alarm clock
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A different kind of Alarm Clock
We've reviewed some iPhone alarms before. There are free alarms and alarms you pay for. Some were pretty good, and there is always the built-in alarm. In an attempt to improve upon the standard alarms, some Russian developers have created Easy Wakeup [App Store link] which has been available for jailbroken phones, but now is available at U.S. $9.99 for both the iPhone and iPod touch.Why would anyone buy an alarm app for 10 bucks? Well, this is a very different kind of alarm app. Using the motion sensors on your iPhone, you strap your iPhone to your wrist with one of the readily available products that do that, and go to sleep. You tell the software at what time you absolutely must be awakened, and by analyzing your movements through the night, the software will pick what it believes is the most opportune time to get you up. The alarm can wake you to music, vibration, and even a message you record with the iPhone microphone.There are some drawbacks. Your iPhone can't be locked. You have to put it in airplane mode, which means you won't be getting any calls through the evening. That might be a good thing, depending on how you like to live your life. The developers say you'll drain about 20% of your battery overnight, which might be bad if you have a big day planned and no time to recharge. When you select your alarm, you can't select music from your own playlist. You can select Apple built-in ring-tones, but not any you imported or created yourself.The alarm supports snooze, and when you get up you can look at some graphs to see how restless you were during your sleep.There are similar products that work on the same principles. The Axbo Sleep Phase Clock costs between U.S. $150-250. It is a bedside alarm clock with a wrist band and data cables. I can't vouch for the science behind these products, and I decided I didn't love my iPhone enough to sleep with it to test this out, but for those familiar with the technique of computer aided alarms it might be worth a try. Just be careful when you roll over.%Gallery-48707%
Sony debuts four new Bluetooth-ready digital photo frames
We know, the digiframe market is just downright saturated with ho hum offerings that offer little innovation and oodles of boring, but Sony's got four out today at CES that are just a step or two above the rest. Kicking things off is the top-end DPF-X1000 ($300; March) and second-tier DPF-V1000 ($250; March), both of which offer 10-inch panels, an alarm clock, auto dimmer, a variety of slideshow functions, an auto orientation sensor and a bit of magic that "auto corrects the white balance" in your photos. The former model arrives with 2GB of internal storage and sports a black / wood-trimmed motif, while the latter fellow gets half the storage and a less striking silver trim. Following those two are the 9-inch DPF-D92 and 8-inch DPF-D82, both of which have a VGA panel, 1GB of memory and would love be wall-mounted.%Gallery-40927%
Iconic's Wake Up Call wants to help you stay awake, alone
We'll be straight with you: trusting something like this to keep you awake in serious situations seems like a bad idea. Iconic's "Wake Up" is apparently a plastic "thingie" that you wear behind your ear somewhat in the style of a hearing aid, which then vibrates if you slouch over -- the assumption being that you've passed out in the midst of doing something important. We're pretty sure that a lot of people can totally fall asleep anytime, anywhere, without even closing their eyes, let alone slumping over dramatically enough for this iPosture clone to catch wind of it. Regardless, we doubt the "Wake Up" functions as advertised, but it's worth a shot if Krueger's breathing down your neck, and probably worth the $17.65 asking price.
Cuckoo clock loudspeaker kicks out the jams, you out of bed
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]
iLuv's iNT170 internet radio-alarm appears, no one's too excited
Not to be left out, iLuv's also brought out another internet radio / alarm combo and it looks exactly like you'd think it would. Only cooler. The iNT170's packing access to 15,000 radio stations and podcasts through its built-in WiFi, aka INTERNET (see photo). It's got two 2.5 watt jAura sound speakers, a dual alarm clock, plus a 3.5mm line-in if you need to plug in your PMP. The clock self-updates via INTERNET, so you'll never be able to use that Daylight Saving Time excuse for being late to work again (we recommend the "flooded basement" or "sick cat" in its stead), and you'll have the option to wake to INTERNET or regular radio in addition to the old standby buzzer. It's available now for $199.
