Acctim 71207 Acura Smartlite® Radio Controlled Alarm Clock, Black

I was looking for an Alarm clock which did not require an AC Cable, and was Radio Controlled, and this had it all. The clock is Stylish and just the right size to put on a bedside table. The Radio Controlled feature takes around about 7 Minutes to kick in when you first use it, and gives you the peace of mind that you never have to change the time ever again! If you do experience difficulties receiving a signal, then you can manually set the time, however, the clock seems able enough. The Clock has 'Smart Light' technology, which means the clock will gradually light up green the darker your room gets. Therefore, during the day time it is not light up, but you can press the button on top to light it up. This gradual lighting, and the full green light once your room is pitch black is very subtle, and would not disturb anyone unless you did were facing it with your eyes open. So do not fear that it is bright, because it's not, it's just right. The alarm sounds quite-ish when it first starts, however, it kicks in after 2 seconds and really gets going, and lasts for two minutes. It would be very unlikely to sleep through it. Setting the alarm is easy, and all the instructions are included. A switch can be flicked on and off on the back for the alarm, and it will set it at the time you last had it on every time, so you don't need to set it each night, or you can just click the 'alarm off' button in the morning when you wake up, and it will set its self again for the next morning. The clock also features a Snooze button, and Temperature. Overall, excellent clock and affordable. I would highly recommend and would not buy anything else!

Bought used as new, no instructions in the box, but still found it easy to set up. No batteries came with the clock and it needed 3 AAA size which I had to buy before I could use it. Once the batteries were inserted I left it on the window ledge, checked a little later and the time ,date and temperature had set. Although I don't really need the alarm function I did try it and it works well. The back light is a soft green, not bright enough to disturb or be a distraction if, like me, you like to read in bed. Altogether a good clock and looks really nice with its pedestal effect base. I also like the fact that during the day the light is off but the time is still readable and if necessary you can press the top bar on the clock to use the light.

Decent alarm clock and I'm pretty happy with it after having it for a week or so. The automatic time setting works as it should and main the on/off alarm switch is easy to get to. The 'alarm set' button is a bit fiddly to use on the clock I have, but I'm not sure if it's the same for all clocks or just not good on mine. The display is clear and the time digits big enough for me to read even without my reading glasses. Alarm: It only has one volume which is not very loud. When it goes off, it starts giving one short beep at first and gradually increases to giving clusters of beeps, reaching its peak after 30 seconds. If you are one of those sleepers who need a foghorn to get you up, then I suspect this wouldn't be the clock for you. For most though, it will do the job. Smartlite: I like the fact that the clock is backlit (the figures appear black against a green glow background) all night as it means you can see the time at a glance without needing to disturb yourself by feeling for a button. However, like so many permanently lit clock displays, you are not given any control over how bright the clock is at night. Given that some people like a very dark room at night and others like it brighter, I think that Acctim and other manufacturers are missing an important trick here as, if you read many different Alarm Clock reviews, the brightness is very important to many people when buying a clock. If you're one of those, read on. On this clock, with your eyes closed and acclimatised to the dark, you cannot tell (I've tested it) that the backlight is on unless you get very, very close to the clock, so in that sense, the brightness is not an issue while asleep. However, when you open your eyes, it is bright enough that it illuminates the room in a green glow that's enough to create shadows. It certainly providers sufficient light to allow someone to move around the room without putting the light on. If you choose to press the manually operated light button on top of the clock it then shines like a beacon, staying on only for about 3 seconds, probably to save the battery, so I'm not sure that this feature is at all useful except for those who have very poor eyesight. The sensor on top of the clock controls the automatic illumination intensity depending on how bright the room is. Strangely, the light starts to come on as it gets dark and intensifies as the darkness increases. If you think about it, that should be the other way round because when it's darker, your eyes become more sensitive and the clock does not need to be as bright. I hope Acctim have a rethink on that. If Acctim sold the same clock but where you could set the preferred night time backlight level yourself, I'd give it 5 stars and buy two more tomorrow! Irritating that I get much more light than I want and will need to replace the batteries sooner because of it.

I was a little wary about switching to a radio controlled clock, and reading some of the reviews about this and others didn't really up my confidence levels. However, I took the plunge and ordered the smartlite and I'm so glad I did! It is perhaps a bit larger than I would have liked, but I use it as a bedside clock rather than other versions, as I particularly wanted one with a screen which I could see in the dark without fiddling with switches. I am a foster carer for babies and toddlers, so it's good to know what time it is without too much faffing about when one wakes during the night! The temperature gauge I have found to be accurate within 1-2 degrees C, so not far off at all. And it's handy to have the date and day on there too! A slight grumble is that the date is in American format, MM DD rather than the day first, which is bound to catch me out at some point! I haven't tried the alarm as yet so can't comment on volume etc. but it looks easy enough to use. The snooze/light button on the top is a good size and would be easy to find if extra light is needed to see the time, but I personally don't need the screen any brighter during the night in order to see it. The brightness of the screen is perhaps a little on the bright side, but it's not bright enough to be annoying.I would definitely recommend this clock.

