Speaking Clock Deluxe

Speaking Clock Deluxe is a customizable clock that can alert users to the time in a variety of ways. The clock's various features and simple interface make it an appealing choice.

The program's interface is fairly intuitive, although some features that seemed like they would be accessible in the Settings menu could actually only be accessed by right-clicking on the program in the system tray. No matter; that's about as complicated as the program got. Although there were some aspects of the text-to-speech features that weren't intuitive, the built-in Help file explained everything clearly. The interface organizes all of the feature's options into easy-to-navigate tabs, making it simple to configure the clock to your liking. The program offers what you would expect of a speaking clock; analog and digital settings, several skins, alarms, a timer/stopwatch, and customizable intervals for speaking the time. The clock also includes a few unexpected extras, such as a calendar and speaking calculator. The alarm feature includes a lot of options, such as variety of alert sounds and the ability to use an agent--an animated cartoon character--to deliver alerts. We also liked the fact that users can choose between natural speech or text-to-speech, and that the Help file explained the differences between the two.

Overall, Speaking Clock Deluxe performed well and included everything we'd want from a speaking clock. The program has a 30-day trial limitation. It comes as a ZIP file and leaves a folder behind upon removal. We recommend this program to all users.