The Capital

iHome clock radio has alarm and so much more

- By Gregg Ellman Tribune News Service

Bedside clock radios are critical for time displays and alarms to get you going in the morning. These days they are also needed for so much more, and the new AC-powered iHome iBTW281 dual alarm clock speaker system does it all; it even cleaned up my nightstand mess of cables.

Along with a seemingly endless number of up-todate features incorporat­ing today’s technology, the critical features of time and dual alarms are there. The time, date and alarm settings are on a front-facing display, with adjustable brightness levels. For snoozers, the snooze duration can be adjusted.

A quick start guide runs you through the basic setup, which includes a switch inside the backup battery compartmen­t to automatica­lly adjust for daylight saving time. A coin battery is also included to keep the time in the event of a loss of power.

The fun features are pairing your device with Bluetooth, enabling the sound system to play whatever tunes you choose through the built-in speaker, and you can have your smartphone’s playlist used as your wake-up alarm source.

Once paired, you’ll also have a speakerpho­ne with echo noise cancellati­on. The voice control allows access to Siri and Google Assistant.

I have a newer smartphone with Qi wireless charging, and charging couldn’t be easier. Just lay any compatible wireless charging phone on top where wireless fast charging is built-in, and charging starts, even with a case on.

If you don’t have a wireless charging smartphone (you need to get one, it makes life easy), there’s a USB charging port on the back to connect your device. All this adds up to cleaning up a nightstand mess of cables.

Also, both sides of the iBTW281 have colorchang­ing ambient lights with a choice of presets, including a night mode. The ambient light display also has an off option.

Info: www.ihomeaudio .com; $79.95

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