About a year ago, I was looking at an iPhone Alarm Clock dock to replace my ageing digital alarm clock in the bedroom.  I looked long and hard, most were well over £100.  I don’t mind spending that kind of money providing what I get is value for money and that it will last for a long time.

When I was looking about a year ago, the iPhone 4 was coming out, and none, I repeat none said whether they supported the iPhone 4 or not.  I still had an iPhone 3GS but I wasn’t about to purchase a dock over £100 and find that I get the classic “Accessory not supported” error or simply it doesn’t charge the iPhone.

A year on I had been taking a very extensive look at the current assortment of iPhone Alarm Clock docks and it still seems that nothing has moved forward in a year.  90% of all the iPhone Alarm Clock docks do not say whether they support the iPhone 4, be it on web stores or more importantly on the manufacturer websites.  You have to dive deeper into looking at customer comments on each webstore or reviews to work out which ones still don’t support the iPhone 4.  In a year my requirements have changed, no longer do I have a 3GS or a single iPhone, I have 2x iPhone 4′s, so I want an iPhone Alarm Clock dock that supports two iPhone 4′s.  I also have an iPad, but I’m not expecting any of these iPhone Alarm Clock docks to support the iPad, that would be just too much of a requirement.

Whittling down the iPhone Alarm Clock docks that have a dual charger facility and that support the iPhone 4 I came up with only two.  Actually there’s like a dozen, but the majority of these say that the left hand dock only sync’s and doesn’t charge and the right hand dock only charges the iPhone 4.  Or that one dock is for iPhone 4 and the other for a non-iPhone.  That unfortunately rules them out in my situation.

So back to the 2x I could find, one looked ideal and was just what I was looking for.  Unfortunately looking at the Apple Store comments, there’s about 50 reviews across UK and US Apple Stores online and pretty much they all say that within 12-18 months the unit dies.  Prices have come down a lot in the last year, but I’m not going to buy something with a high failure rate and especially outside of the 12 month warranty.  That reduces it to two iPhone Alarm Clock docks, both remaining ones don’t have a digital alarm clock on them (which is again one of my requirements to replace my ageing alarm clock).  So now I’m down again to a healthy 0 available for my current needs.

I’m amazed that with people either married or in relationships, that charging two iPhones in the bedroom is I would have thought it quite a necessity now days, yet there’s very few alarm clock docks that will actually allow you to do it.  Why?

I think one of the big problems is that most of the hi-fi manufacturers haven’t really embraced this technology yet, most likely because if they want a “designed for iPhone” or “iPhone Supported’ logo then they have to give Apple 30% of the revenue, which means either they make a 30% loss or they have to hike the price by 30% – incidentally that’s most likely the reason why these are usually over £100.  There’s one that was made from a reputable hi-fi manufacturer, JVC, but it didn’t have a large LCD alarm clock on it, and looked very large and bulky.

I really wish companies would stand up and take note that having one of these in the bedroom is a good thing.  I suspect another reason why companies aren’t making these is that they feel that each person has their own bed stand, so will want their iPhone close to them.  So that means going for a single iPhone Alarm Clock dock for each person, which also adds to their profits.

If you’re in the market for a dual iPhone Alarm Clock dock, then if you have an iPhone and an iPod then you’ll find lots of different docks, but if you want two iPhones or two iPhone 4′s to be supported, that’s when it starts to become tricky.

If you have found and are using a dual iPhone Alarm Clock dock, let me know which one you have and how it’s working and how long you have had it.

I’ve longed to use my own set of headphones on my iPhone but there’s one snag, there’s no microphone! Until now…. Griffin have a microphone adapter called the SmartTalk. You simply plug the 3.5mm plug into the iPhone, they give you a long cable that goes to a tie/lapel clip which houses the microphone (just like what you see used on TV). In there is a 3.5mm socket that you plug your favourite pair of headphones into and viola, you can now use any pair of your favourite headphones with either the iPhone or any mobile phone for that matter.

For me I spend a lot of time on the phone each day so I want something that is both lightweight and comfortable and don’t heard my ears or keeps dropping out (or feeling that my ears just dropped off). For me I have a very cheap pair of Logik over the ear headphones that do sometimes pop out of my ears but are still held in place by the over the ear loops. I prefer to have stereo headphone calls because it means your focusing completely on the call, it drowns out any surrounding audio or noise that you may have and you can hear the caller much much better than say holding the iPhone up to your ear.

The best part is for all you iPhone 4 users that either suffer from the “Deathgrip” where you get dropped calls, or the PS (Proximity Sensor) turning the phone display on when the phone is still up against your face, this gets around it. You do have to manually switch the display off by pressing the power button once to lock the phone and pressing a second time to turn the display off, but it stays off until either you turn it back on, or you receive any kind of push notification that would obviously turn on the phone.

The downside is that if you don’t switch the phone off the display will stay on and the battery of the iPhone will drain, but for me it has many more positives than negatives.

The best thing about the Griffin SmartTalk is it’s under £5 and available from Amazon.

The ICFC7IPS has a built-in alarm function which is flexible to provide you with the best options available. The Sony ICFC7IPS also allows quick easy Dual Alarm with easy alarm setting and 2-5-7 Day alarm setting Digital Tuning with 30 station presets No Power No Problem function Brightness control (High Medium Low) allows you to decide how bright your display is Wireless Remote commander with full menu control of music functions for your iPod and iPhone.

