By Anand Parthasarathy
Bangalore, October 21 2019: Winding the bedside alarm clock. Waking up to its raucous sound and pushing the snooze button  for an extra forty winks.... these are the rituals of a century gone by. Today, we can slide into sleep, or wake up, in gentler ways, thanks to the technology of smart speakers. There are two options here: Amazon's Alexa and Google's Assistant -- and Lenovo has  plumped for the latter to fuel  its  first Smart Clock. Smart move. Because with all  virtual assistants, the quality of response depends on the depth and size of  knowledge base at the back -- and Google's search engine, is the biggest of them all.

 Once connected  to a power outlet and synced to the  Google Home app on your phone or tablet, the smart clock functions like any  Google Home speaker, answering your "Ok, Google!"   queries and controlling things like home lighting, security cameras and  baby alarm etc. Yet the DNA of this device is rooted in time keeping,  so  it offers modes that let you say "Good night" to dim the display ,  turn down the volume and  play your favourite sleep-inducing sounds.  It wakes you any way you please. But I liked  best, the fact that you can stop the alarm by simply saying "Stop".
Tech wise, the Lenovo Smart Clock   has a   4-inch touch screen that displays  the time by default unless you programme it to show the weather, or your appointments for the day.  The 6 watt speaker  is adequate to pick up your sleep slurred commands  and you can turn off its listening mode.  The fact that there is no camera, I  would consider  plus point in these days of privacy concerns. For the asking price of Rs 5999, you get   much, much, more than a mere clock.