alarm clock
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iLuv rolls out iMM178 Vibe Plus iPod dock with built-in 'bed shaker'
Need a bit more than a regular alarm to get you up in the morning? Then you might just be a prime candidate for iLuv's new iMM178 Vibe Plus iPod dock / alarm clock, which will not only let you wake up to a favorite track, but shake your bed in the process. Of course, "shake" is likely a bit of an overstatement, but the bed shaker attachment (placed under a pillow) does have its own speaker and volume control, and promises to "wake up the heaviest of sleepers." Otherwise, the dock is pretty standard fare, and includes a large LCD display, dual alarm settings, an FM radio, and a pair of jAura speakers that promise added "depth and clarity." Look for this one at all the usual sources right now for $89.99.
Gear4 ups the iPhone alarm clock ante with SmartDock
These things are a dime a dozen, sure, but you can't fault Gear4 for trying. In fact, it has managed to create something that's marginally unique in a world full of me-toos, as the SmartDock relies on hardware and software aspects in order to shine. At first blush, the actual dock isn't much to look at, but the bundled app enables you to search through stations using the iPhone's touchscreen and pause / rewind at will. You can also sync the alarm clock to play through the dock's speakers, and it'll work just fine on the iPod touch. We certainly wish a remote would've been thrown in for good measure, but hopefully the whole package will be cheap enough to make us overlook the omission. Wink, wink.
Laser-based 'clock' shortens beam as wake-up time draws closer
It's probably not the clock you need to build if being punctual is your modus operandi, but it's sufficiently nerdy nonetheless. One Nirav Patel -- which may or may not be related to our own Mr. Patel -- decided to hand craft his own "sleep remaining indicator," which utilizes a slowly rotating servo, a laser beam and a timer in order to work its magic. Put simply, the beam gets shorter and shorter as one's wake-up time draws near, but oddly enough, you'll never be able to see its awesomeness if you're actually sleeping. Quite the conundrum, no?
iHome's iHome+Sleep app ready to lull you into (and out of) a slumber
iHome has taken a momentary break from its endless onslaught of iPod dock-equipped alarm clocks to whip up a little app that plays nice with said clocks. Of course, alarm clocks and sleep go hand-in-hand, so it makes sense that the so-called iHome+Sleep app for iPhone and iPod touch would basically amount to a fancy alarm management system when paired with any of the company's "app-enhanced" models, complete with social network integration for letting all your friends and enemies what kind of tunes you're waking and falling asleep to. You can set multiple recurring alarms with different playlists, get a variety of vital stats on your slumber, keep tabs on the weather situation, and generally keep your nightstand looking cooler than average. Best part is, it's free and available now.
iHome's new clock radios will ensure neither you nor your iPhone ever sleep too late
If you tend to think of iHome as a company that makes things iPhones and iPods can be seen sticking out of, we're here to reinforce that impression with the unveiling of three new clock radio dock devices for Appley goods. iP90 Clock Radio/Audio System: This is the latest clock radio from the company, displaying a sleek design (pictured above) that's much more visually appealing than the last one we saw and, interestingly, sports a sync button that will suck the time right out of your iPhone and use it to set the device. No more swearing at yourself for scrolling too quickly past 9:54pm. iP42 Dual Alarm Clock Radio: This version (pictured after the break) slims things down a bit and, honestly, uglies them up a bit compared to the iP90, but adds the ability to manage two alarms at once. Sync button makes an appearance here, too. iP39 Kitchen Timer and FM Alarm Clock Radio: Wrapping things up is a cooking companion, featuring stainless steel accents that are said to provide "the look and feel of a premium kitchen appliance." Sadly we have no images of this Bertazzoni wanna-be, but we do know that it's designed to be easy to clean, also sports an alarm clock, and adds a dual bake timer into the mix as well. No release date or prices for any of these at this time. Can your sleep cycle handle this kind of variety? We don't think so. Update: Justin commented to point out what we missed: that the iP90 will be $99.
