Philips AS111 Docking Speaker for Android Smartphone

I was really please to find a docking station for an android smartphone after waiting over a year for one to come to market.As I only wanted a bedside item and not an all singing, all dancing music system, this bottom of the range model seemed ideal. I have had it now for 10 days or so and it device works very well - charges the phone, plays my music through it's 360 degree speakers without any problems,and displays the time. Excellent. The problem comes, however, when you download the app which comes with it. I strongly recommend you don't do this. It drains the battery in half a day, won't switch off and is a real pain. Also, I like listening to Radio 2 when I get up, and Radio 4 during the day to get a more in depth take on the news. Whilst the app gives over 7000 internet radio stations I have been unable to find any BBC station, with the exception of the World Service, which is not quite the same!The app developer needs to sort it out, and quickly, otherwise Philips are going to receive loads of complaints, which will, I feel, affect sales of this super range of docking stations. A real pity.

This has a great sounding speaker, clear sound with just the right amount of bass and treble, however feedback from the phone sometimes does creep through (not enough shielding?).
Excellent clock that is easy to read at night without illuminating the whole room, but the ring of light seems a bit pointless other than as a design feature. Misses out on 5th star due to diabolical Fidelio app for the Android phone. As soon as you dock the phone it switches on Bluetooth regardless of whether you want to listen to music or just charge the phone.. It constantly flashes 'switching on Bluetooth' even when fully connected, it also switches on Bluetooth when plugging a USB cable in order to connect the phone to a pc, what's that all about?
The app never remembers location for weather - ALWAYS locating it to Amsterdam (Phillips HO?).
Overall a good product let down by a very poor App interface, come on Philips, surely you can find someone who can program and fix these bugs?

When the Chumby One I used as an alarm clock died I started looking for a replacement (the Chumby company also having bitten the dust). After some searching I realised that mobile phones have taken the place of advanced alarm clocks and so I started looking for a charge dock for my Android Motorola Pro+ phone. It became apparent that unlike with the iPhone, the lack of standardisation of Android phones meant that there were very few suitable candidates. As an added complication, the micro-USB socket on my phone is near one end on the side.

After some research it appeared that the Philips AS111 could be suitable and I managed to get one from a local store as a cheap clearance item.
First impressions were good and after a couple of minor issued I got the Fidelio app up and running on the phone and the phone paired with the dock. The sound quality is fine for a bedside clock-radio but there are a number of issues with the dock.

The dock apparently (I don't know for sure - the instructions are woefully basic and inadequate) kept losing bluetooth connection with the phone and would emit a loud double beep when this happened, followed shortly after by another double beep when it reconnected. This would happen in the middle of the night and wake my wife and I up. There seems no documented method of stopping this beeping. In the end I decided to uninstall he Fidelio app (which is clunky and rubbish) and just use the dock as a nightstand and charger.

Unfortunately it appears that the height setting of the 'bumpers' that support the phone on the micro-USB connector is absolutely critical. As the phone is only supported by the USB plug and the tiny bumpers it is not exactly solid or stable in the dock. My phone would charge for a few seconds, stop charging for a few seconds and then start the cycle again. The first time I left the phone on the dock overnight it actually discharged almost completely!

After a few attempts to get it working I contacted Philips customer support by email. Two days later I got a generic reply instructing me to ensure that the versions of Android and bluetooth were compatible, check the phone had a suitable USB connector (duh!) and recommended installing the Fidelio app. The email was cheerfully signed off with "we hope this has been of assistance"!! I replied that it had been of no assistance whatsoever and that even a cursory check of the specifications of the Motorols Pro+ would have revealed it met all the requirements. To this point I have had no further communication from Philips. Don't bother with them.

In the end it appears that I have managed to adjust the bumpers so that the phone will charge, although I have my doubts about the reliability of this. I now check the phone every morning to see if it has charged.

If I had paid full price for this item I would have been very disappointed and probably sent it back. As it is, the model seems to have been discontinued or at least is in short supply, but it still seems to be one of the very few purpose-built Android charge docks on the market. As such, it may be worth seeking out if your phone's USB socket it central on the side or bottom. If the socket is on the top of the phone I wouldn't bother - most Android apps refuse to work upside down requiring you to install the useless Fidelio app.