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Acoustic Alarm ditches the snooze button for strings
There's a long history of alarm clocks that promise a better way of waking you up in the morning, but few quite like this Acoustic Alarm built by designer Jamie McMahon. As you can see, it's not technically an alarm clock, but it does have an alarm of sorts: four tunable strings that are plucked using a spinning guitar pick. Unfortunately, this one's strictly one of a kind for the time being, but it does actually exist in prototype form -- made of birch plywood, walnut and stainless steel, no less -- and you can check it out in action in the video after the break.
That hotel towel you're stealing might have an RFID chip in it
For many travelers, stealing hotel towels or bathrobes is more pastime than petty crime. Hotels, on the other hand, apparently take it more seriously. So seriously, in fact, that some have begun embedding specially crafted RFID tags within their linens, just to help us avoid "accidentally" stuffing them in our suitcases before heading to the check-out desk. The chips, designed by Miami-based Linen Technology Tracking, can be sewn directly into towels, bathrobes or bed sheets, and can reportedly withstand up to 300 wash cycles. If a tagged item ever leaves a hotel's premises, the RFID chip will trip an alarm that will instantly alert the staff, and comprehensively humiliate the guilty party. The system has already paid dividends for one Honolulu hotel, which claims to have saved about $15,000 worth of linens since adopting the system last summer. But small-time crooks needn't get too paranoid. In addition to the hotel in Hawaii, only two other establishments have begun tagging their towels -- one in Manhattan, and one in Miami. All three, however, have chosen to remain anonymous, so swipe at your own (minimal) risk.
More iPhone clock problems reported
Apple continues to deal with problems with the clock on the iPhone -- this first cropped up back in November, when clocks were turned back an hour to standard time. Some issues were still popping up in January, and now this weekend, as clocks were turned forward for Daylight Savings time in the US, some users were still having issues of varying kinds, from clocks changing when they weren't supposed to, to alarms not going off when set up correctly. Some users are even reporting the time changing just fine, and then inexplicably switching back -- one of my friends had a problem like that with his first-generation AT&T iPhone last night. Unfortunately, since most of the information on the issues is anecdotal, it's hard to pin down exactly what's happening, but it seems to be something going on between the phone's software and a connection to the local provider's time information. Most of the issues are being fixed by flipping Airport Mode on and off (to re-establish the cellular connection) or even just restarting the phone. Alternately, you could just set the time yourself manually, though having a phone that sets its own time is obviously a lot more convenient. At any rate, it looks like Apple is continuing to deal with this ongoing issue. Do make sure to check your phone and get it right -- you wouldn't want to miss Pi Day today, after all.
Apple's iPhone / iPod touch daylight saving time woes continue
If a broken clock is right twice a day, Apple's is off twice a year these days -- once each time Daylight Savings Time needs to be calculated in territories that depend on it. iPhone and iPod touch users are reporting on Twitter and the official Apple forums that the Clock app is been demonstrating all kinds of erratic behavior -- regardless of phone model or AT&T / Verizon pedigree -- with some alarms going off early, others late, and plenty of others working perfectly. Amusingly, still others report that DST adjustments occurred in places that don't recognize DST at all: "My iPhone 4 had the wrong time this morning - in Phoenix," reports user M Gnu, "We don't do DST, but iPhone apparently thinks otherwise." Since DST went into effect on Sunday in the US, many didn't notice issues until this morning, but even eagle-eyed iPhone owners could have a nasty surprise as one Engadget reader reports: "My iPhone 3GS changed time correctly yesterday, but for some reason over night it reverted back an hour, thus leaving me an hour late for work." There doesn't seem to be a single easy fix, but affected users report a variety of ideas might work -- restarting the device, changing the Time and Date setting away from Automatic, calling the iPhone with another phone, or turning on and off Airplane Mode. How's your iDevice hanging? Let us know below. %Poll-61642%[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
ZTE 005Z emergency cellphone keeps your kid safe, cooler than other kids
Remember back in 2005 when kiddy phones were all the rage? Well, with the release of the single-button 005Z, Softbank and ZTE are giving toddler connectivity another try. Like the Firefly and the Migo before it, this little guy limits outbound calls, but unlike its predecessors, the 005Z only allows for one pre-programmed number -- so if baby's in danger, mommy better have her cellphone charged. While the one-button approach is limited, the phone also acts as an alert system: when the cord is pulled, a loud buzzer sounds (à la the rape whistle) and SMS and voice messages (both of which contain the kid's location) are sent to emergency contacts. As far as we're concerned, a child with a cellphone is a nightmare in the making, but if you're into that sort of thing (and live in Japan) the 005Z will be available this March for ¥490 ($5.90) a month.
