Posts Tagged travel clock
Eagle Creek Multi-function Travel Clock
I’ve long been on a quest to find the perfect travel alarm clock. This Eagle Creek one is still not it, but it comes closer than most.
It seems like designing the perfect travel clock wouldn’t be all that hard: lightweight, small, inexpensive, quiet, dependable, stingy with batteries, and lighted.
It’s the combination of those last two that always seem to throw the designers and this Eagle Creek Multi-function clock fits the pattern. It hits most of the right notes, but doesn’t have a light, which left me, as the Jayhawks say, stumbling through the dark.
“But hey,” they would probably answer, “what were you expecting for $16.50?” (You’ll rarely find it discounted from that, so go with the best shipping option for the online retailers listed at the end of this review.) For that measly price you get an alarm clock with snooze, one-button displays of 16 time zones around the world, the date, calculator/currency exchange and—my favorite extra—a thermometer. (When your bedmate says she’s freezing, you can look up and see if she’s delusional.)
Getting the clock set up is not exactly Apple-intuitive: you’ll definitely need the instruction manual. And the manual is pretty useless when it comes to figuring out the currency conversion function. The battery is included though, so you can get going out of the box and after the initial set-up you can leave it alone until you change time zones. Then when you reset that time zone later, all the others adjust as well.
In normal display state, you see the date, time, and temperature, though oddly the time is displayed as 2-45 instead of 2:45, which still looks odd to me after weeks of use. As mentioned before though, there’s no light—not even one you can press in the middle of the night to see what time it is. So if you want to check the time, you need to take it with you to the bathroom or something.
But the lack of a light is likely because of using a watch battery to keep the weight and size down. The whole thing closes up, clam shell style, for traveling and is less than five inches long. It only weighs a few ounces and it comes with a lifetime warranty.
I’m still looking for that perfect travel alarm clock with all of the above plus a light and easy-to-deduce controls, but until I find it this will work. I just need to keep my Timex Indiglo watch next to it at night…
When I say this travel alarm clock is widely available, don’t take my word for it. Follow these links to shop for it at eBags, Buy.com, REI, or Amazon.
Posted by Tim L. in General Gear, Travel Light on July 21st, 2010
Review: Moshi Voice Control Travel Alarm Clock
I’ll admit, I’ve talked to my alarm clock for a long time. Saying things like, “No, it can’t be time to get up!”
But now, I’ve found an alarm clock that actually listens.
The Moshi Voice Control Travel Alarm Clock uses voice commands to set the time and alarm and is a convenient size for travelers. It’s very easy to use—something I can’t say for a lot of the alarm clocks in hotel rooms.
I’ve often fumbled around in a hotel room trying to figure out how to set the alarm. My preference is to use a clock instead of getting a wake-up call because, of course, there’s no snooze control on a telephone.
Moshi uses voice-recognition technology to control the clock. Say “set time” and it will ask for the current time, then set the clock. Or, tell it to “set alarm” and it will turn on and set the alarm for whatever time you say. There’s even a choice of three different alarm sounds. And they are loud enough to wake even sound sleepers.
You can also ask Moshi for the room temperature, get the current time, turn off the alarm, or say “snooze” to grab another nine minutes of shuteye. And, in case you ever need them, there are physical controls for setting the time and alarms, turning the alarm on and off and for volume.
The size is perfect—less than four inches wide—and the clock weighs in at under three ounces so it won’t contribute to any overweight baggage fees. It’s powered by three AAA batteries.
The Moshi travel alarm clock comes in four colors—black, white, blue or pink. And the price is a reasonable $24.99.
Moshi also makes two other models for home use—the Voice Control Alarm Clock and the Voice Control Mini Alarm Clock. They have a few additional features, such as playing sleep sounds and the larger clock also has a night light.
The company also plans to release an iPod app soon.
The Moshi Voice Control Travel Alarm Clock is the the easiest-to-use alarm clock I’ve ever tried. And it’s the first one that listens to what I have to say.
Posted by JohnG in Travel Light on December 21st, 2009
