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Keeping time with Aurora and PolarClock
Here's two more cool ways to figure out what time it is, because sometimes you just can't look out a window.First off, Aurora (which we've written about in the past) is an free and easy little alarm clock that will play almost any media you've got, including any playlist in iTunes or even channels from EyeTV. There's an amazing number of options that go along with it (including setting the fade-in time and even waking your Mac from a power-off state), and with a little configuration, you can actually use it to get your Mac ready for you in the morning (one example even has the program starting up NetNewsWire for you after the alarm goes of. Pretty slick).And second, Evan sent us a tip about PolarClock, a new screensaver from pixelbreaker. It features a visual clock (wait, aren't they all?) that consists of a number of circles rotating around each other. It's hard to explain, but the implementation looks really nice, and this one also offers a lot of customization. I'm not sure it'll replace your other clocks in terms of being easy to read, but as a screensaver, it looks good, and can be pretty functional as well. PolarClock is free, and can also be installed in widget form (or in Windows, if you happen to know someone who swings that way).Never wonder what time it is again! As for showing up on time, that one's still up to you.Thanks, Evan!
Brando offers up feature-packed MP4 Watch II
Though we've definitely seen a few "MP4 watches" in our day, none of them do it up quite like Brando's MP4 Watch II. This (admittedly unattractive) timepiece plays nice with MP3 / WMA / MP4 formats and includes an FM tuner, voice recorder, photo viewer, "eBook reader," a 1.8-inch 160 x 128 resolution display, five preset equalizer modes, USB 2.0 connectivity, and yes, even a built-in speaker if you're not down with headphones. Of course, we aren't responsible for your social life grinding to a halt if caught wearing this whilst out on the town, but those who aren't concerned with image can snag the 2GB flavor for $92 or double their capacity for $26 more.
Not for carpal tunnel sufferers: Shooting Watch DS
Who knew that a simple concept like the Shooting Watch, a controller that measures how many times you can tap a button in 10 seconds, would go on to sell over a million units? This year marks the 20th anniversary of the yellow device's debut, and to celebrate, the Hudson Caravan has been touring Japan, selling limited edition merchandise and hosting button-tapping contests. Takahashi Meijin's 16 presses per second set the pace.Hudson manufactured a commemorative batch of 10,000 Shooting Watch systems earlier this year, but they were all sold almost immediately. Upset that he wasn't able to grab one, homebrew developer Retrohead created his own Shooting Watch game for the DS. Just like the real thing, it counts the number of times you can push the A button in ten seconds. If you're fast enough, the on-screen watermelon will explode!Shooting Watch DS has four other diversions -- clock, stop watch, three slots, and four slots -- all of which are significantly less fun than the titular mode. Keep your thumb rigid and tap past the post break for screenshots of the homebrew game. We've also embedded a video of Takahashi Meijin using his button-pressing skills to blow up watermelons!
System update brings ugly clock, slew of changes
We could complain all day about the new digital clock that came with this morning's 3.0 firmware update for the Wii, but it really seems foolish to gripe about a such an inconsequential detail. So, much like with the system's name change or the children we've mistakenly fathered, it'll just have to be something we learn to live with.The big improvements for this version upgrade are additional navigation options for the Shop Channel and shorter loading times when bringing up channels. Also, according to a few incoming reports, the console's fan now runs while in WiiConnect24 mode, addressing rumors of Wiis overheating when left in standby. Check past the post break for the complete list of updated items, and let us know what you think of all these new bells and whistles!
