| | |  | Portable Audio & Video | Home » » » » App-Enhance Dual Alrm Clk Radio | | | | | | | Description: | | The iD84 is a dual alarm clock radio for iPad, iPhone and iPod that lets you charge your iPad, Phone or iPod and lets you wake and sleep to either one, to a custom playlist, or to AM/FM radio. A Sync button syncs the clock to your iPhone (which is always current via cell phone towers) to set the time quickly. The iD84 allows you to set two separate alarms with different times on different days with our 7-5-2 feature. The iD84 also includes 12 AM/FM presets, EQ controls and 3D sound and Reson8 sound technology for an exceptional audio experience. | | | Features: | |
• Wake or sleep to iPad, iPhone, iPod, custom playlist, AM/FM radio, custom apps or buzzer
• App-enhanced to work with free iHome+Sleep app or paid iHome+Radio internet radio apps
• Reson8 speaker chambers with specially designed high-end drivers deliver astounding clarity, depth & power
• Sync button syncs clock time to always-current iPhone time settings in seconds
• Includes remote control, battery backup, Daylight Saving Time switch, preset clock, line-in jack and 100V- 240V universal AC adapter
| | | Product Details: | | | Product Length:
| 12.3 inches | | Product Width:
| 9.9 inches | | Product Height:
| 5.2 inches | | Product Weight:
| 4.65 pounds | | Package Length:
| 12.2 inches | | Package Width:
| 9.9 inches | | Package Height:
| 5.2 inches | | Package Weight:
| 5.0 pounds | | Average Customer Rating:
|  based on 23 reviews |
| | | | Customer Reviews: | |
Average Customer Review:
 ( 23 customer reviews )
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
29 of 30 found the following review helpful:
Good sound. Good integration with iPhone app.Aug 03, 2011
By J. Schwartz
"JMS"
The iD84 replaced an iHome iP97 which I liked, but which had some significant disadvantages. The iD84 was an excellent upgrade for me. I really like it.
I use the iHome clock radio with my iPhone. One of the major problems with the iP97 was that to dock the phone while in a case, you had to remove the custom cradle inserts on the radio which left the phone supported only by the dock connector. The other option was to remove the case each time you dock.
The iD84 uses a spring mounted dock and a rigid support bar that securely supports the phone even while in a case. This is a major improvement.
I was always frustrated that the iP97 did not have time synchronization. The iD84 does.
Other things I like and don't like about the iD84:
The sound is very good, with decent bass. It's not as good as a Bose Wave, but the Wave is overpriced. For the sound quality, the iD84 is a good value. The "equalizer" provides treble and bass adjustments, balance, and a 3D stereo enhancement effect that sounds unnatural.
The FM reception is very good and sounds great. The AM reception is fine, but who cares.
The 2 alarms are useful, but you can have many more alarms when docked with an iPhone/iPad. The nap alarm (wake me up in 30 minutes for example) may use useful, but I haven't tried it yet. The sleep timer (slowly lower the volume while I go to sleep) is also something that some people may find useful.
The iHome + Sleep app (free) gives you very advanced options for alarm, snooze, and sleep functions.
The controls on the device are easy to use and well laid out.
The remote is fine, but doesn't allow full navigation of your music library.
__________________________________
After one week of use, my iD84 will no longer successfully dock with my iPhone 4. I get the following error message on the phone "This accessory is not made to work with iPhone." Even more distressing is that the error permanently locks out the iPhone's audio until I power down the phone. I have contacted iHome customer support. I await their response.
_________
It's been one day and I haven't heard back from iHome. There is an Apple Discussion about this issue that recommends doing a full reset of the clock radio (not the phone). I pulled out the battery, unplugged the radio, left it for 15 minutes, plugged it back in, and the problem was fixed. Minus one star for this problem (3 stars now).
20 of 21 found the following review helpful:
 This thing is AWESOME!Jul 28, 2011
By Myra Schjelderup
"Ignolopi"
Until this alarm clock I have lived off of watch, iPod, and iPhone alarms. This is my first ever real alarm clock... and I really like it! The clock looks very nice, with a sleek black and silver design. The buttons and display are nice sizes, and I really like the many levels of dimness offered. The remote is handy and has a snooze button on it! The sound quality of the speakers is good too, with a great deal of control over the volume. The back of the alarm lets you do a time sync (you can do this through the app too), set DST, and set the timezone. It comes with two antenna, one for AM and one for FM.