Vitality GlowCap review
The Vitality GlowCap concept's been floating about for years now, but it still slightly blows our minds -- you stick a tiny, battery-powered wireless computer on top of your pill bottle, which reminds you to take your medicine on time. Well, it turns out they aren't exactly a concept these days, as you can buy one for $10 with a $15 monthly plan, and we've actually spent the past month living with the chirping, glowing, AT&T-connected device, keeping a journal all the while. After the break, find out what a life-saving nag feels like. Note: Amazon's actually out of stock at the time of this writing, but Vitality says a new shipment should arrive tomorrow. %Gallery-114026%
iPhone alarm still not working for some, here are a few solutions
It amazes me that for all the amazing technology and innovation out of Cupertino, they can still manage to screw up a simple alarm function on the iPhone. Chris wrote about this issue on New Year's Eve, but it appears the Clock app is still having trouble setting off one-time alarms as of today. Naturally, Apple hasn't said much, aside from a blip to Engadget about "awareness" and a sort-of fix (set a repeating alarm instead). There's a raft of angry customers on the Apple discussion boards, however, and my personal Twitter feed lit up this morning with people I know who were hit with the bug when they relied upon their iPhone to wake them up for work. What to do? In my case I don't have time to go buy another alarm clock today -- which is ridiculous anyway considering the tech in the iPhone. I'm heading to CES tomorrow morning, and I'm quite nervous about waking up on time. So I've set up an account with iPing to send me a wake-up call on my iPhone (and yeah, it's free but the message will likely have an ad -- small price to pay for convenience). I've also purchased two alarm apps -- one for my iPhone and one for my iPad. In my case I bought Clock Pro HD (US$3.99) for iPad and Awaken for my iPhone (US$0.99), which we've reviewed before. Mashable has a few recommendations as well. A simpler solution is to set a repeating alarm instead of a one-time alarm. However, I have seen reports of repeating alarms failing as well. Some suggest you should delete all alarms and set a repeating alarm, or alternatively set a countdown timer for the hours you'd like to stay asleep -- but it appears there is no easy answer. Apple's claim that it'll start working "beginning January 3" rings untrue given my own anecdotal evidence and this report from International Business Times. It's a mess, honestly, but we're hopeful that alarms on the iPhone begin to function properly tomorrow. Or maybe Apple will issue an update addressing the problem. Or maybe we're all just waking up wrong. Update: I managed to get a non-repeating alarm to fire off when I deleted all my previous alarms and set the new one. I'm still relying on all of my other alarm apps, just in case.
Analarm vibrating watch wakes you, not your spouse or the neighbors (video)
At some point, every day, it's time to wake up. If you're lucky you roll out of bed whenever the spirit moves you. For the rest of us there's some sort of prompting involved. At some point you've probably felt the rage of being awoken early by someone else's alarm, a problem that the Analarm watch nullifies. It's a simple concept: a vibrating watch with an alarm. Set your time and it buzzes to let you know when to get up, a feature we sorely wished the WakeMate had. Seemingly that's all the thing does, other than tell time of course, which makes its £290 ($450) price seem slightly egregious, especially considering upcoming products like the Lark Up wristband pledge to do the same for just $99.
