TalingWeatherAlarm
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Talking Weather Alarm Clock: Wake up to a personal weather forecast
A few years ago I looked at the Talking Weather Alarm Clock app and liked it. It's had lots of updates and added many new features since then, so I'm taking another look to see how it has progressed. The latest Talking Weather Alarm Clock is a US$0.99 app with a nice bag of features. Set an alarm time, which can repeat weekly or set individual days, like weekends, with their own wakeup times. The app wakes you up with a choice of included sounds, or with music that is already on your iPhone. At the time you set, you hear your chosen alarm sounds, followed by a personal greeting including the current temperature and the forecast. There is a snooze button, support for multiple languages, and the app also reads news from a variety of selected sources like the New York Times. There are also some built-in sounds like rain and the sea to get you to sleep. You just pick the sound and the duration, and let Talking Weather Alarm Clock lull you to sleep. The app worked well, and it's a good way to start your day. The menus are clear, and the app is easy to set up. One thing I did not like is that there are a whole series of in-app purchases that -- even when purchased in discounted packs -- can make the total app price tag approach $10.00. That's too much for an alarm clock app, even though some of the features are quite attractive, such as choosing different backgrounds for the screen. There are in-app purchases for more voices, custom weather, more news options, and different weather interfaces. I think it would be better for users and the developer alike to make the app $1.99 or $2.99 and include all the functionality. Talking Weather Alarm Clock also needs a preview function so you can hear what you are going to get at wake-up time and find out how the news reading functions work. The basic app works just fine, and I think that's what most people will opt for as it has lots of features, works well, and it is reasonably priced. Similar apps include BedBuzz Talking Alarm Clock, which is free but is saddled with overpriced options to really get you the features, and Talking Alarm Clock Free, which has lower priced ($1.99) in-app purchases to add all the features. Talking Weather Alarm Clock requires iOS 7 or later. It is not a universal app, but I think it should be as people may be about as likely to have an iPad on their nightstand as their iPhone.
