Philips AJ3600 Time Projection Clock Radio
by Philips Consumer Electronics
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List Price: Category: Receiver or Amplifier See more product details |
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Customers in the UK,
Buy this product at amazon.co.uk
for British Pounds
Digital Cameras Photo Reviews of Philips AJ3600 Time Projection Clock Radio
Customer Review: A Great Package Hampered By A Poor Projector & Tuner
Summary: 2 Stars
Customer review from the Amazon Vine™ Program (What's this?)
The Philips AJ3600 Time Projection Clock Radio has the ideal feature list for a basic alarm clock but with the added bonus of being able to project the time onto a ceiling or wall. It does okay, but the lens on the projector and tuner keeps the AJ3600 from being outstanding.
PROS:
- 180 degree projector
- Attractive casing
- Large, easy to read orange display with brightness control
- Dual alarms
- Digital tuning with 5 FM and 5 AM presets
- Gentle wake feature
- Can be operated by battery or AC adapter
- Good sound
- Small footprint
CONS:
- Projector lens either poor or out of focus
- Poor tuning radio
PROJECTION
The projector on the AJ3600 can be swiveled 180 degrees, front to back. It can also be adjusted to go left to right and the display reversed so it has the proper orientation no matter where you set it up. Unfortunately, the one feature that excited me about this clock is the weakest part. The lens is either poor or defective and out of focus. The projected time is so fuzzy that even when I'm wide awake, I feel like I'm reading the time with sleepy eyes.
ALARM FUNCTIONS
The dual alarm only allows the radio for alarm A and the buzzer for alarm B. Both however, use the Gentle Wake function to allow you to be gradually woken up through slowly increased volume/pitch. It's such a different morning experience when woken up this way. I only wish it would allow me to set the minimum and maximum volumes, like my Philips CD alarm clock does. The alarm, as well as the time, can be set using forward-only hour and minute buttons. It is pretty quick to set and the alarm status is very clearly visible from the display. The sleep bar allows you to rest for another 9 minutes before going off again. It will allow you to use the sleep bar 6 times total before shutting off completely.
CLOCK FUNCTIONS
The numbers are very large and easy to read and the orange backlit display is easy to look at it. The brightness has 3 different levels to suit your preference. It has non-slip feet to keep the clock from sliding around. It has a pretty small footprint so it won't take up too much space either. You also have the option of running the clock on 4 AA batteries instead of the AC adapter. However, the projection function is limited when running on batteries to save energy. If you unplug the clock or the batteries run out, the AJ3600 has a 3-minute backup built-in so you won't lose your settings.
RADIO
The 2.5" mono speaker actually sounds rather good. The AJ3600 has a digital tuner with automatic tuning and can hold 5 FM and 5 AM presets. I found the reception to be rather poor for an alarm clock. I have had a hard time finding a station that doesn't have a fair amount of static.
SUMMARY
The Philips AJ3600 has a poor projector lens and not that a great tuner. There are better alarm clocks out there as well as better projector clocks. If Philips can correct the projector and tuner, I would have LOVED this clock. Oh well.
Customer Review: Projection is cool, but otherwise...
Summary: 3 Stars
Customer review from the Amazon Vine™ Program (What's this?)
A good bedside clock is very important...it's probably the first and last thing you see/hear before you are off to bed. So what of the Philips Wake up & Beam! Project clock radio? Decent, needs improvements!
First, as a clock, it's fine...good orange glow with 3 dim settings and very large digital display, although when laying in bed, I cannot exactly see the dark black of the letters against the orange glow at certain angles.
Setting the alarms is extremely easy, you get one on the left and on the on right side of the LCD display...you can set to beep, sound or radio...and a large snooze button on top, which I find irresistable to hit!
Radio works great, there is a long antennae included...and the LCD shows the station numbers very clearly. One of the problems with the radio is that there is only one speaker on the side of the clock so the sound is a bit not-balanced, because the other size of the clock has the projection. The other problem I have is with how the volume is set on the back side of the round-clock, so when turning it down or up, you'll hit the dimmer/snooze button. Also, when adjusting the stations and AM/FM or on/off for radio, I keep accidently moving the position of the clock since it's not at all weighted down and the rubber feet aren't grippy enough on the flat surface.
That movement of the clock makes the project screen awkward and continually move from one spot on the wall to another, where you cannot visibly see the time anymore! This is annoying...maybe there should be a suction cup attached at the bottom of the clock so it doesn't move as easily.
Also, while the projection is very bright red at night, it does disappear in daytime/during sunlight hours. The projection is very adjustable for a full 360 angle, and you can set it to read forward/correctly or backward, depending on where you project [in a mirror/reflective surface]. I also like the idea of having an on/off switch for the projector, in case you just dont want it all the time showing, if you're sensitive to light during sleep.
I think the buttons for the time/radio and projector are of good tactile feel, but a bit small. I wish it was more easy to click like the top large dimmer button. The materials used to make this clock is very nice plastic, soft edges and just a good feel to it when you pick it up. Just need to add a bit of weight so it feels more sturdy.
I like the overall design of the Philips AJ3600, but definitely could use the listed improvements I mentioned above. I think it's a good simple clock radio and if you like seeing the time before/after you sleep, it's definitely for you!
I do have to nitpick one thing, I wear glasses and have take them off when I sleep, so when I see the projection on the ceiling/wall without them, it's just a red blur. Sadly, you cannot make the project font bigger so near-sighted people like me can see it better! So keep this in mind if you don't have 20/20 vision.
Customer Review: Overall satisfaction: Just average. Will give it a 3 star.
