It needs three AAA batteries (not included) to work but has a built-in battery to keep the time accurate, even when power is low for extra reassurance that you won’t sleep through an important meeting. When the time is shown, it appears in an orange LED light on the front of the cube, making it very easy to read and gentler on sleepy eyes than brilliant white. It can be set to only reveal the time when you tap it, or to always display the date or temperature instead. This small wooden cube clock is perfect if space is tight next to your bed or you just don’t want an ugly alarm always showing the time. Buy now £ 49.99, .ukīest: Alarm that doesn’t look like an alarm We particularly liked the fact we could flick a switch to cover the built-in camera for guaranteed privacy, and definitely didn’t miss manually setting an alarm as everything is voice-controlled instead. Our younger testers loved using it to play interactive games, hear stories and follow the lyrics to their favourite songs on the screen, but there are endless skills available to discover on the easy-to-use app.
#Nice clock radio tv
Once you’ve dragged yourself out of bed, you can use the Echo show to make video calls to other users with the Alexa app, stream TV programmes, turn the screen into a digital frame or use it as a camera to check in on your home when you’re away.
You can even ask it to tell you a joke or suggest a recipe for dinner if you need a little wake-up inspiration. It can also be set to control compatible smart home devices as you wake, so you could turn the heating on before you get out of bed or switch on a light to avoid heading downstairs in darkness. In the morning, it does everything but make you your first cup of coffee and can be set to wake you to a news update, the weather forecast, a reminder of what’s in store later or your favourite music or radio station.
This brilliant multi-tasking device is about as far from an old-fashioned alarm clock as it’s possible to get and will revolutionise your bedside.