The very first thing everyone reaches for in the morning is their smartphone. While possibly a symptom of a collective digital addiction, there are quite a few good reasons people do, the most important being to shut off an alarm. But most smartphones wake us up so abruptly and while there are apps out there to make the transition from sleep to wakefulness more pleasant, pushing a screen into one’s face first thing in the morning isn’t the most relaxing way to start the day.
The Beddi intelligent alarm clock is an app-enabled device that sits bedside to facilitate better sleep and a more peaceful, more productive start to the day. Before going to sleep, the Bose-like unit’s two USB ports (one rapid charging port and one normal port) makes it easy to charge devices. Before bed,, the LED mood light turns off automatically, and its Bluetooth speaker can play soothing sounds like white noise or ambient ocean sounds to help
In the morning, the device’s natural sunrise simulator slowly fills the room with a soft glow to help awaken users more naturally a few minutes before the alarm goes off. And when the dreaded moment does come, the alarm that’s heard isn’t a screeching fire truck but rather favored playlists courtesy of Spotify integration.
Beddi makes getting ready in the morning easier with voice-based weather forecasts, maps integration that keeps users up-to-date about traffic conditions and when to leave, and a one-touch Uber button. In addition, it can automatically or manually control other devices like Nest and anything (like coffee pots) connected to WeMo, so a warm home and a cup of coffee is ready before the user is. A Beddi goes for $75 with an expected ship date of June 2016. The campaign is looking for $25,000 by December 3rd, 2015.
In contrast to novel alarm methods baked into the SensorWake or Alarming Clock, Beddi seems like the most sane alternative despite its million features. While pure feature overload might be exactly what some are looking for, it may very well overwhelm others. For the most part, the programmable buttons it’s embedded with are a standout feature that allows quick access to app like SMS or even Skype—and its low price helps sweeten the deal.