Philips Wake-up Light simulates sunrise, still can't call in sick for you

Some pretty extreme methods for waking up are out there, but for those of you who'd prefer something a bit more natural, have a passing glance at Philips' Wake-up Light. This admittedly brilliant device simulates the rising of the sun by gradually getting brighter as your desired required wake-up time draws near. If that's not enough, your windowless apartment can become the middle of Central Park with the inclusion of bird sounds, babbling brooks and millions of citizens yapping on mobiles. Okay, so maybe that last bit will come with a future firmware update, but if the current iteration is good enough for you, it can be acquired now for around $120.

[Via UberReview]

Update: Seems this has been around for at least a bit in some parts of Europe. Share the love!

[Ryan Trevisol @ Sep 3rd 2008 11:26AM]

Not just for the windowless; some of us get up while it's still dark.

Every. Frickin'. Day. It's like perpetual winter.

[Michiel @ Sep 3rd 2008 11:32AM]

Whow, I have this Philips Light for nearly 7 months now, and it is amassing!! It really helps you to wake up more easily.

[plaid thermos @ Sep 3rd 2008 11:56AM]

amassing? as in gathering in large quantities!...They are skynet scouts sending sleep data to the central computer in preparation for an invasion!

[DESTOS @ Sep 3rd 2008 11:33AM]

This sounds nice, I hate waking up alarmed.

[Nick @ Sep 3rd 2008 12:13PM]

Yup, it is. I've got one myself for quite a while.. Thing is, the bird sounds don't wake you up. Luckily the radio does, and it's not the same as a normal alarm since the volume graduately goes up as well.

[Stiv @ Sep 3rd 2008 1:05PM]

I see what you did there.

[Ihar `Philips` Filipau @ Sep 3rd 2008 11:34AM]

Uhm... Does it have iPod dock? ^_^

[Ross @ Sep 3rd 2008 1:51PM]

It would probably defeat the purpose if you woke up to sunrise and Metallica.

[Yoshi360 @ Sep 3rd 2008 11:37AM]

I've got a light clock myself. It's from Sanalux and has an (extremely minimalistic) MP3 Player built-in. So if I do not wake up during the artificial sunrise, I will be woken by bird sounds or the music of my choice. It is pretty ugly and as expensive as f*ck (200€), but hell I love it! In summer it's not any better than an average MP3 alarm clock, but in the dark winter it really helps me get out of bed in the morning. I'm still too late every day, but at least I'm late with a smile on my face now.

[SteveJ @ Sep 3rd 2008 11:38AM]

A wakeup light like this is nothing new, but it is a great idea and works. Perhaps not so great if you aren't single or don't both need to wake up at the same time, though.

[Joost @ Sep 3rd 2008 11:38AM]

OLD NEWS!!


Here in Hollands this has been out for like, 2 years? Looking at mine right now. ^_^

[High Ranks make you sterile @ Sep 3rd 2008 11:39AM]

Intriguing. Not worth $120 though.

My alarm clock doesn't need firmware :)

[Rob @ Sep 3rd 2008 11:44AM]

In Mother Russia "firmware" wakes you.

[Ryan Trevisol @ Sep 3rd 2008 11:53AM]

Fail. It's "Soviet Russa", and you have to reverse it.

Some correct examples:

In Soviet Russia, YOU wake the alarm clock.
In Советская Россия, your alarm clock DOES need firmware.
,

[phanbouy @ Sep 3rd 2008 1:38PM]

in soviet russia, alarm clock you

*fixed

[Ryan @ Sep 3rd 2008 11:47AM]

BAH! The only alarm clock that should be on engadget is this one, everything else is second rate... too bad it's almost vaporware!
http://www.axonlabs.com/

[bernardino @ Sep 3rd 2008 1:48PM]

That looks really cool! I have a terrible time getting a good nights sleep and an even worse one waking up. When I do fall asleep I tend to snore, stop breathing periodically and talk in my sleep. I had a sleep study done to see if it was sleep apnea, but they said that everything looked normal.

