Ace Clock XP

Although we do have a few small complaints, we like Ace Clock XP mostly thanks to its abundance of features. Despite the title, the application works with operating systems other than XP and lets you access most of its settings from the system tray icon. The program also displays a desktop clock and lets you choose from a few analog or digital skins. One of the program's most notable features is the ability to speak the time or verbally read users a reminder. The default voice is less robotic-sounding than many we've heard, but we wish you could choose among a few speakers or record your own voice reminders. When you set an alarm, you also can have Ace Clock XP perform actions such as launching an application, syncing the clock with atomic servers, or playing a sound file of your choice. The program includes a calendar, sticky notes, quick reminders, and a feature that displays the time in other areas of the world. However, if you want to set more than four alarms at once, you'll have to register the program. Still, users who are looking for a versatile and flexible clock application will find this program hits most of the right notes.