Cheap dock/radio, better than Apple option. (Philips AJ 300D)

Member Name: sufc695

Product:	Philips AJ 300D
Date:	24/07/09 (25 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Small control, sound quality, iPod and GoGear compatability, price.

Disadvantages: None, to date.

I got this radio dock two years ago. It was around £30 from Woolworths, but unfortunately now that's gone the value is at least £60 from the DooYoo links. It can go down to around £30 on Amazon, and £25 on Ebay, although some stupidly low (and high!) prices are there too.

There are two main features for the product: a dock and a radio.

The dock is compatible for iPod Touch and iPhone - other iPods need to use the docklets which are included in the box. The quality is good, and you can control the songs by using the iPod or the control, which I'll come to later. Sound quality is very good - better than most. It is also compatible with GoGear players, which can also be docked easily.

The radio feature is just what it says - a radio. The sound quality is, again, excellent and tuning is a breeze. You can also use 6 presets for ease of use, which you can personally customize to suit your needs.

The display is also very good. It has three brightness settings which you can change simply by pushing down on the top of the dock, which is actually a button. It tells you the time and date as well as what is being used (dock or radio) and if an alarm is set. Alarms can either be a simple buzzer, turning on the dock, or your last played radio station. You can save two alarm settings, named 'Alarm 1' and 'Alarm 2'. There are buttons on the top corners for each alarm, to turn it on or off.

The control is beautiful. Measuring 4.25 inches long, 1.5 inches wide and 0.25 inches thick (10.5cm x 3.5cm x 1cm approx.), it is small and handy to tuck away in a drawer or desk, providing you don't lose it! From this, you can turn power on/off, switch between dock and tuner, play/pause, skip forward and back songs, switch preset radio stations, change the volume, mute, or send the dock to 'sleep' mode.

Overall, the dock is a superb device for playing your iPod or GoGear through, or listening to radio. I recommend it to everyone considering purchasing an Apple dock. I really cannot fault it.

Summary: Very good overall, probably my best-value purchase over the last few years.

Processing/Quality:
Reliability:
Ease of use:
Features:
Sound quality: