Review on Sony ICFC218 Dream Machine Clock Radio - The Ultimate Black Radio Alarm Clock by Steve Cooper

I received the Sony ICF-C218 Autotime Clock Radio about an hour ago and will be shipping it out tomorrow morning. My observations, assumptions and opinions are listed below. Things I like: - The clock has a very subtle look - it easily blends into a darker room, which is what I want. - Setting a single alarm is very easy with a dedicated toggle button. The button feels comfortable. * Unfortunately, that's where the wonderful features end. What I don't like: What I don't like most is that the alarm clock is very quiet. I don't know anyone who could be woken up by this alarm clock. Why build a silent alarm clock? I bought an alarm clock to do ONE thing - wake me up for work - and it's specially designed, can't it? I'm not asking for a buckshot or a lion's roar, just a nice loud beep to get my attention. Why just an alarm clock? I had to set my alarm for 6:00 am Monday through Friday and 9:00 am Saturday and Sunday every week. Surely it's not difficult to add one more? - The watch itself is very light and inexpensive. It feels like it will break if it falls from a higher table. The radio quality is ridiculous. It sounds like you're listening to a decent radio rocking in a closed metal box full of pebbles and coins. Imagine, a Gameboy would have a radio in your pocket - set your expectations at this level and you won't be too disappointed. The time is NOT set automatically - in fact, it's not even the correct year. Awkward moments: - Why do I need time zone settings when I'm manually entering the date and time like a barbarian myself? - Why doesn't the volume setting of the radio affect the volume of the alarm buzzer? Conclusion: This is my first and last Sony dream machine. A product line with countless lifetime followers has been reduced to shop-per-dollar quality without a price tag to match. I would expect that from Timex, RCA or a thousand no-name brands, but not Sony; I've always held Sony to a higher standard. Not so much anymore. I gave the watch two stars for its performance and no more. I would expect that from Timex, RCA or a thousand no-name brands, but not Sony; I've always held Sony to a higher standard. Not so much anymore. I gave the watch two stars for its performance and no more. I would have expected that from Timex RCA or thousands of "nameless" brands, but not Sony; I've always held Sony to a higher standard. Not so much anymore. I gave the watch two stars for its performance and no more. I would have expected that from Timex RCA or thousands of "nameless" brands, but not Sony; I've always held Sony to a higher standard. Not so much anymore. I gave the watch two stars for its performance and no more. I would have expected that from Timex RCA or thousands of "nameless" brands, but not Sony; I've always held Sony to a higher standard. Not so much anymore. I gave the watch two stars for its performance and no more.