iHome introduces iP2 iPod / iPhone sound system and iP39 kitchen gizmo
iHome always does it big at CES, and while we've yet to see everything from the company, the first two products showcased are already looking mighty tempting. The first is the iP2 (the obvious followup to the iP1), which touts Bongiovi technology, a 50-watt amplifier and support for dock-connecting iPods and iPhones. You'll also get individual bass and treble adjustments, an AC output, line-in jack and a bundled remote. The iP39 is an interesting beast, as it's designed mainly for use in the kitchen. Yeah, the kitchen. Designed to fit the decor found in the modern cooking palace, this timer / iPod alarm clock sports a slide out drawer for docking your iDevice, an FM radio tuner, a device-time sync function and a typical alarm clock -- too bad it's lacking a coffeemaker, huh? The iP2 is expected to make landfall this summer for $199, while the iP39 should start sashaying into domicile in the Spring for $99. %Gallery-81544%
Bang & Olufsen's multifunctional BeoTime gets carefully handled
It's rare that we get to see magic wand-shaped remote controls, and rarer still for them to have integrated alarm clocks. The Bang & Olufsen BeoTime is just that sort of exotic specimen, and its $375 touch-sensitive aluminum body has now been tested for our amusement. Being able to turn on your other B&O products by simply grabbing the remote or setting an alarm for the desired time struck positive notes, and those bite-sized displays earned praise too. With automatic backlighting, built-in accelerometer, and full channel readouts, they ensured the minimum of strain for the user (which is probably still pretty high considering they're tiny!). There wasn't much to complain about, but at that price point you wouldn't expect it either. Full hands-on gallery can be found at the read link.
iLuv ships weather-watching iMM183 dual dock iPod / iPhone alarm clock
It belts out severe weather alerts as storms are barreling towards your domicile. It acts as a decent bedroom stereo. And it wakes you and the SO up to your own favorite jams -- all while charging your iPod or iPhone throughout the night. If those amenities sound like must-haves in your own life, you might be interested in knowing that iLuv's iMM183 dual dock alarm clock is now shipping, nearly a full year after being originally announced at CES. The pain? $149.99 -- but hey, that's a small price to pay to keep your dear media player / handset out of a tornado's eye, right? %Gallery-76918%
Ask Engadget: Best iPhone 3G (3GS) alarm clock / radio?
We know you've got questions, and if you're brave enough to ask the world for answers, here's the outlet to do so. This week's Ask Engadget question is coming to us from Bora (from Turkey, he'll have you know), who is sick and tired of waking up to bleeps, wails and static-filled tunes not on his iPhone."I own an iPhone 3G and I'm looking for a decent speaker / alarm clock for it. I am going to listen music in a mid-sized room, so I want nice quality speakers with solid bass. I also want to use it as an alarm clock, so it would be great if there is such a feature. The price can be low-mid to mid-high range. I was looking at the Klipsch iGroove SXT; it's powerful, slick and the reviews are good, but it doesn't have an alarm clock feature. It's no deal breaker if I can set it up from the iPhone, but I'm not sure. Anyway, I'm open to recommendations. Thanks!"Don't front -- we know a big swath of you loyal iPhone owners out there also have some sort of docking alarm clock / radio, so why not share your experience(s) with yours? It's easy, we promise.
iHome's iP88 dual iPhone / iPod alarm clock gets all rectangular on us
Hey guys, guess what? iHome just popped out yet another iPod alarm clock. Hold the applause, please. The iP88 doesn't differ too much from the units that have come before, but we do appreciate the dual docking capability for those who have two iPhones or iPods and must wake at different times of the day. It'll also play back tunes through your 'Pod, blast out FM talk show hosts and charge your devices all the while. It's shipping now for a penny under $150, though we're still struggling to decide whether we adore or loathe the decidedly boxy design scheme...[Via Slashgear]