Video: Rise and Shine alarm hack is sheers genius
Few devices receive as much attention to re-design as the mousetrap and alarm clock. Regarding the latter, Anupam Patahak, a Mechanical Engineering student at the University of Michigan, takes a natural light approach with his Rise and Shine Alarm Shades. At a predefined time, the modified alarm clock silently (or noisily) kicks off a servo to wind open the shades. Nothing like the deep, battleship gray skies of mid-western suburbia to rouse a young mind from sleep. Video after the break.[Via Hack A Day]
Escape Clock terminates your dream sequence with Control-Fist
Simple in design, perfect in execution, we bring you Santiago Cantera's Escape Clock. No tiny snooze buttons to fumble with here dozy Joe, just one big key that shuts off the alarm when meeting the business end of a morning beef hammer. Set it on edge and you've switched from alarm clock mode to an in-room stereo. The worst part? It's just a concept... for now.[Via Design Launches]
Moshi's IVR Alarm Clock accepts voice commands, harbors own primary directives
The Moshi IVR (Interactive Voice Responsive) Alarm Clock is a chatty one. Instead of those perfectly reasonable physical buttons which have been providing us with additional five minute segments of sleep since time immemorial, the Moshi IVR wants to talk you through your morning. To activate a command, just say "Hello Moshi." Moshi will most likely mutter something threatening under its virtual breath, and then ask you "Command Please," to which you can instruct the clock to tell you the time, set the alarm, inform you of the temperature and a bunch of other things. Sounds great, and we doubt Moshi will be able to murder you in your sleep without any life support systems or pod bay doors under its dominion, but we still fear the prospect of attempting to reason with a too-smart-for-its-own-good alarm clock during one of those dreaded "before noon" hours of the day. Moshi IVR is available now for $50.
DIY SNES alarm clock is kind of cool, truly alarming
Oh, look -- another SNES mod. This one's actually pretty cute and useful in theory -- an alarm clock! The finished product is completely functional, though we're not too psyched on the sound of the alarm. Then again, we've never heard an alarm we were super stoked on, so it's not this inventive chap's fault. Hit the read link for full instructions on how to make your own, and take a peek at the clock-setting action in the video after the break. [Via GoNintendo]
Bandai's Gun O'clock: shoot the target or you'll never snooze again
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]
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!
iLuv intros the iMM173 dual-dock iPod / iPhone alarm clock
Putting two iPhone / iPod docks in an alarm clock is a simple and clever idea that's so far only shown up in the JVC NX-PN7 (which we have and love), but it looks like iLuv's getting in the game as well with the new iMM173. Apart from the two shielded iPhone 3G-compatible docks up top, it's the usual iLuv kit with 5 watt jAura sound, an aux input, and dual alarms -- not a bad deal for an MSRP of $129 that'll almost certainly be lower at retail when this hits in September.
iHome ships rotatable iH41 iPod alarm clock
We've heard about iHome's twistable iH41 since CES, but it looks like the outfit finally got its act together and began to ship these out. Designed specifically for the iPod touch and its variable aspect screen, this unit can be flipped for easy orientation switching that enables users to view widescreen videos while it's docked and charging; when rotated, the digital clock display will also adjust to "complement the position of the unit." Notably, there's no mention of iPhone / iPhone 3G compatibility, but you do get a handy remote thrown in should you decide to cough up $79.99.[Via SlashGear]
TUAW Sleep-off: Ambiance vs. aSleep vs. your Mac
Everybody needs to sleep, and more than just a few hours each night. It's not just a matter of being in a foul mood all day; there are some pretty serious physiological effects of sleep deprivation. Since you tend to learn the most when you do things incorrectly, I know plenty about lost sleep. Anything that helps my insomnia is worth checking into, so I've spent some time looking at ways my Mac and my iPhone might help me lay down, and stay down. I took a look at the iPhone first; there are more than a few apps available which make me drowsy, but only two that I could find which do it intentionally: aSleep and Ambiance. Fluff your pillow and read on to see how they stack up against each other and a few desktop applications.
Ask Engadget: Best digiframe / alarm clock combo?
