

The most economical solution I found came in the form of an alarm clock.

Of course, I already had an alarm clock.

In fact, I had an alarm clock that was supposed to work with my iPhone.  Except that it didn’t.  It either worked as an alarm clock or it worked as a speaker system with lots and lots and lots of background buzzzzz.  It never did both at the same time.

But still, it woke me up and told me what time it was the way an alarm clock should.  I wasn’t dying to spend money (or my precious Amazon gift card balance) to replace it.

I kept searching.  Unfortunately, I had a difficult time finding a speaker and docking station that had a good review history of working with the old iPhone model.  I stumbled on one or two options that would cost me well over $100 and offered iffy reviews on compatibility with the original, non 3G iPhone.

I finally decided to bite the bullet and buy yet another iPhone alarm clock docking station, determined to ignore the alarm clock features as long as it did everything else I wanted it to.

Because this is how my brain works, People.

I bought the iHome iP9BR Clock Radio for iPod, iPhone  in Black.

The only negative reviews I had seen were complaints that text messages didn’t cause a dinging sound when the unit was plugged in.  I read a few complaints that the unit stopped working in a few months, but the company that makes them seemed more than willing to replace the faulty ones.  Overall, the reviews were overwhelmingly positive.

I received the unit, plugged in my iPhone, and got…. music!  Sweet, sweet music!  Loud, loud music that I could hear over the shower!

And all the while, the iPhone was charging!

And I was a happy girl.

Then I started reading the instruction manual and saw that the time would set automatically, and that I could set two alarms at once.  It also let me set an alarm for a 5 day schedule (Monday-Friday), a 2 day schedule (Saturday and Sunday) or a 7 day schedule (umm, duh, you’re following this, right?)

Well, I thought, maaaaaaaybe I’d try using it as an alarm clock.

I kept reading and found that I could set a playlist to wake up to every morning.  (I can also wake to radio or a buzzer, if I want).

I decided, based on my past experience with supposedly iPhone alarm clocks, that this feature wouldn’t actually work anyway.  But, well, what the hell?  Right?

OH MY GOD IT WORKED!

WITH MY iPHONE!  AND NOT JUST AN iPOD!

OK, so, I was a little excited.

And then I encountered my first problem or, as I like to call it, SIGN OF DOOM!

The first time I put my phone on the docking station with the iPhone 3GS docking adapter doo hickie plastic thing, it instantly connected and started to charge.

But then, that instant connection started to become less instant and more sporadic.  Sometimes I’d have to unhook it and hook it back up, and then it would work fine.  However, if I got a phone call or text message while it was unplugged, it seemed to shake the connection loose – resulting in me being woken up to Buzzing instead of upbeat motivational dance music one morning.

Even still, it annoyed me more than really pissed me off, and I still considered the purchase a success when I could hear Prince in the shower every morning – even if I had to do that hokey pokey plug, unplug, replug dance once in a while.

And then I had a brilliant idea…

I removed the plastic dock adjuster doo hickie thingie.  I plugged my non 3G iPhone directly into the docking station, thinking maybe the itttty bitty difference in size might be making a difference.

Suffice it to say, I AM AN ELECTRONICAL GENIUS!

Ahem.

Also?  Problem solved.  It plugs in, connects immediately, and stays connected.

If you’re looking for an alarm clock radio for your iPhone or iPod, I highly recommend the iHome iP9BR Clock Radio.

If you’re looking for a speaker and docking station for your iPhone or iPod, I highly recommend the iHome iP9BR Clock Radio.

And if you’re looking for  a docking station and speaker accessory that will work with your dinosaur of a non 3G iPhone, I insist you go right now and buy the iHome iP9BR Clock Radio – and use it without any of the plastic doo hicky thingies.

Click here to buy the iHome iP9BR Clock Radio for iPhone for $84 from Amazon.  (Normal list price is $125)

Posted in Things That Are Female Tech Geeky, Uncategorized