Bang & Olufsen new 'BeoTime' - Review
I have had a Beotime on test (thanks to Bang & Olufsen & BeoWorld!) for a few days now and as promised here are my thoughts and findings..
Firstly, as everyone knows, it is reminiscent of a flute in appearance but infact is more piccolo or recorder sized. It is 40.5 cm in length which is approximately 50% longer than a Beo4, so it is quite a long item, you may need to make room for it if it is going to be on a bedside table.
The Beotime really is a thing of simplistic beauty. B&O owners will recognise the finishes to the metal. The main body is very similar to Beolab 6000 or 8000 and the button / screens have a brushed finish like some of the more modern TV’s. The back sections of the screens are black plastic but it is all finished to a very high standard. It comes with a wall bracket which can be screwed to the wall and then this will hold the Beotime magnetically. The wall holder will only hold the Beotime at the battery end (the end without the screens) so it will have an “off centre” appearance. Alternatively it can be sat on its little rubber feet which will keep it at a nice and easily viewable angle.
Inserting the batteries for the first time is tricky. There is a piece of the wall bracket which must be used to undo the end plug of the Beotime and then I recommend a pair of tweezers are used to ease the battery compartment out . Once batteries are installed it is a lot easier as the compartment is then spring loaded so comes out on removing the end plug. Thankfully I was pre-warned about this or it could have been quite frustrating!
The three 1.5cm LCD screens are clear, easily readable and are backlit if you are using the Beotime or when the alarm is going off. They are not really visible from one side of the room to another but that’s not what the Beotime is designed for, its definitely a bedside clock.
The basic functions of the Beotime are very easy and intuitive. The large square is a four way button with an additional button in the centre. The LCD screen nearest to that acts as the main menu with arrows indicating weather additional options are available. These can then be reached by using the large button which will either scroll up or down the options in the closest screen or move to next screen for the sub menus. This continues with on to the third screen if needed depending on what you want to do.
All this is very simple use and understand. The Beotime is sensitive to which way up it is so the displays on the LCD’s and the controls change so they remain correct which ever way round you have the Beotime. It does not work vertically which is a shame as that is the easiest way to hold it and make use of it a remote control.
The alarm is turned on by pressing the end of the Beotime and out pops what I would describe as a trumpet key. This has to be pressed in to turn the alarm off. You will need two hands on the Beotime to do this, if you try to do it with one you will find that you push it off the bedside table an on to the floor! The Beotime has only one internal chime (quite nice but no other internal sounds are available) or it can be programmed to wake you with any of 22 different sources. You can also specify which track or TV channel you want it to wake you up with. It can also control your lights if you have light controllers. It worked fine with the LC1 in my bedroom.
The Beotime can also be used as a stand alone remote which is able to control the basic functions from any off the 22 sources. For example you can change the volume and track of a CD but can not change the treble or bass. One very annoying thing that I discovered was that although the control interface for setting the Beotime and its menu system changes to match the orientation in which it is placed, the controls when using it as a remote do not.
This means that if it is placed with the LCD screens to the right (as is more natural to a left handed person, which I am) then pressing up on the control button moves you down the tracks and vice versa. Why this is, I couldn’t tell you as all the other controls swap over if you turn the Beotime round. This could surely be sorted quite easily. It is not so much of an issue if you pick the Beotime up but if you are using it in a horizontal position it can be quite frustrating.
One test I did not submit the Beotime to was the “Hung over swipe to snooze” test. Most alarm clocks tend to get the occasional bash when rousing a rather tired and emotional owner and as well made as the Beotime is, I am not sure if it would stand up to too many falls from a bedroom table on to the floor. I’m sure it is very strongly built but it looks so delicate and as it was not my own I thought that it was best not to submit it to that test. The magnetic wall holder does hold it quite securely but whether it would be strong enough to resist an alcohol induced swipe I am not sure.
Summing up, I would say that the Beotime should not be thought of as just an alarm clock but more of a remote control for the bedroom. It is a great looking object that will undoubtedly sell well. I’m very tempted to buy one myself.
It is definitely of more use to people with linked systems but is just as nice if you only have a TV or a stereo in your bedroom. If Bang and Olufsen could make it able to be displayed vertically, then I am sure it would be even more appealing and if they could make it so that left handed people didn’t have to think backwards when trying to change TV channels, that would be great too.