Summary: 3 Stars
This review is for the Philips AJ3600 Projector clock
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0028Y4H3C/ref=cm_cr_rev_prod_title
Overall satisfaction: Just average. Will give it a 3 star.
First of all, the projection : This is the primary reason why most would buy this product. So I expect this to function perfect. But it doesnt and so it leaves me with no satisfaction at all.
I bought this Philips AJ3600 on Amazon hoping to get a premium projected clock product - please note that I have never tried any such product before so I may be setting wrong expectations - but I was not at all amazed! The projector component is quite small and the projection on a wall about 6 feet away is barely big enough to read.
Well, as the product describes, there are 2 settings on this clock to adjust the projected display - One is a giant wheel on which the projector itself is mounted which sviwels 180 degrees. This helps in projecting the display on the surface you desire. This part is not a problem. But theres another small wheel - like a small rubber track-ball at the centre of the first wheel that changes the angle of the display - so that you see the display the right way every time. This track ball also sviwels only 180 degrees and is the culprit. Normally with the clock facing towards you (set on a table next to your bed), if you want to set the display on the ceiling, the display kinda tends to be set at an angle. So you will have to somewhat tilt your head to read it properly. If you would like to set the display perfectly aligned to your eyes, then the clock face turns elsewhere . This should not be a problem at all for some, but for me it sure bothers ! There were some reviews mentioning this issue with the clock but I nevertheless took a chance myself and now I feel I should have gone with those other projector clocks that didnt look all that premium but would do the job correctly. I will try to upload some video on youtube and update this description for you all to see what this is all about. Hopefully, that should help you decide.
Second of all , the quality : Philips is all about quality and this product is no different. The design and the finish is just great that it brings a tidy look to my desk just by keeping it there. Much better than all those boxy clocks out there - trust me. Quite elegant and the display of the LCD is also very crystal clear that you wont miss the projector much. The alarms work cool (wish there were fancy tunes that I could choose for a ring !) and the radio reception is kinda ok - not too great - but just like those clock-cum-radios that you will find in budget hotels in US.
I am snatching 2 stars just for its inability to align the project the display accurately.
My suggestion - go for something better.
Customer Review: If you're looking for a projection clock, look elsewhere
Summary: 1 Stars
Customer review from the Amazon Vine™ Program (What's this?)
This cute little alarm clock has some great features, but those features are poorly implemented. The most important feature -- the projector -- is the worst of all.
I have a projection clock made by LaCrosse Technology, and although the image it puts out isn't very bright, it is quite large and very clear, without any fuzziness or distortion. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said of this Philips projection clock. The image that it puts out is small, dim, distorted, and very fuzzy. Even if you have 20/20 vision (I do), you will find that the image is very difficult to read, and you will end up simply shutting off the projection feature and relying on the built-in display. What's the point of buying a projection clock if the projection feature is useless?
The sound quality of the radio is about what you would expect from a cheap clock radio -- shrill and tinny -- but it's loud enough to wake you up, which is the whole point. But don't buy this if you plan on using it to actually listen to music for an extended period of time.
Philips needs to go back to the drawing board and redesign the projector part of the clock. If they can do that (successfully), they might have a decent product on their hands.
UPDATE: I've discovered a few more quirks/defects with this clock. Sometimes the radio speaker will stop working, seemingly at random. Often it will come back on within a few minutes; other times, it won't come back for a day or two. This could be quite upsetting if you're using the radio to wake you up, and the speaker decided to stop working at the moment the alarm was supposed to go off. Hope you don't mind being late for work! Another issue is the accuracy of the clock itself: it's fast, and seems to be getting faster. Right now it's about 10 seconds ahead of where it should be, but if it keeps going at this rate, it will be a couple of minutes fast by the end of the month.
UPDATE #2, July 2010: The radio speaker stopped working completely. Between the dead speaker and the poor clock accuracy, this thing is basically a paperweight.
Customer Review: Compare this to Oregon Scientific projector clock
Summary: 4 Stars
Customer review from the Amazon Vine™ Program (What's this?)
I have been using projector clocks for years. I love my Oregon Scientific projector clock, but haven't been real happy with the longevity of the projector (it fades over time) + not very good customer service. I've replaced it several times. For this reason, I thought I would try this new projector clock made by Philips with am/fm radio and two alarms.
I love the design, sleek and round (4" round and 2-1/2" wide). What I really like is you can adjust the clock face orange-colored backlight to 3-levels: bright, medium, and dim. It is however difficult to read the time unless you are viewing at the preset angle. After using this clock for quite a while, I would rate at a 3 instead 4.
For the projector, I was a little disappointed because the projected numbers are almost 1/2 the size of the numbers on my current projector clock and are a bit narrow. It would be difficult to read if you have blurry vision, but my eyes aren't too bad, so I am able to read the time. For this reason I marked down by one star.
Unlike what the other reviewer stated. YOU CAN HAVE THE PROJECTOR ON ALL THE TIME and there is an on/off switch. Additionally, you can adjust the angle and even flip the number if needed, but it seemed to project best if the clock is placed behind you. I had a bit of difficulty getting the number projected in the perfect place above my head when the clock is on my nightstand.
The speaker quality is good for a small little clock like this. I can turn the volume way down or loud and it still sounds clear. The speaker is on the side and also includes 5 presets so you can have your favorite channels right at your finger tips.
I love the overall function of the clock. It's easy to set the time and the 2 alarms even if you don't read the instructions. It has a big snooze button and will give you an additional 9 minutes of snooz'in. It has a nice long (6 foot) DC cord with it.
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