I’ve been searching for an ultimate alarm clock for what seems like forever. I even have proof that it’s been at least 6 years… I posted a diary post back in 2007 listing my must-have alarm clock features. Some of which included:
1. Wake up by playing a tune from a specific playlist in iTunes.
2. Play the local national news.
3. Play the local weather forecast.
4. Speak any calendar events and to-dos that I have scheduled for the day.
5. Speak the current time at specific intervals during the wake-up cycle.
I tried creating my own clock by writing Applescript scripts and was able to get some of the pieces to work. But it just never quite came together, so I gave up and shifted my quest to finding the best ready made clock radio. I finally settled on the Moshi Voice Control Clock, which I’ve been using everyday for the last couple of years. Now Moshi is history because I’ve found WakeVoice, a very cool Android app which gives me all my original must-have features and then some.
First of all, WakeVoice is a multi-alarm clock, so you can set multiple alarms for specific days of the week. That’s pretty standard though… Where it gets exciting is that you can turn off or snooze the alarm by using your voice or a hand gesture – not THAT gesture! 
After you silence the alarm with your voice or a wave, the app can be configured to speak the time, date, weather, news and even your and your partner’s daily horoscopes. The default voice is a semi-robotic female voice, which could be improved, but it’s understandable, which is all that really matters. You can buy additional voice packs of different styles and languages for $2.99.
What would you pay for all these ultimate alarm clock features? $5.00? $4.00? What if I told you that WakeVoice will even stream the radio after it’s finished speaking all the info you configured? You can choose from a list of popular radio stations or provide a link to your favorite. Of course you’ll need a data or wifi connection for these features to work…
Another thing worth mentioning is that WakeVoice has its own independent volume settings. That means you can set your phone/device on silent, but when the alarm goes off, the alarm will play normally. That way email notifications and phone calls won’t wake you in the middle of the night, but the alarms will.
I’ve only been using this app for about a week, but I already love it. It was the best $2.99 that I’ve spent in awhile.
WakeVoice is available on Google Play Trial version, Premium version ($2.99).
Filed in categories: Android related, Watches, Clocks
Tagged: Clock, gadget diary
Julie’s Gadget Diary – My quest for an ultimate alarm clock has finally ended originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on February 25, 2013 at 11:00 am.
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