The iHome can function without a device plugged in, but the app makes this device so much more fun to use. Yes! You get an app! The iHome app allows you to add additional alarms (the clock has two, turned off by default), check the weather forecast, check sleep stats, + some more stuff. The alarms are fully customizable, allowing you to set a flexible repeating schedule, listen to music as you fall asleep or wake up, set the volume for the alarms, choose a nap or alarm type of alarm, set reminders, and post your sleeping habits to social media sites (I don't know why you'd use that, but it's there if you want it). The app is free so you could download it right now and give it a shot before committing to the device.
I do have three complaints thus far: one, the time does seem to have trouble with consistency. I set it last night and this morning it was one minute off. Could get annoying if you need precision. Two, when you set music to play while you go to sleep, it reduces the volume slightly every few minutes (actually, probably a percentage of the sleep timer). Which is kind of cool - except that it gets too quiet. Right when I should be falling asleep I find myself straining to hear the last few minutes of music. Finally - there has to be some way to fix this - the snooze button also doubles as the play button. Fine, except when I am trying to hit snooze and instead of blessed silence I find Hayley Westenra singing in my ear.
I used this device exclusively with my iPhone in its hardshell case. I kept meaning to try it with my iPad, but in the end I just couldn't think why I would ever use it that way while I have an iPhone. But whatever device you use with this clock, I am sure you will enjoy it!
22 of 24 found the following review helpful:
 Fails to DeliverSep 25, 2011
By Dean
This was my second experience with an iHome product. I'd originally purchased an older model, an iP87 which was touting the new iHome+Sleep app via an insert in the packaging. When I set up the device, I realized it was not fully "app enhanced." The iHome+Sleep worked, but did not fully integrate with the iHome hardware. I used it for about a week or so before I became frustrated with the device's seemingly erratic behavior. I returned it thinking I needed to spend a bit more money and get a device that was integrated with iHome's new apps. I dropped 130 dollars on the iHome ID85 which is essentially the same as the 84.
Once I set the device up, I was happy enough with the sound quality. It was about the same as the ip87, which I paid only about 60 for. But I thought the device would win me over with the app integration, I was mistaken. The app on my iPod touch did indeed see the iHome's hardware, I could configure the alarm clock's settings via the iPod... albeit clumsily since the iPod is at an awkward angle to control when it's docked. That said, the possibilities are extensive in configuring alarms. You have the iHome+Sleep app options which allow you to configure multiple alarms for every day of the week, and you also have the clock radio's dual "device" alarms that allow you to configure 7, 5 and 2(weekends) days per week.
Here's the list of problems I found though:
1. iHome states in it's iHomeApps start guide:
"App alarms may not sound if you do not leave iHome+Sleep in the foreground. While we do support multi-tasking, background alarms is a beta feature of iOS4.0 (or later) and your alarm will not always sound depending on if your iOS device is used with a charger or used with an iPod speaker system. We recommend using app-enhanced device alarms as backups when using our app with our app-enhanced devices."
So the App needs backup, and it needs to be in the foreground... fine. I made sure I did not put the app in the background. However, I noticed it was pretty bright when the room was dark and I wanted to sleep. What's more I want to preserve my iPod. Dimming the clock did not fully dim my iPod, so I slept the iPod... But this of course kept the App's alarms from going off. I scoured the website for clues on what to do, and quickly realized I needed to write tech support about this... here was their first response:
"Go onto [...]insert and you can get the insert no charge."
They didn't even read my question!
I wrote them again and they finally told me a bug fix was coming for the app. I asked when but received no response. A few days ago, iHome+Sleep was updated, it did indeed fix the sleep issue. Alarms fire off even if the iPod was put into sleep. But this wasn't the only problem I had.
2. I noticed a firmware update feature in the app. I tried it several times, but it told me that my ID85's firmware was utd. However, in clicking round iHome's site, I noticed the Firmware on my clock radio was several updates behind. I was on 1.5.3 but 1.7.6 was out. My devices firmware would not updates. The iHome+Sleep update did not fix this.
