Customer Reviews

Philips HF3490 Wake-up Light with Dock for iPod

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(13)

 

 

I own this product (the Philips HF3490), although most of the review also applies to the Philips HF3480 as well, with the exception of the iPod functionality, of course.

First, let's cut to the chase: this product does one thing really, really well. Luckily for this product's rating, its single proficiency is its main selling point: waking you up with a gentle progression of increasingly brighter light. Over the course of 30 minutes, the lamp in the alarm clock will get brighter until it reaches the maximum brightness setting you have selected previously. I find that the amount of light that I need to wake up varies - sometimes I wake up about 15 minutes in, other times, it takes the full 30 minutes to wake me up. So, I just leave it on its maximum setting (20) and wake up when I wake up.

BRIGHTNESS INFORMATION: I find that the technical information that Philips provides on the bulb is a bit difficult to relate to, without any context. This bulb is rated at 300 lux - not bad, but that brightness is typically given without context. It is 300 lux at *45 centimeters* - only about a foot and a half of distance. 300 lux is a pretty standard indoor room brightness. However, since brightness drops off by the square of the distance, a doubling of the distance (to 3') will halve your brightness. What this boils down to is that the light inside the lamp is roughly equal to a 60W incandescent bulb - good enough if the lamp is on a bedside stand, but because of the covering on the lamp, it might not be bright enough for you if you place it on a dresser across the room.

BULB REPLACEMENT: The reviews here that are claiming that this alarm has a LED lightbulb are clearly mistaken. You only have to look inside the holes in the top of the unit to see that it has a compact fluorescent (CFL) lightbulb - not an LED lightbulb. The manual that comes with the unit even says not to throw it away with your household waste - I can only assume because of the mercury inside the bulb. Now, I haven't disassembled the unit, but it does look like a standard (14W?) dimmable CFL - the sort of thing that you *might* be able to replace at the end the bulb's lifespan. I can't say for sure, of course, since I don't want to void my warranty.

Unfortunately, I think this product does quite a few things poorly, so the list of Cons is pretty long:

* iPod Functionality: The iPod functionality is pretty limited. It basically just plays whatever you're currently listening to on your iPod. I purchased the HF3490 over the HF3480 because I wanted an extra dock to charge my iPod Touch in at night. When you plug the iPod in, the unit will always switch to the iPod input and start playing whatever your iPod had last left off at - even if your iPod was stopped. Whenever I plug my iPod in for charging, I have to stop the iPod and then switch back to the radio. Needless to say, this is pretty irritating.

* Alarm (Wake-Up) Sounds: I really want to like the wake-up sounds - especially the birds and the drums. The birds are cheerful and the drums have a good beat. However, the clips for these sounds are annoyingly short - I would be surprised if they are longer than 30 seconds in length. As such, they tread that infuriating middle-ground between purely repetitive (beep beep beep beep) and music - after hearing the same clip a few dozen times, you will really want to get up and MAKE IT STOP. Whether that's a good thing or a bad thing in an alarm clock is purely a personal preference. :)

* Sound Quality: Why they chose a rear-fired speaker is completely beyond me. Now, maybe I'm just spoiled by the sound from my previous alarm clock (a Tivoli Audio Model Three), but the sound emerging from this alarm clock is just bad. Pushing the alarm clock up closer to the wall improved things somewhat, but in general, the sound is muffled and muddy. There's a reason why audio systems fire bass from the rear/side and other frequencies from the front/top - because it sounds much clearer.

* Button Layout: This is a complaint that a lot of reviews here have, and it's true: the way the button/knob/lever system works is far more confusing than it needs to be. I've had this alarm for a while now, and I *still* press the wrong buttons from time to time.

* Radio: I get surprisingly good reception with this unit's built-in antenna. My house is made out of stucco, and it can be difficult to tune into radio stations without static. However, this unit has no AM tuner(!!) - only FM. If you're like me, and like to lie in bed while reading a book and listening to the baseball game on AM, you're out of luck. No AM for you!

To sum it up - this product is great for waking you up on those dark, winter days. I live in Minnesota, and it's a real treat to wake up in the morning and not feel bone tired because of the darkness. Just be aware that it's a good wake-up tool, and pretty poor at everything else. I would absolutely recommend the dockless version over this one.

UPDATE (11/3/2010): I've had this product for about 14 months now, and the bulb has died on me twice. It appears that issues with reliability are widespread.

I had been searching for a light-up alarm clock for some time. I've always had good experiences with Philips products (even Magnavox!) and though this is a pretty expensive alarm clock, overall I am VERY happy with it. Takes a minute to fully understand how the 3 wheels on the side work, but once you lock into the process, it is very easy to use and program.