The Sony ICFC7IP Clock Radio is available from Amazon UK for £57.92.

The Reptile case features:-

• Distinctive Crocodile skin texture for ultimate grip and style
• Super strong UltraFrame™ made from GE Lexan® polycarbonate.
• Unique mix material hybrid design
• 360° protection solution with bundled screen guards,
  headphone jack protectors, as well as 30-Pin connector protectors.

It looks like this is going to be a great addition to the iPhone range of SwitchEasy cases.

The case is available for purchase for $28.99 at SwitchEasy.com.

The iHome Studio Series is the first ever home audio system to feature the Bongiovi Acoustics’ Digital Power Station. This patented technology, developed by music industry professionals, constantly scans your audio to restore harmonics and clarity lost to compression in today’s music formats.

The Studio Series iP1 features 100 watts of power will fill your room with stunning sound. It will even make your iPod/iPhone video content come alive on any TV.

Device I/O Spec

• Apple 30-pin dock connector plays and charges Apple iPhone and iPod Touch.
• Universal dock with adjustable back support fits any docking iPod model
• 3.5mm stereo auxiliary input to support all portable devices with a headphone output
• Component and Composite video output

Audio Configuration and Design

• Advanced chassis construction for robust, high power acoustic performance
• Stereo, two-way, bi-amplified with digital active crossover
• Two 4″ woofers, custom glass-fibre diaphragms
• Two 1″ tweeters, high-efficiency silk-dome
• Digital Amplifier
• Power Total – 100 watts, RMS
• Power Tweeters – 2x 10 watts, RMS
• Power Woofers – 2x 40 watts, RMS

User Interface

• Power On/Off
• Bongiovi DPS On/Off control
• Bass gain control
• Treble gain control
• IR remote control with full iPod menu navigation

More information can be found at iHome.

There are three boxes in all, each of which needs mains power, but you can place them separately or stack them like below. A slimline iPod dock and wireless transmitter box is the most crucial component, and is joined by two wireless receiver music systems.

Connections abound
The main dock unit has a headphone connection, stereo output for connecting straight to an amplifier – giving three rooms of music alongside the receiver systems – and a composite video output for watching iPod video content on a TV. There’s no hard disk or CD drive, so it’s strictly iPod for your music.

Plug in the receiver systems and they instantly sniff out your iPod’s tunes. Each also boasts FM/AM tuners, though no DAB, letting you listen to the radio on one unit while listening to your iPod on the other.

Prices from £230 at Amazon.co.uk. More information available at Sony website.

• Places the iPod where it belongs-in your hand!
• Easily navigate & play your music, podcasts and audio books using the familiar iPod control interface
• High quality wireless music streaming using the latest BlueCore 5 Bluetooth technology
• Plays audio from movies, videos and games
• Elegant cradle designed to complement the iPod whilst in your hand

Stream Media from the Internet
Using Wi-fi enabled iPods such as the iPod Touch or iPhone you can also listen to:

• Internet Radio
• Last FM
• iTunes Music Store
• BBC iPlayer
• Other online content

Price is from £79.99, more information available at uPlay.

The Domino is a thoroughly modern table radio with soft edges, sinuous curves which meet bold design elements and sharp styling to create a timeless and striking retro form.

The domino has a joystick-based control system, enabling quick and easy navigation around the radio’s many advanced features. The inclusion of a graphical OLED display which aids navigation through the thousands of available radio stations.

The Domino has a small footprint, but packs a surprisingly meaty and high-quality digital sound, courtesy of NXT’s patented Balanced Radiator loudspeaker technology, coupled with our custom-engineered acoustic enclosure. The tactile, rubberised finish looks and feels wonderful and will grace any environment, from a minimalist’s apartment to the cheery clutter of a family home.

Throw-in some of the thoughtful touches that legions of users have come to expect from Revo, such as a stylish remote control, multi-functional alarm clock and quality controls and you have an irresistible little package.

Full functional support for all current and popular iPod and iPhone models is provided via the integrated dock.

Revo Domino D3 is priced at £170 and more information is available at Revo.co.uk.

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The CRG-70W comes with FM radio with 6 programmable preset stations and universal dock for iPod and iPhone, which charges each when docked.

The unit adds a 12/24 hour clock with alarm, with the option to wake up to radio, iPod, iPhone or buzzer complete with a dimmable LCD display for those who like to keep bedrooms dark.

The CRG-70W also adds a line-in port for use with other music players.

I think this is going to be added to my wish list…

When using it in loud hands-free speaker mode you have to turn the volume down quite a bit otherwise the person on the other end of the phone complains they can hear their own voice when they talk (echo), but other than this it’s a great mobile gadget accessory I always carry with me whenever I have space in a bag.

Not only that but it looks real nice in the brushed aluminum effect, speakers are on both ends. The left speak you press in (it doubles up as a power button) and the right hand speaker rotates around the barrel as this is the volume control. Pretty neat eh? It also sports A2DP!

More information can be found at Amazon UK

It’s a little pricey at just over £90 but the sound quality and bass as well as the loudness of the speaker makes the price point really attractive.

More info at Amazon