3. There seemed to be a conflict with the App alarms and the Device alarms. Although the App alarms went off on time, the hardware based backup alarm would not function as expected.
For instance, I set the App alarm to go off at 6:15AM. I set it to launch the Radio App (which you have to shell out for (it costs $) and play National Public Radio. I then set the hardware alarm to go off at 6:45AM and to wake me gradually to the local NPR affiliate on AM radio. However, when the device alarm went off, it instead accessed my iPod library and chose the Pixies(band). I like the Pixies, but do you know how grating they can be at 6:45AM? and there was nothing gradual about the way the Pixies came in, the iHome just cranked them. This sounds like a joke, but I'm not making it up. I had to fumble around to get the damn music lowered, only to realize that the App was also still playing NPR. Which brings me to another problem.
4. Ergonomics, you can easily see from the Amazon image that the iHome has buttons on top of the device. They are all symmetrical and flush with the surface of the unit. It makes for a very clean looking design... but think about controlling the device at eye level, sideways, while the Pixies "Cactus" (off of the album Surfa Rosa) is blaring in your face... The ergonomics of the iHome force you to get up and look at the device from above. I realize this might be a "feature" in that it forces you to get up, but I'm lazy and I like to lie in bed a bit and ooze into consciousness.
There were other issues, like the News function never seemed to actually get any news from my Facebook feed. This was not a deal killer for me though. It was really the glaring problems with the alarms that killed it for me.
I just assume use a pair of computer speakers and my iPod's built in alarms and save 130 bucks.
I think the iHome will eventually work these bugs out, but I am not going to be the sucker who gets burned buying the model BEFORE all the kinks were worked out. (I took it back for a refund)
16 of 17 found the following review helpful:
Easy setup, spectacular soundAug 01, 2011
By atmj
Looking for a new alarm clock and having an ipad, this was the perfect fit. The ease of set up, was spectacular. The sound is also great. This would be a great dock for an ipad just for the sound and charging capability. Please note, you don't need to have an ipad, ipod or iphone docked for the alarm clock to work. It would just use the buzzer or radio (if set that way) in that case.
TIME SET: ONE BUTTON PUSH WITH IPAD (OR IPOD OR IPHONE)
This alarm clock was super easy to set up. I docked the ipad and then told the clock to sync to it. Voila clock set. Two provided AA batteries already installed meant the clock was already keeping time and was easy to then move to a different location when unplugged.
IPAD SET UP SEAMLESS
I docked my ipad and it prompted me to download two apps. One which enabled the ipad for use on this appliance was free, the other very inexpensive and would open up the world of internet radio, to this appliance. I got both.
The ipad docking is a bit tricky, as you have a pivoting connector and a vertical bar to rest the ipad against. What is nice is that they provided a well for ipads in jackets. That to me was essential. Few people I know have naked ipads. Nothing worse than a slippery expensive device. The ipod docking however was seamless in comparison. The smaller device not in a jacket is much easier to square up to the wide flat connector.
Given the ipad is an internet device, I could sign into my Facebook and Twitter accounts with the apps installed. This should enable updates that can be viewed in the AM. So far I haven't had any, but I stay up later and wake up earlier than most of my contacts, so I might not be representative of the people that would use this. The wake up button seems to trigger display of this data. However it was really weird when Facebook reported to me that my alarm clock signed in.
ALARM SET UP & USAGE:
Setup:
Alarm set up was very easy. You pick a time and method (buzzer, ipad, radio) and form (daily, weekdays, weekends) then volume and you are set. You have two alarms settings if you want, but can opt for more or less. I also like that you could turn off an alarm (like if you were on vacation) and would not lose the settings. During the alarm setting, I did find it confusing when opting to set an alarm for weekdays that once set, did not return me to the main screen. You actually had to navigate back to the main screen yourself. This is fairly standard Apple behavior but was not intuitive on an alarm clock when you were doing settings. Seemed like an additional step that was unnecessary.