Good stuff:
*You can remove the iPod base and just use the lamp if your tabletop space is limited.
*You can adjust the brightness of the display.
*Dock charges the iPod (initially, I thought it just played)
*Sleep timer!!!

Things I wish had been better thought out:
*When you place your iPhone/iPod on the dock, it automatically opens up your music and begins to play. Sometimes I just want to charge the phone, without having to struggle with turning off the music.
*You cannot set the light level for the alarm-- so whatever the last brightness you had used the lamp at, that is the brightness that you will wake up to. The light has a range from 1-20, and at night, I would love to set the light at about 5 and use the sleep timer... then in the morning, I'd like to wake to a light level that hits about 15. Unfortunately, that is not possible-- if I set the light at 5 at night, then I wake up to 5 in the morning. Not a huge deal, but a noticeable drag in my life. :)


Overall, I'm very happy with this product-- I wish that Philips would tweak the circuits to allow for a more customizable use experience, but given the choices out there-- I would still buy this again if anything happened to it...

I purchased my first of these lights in October of 2009. It is now October 2010 and I just received my 5th replacement light in the mail. Yes, I said 5th. I've seen from other reviews that many had problems with the bulbs going out. That was never a problem for me. Instead something internally went haywire with each appliance such that the light would turn on & off by itself or the radio would come on & off by itself at random. Other times the buttons would simply not work or they would cause a function to happen that they weren't designed to (e.g. the light button would turn the radio on). I will say that customer service has been wonderful. They have gladly replaced my light with each malfunction. It wasn't until this last instance that I got a bit of a run around. They mysteriously couldn't find any of the documentation from the past year of all my service problems. Thankfully I kept good notes and was able to give them the reference number from every phone call. My ultimate disappointment was being told with this last replacement that the only thing the company is willing to do for me is to continue to send me the same poorly made model or I can opt for a newer model that is lesser of a product (i.e. it doesn't have a personal music option and it doesn't do dusk simulation). Kind of a crappy deal I would say. If they are unwilling to give me a refund they should at the very least offer me the latest fully loaded model that is comparable to the one I originally purchased. The company is well aware that this is a shoddy product. It is really unfortunate because I love what it is supposed to do. When the light is working properly it's fantastic and it has completely transformed my dark mornings. I have to advise you cautiously about purchasing any of these lights. I know with the newer models the company has at least made it possible for people to replace the lightbulbs if they burn out. An improvement, yes, but I don't know if they've improved the manufacturing of the rest of the machine. And, very disappointing that the best this company will do is to continue to replace a chronically malfunctioning machine with the same model.

I have always had trouble waking up in the morning and my usual morning rituals have included loud alarm clocks. But I have been able to discontinue all these loud alarm clocks after my purchase of the Philips HF3490 Wake-up Light.

At its maximum, the light generated from the Wake-up Light is about the equivalent of one of my medium sized lamps. The entire room is illuminated. The Wake-up Light begins to glow 30 minutes before your set alarm time. It starts off dim and gradually brightens over this period of time. The light has waken me up every single day that I have used, true to the product's promises. Even on days when I have had to had slept late (2AM) the light has been able to wake me up 5 hours later (7AM), no problem. The wake up is gradual and peaceful and I do not need to hit a snooze button (which I would hit 5 times when using a conventional alarm clock). Additionally, the light itself does not make any buzzing noises, and if it does, I can not hear it so it is not a problem.

Although I have never needed the sounds available from the Wake-up Light to wake me up (the light has always waken me up before that), the sound quality is very good. The Wake-up Light comes with bird chimes, wind chimes, and jungle music. It can also play music from the radio (FM/AM). The sounds begin a few minutes before the set alarm time, and like the light, start off low and gradually get louder and louder. The sound can get loud if you want it to be.

Finally, the ipod touch/iphone charger. To be honest, I don't think this product is worth the extra 50 or 60 dollars for the ipod unit, but nonetheless it is pretty good. The unit can charge your ipod, so I have been able to discard the ipod touch computer charger that came with the ipod. Additionally, the built in speakers in the Wake-up Light are at least 10X louder than the ipod touch itself, so sound quality is good as well. You can use the ipod touch/iphone to wake up to your favorite tunes.

All in all, it is a very good product and I have been able to wake up much easier as a result. I have no need for audible alarm clocks. However, it does seem a little pricey at $200 compared to the alternative without an ipod touch/iphone dock at $140.

