We wish this alarm clock—a full replica of Darth Vader's head—would would say "Luke! Luke, wake up! Damnit Luke, you whiny one-handed son of a Sith you! WAKE UP!" to get you out of bed.
Sadly, its $30 price tag won't get you James Earl Jones shouting at you like a Marines instructor. Instead, it will play AM/FM radio or act as a speaker for your digital audio player.
The Moshi IVR clock is one of those rare, heartwarming products that serves two marginalized demographics: the blind and the chronically rude. For blind folks the benefit is obvious, as all of the clock's major functions are controlled with simple verbal commands. This includes alarm deactivation, but not necessarily how you'd expect. "Gggugugughghghhhhh" or "SHUT UP" won't do the trick — you've got to greet Moshi to initiate voice commands, then politely ask it— uhh, her — to turn off the alarm. Sort of like if you're talking to a human, assuming that human hovers by your bed and plays a plastic recorder into your ear every morning at
As a product, the Moshi is pretty focused. There's no radio or MP3 support, and the alarm and voice command options are limited and unchangeable, though there is a pleasant "Sleep Sound" ambient noise function. The concept of an alarm clock that requires an ongoing, if simple, conversation to function properly is enough to justify its reasonable $50 price, and endorsement by the World Blind Union would seem to indicate that it's not a complete gimmick. Moshi Clock.