iPhone alarms still not working, worlds crashing left and right
Hey, you -- it's January 3rd. You know, the day you're supposed to return to work / school / life. And the day you're supposed to catch a flight you've had booked for three months. And probably a day that you're supposed to accomplish lots of other tasks. Unfortunately for you, you actually believed that your iPhone alarm would fix itself when today rolled around, but based on hordes of complaints seen on Twitter and Facebook, said fix is still hibernating. And thus, you're still sleeping. Even here at Engadget HQ, we've seen iPhone 4 handsets not wake us as promised (on non-recurring alarms), so who knows when Apple will step up to the plate and address the issue. In the meantime, go ahead and set up a recurring alarm while gently crossing your fingers and toes. Or, you know, buy a battery-powered alarm clock off of your grandmother. [Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
iPhone alarms may fail to activate on New Year's Day
If you're using your iPhone or iPod touch as your primary alarm clock, it might be time to reconsider. In 2010, Apple had well-publicized difficulties with the switchover to Daylight Saving Time. Alarms failed to go off at their proper times, causing thousands of people in the Southern Hemisphere to wake up an hour early and many more thousands in the Northern Hemisphere to wake up an hour late. Now yet another bug has struck Apple's Clock app in iOS: single-use, non-repeating alarms fail to go off at all after New Year's Day. Just like the Daylight Saving Time bug, living in New Zealand has given me the opportunity to test this bug ahead of time. Strangely, a single-use alarm scheduled to go off at 7:00 AM today went off on time, but now single-use alarms don't work at all. Only alarms set to repeat at least once during the week will work properly. 9to5Mac suggests that the problem will clear up after January 3, and our testing confirms that -- in a couple of days, the alarms are back to normal. This bug in the Clock app is somewhat less insidious than the Daylight Saving Time bug, which affected repeating alarms. With this New Year's Day bug, you'll still be safe if you've got a repeating alarm set during the work week. Only single-use alarms will fail to go off. I've tested this with alarms created in 2010 and alarms created in 2011, and it makes no difference; all single-use alarms now fail to activate until after 1/3. I've tested this on an iPhone 4 running iOS 4.2.1 -- your experience may differ if you have a different iOS device or software version. Considering how many things Apple's managed to get right in iOS, it seems really odd that, of all things, it's the Clock app that keeps getting mucked up. Let us know in the comments if any third-party alarm clock apps are experiencing the same issue (though I doubt it). In the meantime, if you've been using your iPhone or iPod touch to wake you up in the morning, it might be a good idea to invest in a cheap standalone alarm clock -- or take off work until Monday.
PSA: iPhone alarms not working come New Year's Day 2011
We're not exactly sure of the cause of this fancy new issue affecting Apple's super cool iPhone line of cellphones, but apparently you've got trouble come 1/1/2011. According to an explosive stream of frustration-filled tweets on the Twitter microblogging service, when the clock strikes midnight, one off alarms will cease to sing out. The issue sounds eerily similar to recent Daylight Savings Time trouble we witnessed back in November, although we saw both repeating alarm and single alarm failures. So how can you fix this potentially life-ruining problem? Well until Apple patches its OS -- and it's currently unclear if this is just iOS 4.2.1 or earlier versions as well -- you can simply create a recurring alarm at the time you need to be woken up, and then disable it once your dreams are completely ruined. We're taking a deeper look into the issue and have contacted Apple -- if we get more news, you guys will be the first to know. In the meantime, feel free to commiserate in comments, and... happy new year? Update: 9to5 Mac says that the bug will get fixed all by itself once the calendar hits January 3rd. We haven't confirmed this, but if it turns out to be the case, that's pretty good news. In less good news, the issue seems to be affecting iOS 4.1 and 4.0.2 as well. Update 2: Apple responded to us on the issue, though they didn't offer any surprises: We're aware of an issue related to non repeating alarms set for January 1 or 2. Customers can set recurring alarms for those dates and all alarms will work properly beginning January 3. [Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
The world's most annoying burglar alarm (video)
The UK's very own Alarm Monitoring Company has developed what it's calling the world's most annoying alarm. The cheeky VuVutech 5000 starts with the company's own AMCO alarm system attached to five powerful air horns topped off with a vuvuzella quintette pièce de résistance. The whole rig is attached to the telephone line where AMCO's interactive monitoring service will trigger 135 decibels of vuvuzella fury upon the unsuspecting intruder who, we imagine, will stand motionless, arms extended, staring skyward in the belief that he just won the 2010 World Cup until the police arrive. See it demonstrated on a "tea boy" after the break.