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My boyfriend and I bought this lamp to try to help with some of the problems we were having during the winter. The product worked great. The light was gentle and the interface for the iPod was wonderful.

Unfortunately, the product only worked for about the first 2 weeks. AFter that, the bulb died. We exchanged the product with Phillips (which, by the way, took 3 weeks to complete). We had much the same experience with the second unit. It died after 1 month.

Given the track record of Phillips in getting a return back to us in a reasonable period of time, and the frustration experienced in having two of these products break in a short period of time, we decided to get our money back and find another product. We've been using the iWakeup Light from Oregon Scientific for a few months now and have been very happy with it.

I was so excited when I discovered this product. When I got it, it worked like a dream for about three weeks, then the bulb went out. I called Philips and was sent a replacement unit. I have had it only one week and it is already glitching. My ipod will come one on its own... and today all of a sudden it stopped working completely. I played with the cords and buttons and all of a sudden it started working again. I am holding my breath.. but it seems they put this really wonderful product on the market before it was ready.

UPDATE: My bulb died after 9 months. I can't find a replacement on the web, the Phillips site won't let you replace it yourself & all I have found after 15 minutes on the site is contact Phillips service in your country, no listing, no email/phone#, nothing. It says the bulb will last an average of 7 years with regular use, I only set my alarm to wake up 3-4 days a week & from the other feedback, it looks like the average life span is more like 7 months. Very Discouraging! Beware!

UPDATE2: Just got off the phone with support, wait time <2 min.! A real person answered & after giving some basic info off the light, they are sending me another next week with prepaid return. If all goes as planned, I will boost my rating up to 3 stars. I see a new model on pre-order & it has the word "Plus" attached to the model (Philips Hf3485 Wake-up Light Plus) Damn, I want it!

Original 4 star review:
Background:
I am not a morning person, always snooze until the last minute, & try things like moving the alarm clock away from my bed so I have to get out of bed to turn it off. Also I don't have a large disposable income, but will gladly pay double for any product that actually works. I have been using the "Philips HF3490 Wake-up Light with Dock for iPod" for 2 weeks now & waking up is definitely more pleasant.

Pros:
-The whole gradual light alarm really works. The light is very gradual. I find myself waking up a few minutes before the alarm (sound) actually go off.
-The alarm sounds are pleasant.
-You can control the brightness of the clock & icons (As opposed to alarm clocks which are sometimes so bright they light up a dark room)
-The speaker is decent enough to wake up to, but wouldn't recommend it for long listening or a hifi replacement.
-Bright enough for some additional light.

Cons:
-No Weekend/Weekday Alarm. If it's electronic, this feature should be standard. I like waking up later on the weekends & my iPhone does fill in for this, but I'm buying this because I want to wake up more naturally to an artificial sun.
-Every time I dock my iPhone, it starts playing music. Why? (See 1 of the 1 star reviews for someone else frustrated by this) After docking, you must wait until it turns on (~5 - 8 sec.), then press the Radio/iPod music button 2x, once turns on the FM radio.
-A bit confusing - If you turn the alarm off by moving the little snooze stick up (down is snooze) instead of the Radio/iPod button, this turns off the alarm permanently & you must turn the alarm back on for the next day. Once you snooze, the light stays at that level, no dimmer or brighter. Still haven't learned how to work the dusk simulator, but haven't tried too hard.

Would I buy it again?
I would probably get the model without the iPhone dock & save the $45. I love the light alarm instead of a loud noisy obnoxious "WAKE UP" & the soothing wake up sounds to complement it.

QUALITY PROBLEMS: DO NOT BUY I left a similar review under the HF3480 (though I actually bought the 3490) but it is the same product and from reading other reviews suffers from the same bulb-life problem. I used the bulb sparingly (never as a reading light, turned it off after waking in the morning, brightness set at 15 out of 20) and it only lasted approx. 4 months. I wish it was within Amazons return window because while it is under Philips warranty for 2 yrs. Philips has the item on back-order without an Estimated in-stock date. What a waste of time and money. The Bulb = Junk.

Oh a few other gripes:
-Speaker sounds lousy
-Ipod Doc functionality is very poor
-No Back-Up Battery
-Convoluted Menus/Controls


When this thing was working the light really helped me get out of bed. Which is bad now because the bulb is not working and I grew accustomed to the light in the morning, it is hard going back.

