The G-Force Big Ben LED Atomic Clock Weather Station (model TL349) has an ultra-cool look, and it provides all sorts of handy information. This includes the indoor and outdoor temperatures, the humidity, the tides, moon phases and more. Of course, there is also the clock, which maintains its accuracy with help from the U.S. Atomic Clock service.

The Big Ben has an attractive tower design, standing 14 inches tall by 3-3/4 inches on each side of the base. The unit comes with a wireless remote sensor to place outdoors, where it provides outside temperature and humidity information and relays it to the main unit. The Big Ben operates on four AA batteries, as well as an AC adapter to power the backlight and extend battery life. If the batteries alone are used, they are quickly drained. To save power, you can choose to leave the backlight off, periodically viewing the displayed information by pressing the snooze button.

The weather station supplies a wide variety of data elements, especially when you consider the price. The onscreen arrangement is neat and organized, and the red backlight gives the Big Ben a high-tech appearance.

In terms of functionality, the Big Ben is top-notch. When you first set up and activate the unit, a connection is quickly made with the remote sensor. It takes several minutes to establish a link with the Atomic Clock service. Once that occurs, the time and date appear at the bottom of the display.

The Big Ben's display employs large, bold numerals and icons to show (from top to bottom) the current weather forecast, barometric pressure, indoor and outdoor air temperature, humidity, geographic location, sunrise and sunset information, tidal data, the current moon phase and the date and time. Clock data is transmitted and received via a WWVB radio signal, so the automatic update won't work if there is insufficient reception or interference caused by another radio-controlled device in your home. Of course, you can always set the date and time manually.

This multifunction device has an effective clock alarm that consists of a gentle series of beeps that starts out slowly and becomes progressively faster. You can also set a temperature alarm to alert you if, for example, the temperature drops below a certain level.

Available from www.gadgetuniverse.com, the versatile G-Force Big Ben LED Atomic Clock Weather Station is sure to be a conversation piece in your home.


Pros: Attractive tower design, huge amount of data elements, Atomic Clock automatically sets itself, remote sensor to receive outdoor weather conditions
Cons: Batteries wear out quickly if used as the sole power source, Atomic Clock signal can be blocked