Took a while to decide on my purchase to replace a faulty bedside alarm clock. I wanted: Good looking Self adjusting (radio controlled) accuracy. Time readily visible in daylight and in the dark but not so bright that it kept you awake or woke you up. Silent running. My choice exceeded expectations....... I am delighted and going to buy my wife one for a Christmas present! Information provided on the face is comprehensive and well laid out for easy reading. I am delighted with the three backlight displays: one (automatic) for daylight, one (automatic) for night-time darkness - just bright enough (a subdued lighting) to easily read the time but NOT keep you awake, and one (by pressing the large snooze button on the top) which gives a brighter backlight which I sometimes use when the natural light is subdued ie dusk or dawn, but I haven't got the bedside light switched on and it isn't dark enough for the automatic backlight to come on. The makers have got it spot on!! Set up is so easy; put in the batteries and within a few minutes it sets itself by radio control! It's also a smart looking pedestal clock that's just the right size.

Nice useful alarm clock. 9/10

All my indoor clocks bar one are Acctim RCs. So after one of the Acctim RC alarm clocks died during a battery replacement recently (it was only two years old) I was left with the agro of having to buy another. The model I had (that died) is no longer available, so I plumped for this one, as it seemed the best of a bad bunch to be honest. The 'look' of it is actually better than it appears in the picture. I mean, in situ it has nice big numbers to view the time and isn't as much of an eyesore as I supposed it would be. I prefer the screen size to my old one as the old one was hard to read. The Smartlite feature is what it is: it glows green in low light. I have a bigger Acctim clock in the living room that does the same. You'll either love it or hate it. On the whole I don't like any light at all when I sleep but I have to say this - surprisingly - doesn't bother me in the slightest. For a brighter (momentarily) display you just press the button on the top of the clock (Light/Snooze) and the feint green glow becomes very bright green. Great for bleary eyes in the morning or during the night. The alarm buttons are slider switches on the back of the clock which is a bit of a PITA. When the alarm goes off I want to turn it off, not be annoyed again by hitting snooze. So to turn the alarm off you have to pick the clock up, turn it around and slide the button to off. Very dumb indeed. I'm quite used to the front panel buttons of my previous Acctim alarm clock so this doesn't measure up on that score. The alarm time (the one you set it to) isn't visible on the display, and the only way to display it is to switch the clock to alarm mode on the back...and then the actual time isn't displayed. Again, a bit annoying. And again, the other model I had allowed me to do this easily from the front...and the other model also had two alarms, not one like the Acura. I will miss having two separate alarms for sure. The front of the clock display is protected by a clear hard plastic cover, which is a little bit loose. Not only that, but there are imperfections on the surface, or rather dints and marks from when it was assembled. The first one (see below) was as bad and so I am not too impressed with the overall quality of this product. The stand is more sturdy than it looks, but here comes another criticism. The first clock I ordered from Amazon (now packed up and waiting to go back to Amazon as I type) was missing three of the four padded feet that the clock stands on. I did phone Acctim help line and asked them to send me some but they told me they didn't stock parts and to take it back to the retailer. Not impressed with their response; pretty rubbish in fact. Pretty poor show from them. For me it was okay because the first clock had gouges and scrapes all over it so not sending me the feet meant I had to send it back. The clock seems to be really shoddily put together, and Acctim don't seem to be too bothered about it. Some good things: When I phoned Amazon (or rather they called me back) the service I received was first class. No fuss, no quibbling, the product was reordered and upgraded to first class delivery (I had it on free super saver first off). And I received the replacement clock the next day. Congratulations to Amazon for consistently providing a good service. Shame this replacement clock was also marked in the corners. I'm keeping it because I need the alarm clock at the moment, otherwise I'd consider returning it. All the feet are on this replacement though. If you're happy with a few blemishes you'll be okay with this. Oh, and don't forget, you'll need to get yourself 3 AAA batteries for the clock as this doesn't come with any (I use 7DayShop slow discharge rechargeables...they work great).

no instructions in the box the back light did not work

This is a wonderful clock that does exactly what it says. It keeps a friendly well-lit display throughout the night, (but not too bright!) with the date and day displayed so if you wake up completely disoriented, you can at least be reminded of what day of the week it is. The giant drawback to this clock is it synchs itself automatically to a radio time signal from the UK, which makes it unable to display any time other than UK time if you are within range of this radio signal. I live in Amsterdam and could receive the signal fine, so my clock kept resetting itself to UK time, even though I set it manually to CET. If you live outside of the range of this UK radio signal, or can cover the radio with tinfoil, or live in a Faraday cage, then you might be able to use this clock outside of the UK. Otherwise I recommend the Acctim Stratus clock, since than display CET and UK times.

lo he devuelto por no funcionar correctamente en españa la hora radiocontrolada no funcionase pone hora de inglaterra y al encender no se ponia en hora solo

L appareil ne comporte pas de radio malgré qu'elle soit indiquée sur la publicité. D autre part la mise à l heure est callee sur le meridien anglais est ne correspond pas a ma localisation

Ce réveil radio-piloté a d'énormes difficultés pour se mettre à l'heure automatiquement. Quand par hasard il y parvient, l'heure qui s'affiche est l'heure anglaise(...) avec aucune possibilité de changer le fuseau horaire... À déconseiller pour un usage en France