Technabob » alarm clock

Napper Clock: Because We Really Are This Lazy

Lambert Varias — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 19:00:15 +0000

Aside from the usual functions of an alarm clock – telling the time, making you irritated first thing in the morning – the Napper has a one-press nap alarm mode. Just press any of the three nap buttons to set an alarm – the number on top indicates the duration of the countdown in minutes. Alarms set this way will not replace any alarm previously made on the regular setting.

The Napper lets you easily take short naps 15, 30 or 60 minutes in length. I actually nodded off in approval when I saw this product. Then I realized how easy it already is to set up an alarm on my phone. Then I looked at the Napper again and resumed nodding off once more.

Set an alarm so you’ll remember to order the Napper on Amazon for $15 (USD).

[via Craziest Gadgets]

Chirp Alarm Clock Is The Clock That Wakes You – and Only You – Up

Hazel Chua — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 22:00:38 +0000

I shared a room with my two sisters when we were growing up, so it’s a given that we spent a lot of time together – either getting along or fighting. And one thing that always made us fight were alarm clocks.

Nothing is more annoying than waking up to the sound of someone else’s alarm, especially if that someone else is still sleeping and drooling all over their pillow. I’ve thrown the occasional pillow or two at the said someone before going back to sleep in a grumpier mood.

If you find yourself in a similar dilemma, then you might want to consider gifting them with the Chirp Alarm Clock. Not only is it a pretty simplistic and attractive alarm clock, but it also makes sure to wake only the person who set the alarm, and not anyone else.

How? Well, the Chirp Alarm Clock comes with a vibrating clip that you can clip onto your pillow, shirt, hair, or wherever you want it to. It vibrates at the set alarm time for a certain period of time, so once you’re up, just insert the clip back onto the base to make it stop vibrating. If you don’t do so though, then an audible alarm (the annoying one) will ring out to make sure that you get out of bed, pronto.

The Chirp Alarm Clock is in pre-production, and garnering pricing feedback over at Quirky, so if you’re interested in one be sure to drop by and provide your thoughts. Currently, the estimated market price for the Chirp is about $18 (USD).

[via Oh Gizmo!]

Robot Vacuum Alarm Clock Pulls Your Blankets off to Wake You, Poops Cubes

Conner Flynn — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 01:00:41 +0000

Let’s merge the alarm clock and a Roomba so we can have one less gadget to clutter the home. That’s Seoul-based designer Jeongmi Lee’s thinking here. He designed a domestic robot that yanks your blanket off the bed in the morning to wake you.

Of course it will also do the vacuuming like a good little servant and you won’t even need to clean the air filter since it does this itself by pooping a the debris out in cube form. I hope it at least has it’s own box where it leaves these robo-treats.

Just tie it to your bedding and activate it with a timer to make it run away when the alarm is activated, pulling the covers off. It wakes you every morning and then poops. Then, I assume you change the filter. So basically you just had a baby.

[via Greenmuze]

Edifier Tick Tock Alarm Clock & iPhone Dock: Don’t Throw It to Snooze!

Range — Thu, 08 Dec 2011 18:30:14 +0000

The world has way more iPhone docks than it knows to do with, but there are always some that manage to set themselves apart from the rest, even if you don’t actually need another one. This particular one tries to merge the design elements of a classic alarm clock with that of a dock. I have to say that it doesn’t look bad, especially given the price.

The Edifier Tick Tock Dock has a funny name, and it targets the entry-level market. The alarm “bells” are actually 1.5-inch omni-directional speakers, supposedly delivering 360-degree sound from 7W drivers. The LCD is round and well-lit, though your iPhone takes over for it when docked. It plays music via the SD card reader, USB input, FM radio, or any MP3 device via the AUX input. If you opt for the Bluetooth model, it can connect to your smartphone and play music wirelessly, but then doesn’t act as a dock.

Both the docking version and Bluetooth models sell for $79.99, while a basic model with neither dock, nor Bluetooth, and sells for $69.99.

[via Ubergizmo]

Hot Wheels Alarm Clock Loop-de-Loops You Out of Bed

Technabob — Thu, 10 Nov 2011 17:00:46 +0000

Looking for a fun gift for that kid who loves toy cars? If they’re into Hot Wheels, your kid might just like to have this alarm clock by their bedside. The Hot Wheels alarm clock can wake you with beeping, radio or the only real reason you’d buy this – engine sounds.

