A total of 2 reviews of this product on Reddit.
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I bought this one a few years ago for significantly less. http://www.amazon.com/Morning-Sunrise-System-Alarm-SRS250/dp/B000GGAI4G/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=home-garden&qid=1275948358&sr=8-1
It was the cheapest solution I could find with graduated lighting. I used a timer and a lamp for a while, but I prefer not to be jarred awake by sudden light/sound. It was also one of the first alarms with built in MP3 at the time, but I find I never use that feature since purchasing the Chumby. It also has a “sunset” feature I have not seen on other models. You can also set different alarms for each day of the week which is nice. I have a tendency to sleep through alarms no matter how loud/annoying they are, but for whatever reason, light always wakes me up. There are now a few other models that are cheaper, but the reviews vary. The backup battery is no longer working, so I need to see about replacing it (not user serviceable supposedly), but I am glad I made the purchase.
I really really wish they made an alarm that could sync over wifi using the iCal standard.
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I use the Morning Sunrise System Dawn Dusk Sun Alarm Clock which I purchased through Amazon. http://www.amazon.com/Morning-Sunrise-System-Alarm-SRS250/dp/B000GGAI4G/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=home-garden&qid=1286406724&sr=8-1-catcorr ( I paid $114 w/shipping, so shop around). I love the gentle wake up, as it graduates the brightness until the specified time. You can adjust the gradient from 15, to 60 min before the wake up time, and have any number of sounds go off at the allotted time. I choose this one as it can play MP3’s. It also has a “sunset feature, that dims the lights gradually over an adjustable amount of time, and has “sleep sounds” with the included MiniSD. You can set a different alarm for each day of the week. It’s fairly simple to set, but there are a number of menus to go through, but doing so once a week( if your schedule changes) is not bad. I use it mostly in Nov. Dec. and Feb. months (pretty sure I have Season Affective Disorder, but not diagnosed).
The rest of the year I use a Chumby, which has an option to turn the screen on full bright when it goes off. For some reason, no matter how loud and obnoxious an alarm, I can sleep through on occasion, but I have never slept through a change in lighting. It is of course not as bright as the Sunrise System at full brightness, and cannot gradually increase the brightness. I tried using a lamp with a timer (a whole lot cheaper) which worked, but I treated myself to the sunrise system a year later. I much prefer the increase in lighting, and it seems to help my mood more.
My only complaint, is the internal (non user replaceable) backup battery quit working after 6mo or less, and they installed on of the buttons backwards (e.g. I have “EQ < ▌▌/► < ■”, which should be “EQ < ▌▌/► > ■”)
