Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

if i could give negative stars, i would. i purchased this alarm clock after several hours of reading reviews for many, many clocks. how does this thing get 4.5 stars? it is cute and does not take up much space, but those are the only features it has going for it.. what's wrong with it? first, there are only three brightness settings: off, dim and bright. they should be rightfully labeled: off, get-rid-of-your-room-light-you-won't-need-it-anymore, and even-brighter-than-that. given that there are many research studies out there proving that most man-made light sources stimulate the brain and interfere with sleep, i expected the designers of this clock (who state in the instruction manual to place it 18-24 inches from your head when it really should be 18-24 feet away in the next room) to have made this one of the first considerations when they began designing this thing. second, while there are more than three sound settings, the lowest one can be easily heard throughout a large room during the day with all the sundry daytime noise that comes with. none of the many alarm choices is a muted sound. heart attacks on first waking are not my thing. third, even though i had read several reviews stating the lack of response from the touch-screen buttons, i figured 'well, with 4.5 stars, it can't be too bad.' hahahahaha. yes, it can. i'm not going to tell you how long it took me to set the alarm. many times, the screen wouldn't register my touch at all (i did not have cold fingertips, and i was pressing gently but with firm pressure you doubters), or it would reset itself or i would go through the complete sequence only to discover that it had retained its original setting. the first time i knew i had it set properly, the alarm didn't go off. or the second. it finally did on the third time. no thanks. i need a reliable alarm clock - not...whatever...this is.