When I first saw this Hot Wheels alarm clock, I was all excited that the car actually looped around the track. Unfortunately, it looks like it’s just glued there from the box photo below. If I tried that with a real Hot Wheels set, I’d be disqualified for cheating.

While it really would be better if the car actually did do a 360 every morning, I suppose it might inspire someone to hack their own version that actually does that. For now, Hot Wheels fans can get their hands on this clock over at Toys R Us for $25 (USD).

[via 7 Gadgets]

Geneva Lab Sound System XS: Retro Clamshell Alarm Clock Speaker

Range — Wed, 09 Nov 2011 17:00:29 +0000

Geneva Lab has just revealed their new Sound System XS, a portable/travel-sized speaker that looks like a retro clamshell alarm clock. This little guy is Bluetooth-compatible, so you’ll be able to send your tunes to it wirelessly.

The XS is also an FM radio and an alarm clock. The 2.1 speaker system has two 1″ tweeters and a 2¼” woofer, which is pretty good for a device of its size. The battery is rechargeable, and you’ll get 5 hours of play time.

If your media player doesn’t support Bluetooth or you just don’t want to waste battery, the XS also has a 3.5mm audio jack.

It weighs 1.1 pounds and measures 6.2″×4″×4.5″. The best part is the discrete LED display that shines through the speaker grille, along with the touch sensitive controls.

It will sell for $250 and is available for pre-order directly from Geneva Lab in black, white or red.

[via NOTCOT]

Jumping Alarm Clock Wakes You by Annoying the Crap Out of You

Technabob — Sun, 02 Oct 2011 23:11:31 +0000

While it’s unlikely to be quite as jarring as this alarm clock, this little bedside alarm clock also is less likely to cause head trauma. But that doesn’t mean it’s not just as annoying.

Looking sort of like one of those little rollermines that bounces around in Half-Life 2, this alarm clock isn’t going to detonate when it goes off. Instead, it just bounces around while it lights up and plays some stupid music. Here, see what I mean:

Click to View Embedded Video Clip

Well, that’s annoying enough that I’d have to throw it across the room if I had to wake up to that every day. And no, you don’t get to pick the music. That’s the only tune it plays. Still, if you want an alarm clock that will get you out of bed, this is definitely one to check out. The Jumping Alarm Clock sells for about $16 (USD) over at Overstock.com, where it likely has landed because nobody really wants to buy them. I wonder why?

QLOCKTWO Touch Verbal Alarm Clock: Wake Up With the Words

Range — Mon, 26 Sep 2011 14:00:04 +0000

A while ago, we reported about the QLOCKTWO, a stylish wall clock that used words instead of numbers to show the time. It was somewhat of a big clock, and it was also quite expensive (~$1,100), which is why I kind of like this new, smaller desktop version. This model is is the QLOCKTWO Touch and it’s touch-sensitive and comes packed with LEDs.

The sharp text outlines are easily visible thanks to the bright LEDs inside. You can engage the snooze function by simply touching the clock. The clock is machined from a single block aluminum. It comes in seven different colors, and the front panel is held in place by magnets, so you can switch colors if you get bored. It’s also available in English, German, French, Italian, Dutch, Danish, Russian and Spanish.

It also offers an alarm clock mode, which can be snoozed by simply touching the face of the clock. The reading light mode illuminates the entire clock face, switching on all 114 LEDs inside. Get ready to pay for all of this style, because the QLOCKTWO Touch sells for $599 to $650 (USD) at the Biegert & Funk store.

[via core77]

Defusable Clock: It’s Gonna Alarm!!!

Lambert Varias — Wed, 07 Sep 2011 12:50:29 +0000

I’ve found my favorite alarm clock! Created by software engineer/hardware designer/part-time MacGyver Michael Krumpus, the defusable clock works just like the bombs in movies. You can stop it’s alarm within 10 seconds… if you cut the right wire. Quick, Pete! Hand me that swiss knife, WordPress and a picture of the Defusable Clock!

As you can see, the clock has four wires. Only one of them stops the countdown when cut. The other two are decoys and do nothing while one wire will immediately “detonate” the alarm. Obviously the thrill will wear off if the wires had fixed purposes, which is why Krumpus made it so the the role of each wire is randomized each time the sequence is activated.

