Clean lines and touch controls give the GrooveNeo a futuristic vibe.

The Cygnett GrooveNeo is one of the best-looking iPod alarm clocks we’ve seen in a while. Where many manufacturers go for buttons and functions and lights galore, the GrooveNeo keeps it simple. The unit’s modern design is enhanced by the use of touch-sensitive controls on the top of the clock to control all of the functions.

Sound-wise, the GrooveNeo is as good as we can expect from a pair of 2.75-inch speakers. The GrooveNeo isn’t poised to replace your home stereo, but it makes a great countertop speaker for a spare bedroom or office. The 40-step volume control gets plenty loud, and the sound was surprisingly clean, even at higher-than-comfortable volumes. Like most recent iPod speaker accessories, the GrooveNeo comes with a small remote capable of controlling the speakers. The remote itself is well designed and features logical button layouts. While you can navigate iPod menus via the remote, we find that navigating via the iPod itself often ends up being more convenient. Still, for those who need it, being able to program alarms and control playback is useful. And, thanks to some extra buttons on the remote, turning alarms on and off is actually easier via the remote than it is using the GrooveNeo’s buttons.

We really liked the GrooveNeo’s extra large clock display. The display has a high and low setting—in addition to off—which makes it perfect to use as just an alarm clock. Our only gripe about the display is that the high setting also activates a fairly bright blue LED that shines from the bottom of the unit, and there’s no way to turn the blue LED off without dimming the clock display. The blue LED works well as a night light for guests, but we wouldn’t want to have to sleep next to it every night.

The clock features dual alarms and can wake to an AM or FM station or tracks from your iPod. There’s also a stereo mini input jack at the back of the unit, so the GrooveNeo can be used as speakers for a laptop, portable DVD player, or other audio source. The dock worked fine with a variety of iPods. When we docked our iPhone 3G, the phone displayed a message that the device wasn’t compatible, but after dismissing the dialogue, playback worked fine.

Responsive touch controls, good looks, and decent sound make 
the GrooveNeo stand out in a crowded field.


COMPANY: Cygnett
CONTACT: www.cygnett.com
PRICE: $89.99
REQUIREMENTS: Dockable iPod or iPhone
Touch controls. Large clock display. Dual alarms. AM/FM radio. Battery backup via two AAs.
No radio presets. Distracting blue LED can’t be turned off without dimming the main display.