I have an alarm clock I bought for A$45 from the supermarket - fancy ones cost $100-200 here. The ipod docks in the top and charges while there. Having chunky, stereo, front-facing speakers the sound is way better than a straight alarm clock - while obviously not in any way hi-fi, a) yr playing mp3s and b) if it's on an uncrowded shelf that gives it a good bit of resonance.
I can set it to read me an audiobook while I go to sleep, turn itself off after 90 (or 80, 70 etc) minutes, and then switch on with annoyng breakfast radio to get me out of bed (You can set two different times and stations, or have it switch on the ipod, or a buzzer). This is exactly what I wanted.
One deficit - if it's in radio or ipod mode (or auxiliary - it has an input too) you have to press a button to display the time. But at this price, I can't care too much. Dunno the model (can check at home), but it's probably not available in the US anyway - just saying that with any luck you can find something equally cheap and useful at a supermarket or small-electrical shop near you.
― energy flash gordon, Wednesday, 7 May 2008 03:14 (seventeen years ago)