We'll be honest, it takes a whole lot to get us excited about
iPhone / iPod docks or
digital picture frames these days, but congratulations Sony, you've managed to pierce through our hardened hearts with the ICF-CL75iP Dream Machine.
Sony Insider brings word of the actually quite handsome bedside attraction, an assimilation of those aforementioned products with an alarm clock to boot. We're looking at a 7-inch WVGA LCD screen, 1GB built-in memory, FM / AM radio, and a retractable dock -- in case you don't feel like capitalizing on the total synergistic package. Photos can be pulled directly from the Apple handheld or loaded via USB, and your wake-up options include built-in presets, a customizable 10-second voice recording, or the iPod / iPhone itself. Our only knock at this point is the minimal codec support -- MP3 and WMA for audio, and MP4, M-JPEG, and AVI for video -- but if the $149.95 price on a cached SonyStyle listing stays accurate, we can be a little forgiving. In fact, throw in Chumby widget support and we'll be downright smitten -- make it happen, Sony.
Update: Turns out it's actually up for pre-order right now through
Sony Style Canada, CAN $199.99 (that's US $180) and shipping out October 1st.
[Thanks, Neil!]
Read - Sony Insider
Read - Sony Style cached listing
posted Sep 2nd 2009 5:23PM
photoshop disaster. The iphone isn't charging
Well it's not pluged in silly!
The time doesn't even match between the two.
added to this it says screen size is 7" but the iphone is about 3.5", and in that photo the screens look almost the same size.
Your face.
@Tim
What are you talking about? The iphone looks to be about half the size, which is exactly how it should look. You know screens are measured diagonally, right?
-Taylor
Taylor made Tim a tool, man.
*grunt*
http://www.sonystyle.ca/view/SlideShow/productFullSizeImages.html?modelNum=ICFCL75IPB&enImagesCount=1&fullsizeImagesCount=1
Haha, they've fixed it!
RECESSION ANTIDOTE? PLEASE?
Dude, the recession has been over for eons. Obama 1, Satan 0.
Looks cheap and plastic-y....like my breasts.
And your face.
Hey baby
Picture please and leave out the blurrycam.
Why? Why was I turned on by that?
LOL!!!
Even after considering the specs, $150 for a damned iPhone dock/Alarm clock sounds a bit too much.
Were you expecting any different from Sony?
I was thinking cause of the Sony name, I'd be more the $150. I am pleasantly surprised by the price. I really like it. I may pick it up when it gets closer to $100 only cause I'm poor.
Nice device, but that price point needs to come down somewhat.
A few issues people:
1. Why do all contemporary gadget and OS makers feel it necessary to display the time in large letters or graphics across their products, when the time is often displayed in small but legible characters at the top of their GUIs (think Vista analog clock, Samsung & HTC phone widgets etc).
2. More important: With the exception of ONE Sony iPod dock clock radio (not this one), every single iPod / iPhone dock is designed such that the iPod (Touch or iPhone) sits in a wobbly vulnerable position that means a) Pressing the on screen buttons pushes it back a little, with no rigidity. b) If the iPod does get knocked, the device and dock/connector may get damaged.
In a way, I think these docks generally lack any imagination when it comes to usability or blending of the iPod/iPhone's shape into their form factor.
3. Why no touch screen Sony? So close!
In this case, it's an alarm clock. Note the "clock" in that description--I'd kind of like to be able to see the time.
Please don't address us as "people"..... call us "friends" instead. :)
4. What up with these long product names "Sony ICF-CL75iP" alarm clock?
5. Why not make compatible with your own products? Or both?
I agree with the monkey with glasses. They should call this the iDreamMachine.
... *falls asleep*
I also agree with Monkey. What about a dock for Walkman? I bought my OLED Walkman in July and I wake up with an alarm clock 5 to 6 times a week, so this thing would be awesome for me if supported Walkman.
I hope they release something similar for us as well. Please Sony.
@wonderkid
There is a reason for that, Apple.
I happen to work for a company that does some ODM design and manufacturing for Sony and any device that uses an Apple docking connector needs to conform to Apple's specifications .fyi, Apple gives us a roughly 4" thick binder full of measurements cad designs etc that have to be followed to the letter to gain the apple seal of approval. Making anything with an Apple sticker on it=massive pain.