By the way the countdown sequence isn’t just for the alarm. It can also be activated at any time by pressing the big red button, perfect for Counter-Strike LARPing. Here’s the clock in action:

Click to View Embedded Video Clip

Yes, you’ll have to replace any wires you cut, but Krumpus says that replacing them will be easy because they’re attached with screw terminals. Krumpus also made a mock C4 version of the clock, just for kicks:

The “bomb” is powered by an ATMega328 microcontroller with an Arduino bootloader. If you didn’t understand a word from that previous sentence either, fret not! Krumpus will be selling a kit this fall so you can have your own Defusable Clock. The kit will only include the electronics, but I’m sure you can cobble together a bomb-looking device. The kit will also be “fully hackable” so Arduino nuts and tinkerers will get more than their money’s worth with this thing.

[Project Lab via Laughing Squid]

Clockman iD Alarm Clock Makes Lots of Funny Faces, No Sense

Technabob — Tue, 06 Sep 2011 01:25:27 +0000

Here’s another weird gadget from Japan for you guys to enjoy. The Clockman iD is the latest from Takara Tomy, and it looks like quite a goofy gadget.

Since I don’t speak Japanese, it’s hard for me to tell exactly what’s going on in this commercial, but it appears that the Clockman iD is an alarm clock that makes various faces depending on the mood its in.

Click to View Embedded Video Clip

How do I know that from that video clip, you may ask? Well, actually this isn’t the first in the Clockman series. The original has been out for a while now, but all they seemed to do is have a mouth that made an “O”. It seems that with the Clockman iD, they’re trying to give these guys a little more personality. This time, you can move around the pieces of his face, and give your Clockman his own unique identity (hence the “iD” name.)

Still, it doesn’t make too much sense to me even with that explanation. If you’re looking for the weirdest possible alarm clock to put on your bedside table, check in over at Strapya World, who should start taking orders for the Clockman iD soon.

Sonic Bomb Alarm Clock: Wake Up or Go Deaf

Lambert Varias — Sun, 04 Sep 2011 16:00:50 +0000

We feature quirky alarm clocks on almost a weekly basis. On the other hand, the creators of the Sonic Bomb alarm clock didn’t bother to think of unique ways of waking people up. They just went with pure power. The maximum loudness of this alarm clock is 113dB – that’s as loud as, if not louder than a jackhammer or chain saw. It may even be enough to cause hearing loss. If this doesn’t wake you up, your neighbors tearing your flesh to shreds will.

The Sonic Bomb also has three red LEDs that can be made to flash and comes with a vibrating pad you can place under your pillow to shake you awake.

Again, not terribly creative, and also unnecessary in the face of its ear-splitting sonic blast. If you think you need something this strong, hit up Hammacher Schlemmer and pay $35 (USD). Or go see a specialist.

[via Gear Patrol]

Shoot This Alarm Clock Every Morning to Shut It Up

Hazel Chua — Thu, 01 Sep 2011 11:30:31 +0000

Back when I was still in college and definitely way more temperamental than I am today, I would bang my alarm clock silent (or throw it all across the dorm room) in order to shut it up and catch a few more minutes of sleep.

On some days, the wail of the alarm was enough to set me off. Overdue reports, a thesis to work on, examinations to study for – and the list goes on. If you’re knee-deep in a lot of stuff (be it for school or for work or just personal stuff) and want to somehow relieve yourself of all that early morning stress (albeit in a pretty silly-slash-serious way), then you can do so by shooting up your alarm clock early in the morning in order to keep it quiet.

No bullets involved here, but you do have to point the gun towards the face of the clock to silence the alarm. You don’t need to pull any triggers either, though I wish the manufacturers required you to pull the trigger to shut the alarm off, to make a stronger point, you know.

Nonetheless, this alarm clock with the remote control that’s shaped like a gun is still a pretty neat idea. If you want one of these, you can head on over to I Want One Of These (seriously, I love this store’s name) to get one for £22.95 (~$38 USD.)

[via Coolest Gadgets]

TalkO’Clock: Connecting People. In the Morning. When We’re Cranky. And Ripe for Trolling.