Frightening though it may be, the fall semester is just around the corner. You know what that means? You'll actually have to get up at -- wait for it -- an appointed time. Carissa, being the proactive student she is, posed this question: "Going to school in the fall, I'm looking for the ideal alarm clock to beat the late nights and what not and noticed a few digital photo frames / alarm clocks. I want a decent alarm clock that has battery backup and good resolution on the screen for viewing photos. An auxiliary audio jack would be a major plus. Which one do you guys recommend that falls under the 200 dollar mark? Thanks a million!" Look at that -- you all even received a thank you in advance! For those who've mastered the art of waking up on time and pretending to be a real live adult, which alarm clock / digiframe hybrid have you found to be supreme? Oh, and you know that question you've been hitting the snooze on? Yeah, send it on over to ask at engadget dawt com.
Breakfast topic: Time is the fire
Somehow I missed the memo that Blizzard was changing the minimap to include an upfront clock, alarm, and stopwatch. It's a pretty neat idea. My favorite part is that you can switch the clock to read local time. This adds to time management tools located in the account setting to limit play time. As I've mentioned before, I live in Las Vegas. It's a strange place, with time dimensions similar to World of Warcraft. You have to look pretty hard to find a clock or a window in one of the casinos and the floors are like mazes that are designed to disorient you. Why? They want you to stay there and spend your money. As far as I know, WoW has always had a clock, but until yesterday, you had to hover your mouse over it to see the time. You can always look around the room. I don't know how many times I've checked the time and wondered where the time went. I found it nice tonight to have it right in front of me.
Guide to the new Time Management features
Are you the kind of player who loses track of time and ends up missing appointments or losing sleep because of it? Then we have good news for you. Among the UI changes included in Patch 2.4.3 are some Time Management features: Constant Time Display: You no longer have to pass your mouse over the sun or moon icon on your minimap to see the time. The server time is now automatically displayed at the bottom of the minimap. Alarm: An alarm can now be set, complete with a custom message. Computer Time Display: You now have the option of showing your local computer time rather than the server time on your minimap. Stopwatch: Accessed either in the new clock interface or by a keyboard command, there is now an in-game stopwatch for your timing needs. The details on how to use these features are after the jump.
LED Alarm Clock Blocks are too pretty to smash
If you're a habitual destroyer of snooze buttons, there's at least a smidgen of a possibility that picking one of these up could stop that habit. Seiji's stylish LED Alarm Clock Blocks (¥8,190; $76) rely on a trio of LED-filled boxes to convey the time (right down to the second), and best of all, the trifecta can be arranged however you'd like (horizontally, vertically, etc.) in order to please your fuzzy eyes in the AM. Unfortunately, you'll still have to use that spare travel clock while this thing gets imported from Japan, but you know what they say about the early bird...[Via technabob]
Tyrant alarm clock dials your contacts if you refuse to wake
We've seen alarm clocks institute some fairly unorthodox methods of waking users up, but this is exceptionally high on the list of "oh, no they didn'ts." Alice Wang's Tyrant, which we can only assume is a concept, actually dials a random number in one's mobile contact list for every three minutes that the sleeper doesn't address the obnoxiously loud ringing. In other words, unless you pick yourself up out of bed within ten minutes of the alarm going off, you'll have three angry friends wondering why they're getting phone calls from you everyday at O-five-hundred hours. Brilliant. Pure, sadistic, barbarous brilliance.[Via Coolest-Gadgets]
OtaClock DS is pants-wettingly great
Let the kids with their $600 consoles have Metal Gear Solid 4. We've got the best part of the game -- Otacon's desktop clock application, the OtaClock. And it's totally free! In case you're worried about spoilers or something, don't be: the OtaClock was revealed in the TGS trailer in 2005, and released as a PC/Mac desktop application soon after.Homebrewer madcat1990 has adapted the app into an alarm clock for the DS, which deviously requires you to solve a math problem before the alarm will shut up. It's an appropriate tribute to the pseudo-Oedipal, incontinent otaku Otacon, one of the most complicated characters in Metal Gear's extraordinarily complicated cast.
