Timepiece -- Engadget

Infallibly Polite Speaking Alarm Clock does what it says

by Darren Murph, posted May 20th 2009 at 1:07AM

Truth be told, there's an alarm clock out there for every type of waker, but this bad boy just might be the most enjoyable (if such a thing actually exists). Sold by the always intriguing Hammacher Schlemmer, the Infallibly Polite Speaking Alarm Clock supposedly "reproduces the subtle wit employed by P. G. Wodehouse's most famous character, the valet Reginald Jeeves." In fact, it plays back 126 fey wake-up messages in the voice of Stephen Fry, with our favorite being the following: "Excuse me sir, I'm so sorry to disturb you, but it appears to be morning... very inconvenient, I agree... I believe it is the rotation of the Earth that is to blame, sir." If only the thing weren't $99.95, we'd have one in every room.

[Via Slashgear]

Update: ThinkGeek has it for just $69.99 -- score! Thanks David!

Video: La Machine à Ecrire le Temps writes time, mesmerizes brains

by Darren Murph, posted Apr 27th 2009 at 6:51AM

There are horologes, and then there's La Machine à Ecrire le Temps, known less formally as "The Machine that Writes the Time" -- which is exactly, literally what it does. This stunning masterpiece was recently unveiled at Baselworld 2009, and while only those obsessed with time will really appreciate the 1,200 components needed to make this thing tick, anyone into whiz-bang gadgetry will find themselves impressed by the vid of just past the break. Oh, and if you're looking to buy one to dress up your new sitting room, you should be fully prepared to liquidate nearly $350,000 of whatever you have left to squeeze.

[Via OhGizmo]

Continue reading Video: La Machine à Ecrire le Temps writes time, mesmerizes brains

Ora ilLegale clock tips to compensate for daylight savings time

by Darren Murph, posted Apr 18th 2009 at 9:12AM

Genius. Pure genius. In order to save us all from smashing buttons on our digital alarm clocks or stripping the gears in our analog ones, designer Denis Guidone has dreamed up this masterpiece. The Ora ilLegale clock boasts no numbers and is obviously missing a significant portion of its base; these two factoids enable it to become the easiest clock to adjust to changes in daylight savings... well, ever. The best part? We're told that it'll actually hit production soon, though there's no indiciation of just how pricey it'll be. Not like it matters -- you're totally buying one, and you know it.

[Via Coolest-Gadgets]

Tanita's BC-1000 Body Composition Monitor wirelessly sends embarrassing weight details

by Darren Murph, posted Mar 19th 2009 at 12:39AM

Remember all those ANT+ wireless peripherals that were supposed to come flooding out after the introduction of Garmin's FR60 Fitness Watch? We suppose said flood has to start somewhere, and this is it. Tanita's BC-1000 Body Composition Monitor is hardly more than a sophisticated scale, designed to hold humans for just moments at a time while collecting measurements on muscle mass, overall physique, daily caloric intake, metabolic age, bone mass and visceral fat. From there, the unit can either send those details wireless to the aforesaid watch, or it can beam them to any PC with an appropriate dongle. The device is slated to ship this summer for $279.99 with a USB stick or $399.99 with an FR60 watch.

Hyundai's MB-910 watch phone gets priced and dated

by Darren Murph, posted Mar 16th 2009 at 3:24PM

Remember Hyundai's MB-910 watch phone that we spotted around this time last month? How could you possibly forget, right? That masterpiece / atrocity is actually coming to market, and Mobile Gazette has it that the bugger will cost around £200 ($281) when it lands sometime in Q2. As for specs, we're told that it'll boast tri-band GSM connectivity, Bluetooth, a 176 x 132 resolution touchscreen, 128MB of storage, USB 2.0 and the obligatory time-telling mechanism for good measure. Too bad it's closer to "heinous" than "halfway decent."

[Via PMP Today]

Kisai Sensai watch: it's like cold steel on your wrist

by Darren Murph, posted Feb 19th 2009 at 9:02PM

We're not sure if you've noticed, but choosing a wristwatch just might be the most difficult decision a man or woman has to make in their entire life. If you just keep hemming and hawing, why not add a little more confusion to the mix with Kisai's Sensai? This lightweight piece is constructed from high grade aluminum, and it supposedly uses "positive shapes and negative lines" in order to create a face that's impossible to ignore. The LEDs beneath the metal tell time in code, a process that reportedly takes between eight and ten decades to master. Thankfully, instructions are provided in both English and Japanese, though native Yiddish speakers may have some difficulty piecing it all together. Purchase at your own risk.

Tokyoflash's Heko watch: the perfect gift for fashionable cryptologists

by Ross Miller, posted Feb 3rd 2009 at 12:04PM

We've always been a fan of watches with unconventional ways of telling time, and Tokyoflash's Heko is no exception. The top and bottom rows each have four LEDs aligned for their analogous analog positions -- 12:00, 3:00, 6:00, and 9:00 -- and two lights in between to indicate one-hour / 15-minute intervals, respectively. The four diodes in the middle are used when the minutes aren't a multiple of five. For example, in the picture above we've got (from left to right) 1:37, 1:43, and 10:13. More instructions are available on the product page. Made from solid stainless steel and weighing in at 140 grams, it's available for 9,800 yen ($109) and comes with white, blue or multi-colored LEDs.