Sony ICF-CL75iP alarm clock / digital frame / iPod dock a surprisingly attractive assimilation
We'll be honest, it takes a whole lot to get us excited about iPhone / iPod docks or digital picture frames these days, but congratulations Sony, you've managed to pierce through our hardened hearts with the ICF-CL75iP Dream Machine. Sony Insider brings word of the actually quite handsome bedside attraction, an assimilation of those aforementioned products with an alarm clock to boot. We're looking at a 7-inch WVGA LCD screen, 1GB built-in memory, FM / AM radio, and a retractable dock -- in case you don't feel like capitalizing on the total synergistic package. Photos can be pulled directly from the Apple handheld or loaded via USB, and your wake-up options include built-in presets, a customizable 10-second voice recording, or the iPod / iPhone itself. Our only knock at this point is the minimal codec support -- MP3 and WMA for audio, and MP4, M-JPEG, and AVI for video -- but if the $149.95 price on a cached SonyStyle listing stays accurate, we can be a little forgiving. In fact, throw in Chumby widget support and we'll be downright smitten -- make it happen, Sony. Update: Turns out it's actually up for pre-order right now through Sony Style Canada, CAN $199.99 (that's US $180) and shipping out October 1st. [Thanks, Neil!] Read - Sony Insider Read - Sony Style cached listing
Five useful Apple accessories for students heading off to college
Whether you're on your way back to college, or you're the parent or friend of a college-bound Apple fan, there are a lot of great items on the market this summer that are both functional and fashionable. Back in the prehistoric 1970's when I was a civil engineering student at the University of Colorado Boulder campus, I made the mistake of rooming one year with two high school buddies. One of them, Chuck, was a real stoner and was impossible to wake up (even a stereo with the volume turned up to 11 didn't work). His 2009 counterpart would hopefully wake up on time every morning with an iHome iP9SR iPhone alarm clock (US$99 MSRP). It's an iPhone charger with shielding to prevent that annoying buzz from GSM transmissions. It's an alarm clock that can play tunes from your iTunes library, AM/FM radio, or just blast out an annoying noise to wake you up. It also has some pretty nice speakers for listening to your music while charging your iPhone prior to your next class.
Philips HF3490 Wake-up Light is also a bedside lamp, iPod dock
Did you know that waking up by natural light is a lot less stressful than doing it with sound? Yes, apparently your toast tastes better too. Philips has long been a proponent of light alarms and, in an effort to stay hip with the kids, it's added a detachable iPod / iPhone dock to its latest offering. The HF3490 might never serve as your music station, but it tries hard, bringing an FM radio and some soothing sounds along. With 30 different levels of brightness and a "dusk simulator," this device has enough tweaking options to ensure you wake up just the way nature intended -- with birds chirping and soft sunlight on your pillow, all simulated by futuristically ugly electronics. If you can get over the $199 price, you can pre-order one for delivery on August 22.[Via Coolest Gadgets]
Broken Xbox 360? Turn it into an alarm clock
There are a number of things you can do if your Xbox 360 decides to die. Sure, if it's under warranty, you can just send it off to Microsoft to have it patched up. But what if it isn't? You could cry, of course, but why waste your tears on a faulty console when you can find a way to put it to good use again?Such was the mentality of one Stephen Raney, who decided to turn his Xbox 360 into an alarm clock instead of forking over 200 smackers for a repair. Using a speaker, a TV monitor and some technical know-how, Raney has rigged his console to wake him up to every Xbox gamer's favorite sound, the sound of Achievements unlocking -- you know, "bleep bloop." At least, it might be your favorite sound when you hear it once. Hearing it looped over an over again is actually pretty annoying.But hey, that's what alarm clocks are supposed to do, right? Check out the Achievement alarm clock after the break.
