Review: Clocky alarm clock

An alarm clock with a difference, Clocky has, in addition to the time display on its front panel, a pair of large wheels attached to either side of its main body.

The device's wheels enable it to drive off and hide under a cabinet or under the bed after you press the Snooze button.

There's a rather loud and annoying alarm buzzer (in fact, it's more like a random string of oddly-pitched bleeping sounds) that's probably enough to wake most people on its own. But should you be foolish enough to press the Snooze button, the next time the alarm goes off (the snooze time can be set from one to nine minutes) it will drive off and hide, necessitating getting out of the bed and finding it in order to shut it up.

It worked well in our trials, and the clock body and wheels are made of tough plastic (it's available in green and white) and rubber, so it can roll off most things in a bedroom without breaking. There are only a few controls, to set the time and the alarm time, and to turn off the buzzer, or both the buzzer and the wheels.

In fact, we ended up doing the latter – the alarm was so annoying that we turned it off completely and resorted to using Clocky as a clock, just for the extra peace in the mornings. But if you're a dedicated bed-head, Clocky will certainly give you that extra jolt.

Vista compatibility: n/a