| Housed in high-tech blue plastic, this alarm clock is far more sophisticated than its cute appearance may lead one to believe. Whether you check on the time by consulting the clock's LCD screen or by looking at a large red-light projection of the time beamed onto a wall or ceiling, you'll know it's accurate. That's because the clock is equipped with a radio receiver tuned to the U.S. Atomic Clock, and keeps time with split-second accuracy by automatically adjusting, if necessary, to the Atomic Clock's signals six times every 24 hours. From those signals, the 5-1/4-by-4-1/2-inch clock (2-1/2 inches thick) not only shows the precise time, but also displays the date and day, with automatic adjustment for daylight-saving time and leap year, according to the North American time zone for which the clock is set. (The day can be shown in English, Spanish, or French.) \r\n The red-light projection makes it possible to check the time without squinting. If the clock is in battery mode (two AA batteries required but not included), pressing the clock's snooze bar will beam the time onto the ceiling for five seconds--and also backlight the LCD screen. If the clock is plugged into a wall socket with an AC adapter (included), the projection and backlighting will be available either for five seconds with the snooze bar or continuously if a continuous-beam control is set. As a backup, you can set the time, day, and date manually as well as automatically. --Fred Brack |