Lambert Varias — Sun, 28 Aug 2011 16:00:02 +0000

Do you wake up when your phone rings? Does your job involve people calling you at odd hours of the day? Or maybe you’re the type of person who just has to answer their phone, even if you don’t know who’s calling? Then this might be the best – and the worst – way to wake you up. A new free service called TalkO’Clock has users give wake up calls to each other. Yeah, I pass.

For braver souls, all you have to do to participate in TalkO’Clock is register your number. TalkO’Clock promises that they won’t give it away, not even to other users of the service. You then specify the time you want to be woken up as well as your preferred gender, if any, of your human alarm clock. If you want to ~~exact revenge~~ extend the same courtesy to another stranger, simply browse the list and volunteer to be a caller. Users are encouraged to be “original” with their wake up calls. Frightening.

Click to View Embedded Video Clip

iOS and Android app versions are also forthcoming:

Click to View Embedded Video Clip

This still doesn’t pass my ultimate alarm clock test. Also, the service is useless if you mute or turn off your phone (or destroy it after getting too many creepy wake-up calls from strangers.) It could make for a lot of interesting mornings though. I’m just not sure if that’s good interesting or bad interesting. TalkO’Clock is currently in beta and is available only in the USA and Canada. Check out the official website for more info.

[via TorrentFreak via Dvice]

Space Invader Alarm Clock Shuffles from Side to Side, Dares You to Shoot

Conner Flynn — Mon, 22 Aug 2011 12:15:06 +0000

Sometimes when I hear sounds from old games I get nostalgic. Space Invaders was a good one. All of that pew pew pew as the aliens march from side to side, striving to get closer to our planet.

I bet you can hear it clearly now since I pointed it out. How about an alarm clock that not only wakes you by playing Space Invaders-eqsue sounds, but goes the extra distance by actually moving from side to side just like it does on screen? When you see it do it’s thing, you’ll have an urge to shoot it, just like in the game.

Sound good? Of course it does. We all love Space Invaders. Aside from the movement feature, this alarm clock may be a bit plain looking, but I am digging the retro buttons and the style of the digits. It will cost you £12.99 (~$21 USD) over at I Want One of Those.

Tetris Alarm Clock Will Make You Beg for the Line Piece

Lambert Varias — Thu, 07 Jul 2011 15:18:13 +0000

Here’s our weekly quota for an unusual and complicated alarm clock, courtesy of Instructables member / Arduino enthusiast / geeky torturer Nolte919. His alarm clock requires the user to play a game of Tetris and clear not one, but four lines on the tiny screen before it turns off the alarm.

When you’ve used up the preset number of snoozes, the game fires up. As you might have guessed, you’ll have to turn the clock sideways in order to play the game. It may not take a genius to play Tetris, but because each level is randomly generated it just might be enough to fire up your neurons and really wake you up.

Speaking of presets, this being an alarm clock made by a geek for geeks, it has a dizzying array of customizable parameters, from the brightness of the backlight to the number of times you can activate snooze. There are also four game modes of Tetris to choose from, but the geekiest feature of them all? Being able to set the alarm time down to the hundredths of a second.

Click to View Embedded Video Clip

If it looks like Nolte919 created the clock from scratch, it’s because he did – from the basic electronic components to the software. This is probably one of the more advanced projects I’ve ever featured here. If you think you’re up to the task and like waking up to random puzzles, check out Instructables for the full set of instructions.

[via Ubergizmo]

Alternative Alarm Clock Wakes You by Turning Things on

Shane McGlaun — Tue, 05 Jul 2011 18:02:30 +0000

We like to talk about weird alarm clocks around here, if for no other reason than we think it’s funny that some people actually have clocks rather than just using their smartphones these days. If you are into weird clocks, the Alternative Alarm Clock by designer Ki Hyun Kim is an interesting one. It has two AC outlets on top and a quick look at them tells you there aren’t meant for the U.S.

The clock will wake you when the alarm goes off by turning on whatever it is that you have plugged into the outlets. You could have it wake you to music, a coffee maker, or a margarita blender depending on what you like first thing in the morning.

Other than those outlets, the clock is rather plain, although it does come in white or red colors. I would like to see some sort of cover over the ugly plugs when they’re not in use. I think most people would rather just stick with using their radio to wake up and a coffee pot with a timer to have their brew ready. Regardless, the Alternative Alarm Clock is only a concept for now.

