It does sound like a wayward golf ball that pops in through the bedroom window and wakes you up rudely by bouncing off your noggin, but this uniquely designed product from a Dutch company is actually an iPod dock that combines many functions in one. Made as a bedside device, it's also an illarm clock (as the name really implies), an FM radio, and a stereo speaker.

The design looks mqdular, and in a way it is, because one slice on the side detaches off the main unit and converts into a wireless remote. The iPod goes in at the same spot. Neat, isn't it? Three well¬integrated circular LCDs display the time, radio channels and music source, and the three rings encircling the displays are actually control knobs for volume, bass and treble. All other controls to operate the radio, set up the alarm etc, and the two . speakers are placed on the sides. You can customise the LCD brightness, and set up a sleep time if you want the music to lull you to slumber.

Of course, being an alarm clock, it can wake you up as well, and you can set the tinle and volume level along with the source for the alarm. You can snooze the alarm using the wireless remote, so that's quite convenient. You can switch it on and off, control music playback, switch between various music sources, and snooze the alarm using the remote, but for setting the alarm, sleep time etc you will have to approach the dock.



It accepts all iPods as well the iPhone, and comes with plastic tabs for fitting different 'pod models into the dock. In case you have a Shuffle or any other MP3 player you could use the 3.5mm line-in port to hook that up. You could also connect a mobile phone in case you have one with a standard 3.5ml11 port or through an adapter. You also get a line-out, as well as a sync port to synchronise your 'pod with a computer.

Though the audio quality through the 20 W RMS stereo speakers is above average, the build quality feels slightly plasticky, especially the control dials, and this is where it loses a couple of stars. There also no option to power it through batteries, so you can't take it with you to picnics. Apart from this little niggle, there's nothing really much to dislike about this !i'l gizmo. We like waking up with Wakeup.