Also, to anyone who thinks $150 is expensive, I would guesstimate that the manufacturer cost is probably around $80-90 USD which means a retail cost of $150 would be an unusually low markup for a device like that. Most devices the company I work for produces usually gets marked up somewhere around 3-4x its production cost.
They should have kept going and added WiFi to it.
Unless the USB port accepts wireless dongles, then I might let it slide.
WiFi, yes.
It would do some good if it showed time and weather forecast/current conditions, I'm to lazy to go outside and look for myself.
TOO LAZY, even to type 'o' two times...
Compared to the rest of crap like this, $150 actually doesn't sound TOO bad.
Really, what they should've done here is wireless display link and touch screen... wouldn't that be cool? Sitting on the couch/bed, reading a book... oh, let's have a look at who's only or what's next in torrent queue?
Jokes aside, price is too high I think, but the spec list is getting to point where you might want to let a couple of things slide.. I find this a very nice device, but I would like to see that iPhone dock detachable. Without the iPod dock feature, it's still a pretty cool alarm clock (plus everything else) and I would buy it if they'd know off those extra pointless 50$ and left it in a hundo.
One of the pictures from the linked sites shows that the iPod dock slides into the back.
The iPod dock is retractable, it slides in and out, also a version should be coming out alongside it with no iPod dock attached for slightly less.
I hope they've added USB charging. I like to charge my phone overnight by my bed - my phone is not an iPhone but I do have a iPod Touch. Would save having various chargers all over the place.
Where's the HD radio? or internet radio?
With the iPod plugged in it could be possible to use Pandora or Last.fm with the clock. Probably not with an alarm but a sleep timer maybe.
If this worked with the Zune HD... I'd buy it.
That thing looks good, and the price is surprisingly decent for Sony.
Hell yes I want this. digital photo frame, alarm clock and ipod dock, perfect combo
If this worked with my flash ipod Mini I would get it.
It does, the only thing it doesn't work with is the 3rd gen ipod (the ones with the red backlit buttons) and even with them, it will play music but won't charge the 3rd gen ipod due to them using the firewire pinout.
Ummm, yeah.
You know how the iPhone has a screen on it already? And an internal clock? And an alarm. And all that?
You know how you can download something like the Kensington Rise & Shine application (free) to your iPhone to make it look just like a clock radio when you lay it on its side?
And it has a nice touch interface, and wifi, and 3g, and displays the time as well as the weather. And all that?
So what else do you need? You need a DOCK, a dock that holds the iPhone sideways, supporting it properly, and allowing you to leave the case on via some adjustable support or a slidable dock connector or something. Something small and L shaped. And relatively cheap.
Make one and I'll buy it.
Apple would sue the crap out of any company that tried to make a sideways ipod dock and stick a "compatible with ipod" label on it, believe me I tried to convince people who worked on the design of the CL75iP.
Apple corporate is annoying at best, makes you want to kill people on bad days...
@fragger56
iHome already makes a rotating iPod alarm clock.
http://www.ihomeaudio.com/products.asp?product_id=10386&dept_id=1006
Would you want this thing on at night lighting up the bedroom? It also needs a small lcd display that just shows the time like a traditional clock/radio.
Tim, most intelligent thing here is just a cheap light sensor that switches the device to night mode... low brightness high contrast color scheme with a dark background and off you go... your non-torchlight Sony gadgety thingy... Or even better, just loose the sensor and add a button... or even a time of day preset.... like after 10pm, lights off Sony.
According to Sony Style Canada It will be available October 1 for $199.99 Canadian. It is available now for Pre-Order now.
http://www.sonystyle.ca/commerce/servlet/ProductDetailDisplay?storeId=10001&langId=-1&catalogId=10001&productId=1006888&navigationPath=46881n100495
I have been pretty rough to all my alarm clocks..... not sure if it's a good idea to get this...
Wait... Its Sony and its for an Apple product and its actually at a reasonable price? Something isn't right, this must be a mistake.
Want. Now.