Gallery: Tokyoflash's Heko watch: the perfect gift for fashionable cryptologists

Asteroids wristwatch one-ups the Pong-playing original

by Darren Murph, posted Dec 17th 2008 at 5:55AM

John Maushammer enjoyed his 15 minutes in the limelight from the creation of the Pong wristwatch, but as any true superstar will tell you, a quarter of an hour just isn't enough. The DIY Asteroids Watch is a real step above the aforementioned predecessor, with an inbuilt tilt sensor so the wearer can control the action by simply tilting their wrist. We'd gush about it more, but that'd just be doing ya wrong -- instead, we'll point you to the live action vid waiting just past the break.

[Via NerdWithSwag]

Continue reading Asteroids wristwatch one-ups the Pong-playing original

Thanko's latest MP4 watch boasts 1.8-inch display, video camera

by Darren Murph, posted Dec 14th 2008 at 2:11AM

Thanko's last MP4 watch was, um, less than gorgeous, but this one can actually be worn in public without automatic public humiliation. Sure, it's still a bit stocky, but we're confident that fashion-forward nerds could still pull it off. In between the two (p)leather straps sits a 1.8-inch 160 x 128 resolution color display, a multimedia player with MP3 / WMA / AVI / JPEG support and a video camera capable of logging VGA-quality clips. You'll also find a mini-USB port and an internal speaker, and there's 4GB of internal memory to go along with about 3.5 hours of music playback time. All yours (if you live in Japan) for ¥14,800 ($163).

[Via AkihabaraNews]

Cuckoo clock loudspeaker kicks out the jams, you out of bed

by Darren Murph, posted Dec 9th 2008 at 8:43AM

And you thought The Shining cuckoo clock was terrifying -- imagine waking up to this. Designed by French artist Stephane Vigny, the loudspeaker clock does exactly what you'd expect it to. When the time comes, the doors flip open, the bottom woofer extends out and a cacophonic emission of sound is heard as you angrily wake from your slumber. We can't imagine that outstretched woofer surviving too many mornings of you waking on the wrong side of the bed.

[Via MAKE]

Holux GPS Tracker 005 makes your Timex sad

by Darren Murph, posted Dec 8th 2008 at 8:01AM

Not that GPS watches are completely new, but Holux is looking to jump in the game with its GPS Tracker 005. The relatively plain timepiece keeps a low cover for top secret reconnaissance missions, and the water-resistance should prove useful when treading through the puddles of an Australian rain forest. Reportedly, the watch has a built-in SIM card slot so it can transmit real-time tracking information via SMS and the like, and users can even download updated ephemeris information to improve satellite fix times. Too bad it can't double as a multimedia player, but we suspect Holux didn't want users zoning off while enjoying the soothing sounds of Sia when they were supposed to be phoning home.

[Via NaviGadget]

Artsy Citrus Clock turns lemons into time of day

by Darren Murph, posted Nov 29th 2008 at 8:33PM

We know, the last thing you want to hear of right now is more food, but we just couldn't resist. Anna Gram's artsy Citrus Clock combines the magic of stellar design with basic science in order to create a timepiece that's powered by lemons (or the citrus fruit of your choosing, presumably). Reportedly, a single juicy lemon will keep the seconds ticking for a fortnight (or two weeks, if you've got an inexplicable problem with said synonym), which ain't half bad if we should say so ourselves.

[Via Unplggd]

Bandai's Gun O'clock: shoot the target or you'll never snooze again

by Darren Murph, posted Oct 21st 2008 at 9:02PM

We've seen no shortage of unorthodox alarm clocks, but Bandai's latest creation is nothing short of spectacular. Rather than making users defuse a bomb or catch a runaway helicopter, the appropriately named Gun O'clock actually forces heavy sleepers to aim a gun and successfully strike the bullseye to shut the undoubtedly obnoxious alarm up. Best of all, those who enjoy challenges can set it to "Hard" mode, requiring them to blast the center target no fewer than five times in order to hush it; after you're satisfactorily awake, you can utilize the game mode to work on your aim. This magnificent wonder is all set to launch in Japan next month for ¥4,095 ($41), but we don't see any obvious signs of it ever coming Stateside. Anyone feeling an online petition? We hear those work really well.

[Via UberReview]

Stephen Hawking unveils the most morbid, amazing $1.8m clock you'll ever see

by Darren Murph, posted Sep 21st 2008 at 1:11AM

We'll warn you in advance, this is only for those who dig the weird, all things Stephen Hawking or clock-making in general. This £1 million ($1.83 million) timepiece took seven years to completely construct, and the initiative was led by inventor John Taylor who designed it in tribute to John Harrison (only the world's greatest clockmaker, it's said). The bizarre Corpus Clock visually explains that it relies on grasshopper escapement to function, and to let you know that time can never be regained once lost, that beast on top actually gobbles down time every 60th second. Oh, and every hour, on the hour, the sound of a "chain dropping into a wooden coffin" is played to really pound home the "time is a destroyer" concept. Thanks for the reminder, Dr. Grim.

[Via Switched]

WatchScale attempts to become the new calculator watch

by Darren Murph, posted Aug 21st 2008 at 9:09AM

Move over, Casio Databank (and similar) -- a formidable opponent just rolled into the ring. While the aforementioned timepiece has been the geek watch of choice for years now, Jennings' WatchScale is all set to give it a real run for the money. This wristwatch not only displays the time in brilliantly blue fashion, but it also weighs lightweight objects (up to 300-grams) with an accuracy of 0.1-grams. We know, you're already bracing for a quadruple-digit (pre-decimal) price tag, but there's no need for worry -- after all, you can procure your own for just $17.90.

[Thanks, Nate]