Time for a New High-Tech Clock

In today’s always-connected, ever-moving world, knowing the time is just one piece of an endless supply of information you could require at any given moment.

Fortunately, the newest models of smart clocks have taken this into consideration and aim to be one-stop informational portals.

Below are a few choice devices for telling the time—and just about everything else.

Echo Spot

The smartphone may have killed the alarm clock, but Amazon hopes to give it a second life with the latest in its Echo line of products, the Echo Spot—an alarm clock that can do just about everything your smartphone can. The small(ish) semi-spherical device features a flat-face, circular touchscreen, which can feature any number of classic clock displays, but is also available for playing TV, placing video calls or streaming connected home camera footage. And because it’s an Echo, it comes with Amazon’s A.I. assistant Alexa equipped, allowing users to make use of the Echo’s ever-expanding body of skills, from ordering food and playing trivia to weather updates and the latest news briefs—and much more. More relevantly for alarm clock purposes, users can lean on Alexa to set alarms, and ask it to operate other smart home products for the morning routine—slowly raising your bedroom lights as a good morning greeting, for example.

The Amazon Echo Spot is available for $129.

Glance Clock

The Glance clock is a near-perfect marriage of the classic and the contemporary. Featuring the minimal clock face design that marked so many timepieces of the past, the circular and flat Glance offers elegant intelligence via a connection to just about any third party application you use, and a series of light-up tiles that comprise the background of the clock face. The Glance will sync with your calendars, smart home devices, wearables and other apps to display weather, upcoming meetings, incoming phone calls, important reminders, number of steps taken that day or updates on when your Uber is outside. For time-specific tasks, the tiles will cleverly coordinate with the physical hands on the clock face, counting down the minutes to your next meeting, for example, or the time until a preset alarm sounds. The end result is a wealth of information that never feels obtrusive.

The Glance is currently sold out, but pre-orders for the next round, expected to ship in May, are available for $199.

Oboo

Another in the line of do-it-all alarm clocks, the Oboo incorporates an intriguing new element—motion control. The rectangular Oboo consists of two sections: the larger clock section, a rectangle itself, which boldly and brightly displays the time, and the "cards" section, a 1:1 space which can display, maps, timers, weather, calendars and much more. Users cycle through their cards by making a horizontal swipe motion in front of the clock and see more information on the currently displayed card by making the swipe up motion. Most importantly, underslept owners can activate the snooze by making a wave motion akin to a Jedi Mind Trick. In addition to all kinds of arm flailing fun, the Oboo is equipped with dual USB charging ports and can be paired with an Oboo wireless charging pad, allowing you to sleep easy knowing that all your devices will be fully charged when you awake.

The Oboo is available for pre-order for $93.

LaMetric Time

Ever wanted your own personal news ticker? Introducing LaMetric Time. The slim, sleek and rectangular device defaults to a pixel-esque display of the time, but in coordination with the LaMetric phone app, it can share any manner of information you deem worthy. Stock prices, Twitter mentions, email notifications, incoming calls, breaking news—along with weather alerts and alarms—are all displayed brightly, boldly, and colorfully, keeping you in-the-know as you work your way through the day. LaMetric’s built-in speakers and expansive emoji library allow users to add a deep level of customization to their alerts. Bluetooth connectivity and an ambient light sensor enable owners to wake each morning to their preferred music and mood lighting.

LaMetric Time is available for $199.