Average Reviews:
(More customer reviews)***THOUGHTS***
I waited 3 months to write this review because I wanted to be sure this plastic atomic clock didn't break or anything. I sort of expected it to be junk, considering the price and the omission of a name brand. But it turns out to actually be a cool and intuitive device, and I am quite glad I bought this. Incidentally, as a guy, I was thrilled to see that the one I received was a black/silver clock, instead of the white/orange one pictured. Strangely, there was no brand or company name anywhere on the clock, in the instructions, within the amazon listing, or even inside the battery compartment. This is odd, especially considering the great quality and low price. It does have "Made in China" printed on the back in small letters, so at least I know it's from Earth.***
The clock is easy to set, the backlight is pleasant without being overpowering, and the flashlight feature consists of 2 bright white LEDs, which are super-handy and simple to use. The clock's internal antenna receives the NIST time signal well, and it has an accurate internal thermometer which measures the room temperature. The clock's detailed instructions were printed on 2 sides of a single page, in American English only, and they went right to the point and were actually useful. The battery compartment cover was easy to remove, and there was a "reset" button inside, as well as room for 4 AAA batteries. ***
***ALARM AND DISPLAY***
The alarm sound is loud enough, and it comes from the rear speaker, above the battery compartment. It sounds like this: one beep, one beep, one beep, one beep, two beeps, two beeps, two beeps, two beeps, three beeps, three beeps, three beeps, three beeps, and then it has four beeps that keep repeating, until either the snooze button is pressed or the alarm is switched off. The alarm sound stays at the same volume the whole time. It is important to realize that the buttons which set the alarm time are active whenever the alarm is switched on, and the button that allows display-editing is active even when the alarm is not switched on. Therefore, you might consider using the "key lock" setting during most of your waking hours, in case you pick up the clock, to prevent the clock's display and alarm time from being accidentally changed. ***
The clock's display shows the digits 0-9 to represent the month, day, hour, minutes, seconds, and room temperature. It also shows 7 icons: day of the week (SUN, MON, TUE, WED, THU, FRI, or SAT, appearing to the right of the day), the chosen time format (24-HR, or either AM or PM, appearing to the left of the hour), the snooze-setting is activated (Zz, appearing above the colon in the time), the alarm is activated ([sound symbol], appearing below the colon in the time), the chosen continental US time zone (P, M, C, or E, appearing above the seconds), daylight savings time is on (DST, appearing below the time zone), and the chosen temperature format (C or F, appearing above the tenth of a degree in the temperature). ***
***THE 5 BUTTONS***
The clock has 2 large buttons and 3 small buttons. The large "snooze/light" button on top activates a soft orange glowing backlight behind the clock's display for 5 seconds, and it also serves as a snooze button. The large unlabeled button on bottom is an elongated clear oval that surrounds the LEDs. When the flashlight is switched to "auto" (explained later), pressing this unlabeled button turns off the LEDs, such as when the clock is set down on its bottom (not on its back), perhaps upon a table. ***
The clock has 3 buttons on the side, for setting the clock and alarm. There is a "+" button, a "-" button, a "set/wave" button, and a fourth "blank" button-shape that is not actually a button at all. Pressing the "+" button or the "-" button sets the alarm time (+ up, - down). Holding instead of pressing either button will go through the alarm time much faster. Pressing the "set/wave" button (it will beep once) manually forces the clock to search for the NIST time signal, which the clock does automatically every midnight anyway. Pressing it again stops the search. Holding instead of pressing the "set/wave" button (it will beep twice after a few seconds) puts the clock into a display-editing mode. ***
In this display-editing mode, 5 different items on the display will blink whenever it is their turn to be set. Cycle through the 5 items with the "set/wave" button, and use the "+" and "-" buttons to set those items; holding instead of pressing the "+" and "-" buttons will go through the choices for each item much faster. The 5 items are: 1. the 4 continental US time zones (+) and daylight saving time on or off (-), 2. the year (+ up, - down), 3. the date (+ up, - down), 4. the time (+ up, - down), and 5. the 12 or 24 hour format (+) and the Celsius or Fahrenheit temperature format (-). ***
***THE 2 SWITCHES***
The clock has 2 small switches. One deals with the flashlight, the other with the alarm. The flashlight switch, labeled "torch", has 3 settings: "off", "on", and "auto". The "auto" setting means that the 2 LEDs will turn off whenever the clock is set down on its bottom (not on its back), and they will turn on whenever the clock is picked up or knocked over, as long as the elongated clear oval button on the bottom is allowed to extend out from the clock. Additionally, when the flashlight is switched to "on" in a dark room and the device is set down on its bottom, perhaps upon a table, the LEDs will stay lit and be visible through the clear sides of the flashlight, providing enough light to read by, but not so much that they will wake others up. ***
The alarm switch has 4 settings: "snz" (snooze), "al on" (alarm is on), "al off" (alarm is off), and "key lock". The "snz" setting and the "al on" setting both activate the alarm time, so that the alarm will sound once at that time every day, and when the snooze/light button is pressed, it will stop. But, the "snz" setting also allows the alarm to sound again every 5 minutes, until the switch is set to "al off" or "key lock". The "al off" setting and the "key lock" setting both deactivate the alarm. But, the "key lock" setting also deactivates the snooze/light button on the top and the 3 buttons on the side. The "key lock" setting is to be used when this device is tossed in a travel bag and you don't want the clock or alarm setting themselves or the backlight to come on; the "key lock" setting does not deactivate the flashlight, which must be switched off on its own. ***
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Travel Companion Radio Controlled Alarm Clock, LED Flashlight, ThermometerRadio controlled alarm clock with snooze Function
? Displays date, month, clock, and temperature
? Indoor thermometer
? ºC/ºF & 12/24 Hrs Selectable
? Time zone adjustable
? 2 super bright white LEDs Flash light that last over 100,000 hours
? Sensors automatically illuminate LEDs when clock is lifted
? Amber backlight
Size: 3" x 4" x 1"Requires 4 AAA Batteries not included
Click here for more information about Travel Companion Radio Controlled Alarm Clock, LED Flashlight, Thermometer