TimeCommand dock turns your iPad into a very pricey dimmer switch
XtremeMac has been crankin' out iPod docks for years, and now former CEO Gary Bart has launched Stem Innovation, a company dedicated exclusively to iOS accessories. For its first trick, Bart and company have introduced TimeCommand which (as its name implies) goes beyond the whole dock thing and comes across as a control station for the bedroom. Among its many charms are iPhone / iPod / iPad compatibility, the ability to control your mood lighting (including a dimmer and a "wake by light" feature), battery backup (don't miss work, even if the power goes out), an app with Internet Radio playback, and something called Stem:Sonic iQ digital signal processing. Available now at the Apple store for $100.
PSA: Apple's iPhone may not wake you up on time tomorrow morning (update: Monday)
Apple is warning iPhone users that the daylight savings time glitch that plagued Europe affects US iPhones too, meaning you'll wake up an hour late if you rely on the Clock app built into the device. Though Apple representatives say there's a permanent fix in the works, it's not due until iOS 4.2, so the company suggests you set a new alarm today if you want to rise on time. Since the bug apparently only affects certain repeating alarms, you can create a new one-time alarm (i.e. with the repeat option set to "never") instead, and the iPhone clock will take care of the rest. Don't be the gal or guy blaming your tardiness on failed technology, folks, when it's this easy to be able to point the finger at traffic, family, or spontaneous bouts of dance fever instead. Update: Did we say tomorrow morning? It's actually Monday when the bug will strike, meaning you'll have to deal with Daylight Savings related hijinx two days in a row. Good luck getting to work on time. [Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
Attention US iPhone users: use a standby alarm clock for now
If you live in the United States, you're probably already aware that the nation is set to switch to Standard Time on November 7, moving clocks one hour back. What you may not be aware of is that if you're using an iPhone or other iOS device as your primary alarm clock, it might not make the switch as planned -- and you could end up late to work on Monday as a result. iOS 4 introduced a bug into how iOS devices handle the switch between Daylight Saving and Standard Time. The bug got some attention when it first hit New Zealand back in September -- when our clocks rolled forward an hour, our iOS alarms did not. Many New Zealanders woke up an hour early following the switch to DST because of this bug, myself included. The same thing happened a couple weeks later when certain Australian territories switched to DST, and Apple promised a fix. Southern Hemisphere iOS users had it bad enough being woken up an hour early, but when Europe switched to Standard Time last week, iOS users there found their alarms going off an hour late. The internet was flooded with reports of Europeans whose iPhones and iPods failed to wake them up on time last Monday. At the same time, some of our US commenters noted that alarms in the States were going off an hour early. Apple has posted a support doc on its iOS DST issues, and the company recommends changing repeating iOS alarms in the Clock app to single-use alarms instead as a way of skirting the issue. This procedure worked for us in New Zealand, but it has the added inconvenience of having to remember to set the alarm every day. Bottom line: if you're worried about being late to work on Monday, or losing an hour of sleep, the best advice we can give you is to use a different alarm other than your iPhone or iPod touch for now. While the issue is reportedly resolved in the forthcoming iOS 4.2 update, that update is unlikely to be publicly released before the changeover to Standard Time this Sunday -- so if you're on thin ice at work already, don't depend on your iPhone to wake you up on Monday morning.
iOS Daylight Saving Time bug hits Europe (and the US too?)
Update: Some of our commenters are reporting that they're also seeing hour-early alarms in parts of North America. It's not yet clear if this is widespread or idiosyncratic, and if all 4.x devices are affected. Update #2: Engadget points out that alarms set never to repeat, or set to repeat every day, are unaffected; just the selective repeat alarms (only weekends, only weekdays) are getting munged. The iOS bug that caused recurring alarms to go off an hour early in New Zealand after its switch to Daylight Saving Time subsequently hit some territories in Australia following their switchover a week later. Apple promised a fix to the problem, and it's likely the fix will be bundled with the forthcoming iOS 4.2 update -- but that update hasn't come soon enough to stop the problem from striking Europe. With the switchover to Standard Time in Northern Hemisphere nations, European and Middle Eastern countries that have switched are now experiencing the same problem we saw in New Zealand and Australia, but in reverse: Europeans' recurring alarms are going off an hour later following the switch to Standard Time. In New Zealand, the issue eventually resolved itself. A couple weeks after the switch to DST, recurring alarms started going off at the correct time again. The going theory was that Apple's time zone programming in iOS relied on obsolete protocols for DST; New Zealand used to switch to DST on the first Sunday in October, but switched to the last Sunday in September in 2007. It's possible the issue may eventually sort itself out in Europe as well, but not before a lot of Europeans who rely on their iPhones to wake them wind up late for work.