Usage:
You press the power button to turn off the alarm. Okay, this is not intuitive and this button is one of eight in the center of the clock. All eight buttons are flat and about the size of nickel Not only are they identical but hard to feel. Invariably, I hit the wrong one. NOTE: I found out later, you can press the wake-up button to do this, but this was not really obvious in the manual and noted under resetting the alarm for the next day and not to turn off the alarm. I will let you know if that works or not. Found out this while double checking my facts, while writing this review.
The snooze button is forward of these buttons and a bit easier to find. Still it is very flat and I can feel it's edge with my fingers. Any callouses and I'm not so sure.
There is a nap button independent of the regular alarms. That is kind of cool. I rarely take naps but this is a nice to have option.
ISSUES:
There are two buttons on this clock that I have only a slight idea what they are used for. One is bedtime, one is wake-up. From what I gather, this is a method of keeping track how much you sleep. There is stat data on this. Mind you, I never hit this when I was supposed to, so I know my stats are toast. It would seem that wake-up should be coincident with the alarm off button and would not need a separate tap, based on the user manual I think it is. Knowing the existence of these buttons, I figured when I went to bed, tapping bedtime would dim the overly bright display. Well it does, if you hit the right button. In my sleepiness I accidentally hit the wake-up button and it started playing an ipad tune at 75% volume. Of course it was a loud rock tune and startling to me, which made me take a moment to turn it off. That is nothing compared to my boyfriend's reaction, who was woke from a sound sleep. He wound up on the side of the bed standing there saying "What the @#$%????". Mind you embarrassingly this has happened more than once. I'm a bit sketchy with left and right and with my glasses off, the eye chart looks like Picasso. I still don't know why it started playing music. Reading the User manual it says "When the iHome + Sleep app is running, press the wakeup button to access wake profiles. When the app is not running, you can press the wakeup button to shut off the unit and reset the alarm to come on at the set time." In a nutshell it seems like you can press this button in place of the power button. But, man they worded that odd. Mind you, it still really does not explain why I keep ending up with near max volume coming from my clock when I have done so accidentally. I need to check this out. Most likely it is a wake profile I need to set, once I figure out what that is.
Docking the ipad in a well lit kitchen when first setting up this alarm clock was tricky. but in the dark when coming to bed and not having the lights on, doubly so. I use the ipad in the evening and my boyfriend goes to bed before I do, so this is the environment, this device should be made for. Also, this is the nature of a device that mates to many devices. Its fit can't be exact. I am concerned through multiple dockings that I might damage my ipad. Time will tell. Mind you I might limit docking to when I just listen to music, as I wake to radio anyway.
I also wish the display was dimmer. There are about 5 or so settings including off, but a few really dim ones would have been nicer.
SOUND & REMOTE:
Love the sound. There is an equalizer that includes 3D sound and it is great for it's size. I have used this to play music while doing paperwork with the remote from across the room.
IN SUMMARY:
This is a nice alarm clock and ipad speaker system.
My only complaints
The alarm turn off buttons could be a bit more easy to find.
The docking could be more exact.
The dimmer...well dimmer
The ability to turn on a rocking tune at 2AM a little less likely
All in all even with these complaints, a nice system.
6 of 6 found the following review helpful:
A good alarm clock radioOct 19, 2011
By Mike Birman
My experience with alarm clock radios is essentially limited to the 25 year old Denon alarm clock radio that has awakened me (when I've remembered to set it) with very little fuss over the years. However I've managed to accumulate 6 iPods of various vintages and I am running out of space: what with docking ports and loose iPods strewn across the night table. So I was thrilled to try out this iPod-centric alarm clock radio which would both charge them and utilize the thousands of hours of music they hold. Once the radio was set up I needed fewer docking ports for my various iPods, which freed some table space: an immediate plus.
The iHome's controls are intuitive and simple to use. The radio's sound is decent: not as good as my old Denon but hardly thin and watery. The bass, at least, is audible which is quite an achievement these days for this type of item. AM and FM reception was clear with very little drift. I found reception during thunderstorms to be surprisingly static-free with only an occasional interruption. That indicates a solid tuner. There are multiple types of alarm on the iD84BZ. The snooze or nap alarm is the one I use most frequently after the standard 'wake me in the morning' alarm. Both work flawlessly without any issues. All in all this is a solid alarm clock radio and it is worth its moderate price.
See all 23 customer reviews on Amazon.com
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