Yumekobo's Yamanote alarm clock shows train schedules
You know what they say about Japanese trains being so reliable you can set a clock to it? Ironically enough, Yumekobo's Yamanote alarm clock does just that, and while we're sure the vivid green color scheme isn't for everyone, its features (feature?) are what counts. Apparently, the clock communicates via radio with the train station, and the train symbols surrounding the hands correspond to where a given train is located at a certain point in time. Additionally, it sports built-in chimes and melodies to match those played in the actual station, and of course, can wake you up at a set time so you don't miss your morning ride to work. Not a bad device to keep around for ¥7,980 ($66), and in case you're still a bit stumped on how this thing actually operates, check out a web-based demonstration here.[Via Gearfuse]
Space Invaders clock tells time, invades spaces
Jason Hickner, a DIY'er with possibly more "time" on his hands than most, has created a clock which is not very easy to read, but a lot of fun to look at. Using a Propeller chip (as featured in the XGS Hydra) and what appears to be a oscilloscope (but is actually a wild old Sony TV), Mr. Hickner has hard-coded a Space Invaders timepiece. The clock uses the attacking aliens to represent minutes, and the extra lives in the left-hand corner for the hours. It's unclear whether or not shooting the aliens produces any type of time-dampening or reversal effect, but since this is based around the Propeller chip, it seems likely. See it in action on video after the break.
Alarming 'Ring' concept vibrates finger to wake you up
There's no shortage of bizarre creations that prevent you from oversleeping, but a Meng Fendi concept could actually help you (and your partner) wake up on the right side of the bed for a change. The simply-titled "Ring" sports an alarm clock dock with two times and a pair of wearable hoops, which enables you to wake up at a different time than your third-shift-workin' SO. Moreover, the elastic vibrating rings are donned at night, and simply provide a constant buzz to get your attention rather than wrecking your rest with a piercing array of beeps. Click on for a few more shots.[Via Yanko Design]
Furni offers DIY clock kit, kicks off design competition
Design shop Furni has already proven its own clock-making skills, and it's now giving you a chance to hone your own, recently introducing a DIY clock kit and kicking off a clock design competition for some added incentive. While you'll have to provide your own materials to make the clock unique, the $24 kit appears to include all the basics, including a display, a breakout board with the necessary buttons, and a power supply. As for the competition, while there doesn't appear to be any cash prizes involved, the winner could potentially see their creation make it into Furni's next collection, making you the talk of hobbyist clock-makers the world over (we hope you can handle the pressure). Don't dally too long though, as entires have to be submitted by September 1st.
TimeTools T1000 syncs your PC's clock with GPS
Here's a likely candidate for most unnecessary, albeit entirely geeky device of the day. TimeTools' T1000 Precision Time Server links up to your Windows, Linux, or Unix workstation in order to obtain "highly accurate time" from GPS satellites. Interfacing via a RS-232 serial port or USB (depending on model), the T1000 connects with GPS systems via the included patch antenna to retrieve the current time within 100 nanoseconds. Furthermore, the 30-gram box is said to be fully weatherproof for survival out in the wild, and while we're not quite sure what the price on this oh-so-precise piece of equipment will be, it's probably only worth it for the bragging rights.[Via NaviGadget]
Haptic Clock beats the time into you
Given that its timekeeping capability rivals actual... you know, calling as the mobile phone's most important function in our lives, we figure it's a function worth embellishing just a bit. Why stop at analog or digital? Che-Wei Wang's "Haptic Clock" Java app features a cool looking (if not obfuscated) display of the time, but even better, it vibrates the time to you every fifteen minutes using a sequence of long and short pulses. The feature can be manually initiated by pressing the 5 key, too, so we could even see some value for vision impaired folks. Grab the app from Wang's site, but beware -- as the developer himself points out, it works a number on battery life.[Via Future Feeder]
Party Timer clock tells you how rockin' your rave actually is
