Good things come in small packages. (Sony Dream Machine)

Member Name: Night Owl

Product:	Sony Dream Machine
Date:	29/05/01 (2361 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Very compact, stylish, cube shaped clock/radio., Press one button to change to and from British Summer Time. Dual alarm - buzzer or radio.

Disadvantages: Definitely the price!!!

This clock/radio was exactly what I was looking for. I previously had a clock/radio/cassette player, which was rather large and took up alot of space on my bedside table, at the time when I bought this, I thought that it would be really useful, especially being able to play cassettes. Unfortunately it wasn’t as useful as I first thought and took up more space than I originally anticipated. So after putting up with this cumbersome clock for many years, I saw the clock that I really wanted.

A compact, stylish silver finish, cube shaped clock/radio, that was definitely going to take up less space on my bedside table. I didn’t buy it straight away, as it was quite expensive really for a bedside clock, and also I didn’t think my husband would approve of such extravagance, especially as I had a perfectly good clock already!

I only got to buy this clock recently, as we had applied for the Egg credit card (see opinion), and when it came, I was allowed to make the first purchase on it! Whey hey - shops, here I come!!

All I wanted was the clock/radio that I had seen previously, which was expensive enough. It certainly wasn’t the cheapest clock that I could have chosen, as there are plenty for sale that are alot cheaper - but it was exactly what I was looking for.

Lucky for my son, as he got to inherit my bulky clock!!!


The Model
========

Sony FM/MW/LW PLL Synthesized Clock Radio - ICF C113L Dream Machine


Features - at a glance
================

FM/MW/LW PLL (phrase locked loop) digital tuner
Dual alarm
5 random pre-sets
Summer time adjustment button
Snooze/adjustable sleep timer
Date display/auto calendar
Brightness control
Built-in power back up system
Size (W)12, (H)12, (D)13cm


Cost
====

£39.99


Purchased from
============

Argos


Catalogue Number
==============


510/7142


When I got it home and unpacked the box, it came with fully comprehensive instructions, that were very easy to follow.


Features
=======

Date button to display the year, month and date
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First of all you will need to set the clock, and also the date and month, which the instructions explain how to do this.


D.S.T. (Daylight Saving Time) - Summer time calculation (one-hour skip function)
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To change the time to British Summer time, then this is easily done, as you press a single button to do this. If you want to change it back then all you need to do to cancel it is press the button again.


Radio and buzzer alarms with the snooze function
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The dual alarm has LED indicators and can be set for either the buzzer or radio to wake you up. Which I have to admit, that I haven’t used the alarm yet, only because I haven’t had cause to use it yet - as I have a daughter that seems to survive on very little sleep!!

The sleep timer can be set so the radio will go off after 90, 60, 30 or 15 minutes. The radio will play for the time that you have set and then shut off.


FM/MW/LW PLL (phrase locked loop) digital tuner
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The radio can be manually tuned to FM, MW or LW radio. Five stations can be preset for easy one-touch tuning.


LCD with backlight which has a brightness switch
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The brightness can be set higher or lower to make the display more visible.


Backlight button to change the colour of the backlight to either green or amber

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You don’t have to stuck with the same colour backlight, as you can choose between amber or green, whichever you find more calming at night.


Self power back-up
-----------------------

If the power supply is interrupted, the time setting and the memory will be backed up for half an hour without batteries.


Although this is pure extravagance, as there are many clocks that are alot cheaper. It will last many, many years, as it is a stylish, compact clock that will never date. I am really glad that I bought this clock, not only because I have more room on my bedside table, but also because it was exactly what I was looking for.

Summary: