Review: LEGO Alarm Clock Radio
Written on Dec 2, 2009 by Brian and filed under Digital Blue, Reviews
Digital Blue teased us earlier this year (here and here) with a line of LEGO branded electronics. Those two news postings have been some of the most popular we’ve ever written. We’ve finally received the first one of these LEGO gadgets in for review, the alarm clock radio. The radio comes in four colors and is 10 times the size of a regular LEGO brick.
The idea of LEGO electronics gear is pretty fun, and not just for kids. Parents who grew up on the stacking bricks love the idea too. The alarm clock radio does what you’d expect. There’s a digital clock display and AM/FM band with digital tuner. All are controlled by the buttons and switches on the front of the LEGO brick and the two knobs on top.
Getting started is simple, the clock radio comes with an AC adapter, but can also run on 4 AA batteries (not included). All of the buttons are clearly labeled on the front of the clock, meaning any kid over 5-6 will probably be able to figure it out. The same goes for working with the radio. Push the radio on/off button, then use the right knob to dial up the station and the left knob to handle volume. The stations are digitally displayed, which makes it easy to find what you’re looking for.
The alarm setting is also just as easy to configure. Kids can wake up to the radio, or buzzer. What you might miss is you don’t read the instructions though is that the left knob can be depressed to activate the 5 minute snooze function. It also activates the backlight for a few seconds if the backlight is turned off (there are three backlight settings).
We’ve been playing with the LEGO alarm clock radio for a while now and find it to be a great fusion of the classic LEGO brand with electronics. It’s easy to use, the buttons are clearly labeled and make sense to kids, the radio reception is solid and the unit looks good and comes in pink, green, red or blue. As an added bonus, if you buy the LEGO Boombox, the clock radio can attach to the top of the Boombox brick.
Kids did want to try to find ways to build with the clock using their LEGO sets, but unfortunately you can’t do that. There’s little surface area where standard sized knobs could have been added, the right side being about the only option. Even so, kids thought the clock was “super cool” and it fits right at home in any kid’s room.
Bottom Line
The LEGO alarm clock radio does what it’s supposed to do, and it’s simple for kids to operate. It even plays well on an adult’s desk in most environments. For $30 MSRP, we think it’s fun and worth the cost for LEGO fans.
Rating – 5 out of 5 Stars – Editor’s Choice
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