Amazon just launched the Echo Wall Clock announced at its September new hardware device event in Seattle. The Echo Wall Clock is an analog clock that also indicates the minutes remaining on one or more Alexa timers. With the Echo Wall Clock, Alexa users won’t have to ask the voice assistant how much time remains.<\/b>
\nAfter you\u2019ve set an Alexa timer do you ask, \u201cAlexa, how much time is left on the timer?\u201d several times while it\u2019s running? If you set more than one timer, do you get confused about which is which? If either case is true for you, Amazon\u2019s new Echo Wall Clock (EWC) could be the answer.
In addition to doing duty as an easy-to-read analog wall clock, The 10-inch diameter EWC displays your active times with LED lights in the minute positions around the clock face edge.
When you set a timer, say for 12 minutes, the first 12 LEDs light up, starting at the top. As time passes, the LEDs turn off in a minute-by-minute countdown.
If you set a second timer, hopefully for a longer time period than the minutes remaining on the original timer, a single LED lights up at the appropriate minute position. So if you have the original 12-minute timer running, regardless of its present LED count, and then set a second timer for 20 minutes, the only one LED light up, the one at the 20-minute position.
Apparently, there\u2019s no limit on the number of timers you can establish, which could quickly get pretty silly if you just wanted to prove the point. We don\u2019t know what happens if you have 12 minutes left on one timer and set a second timer for 5 minutes. We\u2019ll check that in a few days and cycle back with the answer.
The Echo Wall Clock pairs with a single compatible Echo device via Bluetooth and the clock\u2019s time is set automatically including adjustments for daylight saving time at your location. Amazon recommends mounting the clock within 30 feet of the Echo device with which it will work.
The list of EWC compatible Echo devices includes all generations of the Echo, Echo Plus, Echo Dot, Echo Show, Echo Spot, and Echo Input.
Amazon suggests a variety of lifestyle uses for Alexa timers, including cooking times, minimum homework time, maximum video game or TV time, and laundry timers. Other uses for time alerts that come to mind, some of which we\u2019ve tried without the EWC, include timers for naps, meditation, exercise, or sunning.
EWC set up looks to be a breeze \u2014 we\u2019ll cycle back with that info, too. The Echo Wall Clock comes with the clock, four AA alkaline batteries, a drywall anchor, and a single drywall mounting screw. Except for choosing a location and installing the mounting screw, Amazon says all you have to do is install the batteries, say, \u201cAlexa, set up my Echo Wall Clock,\u201d and follow the voice setup instructions.
Following its initial announcement in Seattle last September, the Echo Wall Clock is now available for $30 on Amazon.<\/p>\n