Make no mistake, adorning your party with gadgetry that not only amps up the atmosphere but simultaneously exalts your geekness is no new trend, but the Party Timer clock / informative display takes ubiquitous party monitoring to a new dimension. The LED-packed device sports a fairly attractive enclosure and simply displays the time whenever work has got you down, but if any of the internal ambient noise sensors start recognizing sustained levels of increasing sound, it can switch into its own zoot suit and give your guests the skinny. While in Party Mode, the clock morphs into an informative display that shows No Party when there's no sustained noise above ten decibels, but for eight additional ranges, the device flips through Romantic Party (11 to 20 db), Talking Party (21 to 50 db), Lite Party (52 to 70 db), Music Party (71 to 90 db), Dance Party (91 to 100 db), Club Party (101 to 120 db), Mega Party (a dangerous 121 to 160 db), and if you're still alive to notice, Atom Party shows up when things get pegged above 161 db. Click on through for a few closeups of this rave must-have.[Via Gearlog]
The Shining cuckoo clock terrifies on the hour, every hour
We've seen some pretty frightening things come over to the consumer electronics realm in the past, but Chris Dimino's The Shining cuckoo clock is probably the most apt to leave a very unfriendly image burned in your mind. Designed by the same guru who brought us the keyboard waffle iron, this cult classic tells time like your average clock, but as each hour strikes, a demented Jack bursts through the door, proclaims "Here's Johnny!," and grins while Shelly Duvall lets out a piercing scream. Of course, Mr. Dimino would have quite a bit of paperwork to sign with the movie studio if this thing were to ever go on sale, but we're sure there would be quite a line ready to drop unfathomable amounts to put this shocking souvenir in their own Room 237.
Thanko's slightly retro MP3 Clock allows personal recording
Sure, the art deco crowd has plenty of fashionable alternatives when it comes to alarm clocks, and even the off-kilter set has a few surefire options to get them a-risin', but for those of you who just can't live without the tried and true round faced variety with a pair of ringers perched at the top, Thanko's got your number. The MP3 Clock connects to your Windows XP-based PC via USB, and the included software can insert a number of animal calls, sensational alarms, or even your very own recording onto the device. Rather than striking up that annoying screech in the morning, you can now awake to cows mooing, a dog barking, motorcycles revving, chainsaws blaring (saywha?), or your very own voice demanding that you release yourself from sleep. The MP3CLK01 is available now to shake up your wake-ups for ¥2,980 ($25).[Via AkihabaraNews]
Ambient Devices' slew of conceptual displays
Although we've already been up close and personal with a number of Ambient's unique devices, a recent conference at the Ambient Information Systems Workshop brought a bevy of new (and old) conceptual devices back to the limelight. Aside from the Google Clock and Ambient Orb, David Rose spoke about the opportunity to present a multitude of interfaces with varying resolutions in a number of environments so that individuals could get updates on what's important to them with "just a glance." Among the ideas was a Weather Watcher display that could be tailored for sailors by divulging forecasts and current wind information, a Sailing Zone display that could easily pinpoint the "ideal situation for boating," and a thin wallet-infused display that could crank out pertinent information to the owner. Additionally, a energy tracking Home Joule is currently being trailed in New York that uses color to quickly convey data about how much juice is being consumed in a home. So if you're intrigued in the slightest, and can't wait to see how ubiquitous displays and the human race will inevitably work and play together in perfect harmony, be sure to hit the read link and cringe as you read over things you thought of years ago but kept to yourself.
Homemade Donkey Kong clock
Idle hands are the Devil's playthings ... or they end up making some pretty neat crafts. In this case, Will D'Angelo of TheWiicast.com, made a pretty nifty homage to Donkey Kong with this clock. The timepiece combines images easily found using a Google search -- in this case Donkey Kong and Big Mario from Super Paper Mario -- with some basic materials from a craft store. D'Angelo says you need, with approximate costs: Clock kit from Michaels craft store ($8) The vintage sign kit, which includes a shallow frame and plywood backing ($1) Tube of acrylic black paint ($1.75) Replacement hands for clock kit ($3) Clear matte spray ($5) The most expensive part of the project is probably purchasing the glossy photo-quality paper to print out the images, which D'Angelo already had around. He was thinking his next attempt would be a Centipede style clock. Now that he's done it once he has a recommendation for other people attempting the same style clock, "I would suggest to make it easier to pick up one of those cheapy wallpaper rollers for the air bubbles so that you don't touch it with your hands." A nice gamer craft project with lots of image possibilities.
