1 (edited by bobsz 2013-12-17 22:41:24)

Topic: What's wrong with this picture?

I've been looking for basic bluetooth speakers. And I've also been looking for a traditional clock radio with fairly decent stereo sound, like some fairly inexpensive Sonys used to be. I just ordered this new (?) Sony device, ICFCS20BT. (Actually, just requested it for a Christmas present.) They call it a Bluetooth Clock Radio, but sometimes they just call it a bluetooth speaker. It's hardly noted on the web, virtually no reviews, though it apparently came out in October. And, Sony's already cut the cost down from $110 to $79. That usually only happens when they're killing a product off, ie soon to be on Woot for $49. The thing *seems* like an awfully good idea. So what would you guys guess is happening? Is this the next  Sony"Dash" orphan? Hope there's not something dreadfully wrong with it...

http://store.sony.com/bluetooth-sup-sup … aker-Docks

2 (edited by steelpaw 2013-12-18 00:11:27)

Re: What's wrong with this picture?

I don't know about that model in particular, but I've been shopping for a clock radio for my mother, and I've been hearing quite a lot of talk from salespeople about how people don't want clock radios anymore - they use their phones as a clock and an alarm and they want just a bluetooth speaker, or a speaker dock for the phone. They don't want a clock and they don't want a radio.
Other salespeople have been telling me that since Apple changed to the new connector, manufacturers that used to make clock radios with ipod/iphone docks have discontinued the old models and not introduced new models to replace them (for example, Sangean).
Whether either or both of these statements is true, I don't know [edit - I do know that Sangean have discontinued their clock radios with docks, don't know if other manufacturers have followed suit], but they do suggest that the clock radio's moment may be passing. Why Sony appears to have introduced a new model only to possibly start phasing it out straight away remains, as you have noted, somewhat of a mystery.

Re: What's wrong with this picture?

I wake up with this: http://www.gracedigitalaudio.com/mondo-p-212.html
Doesn't replace a bluetooth speaker but then it streams music itself. Also has basic weather. I have had it for quite a while and love it but the thing is quite expensive. Today I would use an old smartphone with dock or powered speakers.

Tar, feathers, congress. Some assembly required.

Re: What's wrong with this picture?

I wake up with this thing called a chumby, there's a little one that's got a really great speaker in it, and a jack in the back if you want to plug in external stereo speakers, or there's a bigger one called a 'chumby 8' that already has great stereo speakers in it...

they've both got neat touch screen displays, but most important, for waking up, they can be programmed for multiple wake up times, a different time for each day, or multiple times a day, if you need.

and they're programmable, they're actually little computers, so what I did was write a little script in awk that reads a file, and automatically sets the alarm time out of the file.

I've already got my wakeup days and times programmed for all of next year, only need to update the file when i schedule vacation, it's already programmed for holidays!

it plays music to wake me up, though it also has a selection of beeps and buzzes and bloops if you don't want music...

you should check it out, it's really neat!

Cleaning up any loose bits and bytes.

Re: What's wrong with this picture?

I actually started using a "smart alarm".  Specifically "Sleep Bot" on my android phone.  You stick it under the corner of your bed sheet and it detects motion and will wake you up in a window that starts 30 minutes (configurable) before your alarm time until your alarm time if it detects motion.

In other words, if you roll over or anything within 30 minutes of your alarm, it just goes off then since you weren't in a deep sleep (you don't roll over in a deep sleep).  I find this much easier to wake up in the morning refreshed and I'm less likely to simply snooze/turn off the alarm and continue sleeping.

Unfortunately this isn't something Chumby can do with me as-is.

Linux Guy - Occasional Chumby Hacker

Re: What's wrong with this picture?

diamaunt wrote:

I wake up with this thing called a chumby, there's a little one that's got a really great speaker in it, and a jack in the back if you want to plug in external stereo speakers, or there's a bigger one called a 'chumby 8' that already has great stereo speakers in it...

they've both got neat touch screen displays, but most important, for waking up, they can be programmed for multiple wake up times, a different time for each day, or multiple times a day, if you need.

and they're programmable, they're actually little computers, so what I did was write a little script in awk that reads a file, and automatically sets the alarm time out of the file.

I've already got my wakeup days and times programmed for all of next year, only need to update the file when i schedule vacation, it's already programmed for holidays!

it plays music to wake me up, though it also has a selection of beeps and buzzes and bloops if you don't want music...

you should check it out, it's really neat!

I used my Chumby One as my alarm clock radio for years. Now it is the alarm clock radio in the second bedroom. My Infocast8 is the full time streaming radio (fed into a proper stereo) for the house. My Infocast3.5 is a reserve.

Tar, feathers, congress. Some assembly required.

Re: What's wrong with this picture?

Thanks all. Of course I enjoy my C1 as an alarm clock, was just intrigued with odd features like the bluetooth in this thing. Partially new toy syndrome. If there was a C3 on the horizon, I'm sure I would have gone with that.

Re: What's wrong with this picture?

Some afterthoughts... When I was Web shopping, I was amazed that nobody's introduced any new Internet radios since I bought my Chumby. BoloMKXXVIII's Grace Digital is still state of the art. Steelpaw's mention that nobody wants a clock or a radio any more made me realize what a "sea change" we've gone through the past five years, in terms of information delivery. I've noticed some of my friends don't wear watches any more. If I ask what time it is, they reach for their phone. I've always loved broadcast radios, and have various kinds scattered (literally) in every room of my house. I may never adjust to it, but it's definitely cool having everything on your phone- unless you lose it.

Re: What's wrong with this picture?

I have stereos in almost every room of the house (and one on the back patio). They either have a streaming device directly attached to them (i.e. Infocast8) or have a bluetooth receiver attached to them. I love internet radio. I have used several providers but am using (and paying for) Pandora right now. They have some really great Christmas channels that are awesome background music. Critical listening requires using CDs as streaming doesn't hold up when the volume is raised.  ;-)

Grace Digital has a tough fight in the future. Why pay $180 for a dedicated device when you can get a 7" Android tablet with much more functionality for less money? I like my Grace radio but it will be the last one I buy. I have been thinking about building a Chumby-like device out of one of the cheaper tablets (Hisense or refurb Nexus 7) and some speakers. I have speakers and an amp I can use. All I need is a cool enclosure I can mod for the project.
As for watches, they are mostly just jewelry now.

Android and tablets/smartphones in general are evolving rapidly. I was playing with a 3 year old phone the other day, an HTC Inspire 4G, and was amazed how lousy it seemed compaired to my new but very middle of the road Android phone. I have a couple of these old phones (without sim cards) at the house and use them to stream music to the stereos and control the Grace Radio and my Rokus. If they had IR blasters I would put all the other remotes away. Just think when Android devices get to be as mature as desktop PCs and even a 5 year old phone will still not seem very old technology wise. They will literally be all over the place, and cheap! Internet radios, alarm clocks, watches, point and shoot cameras, remote controls and desktop weather stations will most likely all be things of the past.

Tar, feathers, congress. Some assembly required.

Re: What's wrong with this picture?

I use my phone and a set of Bluetooth speakers for just about everything. My phone is always next to me at night and on. I am on call for work often so I need to have it there. I have bluetooth speakers scattered around the house to amplify my phone listening if needed. I often listen to podcasts on my phone so I would miss things if I did not carry my phone around with me. My phone is one stop shopping for my entertainment needs. With the purchase of my new Pebble watch, I can control the phone from my wrist and never take it out of the holster. If I will be at my computer for any length of time, will fire up an internet radio station streamed through a program called AIMP3.

My phone does just about everything multi items did just years ago.

Bottom line it is an individual taste.