It'd be even better if you could save the data and look at it later. It'd be like your own at-home sleep study machine.

[Ryan Trevisol @ Sep 3rd 2008 1:57PM]

Results of study: I have a hard time sleeping with a headband on.

[Dave S @ Sep 3rd 2008 11:47AM]

This sort of thing has been around for years, a company called Lumie do this sort of thing in the UK.

[Michael @ Sep 3rd 2008 11:50AM]

Guys maybe you didn't know, but these light alarms have been around since the early 90's, I used to have one when I was in grammer school, they really do a good job.

[pizzicato @ Sep 3rd 2008 12:06PM]

Seems, grammar school didn't really do a good job.

[Ryan @ Sep 3rd 2008 1:32PM]

You should take a trip on over to spelling school.

[Richard Glitter @ Sep 3rd 2008 2:00PM]

Grammar school is the UK term for what they call "elementary school" in the US. It doesn't mean literally a school to learn grammar.

[phanbouy @ Sep 3rd 2008 2:27PM]

Listen, Gary Glitter, don't ruin the joke =P

[C @ Sep 3rd 2008 11:52AM]

Hammacher Schlemmer also sells a light clock for much cheaper, and it even emits aromas: http://www.hammacher.com/publish/70460.asp

[lovejuice @ Sep 3rd 2008 12:09PM]

EXTERMINATE !

[Passarinhuu @ Sep 3rd 2008 4:21PM]

Yeah, my alarm clock starts emitting dead body's aroma. Works like a charm

[Othello @ Sep 3rd 2008 6:09PM]

I have this one, and the lack of a radio just ruins it. I can't stand alarms that beep, and the only other choice is nature sounds. The varying intensity of the nature sounds wakes me up like 3 minutes after it starts, which means I wake up 27 minutes before I want to :/

[eobet @ Sep 3rd 2008 12:40PM]

I've had one for about half a year now and it's really a life saver! I still wake up a bit tired, but at least I don't want to crush the alarm clock and kill somebody.

[Laurence Knowlson @ Sep 3rd 2008 12:48PM]

NO WAY

got this last christmas!

i live in the uk so yeah its been around a while

its good but the sound effects are terrible and radio reception isnt great

and it managed to not wake me up for school this morning lol

but overall good buy :)

[Adam @ Sep 3rd 2008 12:57PM]

There is a new version out which looks a lot better than the original as shown in the main story, details here...

http://www.ifa.philips.com/products/pp_wakeuplight.html

[Jason @ Sep 3rd 2008 1:22PM]

i think i'll just plug my desk lamp into a timer.

[Charles @ Sep 3rd 2008 1:27PM]

I've had a sunrizer ever since 2002. Plugs into any incandescent lamp (to a certain wattage limit). Haven't needed an alarm clock since. If/when this one breaks, I wouldn't object to one with gradually increasing audio to go along with the light.

[phanbouy @ Sep 3rd 2008 1:39PM]

anyone have the Zen alarm clock? i heard that's bitchin

[Yodaman @ Sep 3rd 2008 4:13PM]

Yeah, I have a Zen alarm clock. It's nice... when it works. From time to time the striker just doesn't do it's job, thus no gong, thus I don't wake up. An alarm clock that isn't reliable is worthless. I'll sell you mine for a great price if you want it.

[DeanXeL @ Sep 3rd 2008 1:41PM]

Yeah, it's been around for quite some time already here in europe, I have one too, great way to wake up real early and yet not be (too) tired! On mine there are five different sound settings, radio, the regular beeping, frogs and ducks in a pond, birds in the forest and waves on a beach. The last one sounds AWFULL, but the birds one is kinda nice.

[papzadsl @ Sep 3rd 2008 1:42PM]

I followed the whole project since it first surfaced from Philips labs, two years ago. I then tried to buy it from Amazon.de, as it first appeared, but they didn't ship over to Italy. Damn it.