[Vimeo via Dezeen]

VFD Round Clock Tells Time with a Glow

Technabob — Mon, 04 Jul 2011 22:15:23 +0000

It’s been a long while since I’ve seen a clock that doesn’t look like anything else I’ve seen before. So when I was scouring the aisles of eBay earlier today and stumbled onto this cool clock, I thought to myself, “Eureka! A geeky clock that I’ve never seen before!”

This particular clock uses a VFD (vacuum flourescent display) like you might find on an older alarm clock or calculator, but instead of displaying boring old digits, this one tells time with an analog-style 34mm (1.33″) round clock face. This complete clock is created by the guys at Kosbo.com, and comes in a clear acrylic case that lets you see the entire circuit, both front and back.

It’s also got dual alarms built-in, and 8 adjustable brightness levels so it should work nicely as a bedside clock. They’ve even gone the extra mile to include an integrated backup battery, in case the power goes out. The clock is based on this circuit board, which can also be procured separately in case you want to make your own round-face VFD clock.

One example they posted was this cool mod somebody did, replacing the analog clock in their Mini Cooper:

Not too shabby, eh? I could see this looking good in many cars if you have the guts to rip apart your vehicle and install one. If you’re like me, you’re more likely to just pick up the fully assembled clock, which you can find over on eBay for £64.95 (~$104 USD). Keep in mind that they don’t include the 12VDC AC adapter that you’ll need to power it, but those are cheap and easy to find.

Cicadidae Alarm Clock Concept Turns Your Gadgets Against You

Lambert Varias — Mon, 20 Jun 2011 12:22:47 +0000

If you find it easy to sleep through – or turn off, or destroy – one alarm clock, designer Jongwoo Choi’s concept is just right for you. And by right, I mean unmercifully wrong. Jongwoo’s Cicadidae Clock has several Bluetooth dongles that can turn any device with a 3.5mm audio jack into an alarm, so when that preset time arrives you’ll have to hunt down all of the dongles to get your sanity back.

I must say I’m a bit confused by the dongles though. Looking at the concept pictures you’ll see that each dongle is actually a speaker. Does that mean that the sound will come out just through the dongles, or will they be able to use a gadget’s own speakers to blast the alarm? Probably both, since this is just a concept anyway, but the second possibility is much more menacing.

As one of the commenters at Yanko Design has mentioned, the biggest problem with the Cicadidae Clock is that you’ll have to leave several gadgets on or plugged in while you sleep, and that’s quite a waste of electricity. Maybe in the future when all our appliances are intelligent enough to have built-in alarm clocks and timers we’ll be able to set up something like this.

[via TechFresh]

Nyko Play Clock Charges 3DS and Wakes you in Time for Gaming

Shane McGlaun — Wed, 08 Jun 2011 19:58:38 +0000

There are hoards of alarm clock charging docks on the market for the iPhone and iPad. An alarm clock that can charge a portable game console is a new one for me though. Nyko has whipped out another new product this week for the gamers out there and this one is an interesting alarm clock that will charge a Nintendo 3DS.

The 3DS sits nearly flush in the top of the Nyko Play Clock and I guess you can play the 3DS while it is in the dock if you want to. The dock is compatible with the standard Nintendo 3DS battery. The charger is also compatible with the Nyko PowerPack+ accessory.

The Play Clock has an alarm and will wake you from the input of your choice. The speakers in the dock are powered and you can listen to local AM/FM stations and you can plug in MP3 players via a line in port. It sells for $39.99 (USD) and should ship soon. What do you think? Is an alarm clock for your game console going too far?

Bacon Alarm Clock: Wake and Bakon

Technabob — Wed, 11 May 2011 01:47:08 +0000

Ah, there’s nothing quite like the smell of bacon in the morning. Now you can wake up every morning to the aroma of delicious crispy pig flesh, thanks to the BAKON alarm clock.

Just load the BAKON clock the night before with a few strips of frozen bacon, set the alarm to 15 minutes before you want to get out of bed, and when its time to wake up the next morning, the specially-modified toaster oven cooks you a batch of the tasty stuff, filling your pad with the heavenly bacon scent, readying it for you to eat just in time. And if that’s not enough to wake you, the BAKON oven also oinks like a pig at alarm time.

Click to View Embedded Video Clip

You can’t buy the BAKON clock in a store, but you can follow nelson8815′s build guide over on Instructables if you want to try and make one for yourself.