Stem TimeCommand Audio Alarm Dock for iOS Devices Review

Final Thoughts & Conclusions

After spending a few weeks with the Stem TimeCommand audio alarm clock for Apple iPod, iPhone and iPad devices we found it to be a great addition to the nightstand! Few devices get used so much and for such a critical task, so to give it a thumbs up is a big deal.

We didn’t talk about speaker quality yet, but this is a speaker dock also and it does an amazing job. Stem certainly isn’t a brand name that comes to mind in the audio market, but they managed to put together a system with impressive sound quality. The sound delivered by the TimeCommand is crisp and can easily fill a large room. You don’t get bass thumping performance, but the bass it does produce isn’t lacking by any means for a device this small. If you use the Stem:Connect App you can get expanded audio features called Sonic iQ and that means you get a 10-band graphic equalizer, bass enhancer and sound field expansion. As you can tell the audio features are far from lacking.

Our biggest gripe with the TimeCommand deals with docking the device. With the case on our iPhone we had to often use two hands to dock the phone as the pivoting dock is under retention and won’t stay where we needed it. The other issue we had is that if you docked your iOS device that the buttons on the top of the TimeCommand don’t work until the devices sync. So, if you walked into the room docked your iPhone to charge it and hit the light button it wouldn’t work right away. There is about a 10-15 second delay and then the light button for example starts working again. The solution to this would be to turn the light on first and then dock your iOS device, but that would be too easy.

The Stem TimeCommand is available online from Target for $99.99 and comes backed by a 90 day warranty. If you are looking for an App-enhanced audio alarm clock that works on both the iPhone and iPad then you don’t have many choices and of the ones you do this should be on the top of your list. If this is a little over the top for you, but you like the overall design, you’ll be happy to know that Stem also makes the TimeCommand Mini. The TimeCommand Mini costs $20 less and has fewer features, but still a solid solution.

Legit Bottom Line: The Stem TimeCommand rewrites the book on what one should expect from their bedside alarm clock!