Mudita Kompact Phone and Harmony 2 alarm clock
Earlier this month, I bought (I am within the EU) a Kompakt phone and a Harmony 2 alarm clock.
Unfortunately, it took rather longer than advertised for them to be delivered, not helped by my not being supplied by Mudita with the correct information about shipping, so I didn't have all the tracking information.
Happily, when I contacted Mudita, I was promptly emailed and given the full information about my order so I could track them.
They arrived. Both products are good.
The phone I want to use as my main phone, so side-loading necessary apps (which is not supported by Mudita, and so does not figure in my rating) does seem to hit battery life (which I knew was a possibility, but the device still exceeds standard smartphone battery life). I also have to say that side-loading is not intuitive, and, if like me you are not a Linux user, you will find precious little guidance from third parties on how to do it. Again: that doesn't affect my review/rating, because it is not a supported Mudita function. But both points are worth noting.
The phone's form factor is good, call quality is good and there are some nice built-in sounds. I like the Mudita apps and phone interface: really clear. I have not yet set it up for voicemails, and, I believe that with some phone carriers this can be an issue: I can update on that later. Overall? It is obviously expensive for what it is, but nice. It would be good if it was a bit more customisable, but that's a minor thing. At this price it should last for a number of years, but we shall see! If it were a bit cheaper and if it lasts well, it would be a five star device for me.
Why not 5 stars in this review? The alarm clock was faulty. And I'm not best pleased (given that there was a delay in delivery) that Mudita is only offering to repair it, not replace it. The fault appears to be a hardware one (the main button on the phone does not switch the alarm function off). I would really like a functioning (and preferably new) alarm clock, hence the 3 star review.
Function-wise, the Harmony 2 alarm clock isn't very well-described on Mudita's website, in my view. The should improve this, because there is some great functionality! E.g. you can have the alarm clock light go on before the alarm goes off for a gentler awakening (its not a sunrise alarm per se, but its still quite effective). There are only in-built alarm sounds at present, but I liked the one I chose. I love that I can use it as a Pomodoro timer for work, that it will play built-in nature sounds for timed relaxation periods, and, that you can use it to time a meditation session. Not tested yet, but a recent software update is supposed to allow you to customise the alarm with your own choice of 'inspiring' quotes etc. Again, the phone has a nice form factor, is easy to read and reasonably intuitive to set up and use. If it were not for the hardware fault and the less-than-satisfactory offer of a repair not a replacement, it would be a strong five star review of this device from me: yes, it is expensive as an alarm clock, but it has more functionality than a standard alarm clock.



