The Bottom Line: It's hard to justify the iH5 given its high price, poor design, weak feature set, and mediocre sound. Better models should follow given how huge the iPod accessory market is.

As MP3s overtake CDs as the preferred way to transport music it was inevitable that an iPod clock radio would come to market. CD clock radios have been around for years. Now is the time for an iPod update. But as appealing as the concept of an iPod clock radio is, I am disappointed in the iH5.

Clock radio technology reached its peak years ago. Today's clock radio is functionally the same sold twenty years ago. A good clock radio in 1985 had AM/FM radio tuners, dual alarms, a dimmable LED panel, and maybe a cassette deck built-it if it was a deluxe model. Swap the LED panel for LCD, and the cassette deck for a CD player, or now an iPod dock, and you have a 2005 clock radio. The 2005 version is just styled better.

It is for this reason iH5 disappoints. The iH5 didn't have to stun the world of clock radios to be great; it just needed to copy what was already settled for 20 years as required features and add a dock. As easy as that task seems, the iH5's maker chose to take a short cut, though the price doesn't reflect this fact.

What's In The Box And Buying Strategies

The iH5 comes with the base unit, dock adapters for the mini and 3rd, 4th Gen iPods with dock connector (including the photo), an AC adapter, and two pre-installed AA batteries for backup. Adapters for the iPod nano and iPod with video are available, but at extra cost.

At select stores like the Apple Store and Costco a remote control is also included. The box displays a remote control if it is included. The MSRP for the remote and non-remote units are the same, $99.99. If you buy a remote-less version, the remote is available a la carte for $20. This makes buying from Apple or Costco the better deal IF you want the remote. If you don't want the remote Bed, Bath, and Beyond sells it. If you are like most, you get 20% coupons in the mail from them every month. You can do the math.

One note about the non-inclusion of the nano and iPod with Video adapters: the iH5 started shipping before the nano was announced. The makers of the iH5 have since announced that a nano adapter will be available, but for $6. Cushions for the iPod for video are $3. Given the luxury price of the iH5 and that most other companies are supplying nano adapters for free or for a nominal shipping fee I'm not sure why an upstart company would be so anti-customer in this way. If you plan on using your nano with the iH5 keep in mind you will want this adapter and it will cost you extra. The nano will work with the iH5 without the adapter, but you risk damaging your nano because it will not be held in securely.

Ergonomics

Perhaps the most important feature of any clock radio is ergonomics. This is because clock radios are often fiddled with when one is either half asleep or half awake in bed. The makers of the iH5 must have thought their product was going to be used as an April Fools joke because they couldn't have made a worse design. My complaints in no particular order are:

1) The dials are too smooth and too hard to turn. There is no indention to grip the dials. You have to press real hard and turn. Because the knobs are on tight, this takes a bit of energy. And, if you just washed your hands or have hand lotion on…well the old Simon and Garfunkel song "Slip Sliding Away" pops into my head.

2) The buttons are in a valley between the speakers and volume knob making it awkward to reach the snooze button from a prone position.

3) To make matters worse the buttons are all jammed up to each other. No separation between the buttons means its easy to hit a button you didn't mean to hit. Usually nothing bad happens if you hit the wrong button, but it does slow you down.

Functionality

Clock radios are not bought to impress the neighbors like a 60" plasma. People buy a clock radio for its functionality; to make it as complex-free and easy as possible to get up in the morning. Here too the iH5 is lacking.

1) No dual alarms. This has been a mainstay of most high-end clock radios for years. Why the iH5 lacks this feature is a mystery. It certainly is a turn-off given it's hefty price tag, and if you live a dual-alarm life or have a dual-alarm family (you and S.O. get up at different times) there goes the functionality.

2) Illumination is too bright. The LCD panel features two dimmer settings. Unfortunately both are so bright they act as a night-light. By comparison, the RCA clock radio I was replacing had a dimmer setting that was just bright enough to see in the dark but didn't light up the entire room.

The iH5 in use

The one convenient feature the iH5 has is built-in national atomic clock signal sensor that allows it to set the correct time automatically. I only wish setting the alarm was as easy. Most clock radios are not intuitive so I can't fault the iH5 for being just as complex. After fiddling with the controls for a few minutes I relented and brought out the manual. I went though the steps, set the alarm to "iPod" and went to bed. Unfortunately, I should have kept reading the manual because the wake up volume is a separate control from the "normal" clock radio volume. (Is there a secret contest for who can design the most non-intuitive clock radio?) You know what happened nextԸAM rolled around, my iPod started playing, and in no time the speakers were blaring. I couldn't reach my hand over the speaker mountain to find the "snooze" bar in the valley quick enough.

On the topic of the speakers, the box brags about the "Reason 8" sound system. That kind of lingo sounds good. I wish the speakers did too. They don't sound bad, but are no better than most other clock radio speakers I have heard. Honestly, you can't expect much given their size. However, if you are looking at the iH5 to double as a bedroom sound system you will be disappointed. A good pair of iPod dockable powered speakers such as the Altec Lansing iM3s or iMmini would serve you better.

While on the subject of the iH5 vs. dockable speakers, the iH5 dock only charges your player. You cannot sync from it. Being able to synch from the dock is handy if you download music from your laptop. It's just one less step. It would have been nice if the iH5 did allow synching like many of the other iPod dockable speaker systems. One other hint you may or may not be aware of: every dockable iPod has a built-in alarm. If you connect your iPod to speakers and set the alarm you will have all of the functionality of the iH5 except for the large time display.

The truth about the iH5 is that if it wasn't the first iPod dockable clock radio it wouldn't get any attention at all. Clock radios are generally boring, and the iH5 doesn't do anything to separate itself in this regard. But that is not my issue with the iH5. I'd been elated if it was just an ordinary clock radio with and iPod dock. My disappointment with the iH5 is that it trades on the 'oohs" and "aahs" it is iPod dockable and completely disregards the established standards of what makes a workhorse clock radio. Such celebrity fades fast, and so to will with iH5 if its maker doesn't improve upon it soon.