Playlist Alarm Clock, drift off and wake up to custom soundtracks
Be sure to check the end of this post for details on your chance to win a free copy of Playlist Alarm Clock! We covered Chilli X last year, with their release of the successful iPhone to-do application, "Done" (iTunes link), and again with myCal, their app for creating custom calendar wallpapers for your iPhone lock screen (be sure to check out the free, user-generated wallpapers they're making available). They've been pretty quiet for a while, updating and tweaking Done (now at version 1.7), handling an App Store rejection of their own, and working on a newly-released app: Playlist Alarm Clock. Playlist Alarm Clock is not necessarily a new or novel idea, but it's well-implemented. It's an iPhone app which allows you to create playlists, one for falling asleep and one for waking up. You can configure the length of time the sleep playlist will play, and how long it will take to fade out, as well as a fade-in time for the wake-up playlist. Setting times and fades comes down to a couple of taps, and adding songs to the playlists is done with a familiar iPod interface with full access to your library and playlists. If you're generally drowsy in the morning, you're covered as well: the snooze time can be configured to five, ten, fifteen or thirty minutes and is just a groggy tap away. As is often the case, there are a few things I'd love to see enhanced. First, a night mode, ala the excellent Night Stand (iTunes link), which would let Playlist Alarm Clock function more appropriately as an always-on clock. Currently, the time display is large and easy to see, but the brightness of the interface is not ideal for bedside use. Second -- and this is really my only other complaint -- removing songs from the playlist doesn't seem to be an intuitive process. Accidentally tapping the wrong song during playlist creation seems to be a pretty permanent blunder, requiring a do-over of the playlist creation sequence. Beyond that, this app does exactly what the wrapper says, and I'm looking forward to falling asleep tonight to some favorites of mine, and hopefully not jarring my wife into a bad mood when my personal idea of "wakeup" music fades in. Playlist Alarm Clock is $1.99US in the App Store. However, Chilli X is offering TUAW readers a chance at one of 10 free copies. All you have to do is submit (in the comments) your ideal playlists, one for falling asleep, and one for waking up. Be creative, be funny, be brilliant ... Chilli X will choose their favorites winners will be randomly selected next Thursday and promo codes will be sent to the winners. Here are the rules and a link to the legal statement: Open to legal US residents of the 50 United States and the District of Columbia who are 18 and older. To enter leave a comment listing your choices for sleep and wake playlists. The comment must be left before Wednesday, July 22, 11:59PM Eastern Daylight Time. You may enter only once. Ten winners will be selected in a random drawing. Prize: Promo code for one copy of Playlist Alarm Clock (US$1.99 value) Click Here for complete Official Rules. Good luck!
Woodstation acts like a weather station, looks like a dead tree
Usually the intersection of woodcraft and gadgetry consists of little more than taking a piece of gear and putting it in a box. Woodstation may be no different, but at least it does its thing with some style, placing its LED display beneath the surface, allowing it to seemingly display weather data on the wood itself. And if that weren't enough, the device contains a motion sensor (it turns itself on when you enter the room) as well as date, time, and alarm functions. Available in a maple or walnut finish, this bad boy is currently available in the UK for £89.95 (about $147). And unlike the Amazon Kindling, this thing actually works.[Via Pocket-lint]
Bang & Olufsen's BeoTime alarm clock / remote favors a flute
Bang & Olufsen -- the Danish boutique retailer famous for engineering gorgeous AV products that only a sliver of humanity can afford -- has just introduced its newest product, and it's a far cry from the gargantuan HDTVs and superfluous sound systems that it's used to shipping. Designed by Steffen Schmelling and inspired by Mozart's The Magic Flute, this elongated wireless alarm clock actually serves another purpose. Once it has awoken you from your slumber just in time to catch The Price Is Right in high-def, you can take it with you in order to control some of your other B&O components. The cubes you see are actually displays, and the built-in motion sensor enables display backlights to activate with a simple touch. We're told that the device should hit showrooms this August for $375, though you should probably budget for an anger management course to keep from smashing this thing to bits the first time it buzzes at 5:30AM.[Via PRNewswire]
Behold the brilliant terror of the DDR alarm clock
The standard "snooze button" is for the lazy. You're not lazy, are you? You want to work for those extra seven minutes of rest in the morning. Well, with the DDR Alarm Clock Finger Dance Alarm Clock you can honorably earn the extra sleep: just turn on your brain when the alarm chimes, key in the lit panels in order and you may go back to sleep.Though it highlights the £9.99 ($16) cost, the product description doesn't detail if the pattern is randomly generated every morning. If it's a set pattern, your hand's muscle memory will eventually key it in faster than the frantic feet of that little boy playing DDR on ludicrous difficulty down at the cineplex.[Via Engadget]
Finger Dance Alarm Clock: it's like DDR, in an alarm clock
If the world required that you complete an expert DDR jam each morning only moments after you awoke, there's a solid chance the global death toll would far outpace the birth rate. Thankfully, all that's typically necessary is that you actually listen to whatever device you've got ringing. If you've noticed lately that said noises just aren't cutting it, here's a little puzzler that's pretty much guaranteed to either get you up or entangle you in infinite frustration. The £9.99 ($16) Finger Dance Alarm Clock sounds at a user-determined time, and once your weary eyes begin to focus, you then have to use your digits to follow a lighted dance pattern in order to shut the cacophony off. It's half torture, half genius -- precisely the way we like it.[Via OhGizmo]
Infallibly Polite Speaking Alarm Clock does what it says
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!