Finally, when it went on the market in Italy, a bunch of friends made it a gift for my law school degree back on april. It is simply stunning: melodious sounds, and the increasing volume combined with the simil-dawn light give a wonderful and relaxing wake up experience.
Plus, the ability to set the light's intensity so precisely is great when you're in bed, reading, and don't want to wake up your sleeping partner, but you don't want to crash your sight squeezing them trying to read my Sony prs-505 neither ;) There's really more than on/off in abat-jour news nowadays, thanks to Philips.

No kidding, it is really as advertised.

[Servaas @ Sep 3rd 2008 2:08PM]

I've had it for a year now, and it is the only thing that wakes me up. I do have the first version which features only one tune (birds singing). I actually wake up before the birds start singing: the light does the trick. All other alarm clocks have always either failed me or scared me to death. This is the solution for me. My wife has one now, too...

[jjunkers @ Sep 3rd 2008 2:52PM]

Seriously? I had this thing about 20 years ago from Hammacher Schlemmer...

[petrov @ Sep 3rd 2008 3:28PM]

i saw this is AMERICA like 10 years ago. big deal. if you want a good alarm clock try this out out. it is LITTERALLY the same sounds and lights used in a new-school (digitial) fire alarm. oh and it has a vibrating attachment that is a lot more powerful than any cell phone. even though they discontinued it im sure you can find one on the internet.

http://www.clearsounds.com/store/product-332381.htm

[Ethan @ Sep 3rd 2008 3:55PM]

Way to confuse your brain!

[loosely_coupled @ Sep 3rd 2008 4:47PM]

Are you kidding? There have been about a dozen of these from various sources for years now. I'd bet you anything you can find one in a SkyMall...

[Shane @ Sep 3rd 2008 5:06PM]

Dang, I need something like this, but $120 is crazy.

[cjstuff @ Sep 3rd 2008 9:50PM]

Actually, these have been around since the 1930s. One very popular electric clock of that time featured a progressive lighting feature, with or without audible alarm. They're very pretty--I wish I could remember the brand name. I want to say it was a Sunbeam clock, but I can't find a link to verify that.

[M.A.D. @ Sep 4th 2008 12:19AM]

I've had one for about 9 month and I really can't emphasize how much it's worth the money.
It's like waking up everyday from a nap on the beach, rested and smiling.

[Sebastiaan @ Sep 4th 2008 5:44AM]

Have this since October 2007 (Netherlands here). My parents didnt know what to give me for my b-day, ended up giving this one because I complained of having a real depressing time. Not cause of work/school/relationship but because of a minimal amount of sun and a very annoying alarm clock. It ruined my day, waking up so shitty.

I don't use it every day, but mostly for early wake-up's. And it works like a charm.

[vēer @ Sep 4th 2008 5:47AM]

Great thing :)! Pitty its so expensive, post apocalyptic device.

[Jan @ Sep 4th 2008 7:06AM]

I've been looking at this for years now. But I've always wondered if this will work in our bedroom. I need to get up 1,5 hours earlier than my wife. Wouldn't she be awake before I am? I could sleep through an explosion. Does anyone have experience with this?

Right now I use my cellphone, but I hit the snooze button 3 times in a row and the interval is 10 minutes or so. Really bad. Also, I don't like the fact that my cellphone is in close proximity to my head for 7-8 hours straight.

[eugene @ Sep 4th 2008 1:21PM]

I was looking at the dawn-simulating alarm clock, but finally ended up an Intermatic remote/dimmer/timer kit ( http://www.homesettings.com/products/kits/ha101k.aspx ). You can plug two lights through it and program them to gradually increase brightness in the morning and decrease it at night. And you can find it cheaper than $120.

[ignagar @ Sep 5th 2008 2:55AM]

Simply a case of worng photo here. Philips has just announced the new version of this product (far nicer design, by the way).

There's a HQ photo of the new one here: http://www.ifa.philips.com/images/products/Wake_up_Light_Dawn.jpg