Looks like an Ikea Malm bedframe. The Beotime will have cost 5 times as much as the bed!

Graham

vikinger:

Looks like an Ikea Malm bedframe. The Beotime will have cost 5 times as much as the bed!

Graham

Do have any idea how many photo's i've seen with B&O and Ikea furniture together? It goes together well if you ask me, looks great!

I agree Dave! I'll also confess to having one of these beds myself, so I too will soon be in the position of having an alarm clock costing 5 times the bed (exc mattress!)

 If Beotimes were made on the scale that Ikea makes furniture then maybe the Beotimes would be £60!

Graham

vikinger:

 If Beotimes were made on the scale that Ikea makes furniture then maybe the Beotimes would be £60!

...and be sold as a plastic bag full of loose components, and a piece of solder wire just long enough to do the job

tournedos:

vikinger:

 If Beotimes were made on the scale that Ikea makes furniture then maybe the Beotimes would be £60!

...and be sold as a plastic bag full of loose components, and a piece of solder wire just long enough to do the job

Picked up a Beotime today. Not sure if I will like it as can not read in the dark without touching it, but will give it a try. 

Unlike almost anyone else who has mentioned that it doesn't light up until it's touched, that is how I prefer it. I absolutely hate anything that lights up in the night. I have an analogue alarm clock because of this, and one of the reasons I bought my cell phone (Sammy i780) was that one can turn the display entirely off, allowing me to have no light whatsoever. However, I do have to put it under a piece of clothing when charging. That red LED when charging is a pain in the neck.

So, to me the "no light unless touched" is how it should be.

In any case, I can't wait to have a closer look at the Beotime. If they ever update it to control the light, I might even install a light to be remote controlled in the bedroom. :)

Electrified:

 

In any case, I can't wait to have a closer look at the Beotime. If they ever update it to control the light, I might even install a light to be remote controlled in the bedroom. :)

 

It does have a function to turn lights on and off......not sure what kind of light controller is needed.

After using the Beotime for one night here is my brief review. Beautifully made, functions very well, and very intuitive. It is easy to learn to operate with virtually no need to look at the instructions. My only problems with it our the display not being lit and the smallness of the display for someone who needs glasses. Also, my Beotime seems to take a great deal of movement to illuminate. This morning, for instance, I picked it up and moved it around a considerable amount before the display brightened. Is this normal?

I very much like it but fear I will not want it as an alarm clock due to difficulty reading the time in the middle of the night, having to reach over and pick it up or otherwise move in order to turn the backlight on. It is most likley either going back, or becoming a clock/decoration/auxiliary remote in a link room of ours where we are using an old Beo 4 with no N.Music or N. Radio.

Razlaw,

Yes, good point. I wasn't very clear, was I ..

I meant that if they update it to work with the alarm function. That way I could have light waking me up slowly during the weekend instead of beebs or audio.

I've noticed that the light does take a deliberate pat.

TripEnglish:

I've noticed that the light does take a deliberate pat.

Thanks!  

TripEnglish:

I've noticed that the light does take a deliberate pat.

I got BeoTime last Monday with the same behaviour. After calling my dealer he checked BeiWise to get more information about the issue. However, there is noting mentioned about patting the device. So he offered me to exchange the device with a new one. I will checks the behaviour in the sore within the next days.

Andy

BeoAffinity:

TripEnglish:

I've noticed that the light does take a deliberate pat.

 

I got BeoTime last Monday with the same behaviour. After calling my dealer he checked BeiWise to get more information about the issue. However, there is noting mentioned about patting the device. So he offered me to exchange the device with a new one. I will checks the behaviour in the sore within the next days.

Andy

On the touch question, is it you have to move or nudge the Beotime in some way for the light to come on to display the time?  Or is it supposed to be like the iPhone which lights up when touched?  The instructions say all you have to do is touch the Beotime for the display to come on.  On my Beotime, it has to be tapped or moved a little.  There seem to be conflicting answers.  Thanks,  Bill

My Beotime takes a very hard tap to turn on as well.

Mine requires a tap.  Touching it will not turn the backlight on.

With regard to where is it made...

(1) The plastic battery tray with the serial number reads: "Denmark © MMVIII", which may mean it is made in Denmark, or most probably does not mean that it is made in Denmark.

(2) The brown box on which it came does not say where is it made.  Anywhere.  I even disassembled the box to see if under its flaps it says where the box was made or printed.  Nothing.

(3) The manual does not state where was it printed.  I find that odd.

(4) The batteries are Energizer for OEMs, and state "not for retail."  Made in Singapore.  This by itself does not mean much either way.

With regard to the display...

It must be seen straight directly facing it to a maximum of about 60º sideways or above/below.  Beyond about sixty degrees, it becomes harder and harder to read.  I suspect B&O could have purchased more expensive LCDs which can be read from about all angles beyond the plane.

With regard to the standalone alarm buzzer or bell...

It is not loud enough to wake me at unusual hours.  At my usual wake up time, it will certainly do, but at crazy 3am-run-to-airport times, there is a chance my wife or I would miss our planes.

With regard to SOURCEs it can control...

It is unable to activate AUX (though it does have V.AUX).  Therefore, it cannot displace the Beo4 we keep in the bedroom.  Very regrettable.

With regard to the SOURCE selection menu when used as a remote control...

It will sort the order of the list of sources as per the order of last use.  Brilliant.  Nice to see the software attention to detail I expect from B&O.

So far I like it, though I see missed opportunities to deliver a flawless experience.

Battery life

Ours has been in service about four months and one week.  I installed the three plain AA Energizer alkaline —made in Singapore— batteries that came with BeoTime.  Expiration date: 03-2015.

