Brookstone WeatherCast Alarm Clock

WeatherCast Clock Delivers The Weather Conditions When You Want 'Em

My clock radio wakes me up every morning just around the time the guy from NPR delivers the weather forecast. Invariably, though, I smack the snooze button and never hear if it's going to be rain or shine. But I don't have that problem anymore now that Brookstone's WeatherCast Alarm Clock is perched by my bed. It streams weather information from accuweather.com wirelessly and without a subscription fee. I can push the snooze alarm all I want but the customizable time and weather is always displayed on the 3 X 4.5 inch LCD. With the touch of a button I can switched between the five day forecast or today's current weather with temperature and weather forecasts for the next 24-hour period broken out in four 6-hour chunks. Forecasts included expected temperatures (your choice of Fahrenheit or Celsius) and weather conditions noted by brain-dead simple icons. Out of the box setup is completely automated. The device picks up the satellite signal and your location in the U.S. within 30 minutes of inserting four AA batteries. My area, for example, is Northern California and WeatherCast uploaded the correct time and the weather 411 for five major cities: San Francisco, San Jose, Oakland, Sacramento and Reno, Nevada. I wanted Santa Rosa, CA (a city not listed) but by registering my unit at myambient.com and listing my zip code, i was able to add this city instantly. And with updates transparently transmitted every 15 minutes or so, it looks like I never need to turn on the clock radio again.

WIRED Persistent, free, wireless current and five-day weather forecasts for major U.S. cities are satellite-pinpointed to up to six cities in your region. Snooze alarm button toggles bright backlight. Weather icons and large numbers make it easy to read.

TIRED Fee-based premium service is specific cities not among the five included in the broad regional area the satellite identifies. Kick stand is not adjustable.

• Manufacturer: Brookstone
• Price: $100