iHome: a review

So, I bought the iHome last night, like I've been threatening to do all this time. So far I'm quite happy with the product, as these things go. It may be that there are clock radios which would have been better in combination with a dock and radio transmitter, but none of the clock radios I became interested in through online searching were available in Canada, or at least, not in stores. After much waffling and visiting three stores which carry clock radios and the iHome, I bit the bullet and bought the iHome. I think I'm glad I did so.

Previously mentioned problems:

• Yes, the top buttons are orange and the front is blue. boohoo. Oh wait, I don't care!


• The display is not too bright on its dimmest; whoever said this was smoking teh crack, and I am the light sleeper of doom, so I know whereof I speak.


• Yes, the speaker quality COULD be better, but it can always be better. I find it perfectly satisfying, especially given the price and size of the unit


• Buttons are perfectly responsive, so far!


• The lowest volume on the sleep and the gradual wake is not low enough, but it isn't super loud. Also, the speaker makes a popping sound when the alarm switches on, and being the light sleeper of doom, this wakes me up before the music has a chance to wake me gently. It would be nice if those issues were fixed, and the time it takes for the music to fade from off to the selected volume could be set by the user. But these are acceptable shortfallings


• It's true, this is not a dual-alarm clock, which is a suckful truth. But when is the last time I had someone regularly sleeping in my bed? Yeah, that's what I said.

Shortfallings no-one has mentioned to my knowledge:

• When my iPod is docked and I select a song and press play using the iPod, it doesn't talk to the speakers until I use the iHome's button to pause and then play it. This is mildly annoying, but I'm sure I'll get used to this quirk eventually.


• When setting time or alarm, it uses a high-pitched beeping sound to confirm things. This sound is annoying, and loud. If I were trying to set it while someone else in the room was trying to sleep, it would be even more annoying. Especially if I were the person trying to sleep. Then again, see the last item in the previous list; this is not likely to be a problem anytime soon.

I figure, if the iHome is relatively successful, in a few years they or someone else will probably release a new and improved version of the same concept, at which point I could upgrade and sell this to some single person for whom said problems are not actually problems.

trippy goodness

My plane leaves for DC out of Buffalo at 7 p.m. tomorrow.

In order to be sure to get from Toronto to Buffalo in time for the flight, I've arranged to work from 7-2, which means getting picked up for work at 6, which means getting up at 5-something a.m.

I've packed clothing for the weekend (largely comfy t-shirts and a pair of comfy pants... very sparely packed), two books, toiletries, passports, US cash, and even some pretty jewellery so that I can feel pretty whilst being comfy (although now that I think about it, I wouldn't wear most of the jewellery I packed with the clothing I packed. *shrug*).

I've packed my lunch for tomorrow, and picked out clothing for the work day and for travel afterwards. All I have to do is roll out of bed, shower, throw the clothing on, and grab the lunch in the fridge. I can eat breakfast on the way in, if at all.

Now I am left with the three tough questions:

Do I bring my knitting?

and if so, which project should I bring? I would hate to have my needles confiscated. But it would be nice to have it to work on. *pout*

Do I bring my laptop?

I'm sure there are things I could get done if I had my laptop there. I'm just as sure that it might be good for me to be away from the damnable thing for a weekend. To take a real vacation. And, it makes the already full backpack even heavier and more full.

How much food do I bring?

Eating can be complicated for me if I don't bring my own foods. But, we could go shopping as soon as I get in. But, the food here is free! But, the food here takes up luggage space. I will probably opt to bring some compact non-perishable food such as fruit strips and leave it at that.

We have no plans, other than puppy training early Saturday afternoon, and a trip to the ren faire sometime while I'm there (I guess Sunday, since I don't think Monday is a holiday for them). I imagine there will be cooking, possibly fondue, and much catching up.

A true vacation is a wonderful opportunity to take stock of your life, to look at it from the outside. I want to take full advantage of that. I know there are things I'm doing wrong, that I'm tripping myself up. I need time away to understand things.