I think I am one of the only people in the free world left that does not have an iPod. I have an mp3 player that I adore though, so I figure it equals out. However, when the PR folks over at Now and Zen sent me some goodies to review, including the iHome iPod Travel Alarm Clock, I needed someone to test it out. Luckily, I am of the good fortune to have a brother that needs an alarm clock and has an iPod. So, I was able to do this review, and find out how cool this alarm clock is without any problems.

People that read our reviews know how picky I can be when it comes to alarm clocks. We reviewed the Moshi a few months back to some terrible results. Generally, my hopes do not run too high when it comes to alarm clocks. I suppose that is because I have not had too much luck. The iHome alarm clock sounded pretty cool even before I saw it in action though. The iH16G is one of the newest models and with it’s small and fashionable size, it’s bound to be a hit.

I knew very little of the iHome travel alarm clock before we began testing it out. I knew you had the option to wake up via music from your iPod or from standard alarm sounds. I knew that the iPod could be charged via the clock while it was in the loading dock. I knew that you could use it as a stereo to listen to your iPod, if you were interested. That was about it. I knew my brother would like it as long as it worked, because he is always listening to his iPod and does not have a stereo at home currently. This gives him a chance to listen to his music when he’s not wearing his headphones.

He prefers to wake up to music playing, but after listening to the buzzer sounds to check them out, I feel they are an acceptable option if you decide not to use your iPod. In either case, the sound starts out low and gradually increases. I have always preferred this option because the idea of being jarred awake by a burst of sound just isn’t appealing to me in the least.

As small as this is (it is travel size, so it’s smaller than your average clock) I did not think the speaker power would impress me, but it did. There are speakers on both sides of the clock and they can certainly pack a punch. This would work for people that do not have stereos that want to be able to listen to music around the house. It probably wouldn’t replace a stereo forever, but it would certainly get you by if you don’t have one and cannot afford one.

There are a number of time setting options that you can use on the iHome iPod travel alarm clock. You can press the Daylight Savings button to make sure that the time is reflected as it should be. Also, if you are in the military or prefer that time keeping method, you can switch the clock to read military time. If you’re not fond of the clock light being on all night, you can turn down the level of brightness while you sleep or you can turn it off altogether.

One of the biggest bonuses about this clock is having the ability to charge your iPod while you are listening to music. It charges while in the dock, so you’re building your charge and still getting to listen to all of your favorite music. This was especially great for my brother because he often would forget to charge his iPod until the last minute. This ensures he won’t have to worry about that anymore. He just keeps it plugged in when he’s home and when he’s ready to go, it’s charged and ready.

You can purchase the iHome iPod travel alarm clock at a variety of places, including the iHome Audio website. The purchase price is listed on the site as $59.99. You might be able to find it cheaper elsewhere, but given all it does this is certainly a fair price. This would make a fabulous gift for someone needing access to a small stereo or an alarm clock that can be used for travel purposes. Whatever reason you might choose to buy it does not matter. This comes highly recommended.

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