Last night I set the alarm and this morning not only the alarm failed, the displays were entirely blank when I woke up about 1 hr beyond my designated time.  I had to focus my eyes on the tiny red BeoLab 3500 time on the far wall of the bedrrom.   Fortunately all I missed was officework and not a critical meeting or an airplane flight.

Tonight I took out the Energizers ---my meter records dead batteries.  I replaced them with new Duracells.  The display came back to life instantly, even with the correct time and alarm set (but off) for the time I set last night.

The software on the Beotime should warn one when the batteries are low, don't you think?

This is why I could not possibly rely on a Beotime as an alarm clock.

I get up at 6am every morning, and as my shop opens at 7am I cannot be late. Therefore I cannot rely on a battery operated alarm clock...

XavierItzmann:

The software on the Beotime should warn one when the batteries are low, don't you think?

Sure it should (and could). However, I recommend you try Energizer Lithium batteries the next time. They are more expensive, but will last a lot longer in appliances like that. I have yet to replace a single one in any remote!

Sure they won't make the Beotime behave any better when they finally run out, but at least that will happen much less often

jldmelb:

This is why I could not possibly rely on a Beotime as an alarm clock.

I get up at 6am every morning, and as my shop opens at 7am I cannot be late. Therefore I cannot rely on a battery operated alarm clock...

Same here!! Well, 3am here. What a shame. At least the phone can be plugged in and you know where the batteries power level is at

For close to £300 I would expect any alarm/remote/flute hybrid to give me a warning when it is about to go flat. It just confirms to me what an utterly useless product this is. Hopefully this won't herald a new era for the company because if it does then they're in trouble.

j0hnbarker:

Hopefully this won't herald a new era for the company because if it does then they're in trouble.

I thought we were already well entrenched in the new era!

burantek:

j0hnbarker:

Hopefully this won't herald a new era for the company because if it does then they're in trouble.

I thought we were already well entrenched in the new era!

I must have been wishfully thinking then ;)

Page 18 on the user manual of the Beotime says:

"If the batteries are low, Display 1 will show a "Battery Low" alert in idle mode approximately one week before the batteries run out of power (...)"


So, there should have been some kind of warning on your Beotime, wasn't it?! 

TWG:

"If the batteries are low, Display 1 will show a "Battery Low" alert in idle mode approximately one week before the batteries run out of power (...)"

Right you are!  I had completely forgotten about that, but looking at the manual again, I now remember reading it.

All I can say is that if the warning was displayed for one week, somehow I missed during that period; and furthermore, when I set the alarm the night before the BeoTime dawned dead, if there was any warning, I should perforce have seen it, as I did not set the alarm time with closed eyes.  However, I saw no warning, and waking up one hour late certainly worked against my best interest.

At this point, I will blame the Singapore Energizer batteries for a sudden voltage drop that managed to fool BeoTime.

We'll see what others have to report in the future.

TWG:

I played with one today - and do have to wait till november until he gets units for sale. This was only the one demo unit he got from Denmark. Very sad for the customers and for the dealer.


So, it's surprisingly big when you see it for the 1st time and it's very light. It's made of metal and the casing behind the LCDs and the navigation button is black plastik. I think it must be some kind of translucent because I can't see any hint of an IR transmitter for the remote signals.

It feels light but durable and well made. The 3 displays have a very good and high contrast and they simply look elegant in stand by mode, displaying the current time and if the alarm is on/off plus alarm time.
The backlight is light blue and realy a good mix of decent light with good readability!
You can enable or disable the touch function (Light on when you touch the Beotime with your hand etc.)
The displays are small and sharp; so don't be afraid: A monochrome LCD doesn't mean that it's a bad thing :-)

The alarm is activated by the big metal(?) trumped formed button on the top of the remote/watch. It feels sturdy even when it's extended out. Very good as you have an optical and additional indicator if the alarm is on or off. You DO need to push the button back into the Beotime with 2 hands: One pushes the button, the other hand needs to fix the Beotime when you don't want it to fall off your bedside table. I don't know if you need two  hands when it's attached to the wall mount.
When you push the alarm button it slides out and the display on the Beotime changes to "on" and vice versa.

You don't need a manual. After playing around with it a few minutes you will be able to use all features.
Light is definetly NOT available as an alarm source. You can only control the light manualy. Shame on you B&O ;-)

The alarm sound of the Beotime sounds like you hit a piece of alumium or glass - as far as I know these tone was found on the Serene or Serenata, too. It's like a very clear "Ping" sound.
It's increasing in volume and it sounds SURPRISINGLY clear and loud!

There's only a B&O logo on the Beotime. You don't see any "Bang & Olufsen" lettering (or I am blind). The B&O logo is engraved in the aluminium pipe. Very nice and you can feel it.

The backside of Beotime contains two black rubber stripes to stop the Beotime from rolling around. On the lower part there's a black cover: the battery door.

The navigation button (5 ways: up, left, down, right, enter) has good tactile feedback and is easy to operate.
Nice:
When you're using the Beotime as a remote it displays the actual source AND the actual function you're using when you press the button (next, previous, Vol+, Vol-). This is very helpful as there are no signs etc. on the buttons.

What I dislike: 
When you hold the Beotime as a remote the display does not adjust itself to vertical use; that would be a nice feature. It would be sufficient if only the last display adjusts itself to this "remote mode".

Verdict:
I instantly ordered one and I will happily live with it. It's very well made, it looks very nice and it even sounds very nice.
It is a "must have gadget" for me as I don't have to mess around with any timer operation on the devices themself.

I just take the beotime, enter a source I want to listen to in the morning and ready.


Hopefully it's "Made in Denmark" :-)

 

It's "Made in China"