Timex TM80 Dual Alarm Clock Radio with Full-function Remote Control

User Reviews about Timex TM80 Dual Alarm Clock Radio for FlashDrive & SD Card or any iPod - MP3 - CD or Cassette Audio Player Using the Line-In Audio Jack with Full-function Remote Control

...or at least that has been my experience. I connected my iPod using the same cable I use for hooking it up to my computer. On the clock, there is a USB port that should have worked just fine. I finally figured out how to GET to the mp3 player capability, then discovered it would just play some random song. I could not choose what to play. There is a way to toggle between folders but on the clock the folders are named, "F1" or "F2" for example. Then it displays strange words/letters in gibberish for some unknown reason. Once I saw the title to a song, which I thought was cool, but it never did it again. I never could figure out the correlation between F1 and a particular folder in iPod. F1 was not the first folder on my iPod. Using the clock, I could not look at what was in the folder. Each folder seems to be just some random collection of songs that somehow got put into these mysterious folders. First song was a movement from a classical piece of music and the second song was a rock song. Was that folder a playlist? No....I did not make that playlist. Somehow the clock did it. o.O Very freaky.

The sound quality was great for about 10 seconds, then it started this feedback type sound, kind of like there was something causing interference. I tried to figure out what it could be but the only electronic equipment nearby was the actual iPod. I discovered that if I pause the music for a second, the annoying sound goes away for about 10 seconds, then returns.
To make a long story even longer, basically I just gave up on using the iPod with it. I might return the clock because that was the main reason I picked this clock.

Other than the problem with iPod, the display can be dimmed and will turn black after awhile. Press the snooze button and it lights up again.
There are two alarms and you can choose how you would like to be woken up - radio, buzzer or mp3 player. Radio reception isn't that great and I can only really pick up one decent station. I live just a few miles from Baltimore, MD, so it's not like I'm out in the boonies or anything. So I can't use my iPod, can only get 1 radio station....what good is this thing?

The more I think about it, the more I want to return it. -- Does not go well with iPod

This was given to me as a birthday gift. I requested it, based upon other reviews.
For the most part, I agree with other reviewers ... radio reception is so-so, buttons hard to distinguish in the dark, etc.
Primarily, I wanted a USB/MP3 player capability.
Unfortunately, my unit has a problem ... it occasionally, randomly freezes up.
When playing MP3s from a USB stick, it will suddenly go silent. Usually, after 30 seconds to 15 minutes, it will start up again where it left off.
But 3 times, it has completely frozen. Last night, I set the "sleep mode" to 90 minutes, and had it playing MP3s from the USB stick. When I woke up this morning, the time said "241" (no colon flashing), and the information display was also frozen with part of the information (at the time) shown. Just to be sure it wasn't just a "pause", I waited until the time I had set for the alarm ... but nothing happened!
When it freezes up, nothing will work ... pressing all buttons, many, many times, does nothing. The volume control does not respond. It can't be turned off or on. Unplugging the power from the unit does NOT fix this ... unless I also remove the back-up battery, and then reset everything from new (time, date, time zone, etc.).
I tried the same USB stick in my car radio, and it played without a problem.
I hope mine is a fluke ... but I don't dare use the MP3 function for "sleep mode" any more, for fear the alarm won't work and I'll lose out on a job. -- unreliable