Customer Reviews

Memorex Mi4004 iWake Clock Radio for iPod (White)

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(14)

 

 

I recently bought this unit in red (it's also available in purple, blue, white, and black) at Target. It was on clearance for $39, more than 50% off the original price. At the sale price, it is well worth it. I have not experienced any technical malfunctions (such as the clock resetting for no reason). I suspect those were unusual cases experienced by a few buyers. Maybe Memorex quality control isn't so good. Nonetheless, my unit has worked as advertised.

The positives about this unit are:

*Excellent value if you get it on sale
*The sound is decent (not excellent by any means, but good enough if your main purpose is to use it as a clock radio)
*Looks nice and the size isn't too large or too small
*Easy to set time and alarms
*Has two alarms and takes two AAA batteries for emergency backup
*Comes with 5 adapters to fit all sorts of iPod devices. For older Nano (which I have), it's best to use the adapter that came with the Nano. But you don't necessarilly need to use a docking adaptor at all
*Radio tuner has scan function to find stations
*The alarm starts the volume level at 0 and progressively moves up one notch every 5 seconds. I don't know why a couple of people criticized this function by saying that the unit begins playing at level 5; mine does not. Maybe Memorex fixed this issue. In any case, I love this function. I don't like being jolted out of bed by music that's too loud. This unit gently escalates the volume until it's enough to wake you...I like that.
*Comes with a cute little remote control unit.
*Has a headphone jack and a line-in jack. I don't use these often but they come in handy once in awhile.
*Backlight has a dim and bright setting. The dim setting is fine for night use. The bright setting is very visible during the day (but too bright for night). Not sure who would think the dim setting is bright...again...maybe this was a problem with a previous model. Mine is fine.
*Has a daylight savings time switch. You can automatically move the time up 1 hour or back 1 hour with a single slide of the switch...no need to reset the clock entirely. A small thing but helpful.

The negatives are:

*No radio station presets. I don't find this to be a major issue because I only use this as an alarm clock and tend to leave the same station selected. However, being able to preset some radio stations would have been helpful.
* The sound, while okay, isn't what you would get from a Bose, Sony, or Altec Lansing. Then again, consider the price difference...

We purchased this for our daughter last Christmas. It was difficult to get to work at all, and after 3 months completely stopped working. We still had the box, etc but no receipt. I can't believe something in this price range is such a piece of junk! Spend $20 more and get something reliable. I wish I could give it zero stars.

i got this overpriced alarm clock because it is modern looking and white so it fits into my house design very well, it was fine for a few months.

however, NOW every other day it totally resets itself. just like BAM the alarm is gone the time restarts. the battery backup has been replaced so thats not the issue.

its simply faulty.

and if your normal like me you dont keep reciepts so there is no way to go through the BS forms you have to fill out to pay the shipping for memorex to get a warranty replacement.

now ill have to go around knowing i wasted alot of money on a POS alarm clock and at the same time remember to never buy memorex products again.

I set this up and was initially very impressed - easy to use, good sound quality for the size and price of the unit. Within a couple of hours, however, something shorted out - the display started blinking with no LCD characters. Unplugged, plugged it in several times, changed batteries, etc. but no effect. I was going to exchange it for another, but these reviews have changed my mind and I am getting a full refund instead. The lack of radio presets is a surprising inconvenience but the way the wake-up volume works (automatically going to MAX) is an absolute show-stopper. This product has potential, but not without some design changes and better quality control.

While there are some negative reviews posted here, so far, I'm quite happy with this product. I have it set up in my kitchen. I enjoy being able to listen to my tunes and podcasts on it while I wash the dishes and make supper. The sound is very clear and it works fine with my iPod mini. The display has two settings - very bright and moderatley bright - which is only a minor issue in the kitchen. The features are definitely a step-up from my old am/fm radio and I can listen to anything I want. I've been thinking of getting another one for another part of the house, but I'll give this one a couple more weeks and see how it does.

Like the reviewer below me, a small electric 'shock' busted the system.
I was playing my ipod in it and I walked over to raise the volume. A tiny shock occurred (like when you touch another person while standing on a rug). This small shock shut the system off and now it is irreversibly broken.
Please do not buy this item unless there are no rugs in your home and you live in a humid environment. If you already have one, make sure you do not touch it while it's on !

The back light is too bright. It's like having a night light that you can't turn off. The alarm is awful. The alarm volume starts out low (level 1) and increases every few seconds up to the max level of 12, unless you roll over and turn it off. Say good bye to listening to the weather and traffic reports in the morning while in bed because you have to race to turn this thing off before the volume reaches FULL BLAST! If you could just turn this feature off this device would be ok. Whoever designed this feature was an idiot!

Like almost all digital radios, they have memory presets for for AM and FM bands to go to your favorite station. Usually 5 to 10 memory presets for each band. Not this one! You have to manually find your station each time if you want to switch stations. A real drag. I thought the people at Memorex would have figured this out, or maybe they just wanted to save money by deleting this rudimentary feature. So much for station surfing. There are better "complete" clock radios for iPod on the market. Bought mine at Target. I am taking mine back tomorrow. Very disappointed in the product. Memorex product development should caught this one.

This clock radio is disappointing for many reasons.

1. The dock connector piece is flimsy and broke within one week.

2. The design is very poor and it's hard to see the buttons. The font type, size and color are hard to read. The location of the buttons are on top, so if you have your clock radio on a taller dresser, you have to tilt the unit towards you to be able to set your alarm, change the volume, etc.

3. I am unable to tune into most radio stations. Most stations have lots of static and are unpleasant to listen to.

4. The 2nd alarm broke and I'm only able to set one alarm.

5. The sound quality isn't very good.

I recommend buying an iHome instead. It's similar in price, but, without all of the problems that the Memorex has.

I bought this for my husband for Christmas and I can't wait for it to break! We have to cover it every night b/c the light is so bright even on the lowest setting (there are only 2). In the morning he can't get it turned off fast enough before it blasts music or radio. I thought we'd get used to it but wish I'd returned it in the first month! Too late now!