Moshi Elite Speak n Set Voice Activated Desk Clock (AC/DC)

Comment: For under $40 Moshi is a relatively neat product. The voice recognition feature works for me most of the time however my husband has a moderate southern accent and the clock almost always misunderstands him. I like that I can set and turn off the alarm by voice prompt but dislike the night light function. The screen is extremely bright and is distracting in a dark room but the time cannot be seen without it. The only way to get the time in the dark is to ask for it verbally and wake my husband. Overall I think you get what you pay for with this clock and it would be fun for older kids and teens but not too practical for most people.

Comment: Clock does work sometimes. It will answer your request with another option. My 4yr old granddaughter even gets aggravated with it when it does not answer at all. Example: I ask for "time"- clock will give you alarm time.

Comment: I bought this clock for my elderly mother, who is from the UK. She can't see so well, so a clock she could ask for the time seemed like a good idea.
I opened and set up the clock and demonstrated how to use it, saying "Hello Moshi" and getting a response almost every time.

But my mother could never get the clock to respond to her British accented English.
While we had a good laugh over her failure to communicate with Moshi, the clock just sits idle now.

Even when I come over and try to talk to it, it often responds incorrectly to my commands.

The nightlight feature would have helped my Mother see the clock digits better, but nightlight mode is only available with the clock plugged in, not if you're running off batteries.
So she can't have it on the table in front of her, and thus the default grey background is a bit hard to see for her.

While the clock might work well for some, it was a bust for me.

Comment: I bought this for a vision impaired parent. The directions are in small print as are the buttons on the back needed for setting up some features. I could barely see them. Moshi did not always respond appropriately and having to talk to this thing will disturb a sleeping partner. Not such a good idea. Better for someone who lives alone.

Comment: I got this after going through all the other reviews and deciding it was worth a shot.
I don't have any of the problems with voice recognition, it gets what I say, and numbers, every time, no issues.
I also don't have any blue light on the power adapter that doubles as a night light, so that may be a previous version (which may be why I don't have any voice recognition issues).

I agree with the others who have noted that the display sometimes isn't nearly as visible during the day as it is at night depending on your environment. Also, I agree, the color for the night display should be selectable, not only random or the single blue color.

I did not find it to be too bright at night though, mine doesn't glow enough to be distracting enough to cause problems sleeping.

The fact that the alarm can only be turned off totally, then reset for the next day, rather than turning off the alarm as it is sounding and leaving it enabled for the next day is really the biggest "irritation" I have, but since the commands are so easy, I find it's not a problem. It is not tough to say "set alarm" and "whatever time AM". Since I have no recognition issues, it's actually pretty easy since I'm doing it as I'm moving around the room.

It is nice that I can even get it to respond from another room so if I'm in the bathroom, I can ask the time when I don't have a watch on and get the reply easily. Much nicer than poking my head in and out of the bathroom door like a turtle to keep an eye on the clock.

The lack of daylight savings seems pretty inexplicable though, considering the technology that went into this to make even what's there work. But since all I have to do is set the time forward or back manually with a 10 second command, it's not any type of deal breaker for me.

Other thing that kept it from 5 stars is the volume control. Yes, it has three settings, but not much discernible volume difference for things. Rather than showing low, medium or high, it should show "way too loud, too loud, and loud".

Fortunately I'm single and my 6 year old son can sleep through anything, so it doesn't bother him in the other room.