Background :
* I'm in the military which means EARLY wakeups (3:30AM and on daily).
* Must be ready for physical activities (mile+ swims, 4miles+ runs) upon wakeup with 12+ hour days

History:
Used traditional nuclear attack alarm clock for the past 5 years, waking up in anger, terror, etc. I wouldn't use the snooze because I can only handle that amount of irritation maybe once an hour and I also refused to put my wife through that as she wouldn't have to wakeup for at least another 5 hours. This resulted in several missed wake up times. When I did manage to wake up using this alarm, I would be fairly angry throughout the morning even while at work. I am convinced that waking up in this manner WILL shave years off your life.

Problem:
With the prospect of waking up earlier than normal to endure a vigorous training program while maintaining alertness and a clean appearance, I had to find a better way. I thought of how easy it was to wake up, even at early times, on the weekends if the sun was shining. So I asked myself how to trick my body's circadian cycle, did a little Google search and compared a few products. My result was a no brainer.

Solution:
This product allows me to wake up without using any sound. The light is bright enough, especially if its only a foot or two away from you. I usually wake up half way through the light up process anyway, before the sound kicks in. If I need to use sound, it is always available (just turn up the volume) with more than just a robot death screech as an option. I have to admit I don't use the sounds the clock comes with, but I have tested them and they are soothing and effective. I enjoy waking up to something more motivating (End Title song from the movie Crimson Tide). Just set the Ipod/ Iphone to the song of choice, dock it, flip the alarm switch to on and goodnight. Yes, it CHARGES IPHONES.

Other Reviews:
I read the reviews before I bought this item and I was quite upset after receiving it in the mail. The reviews did it no justice.. everyone complains about stupid stuff. Get over it.
*Sound Quality : Its no BOSE but it sounds GOOD and is definitely loud enough at 1/4 max level.
*Alarm/Snooze Switch: yeah, its a lever, its plastic.. These aren't problems. I don't have to go on a witch hunt to find my snooze button, hitting every other button on the alarm in the process, even though I never need the snooze anyway. Don't worry about the material its made out of as you wont be waking up in a hostile environment with your karate knife edge ready for combat. The volume transitions from lowest to user set level and gently wakes you no matter what music/sound you have set.
*Light Longevity: This is a reasonable future concern, but are you really going to let a light bulb get in your way? If it burns out, call Philips. If they don't help, then don't worry about the warranty, carefully disassemble the product, find the bulb model and order one... Quit whining and find a solution to keep this awesome product working.
** dont forget to set the dimmer on the display ** READ THE INSTRUCTION MANUAL ffs**

This is a great product, it does everything as advertised: the light is bright and comes on slowly to gently wake you. It unpauses your ipod and pipes the music through it's amply loud speaker, and it's display is really cool as it just sort of "appears" on the device's frosted plastic exterior. The controls take a bit to get used to, and they're not always intuitive, but at the end of the day, it's just an alarm clock, and it performs as one quite well.

I was as happy as could be with this product, I was waking up easier and nicer, which really set the tone for each day, and my life in general. Until the light died. I'm a chronic procrastinator, so I used this clock without the light for a few months, saying I'd just replace it "tomorrow". Finally I got around to replacing it the other day, only to discover it's not replaceable! What?!

A quick Google revealed that this is a common problem with this device. I assume a particular lot had defective bulbs, which last far less than the advertised 6,000 hours (or 7 years, as Philips claims, although even if the light were on an hour a day, 6,000 hours would last over 16 years, but I digress).

So, why am I giving this device two stars? Well, it was virtually flawless, easily 4 stars, possibly 5, until the bulb died and I discovered it wasn't replaceable. The fact that it died isn't as big of an issue as the fact that it wasn't replaceable. That puts an expiration date on the product, even if the bulb lasts 7 or 16 years, and I don't like that. I'm giving the device 2 stars because it did work well, and I could see it being a great product if the bulb didn't prematurely fail, and because Philips apparently has excellent customer service. They know they screwed up, and if you simply call customer service, they offer to refund you the purchase price for the clock, or ship you their newer model (HF3485), because they've discontinued this model. The only problem is that the HF3485 doesn't have an iPod dock. That was a big deal for me when I originally bought this, but I hadn't been using it recently, so that didn't bother me. My alternative was to take the check and go find someone who has an HF3490 in stock, but then I'd probably be returning it again in a few months when the bulb fails - that's annoying. So, an HF3485 is on it's way to my house as I write this. They required nothing from me, other than the model number, date code, and my address. They're including a return shipping label, and asked that I return the defective unit.

That's just about as smooth as it can possibly get - Philips is definitely doing a great job trying to keep as many customers as possible after this indiscretion. I know they'll keep me. But the HF3490 gets two stars. Although it should probably only get one.