Alarm clocks, for many people, are as integral to their lives as their mobile phones and computers. After all, if you're late to work everyday, what's the good of all the other fancy gadgets you have?
At first glance, the RP5500i looks much like your typical alarm clock. The front has a large LCD display with enormous, glowing amber numbers that make it easy to read the time, even if you're half-asleep. Two rows of small, white buttons sit beneath the display. Underneath the display, to the right of the buttons, is a nifty, spring-loaded iPod dock that retracts into the body of the clock until you want to use it.
(Another nice touch is that the system's time display actually shifts to the left when you extend the dock, so your view of the time won't be obscured by the iPod.) The unit is about the size of a standard alarm clock, measuring in at 7.75" wide by 5.25" high by 3.5" deep; it won't dominate your nightstand, unlike some of the other iPod alarm clocks we've tested.
The controls on the front of the RP5500i include dedicated buttons to switch to Radio, iPod, or USB mode, and another to turn the system off. There are also buttons to control playback of your iPod or a connected USB player: forward, reverse, shuffle, and repeat. (You can still use your iPod's own controls, if you'd prefer.) On top of the unit you'll find a large, central Snooze button, controls for Sleep and Nap functions, and buttons for each of the two independent alarms.
Behind that row of buttons is a USB port for attaching music players or flash drives, as well as a jog dial for adjusting the clock time, alarm times, and other settings. The right-hand side of the RP5500i hosts a tuning dial for the radio and a switch for choosing the radio band (AM or FM); the left-hand side is where you'll find the Volume dial and a button that toggles between two display brightness modes. On the bottom of the unit you'll find a battery compartment, power connector, and switches for time zone and daylight savings time (more on that later).
Eight Dock Adapters
The RP5500i's iPod dock uses Apple's Universal design. Included are eight different dock adapters to accommodate the iPod mini; the 20GB fourth-generation iPod; the 40GB fourth-generation iPod; the 20GB and 30GB iPod photo; the 40GB and 60GB iPod photo; the first-generation iPod nano; the 30GB fifth-generation iPod; and the 60GB fifth-generation iPod. However, the system works fine with any dock-connector iPod. I tested it with a variety of iPod models, as well as the iPhone, and none had any problems (the iPhone needs to be switched into airplane mode in order to work, since the RP5500i is not shielded from GSM interference). The RP5500i will also charge your iPod as long as the iPod is docked and the system is connected to AC power.
The clock comes pre-set from the factory; two pre-installed AA batteries keep the time in memory when the unit is not plugged in. All you have to do is pick the correct time zone (Eastern, Central, Mountain, or Pacific) using the switch on the bottom of the unit, and then toggle Daylight Savings Time mode on or off (a little sun icon shows up on the display when DST is on). Should you need to adjust the time, all you do is hold down the Set button on the top of the unit until the clock icon flashes on the display, and then turn the time-set knob until the desired time is reached. Turning the knob slightly will adjust the time by small increments, whereas turning it further and holding it will advance or reverse the time at a faster rate. One minor criticism: although this a straightforward procedure, if you need to adjust the time more than an hour or two, holding the knob in its fullly-twisted position isn't very comfortable.
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