iPhone DST bug causing alarms to fail across Europe (updated)
An iPhone bug already seen when Australia switched between Daylight Savings Time and Standard Time a few weeks ago has now hit Europe. Twitter just lit up with reports of recurring iPhone alarms going off an hour later than usual. So even though the iOS clock changed correctly over the weekend, the alarm did not. Thing is, according to a ZDNet Australia report from more than three weeks ago, Apple acknowledged the bug with a promise to fix it with a software update. So why wasn't it rolled out in time to avoid this mess in Europe? Let's see if Apple fixes it before North America makes the switch on November 7th, otherwise, you've been warned. Update: Deleting and re-adding the alarms will NOT fix the issue. We've now tested a number of scenarios under iOS 4.1 on European iPhone 4 and 3GS devices for ourselves. The bug (demoed on video after the break by Roman) appears when using a repeating alarm for anything other than "every day." So for example, your alarm will go off an hour late if it's set for "weekdays," or "weekends," or every "Monday." The following alarms are not affected by the bug: An alarm that doesn't repeat (repeat set to "never") An alarm set to repeat "every day" You can test yourself by creating a repeating alarm (but not every day) to go off one minute in the future and 59 minutes in the past. Update 2: Some US readers are now waking up to alarms reportedly going off an hour early. [Thanks, David O. and Matthieu Di B.]
Blue Watchdog Bluetooth proximity alarm: 100 decibels of aural terror in a credit card-sized package
While we've seen (and reviewed) a few Bluetooth proximity alarms in our day, these guys are still pretty a much a niche product. The premise is pretty straightforward: paired with your handset, the device emits a shrill alarm on the event that the two are separated. Of course, this depends on you keeping the thing on your person, and not in the backpack or laptop bag in which your phone resides -- something that's presumably more likely to occur with the credit card-sized Blue Watchdog by Secu4 than it is with other solutions we've seen. Selling for €70 (about $95), is small enough to fit inside your wallet, and features a stand-by time of 120 hours, thanks to a 3.7 volt LiPo battery. It can be charged via recharger or USB, sports a 100 decibel alarm, and can be configured to go off if separated from your handset anywhere from one to thirty meters. On sale now from the company's website (which also has a complete list of compatible phones), but not so fast: you'll want to see it in action first, right? You're in luck! There's a video after the break.
Engadget's back to school guide: docks and alarms
Welcome to Engadget's Back to School guide! We know that this time of year can be pretty annoying and stressful for everyone, so we're here to help out with the heartbreaking process of gadget buying for the school-aged crowd. Today, we've got docks and alarms in our sights -- and you can head to the Back to School hub to see the rest of the product guides as they're added throughout the month. Be sure to keep checking back -- at the end of the month we'll be giving away a ton of the gear featured in our guides. Whether you're simply looking for something to put on your bedside table or considering an iPod dock to replace a bulky stereo, you now have more devices than ever to choose from, which can be a tad overwhelming if you're trying to stay on budget and still get something decent. As usual, however, we're here to help, and have rounded up a range of docks and alarms that should more than satisfy at any price point.
Mutewatch aims to be a less watch-like watch
Watches that try do something really different aren't exactly all that common, but you can certainly say that about the just-announced Mutewatch. Described as a "silent alarm in the shape of a vibrating wristband," the watch features a hidden screen that activates on touch and lets you swipe to scroll between the timer, clock and alarm -- the latter of which simply vibrates rather than making a sound, and can be dismissed by pinching the watch. Best of all, this isn't simply a concept -- you can secure a pre-order for your choice of a white, gray or red watch now for €19, which will be deducted from the full €199 (or about $260) price when it eventually ships.