"Widescreen" video watch touts 1.8-inch LCD
The video watch craze seems to be catching on, as what was once an oddity has now started to grow us just a bit, and while we can't deny the arguably appalling nature of rocking an LCD screen on your wrist, the latest option most definitely goes for broke. Hey, if you're going to go, you might as well go all out, and by slapping a wristwatch on your arm with a prominent 1.8-inch "widescreen" display front and center, you'll certainly be catching a few eyes for better or worse. This Chinavision timepiece boasts 2GB of internal memory, supports MP3, WMA, and WAV music formats, handles MTV video files care of a software conversion, a JPEG photo / text viewer, internal speaker, USB 2.0 connectivity, FM radio, voice recorder, six equalizer settings, and a 3.5-millimeter headphone jack to boot. Of course, glancing back at the less-than-sexy design can quickly wipe away the pros that this thing surely has going for it, but for just over $56, the CVESG-S818-2 still looks mighty tempting.[Via CNET]
Mechanical watch sports mini slot-machine
We normally stick to drooling over microchip-laden gadget internals, but that doesn't mean there isn't a place in our hearts for the mechanical variety of sexy. The Girard-Perregaux Vintage 1945 Jackpot Tourbillon casino watch, which was recently unveiled at this year's Geneva SIHH show for unrepentant watch nerds, manages full-on mechanical slot machine action, including chiming gongs for that classic casino experience. Of course, there's no room for dropping change into this thing, but we're pretty sure you'll get chance to blow cash aplenty on the purchase, so no worries there.[Via Boing Boing]
Dancing On The Water clock levitates time
True clock aficionados fully understand that their timepieces do more than tell them just how many grueling hours are left in the work day, and YUnoBI's Dancing On The Water design invites time tellers to gaze at its mirror-image rather than just glancing and looking away. The lacquered enclosure comes in black, red, and gray finishes, and shoots the current time up against a reflective back that purportedly gives off a "floating illusion." Furthermore, the red digits are displayed care of built-in LEDs, and while you may be eager to snap this presumed dust-magnet up as a crafty conversation piece, the ¥68,250 ($573) asking price just might stop you in your tracks.[Via TechDigest]
DIY project turns an oscilloscope into a clock
While the highly-regarded Pong clock has long held the crown for most intriguing DIY clock, it looks like the leaderboard could be seeing a change. Frank Techniek's interesting oscilloscope conversion is yet another prime example of turning vintage (or otherwise idiosyncratic) kit into a modern day gadget, and the 20MHz TRIO that once read signal voltages for a living is now enjoying an unusually time consuming (ahem) retirement. Per usual, this expert-minded endeavor involved more circuitry, soldering, resistors, and time off than we have room to explain, but if you're interested in propping one of these up in your den, be sure to hit the read link for the nicely detailed bill of materials and assembly instructions.[Via MAKE]
Thanko's FMP3 Watch touts an FM transmitter
It's no secret that FM transmitters are dodgy at times, but if you were wading through the endless supply of MP3 watches on the market in an effort to find one a notch below hideous, having that feature built-in certainly wouldn't hurt. The king of all things USB has upped the collective ante once more, as its FMP3 Watch not only musters a bearable design scheme, but it also offers up a nice laundry list of specifications to boot. Aside from telling you the time and day of the week, it also boasts 512MB, 1GB, or 2GB of internal memory for MP3 / WMA playback, headphone out, an integrated voice recorder, USB connectivity, volume controls, eight-hours of battery life (three if beaming over FM), and the obligatory FM transmitter to stream your tunes to one of several FM options. If you're anxious to get your wrist into one of these suckas, all three flavors are available right now, and can be had for ¥12,800 ($108), ¥16,800 ($142), and ¥19,800 ($167) from least capacious to most.[Via EverythingUSB]
