RCA's RP5500i clock radio hearts your iPod

An alarm clock blaring in the early AM is typically not a pleasant event, but RCA is attempting to make the experience a bit less frustrating by waking you with your favorite tunes. The RP5500i clock radio joins the already saturated iPod clock market, but throws in those huge LED digits, USB connectivity, an AM / FM tuner, automatic time setting, adjustable brightness, built-in speakers, and best of all, a programmable snooze (huzzah!). $69.99 to make your mornings a tad more endurable.

[Via ChipChick]

[Wolfie @ Aug 26th 2007 12:32PM]

Of course, your iPod gets totalled when you throw the clock across the bedroom when it starts squawking at you!

[Schoolboy @ Aug 26th 2007 1:36PM]

Looks kind of cheaply made

[Tristan @ Aug 26th 2007 2:24PM]

The only thing that makes it look cheap is the RCA symbol in the top left.

[John Sinshack @ Aug 26th 2007 1:39PM]

I didn't know RCA was still making many new products

Nice to know they kept their 90's styling though...

[Greg Smith @ Aug 26th 2007 1:49PM]

I've been looking for one of these in Canada. So far, I can only find it in black. Oh, well.

[Schoolboy @ Aug 26th 2007 2:29PM]

It looks like a Hotel room clock with its huge LEDs

[Josh @ Aug 26th 2007 5:05PM]

My alarm clock also has a huge display, so I can see it from across the room. I keep it there so I have to actually get up and walk across the room to turn off the alarm in the morning, or I'd never get to work on time.

[Schoolboy @ Aug 26th 2007 5:10PM]

yes, i have 2 alarm clocks
1 that i dont set on my bedside so i can see what time it is.
and the other across the room that i do set

[Alex Rrrrrrr @ Aug 26th 2007 2:30PM]

Does it turn the iPod off when it's plugged in? Cos it will probably start burning into the screen if its left all night.

[mikeluisortega @ Aug 26th 2007 4:06PM]

I have one of these, $50 on clearance at Circuit city. I like it alot, bought it for my Iphone as it acts just like the dock the iPhone came with but also as a alarm clock, even has a USB port so you can plug in a old shuffle or something.

[greenjestur @ Aug 27th 2007 12:31PM]

How well does it work with the iphone? Do you need to use Airplane Mode?

[Syndication @ Aug 26th 2007 5:12PM]

RCA, Guaranteed to break within a year.

[ptrader @ Aug 26th 2007 5:51PM]

Actually, this is a welcome addition to the saturated iPod clock radio market with the large red digital readout. The iHome series messed this one up with hard to read displays, especially for those of use who would like to see the clock at night without our glasses.

[Ian @ Aug 27th 2007 3:38AM]

I dono i like the ihome, i have one works great as an alram clock for me. the only problem i have with it is that the brightness setting on it is so high.. even on the lowest setting it lights up my entire room. has to be the most annyoing thing EVER when trying to sleep. but dono about the vision thing sense i have good vision... YAY for youth!!!

[Niz @ Aug 26th 2007 8:58PM]

Anyone know where i can get this online and have it delivered to the UK, this looks perfect for me ive seen iPod alarm clocks but they always have tiny screens, and very big and expensive.

[joe @ Aug 26th 2007 9:27PM]

This alarm clock is not bad. It's one of the only ipod alarm clocks you can get that doesn't have a blaring display that keeps you (me) up at night. the orange led's are pretty neutral at night.

ipod nano users beware, though. this thing is built to work with a regular ipod; when you plug in the ipod, the time display shifts over to the left by about one digit's space so that the ipod doesn't block the time. this doesn't happen with the nano; when you plug it in, the time stays in the same place and is blocked by the nano. why they didn't just make the display stay over all the time is beyond me.

[Solazy @ Aug 27th 2007 8:57AM]

I think it's a little expensive!! But it's incredible!

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http://solazy.netsons.org/

[Ari @ Aug 27th 2007 10:00AM]

I bought one, it's very nice. It does not feel cheap, and looks better to my eyes than other units where the iPod sticks out. The little 'drawer' for the iPod retracts into the clock when not in use.

My clock DOES work properly with my 1st gen iPod Nano. iPod's display dims after a few seconds, as it should. The clock's display is a pleasant amber-orange, much nicer than pictured, and can be dimmed. The LED digits are very close to the surface, so visible from just about any angle. Battery backup keeps the time and alarms intact when power is lost, and the two included AA alkalines are good for 2-3 years. Radio is OK too, and there's a USB port for other MP3 players. Time and alarm setting controls work well.

[griffon @ Aug 28th 2007 2:07PM]

I own one of these, got it fry's a few months back. It's not bad the sound quality for morning music is pretty decent. If your ipod gets jiggled (dam easy to happen, design flaw 1) it dose good fail over to a buzzer but you can't set a alternate like FM (flaw2). The ipod tray is flimsy (flaw 3) but the construction otherwise is pretty solid (more so then the pictures make it look). Two programmable alarms and it will start where you left your ipod set. The morning random play is odd, it seems to force and album mode or some other order, you can't seem to tell it to always start a new shuffle, you have to do that ourself (flaw4). To many buttons on the top besides snooze (flaw 5). My biggest kneejerk complaint besides price is that the led numbers are to bright even when set to dim. In Dark room you can almost read by them, they need like 3 more step downs (flaw 6). That being said it was still the best clock replacement I could find and was the closest thing to a traditional look/feel with out having nasty ultra bright fully back light numbers.