WidgetStation gives you fewer reasons to get out of bed

Korea's emTrace looks to be branching out from its smartphone-centered niche, jumping on the widget bandwagon with its beefed-up alarm clock, the WidgetStation. Packing dual LCD screens (one color, one monochrome), the device will give you at-a-glance access to all the usual information that can be widgetized, including stocks, weather, and RSS feeds, as well as integration with a desktop PIM and the ability to browse photos (but apparently not videos) stored on a desktop PC. Interestingly, while the device will let you listen to Internet radio stations, there's no mention of support for plain old AM or FM radio -- one step forward, two steps back we suppose. From the looks of it, you'll also have to plan on stringing some ethernet cable if you're thinking of using the WidgetStation very far from your router, with the device sporting an RJ-45 port but no built-in WiFi -- something others don't seem to have had any trouble doing. Still no word on price, though emTrace should be announcing that at CES if the product is launching in early 2007 as planned.

[Via Akihabara News]

[Mike Spa @ Nov 16th 2006 5:53PM]

You mean... fewer reasons to get out of bed?

[Yan @ Nov 16th 2006 5:54PM]

I might have to decide between this and a Chumby next year.

[Vagrant @ Nov 16th 2006 6:09PM]

Chumby does WiFi...'nuff said.

[Craig @ Nov 16th 2006 6:25PM]

my computer happens to be by my bed, so the lack of wifi wouldn't be a problem... but i know that won't always be the case. something like this really needs wifi, so i don't know why they didn't included it.

and no radio in an alarm clock? now that's just ridiculous.

save for those two things, i would've considered buying if it were reasonably priced (and got decent reviews).

[JCA @ Nov 16th 2006 7:13PM]

Please correct me if I'm wrong but isn't that some horrible photshop?

The angle that the monitors are at mean that you wouldn't see a reflection in the surface that the device sits at.

The buttons below the color screen should be reversed shouldn't they?

[chunkyasparagus @ Nov 16th 2006 7:55PM]

Yeah, it does look like an enhanced image, but the comment about not being able to see it isn't true. Here are a couple of (pretty low quality) pictures I just took to prove a point. Keep in mind the chessboard is higher off the table than the front of the device in the image above.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/chunkyasparagus/299079003/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/chunkyasparagus/299079099/

[g @ Nov 17th 2006 5:33AM]

It is correct, the icons are mirrored. Its just a rendering; the blending mode on reflection is haywire hence the body reflecting white not black.

[Intrepid @ Nov 17th 2006 6:01AM]

Does it work with Windows SideShow?

[sam @ Jan 9th 2007 10:50AM]

It's very nice and the new design is very cool!
was designed by FT&A, an italian industrial design studio.
www.trabuccoassociati.com