Tag: alarm clock

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Connected Objects Home

A little birdie told us that CuCu has reinvented the wall clock

No matter most do, time is a hard thing to really get a grasp on. Getting enough sleep, making sure meetings are attended and errands are done in a timely fashion — people routinely mess these things up. The team behind the CuCu wants to make it a lot easier — and more stylish — to keep your day in check.

The CuCu clock is a smart alarm clock that attaches to the wall and tells you the time by reviving the age-old idea of a cuckoo clock for the modern age. Obviously, CuCu works in tandem with its companion mobile app owners can use to do simple things like set alarms, integrate with iCal, check battery or change up the device’s customizable LED lighting.

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Connected Objects Sleep Smart Home

Beddi connected smart alarm conducts restful sleep and productive mornings

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.

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Cell Phone Accessories

DreamMe has your smartphone display dancing on the ceiling

For many smartphone owners, the alarm clock has become yet another device that the versatile device has replaced alongside the camera, camcorder, music player, navigation device and even flashlight. After all, one generally has to charge it at night. Why not keep it at bedside? But there’s at least one alarm clock feature used by some that smartphones couldn’t answer — the ability to project the time on the ceiling.

DreamMe is a lens that’s designed to sit atop your smartphone’s screen at bedtime. When used with its companion app, it can outdo projection alarm clocks by projecting a range of things on the ceiling, including the time in different cities, weather, social media or other messages. DreamMe requires no batteries or other power to do its thing. The device can be manually focused by twisting its halves. DreamMe’s creator seeks $10, 872 by September 23rd. DreamMe can be topping your smartphone for €18 (about $20) with the devices slated to be shipped in December.

The DreamMe is a clever little accessory that will fill a gap for what has proven to be a resilient alarm clock feature Its versatility could be a bit of a drawback as a social media stream, for instance, might do more to keep one awake than keep one asleep. But of course that’s up to the owner.

 

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Sleep Technology

SensorWake alarm clock helps you arise with aroma

It’s pretty hard to make a unique alarm clock. After all, no matter how many bells and whistles a manufacturer adds to such a device, it’s still going to wake people up using sounds –- be it the radio or more traditional annoying alarm sounds.

patent-claimedSensorWake, however, is an original twist on the alarm clock, using the sense of smell to wake users up. It uses patented technology that enables a scent to be released from fragrance capsules at a specified time. One capsule can be reused up to 60 times and the device will wake users up in less than two minutes each time, according to consumer tests that were conducted on more than 100 people, its developer says.

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Connected Objects Sleep

Wakē shines a little light — and audio — to rouse without disturbing mattress mates

The smartphone has encroached upon the classic clock radio as the tool of choice for greeting the day, but both offer an escape from slumber via sounds delivered at an elevated decibel. That can mean a rude awakening for the person who shares a bed with the early riser.

Wakē swivels to project a light and parametric speaker (one that can focus a beam of sound) that work together to gently wake owners and their bedfellows individually. The product mounts above the bed on a wall. From there, a companion smartphone app communicates when and how the sleeping should be awoken with a combination of light and sound. Wakē can hone its spotlight and audio beam on bed occupants even if they are spooning. However, pre-empting concern about (unwanted) cameras in the bedroom, the product relies on heat seeking to identify which person should receive its stimuli. Developer Lucera Labs seeks $100,000 by May 30th. Backers can pick up a unit for $250 (or $125 per bed occupant).

Wake has more applications on the drawing board; a reading light is a natural next step. The product represents the most radical rethinking of the alarm clock in a long time. It’s unusual position in the bedroom and need to be charged every few months, though, diminish ts useful impact for couples. somewhat Still, it represents the most clever use of parametric speaker capabilities to date.

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Safety Travel

The Travel Guardian combines smoke detector and alarm clock for ultimate safety travel companion

Citing that 1.5 million homes in the UK are without a smoke alarm and that most people do not regularly check their smoke detector batteries the makers of the Travel Guardian suggest killing two birds with one stone with their product. They suggest that since most people regularly change alarm clock batteries, that adding a smoke detector to alarms will ensure that both are always ready to go.

Travel Guardian is a large clock display that comes in a variety of colors. Inside is the smoke detector. Backers that pledge £250 (~$380) will get a limited edition metallic gold edition unit.

If you are very concerned about the possibility of smoke or fire hazards while you travel, the Travel Guardian may be for you. However, it’s a little odd that this product is specifically for travelers since at least hotel accommodations definitely have both alarm clocks and smoke detectors. It’s also a huge drawback that the Travel Guardian doesn’t attach to the ceiling, so it really won’t detect smoke at the first opportunity. Backers that contribute £50 (~$75) get the regular edition of the unit. The campaign is seeking to raise £100,000 (~$150,700) on Indiegogo.

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Health and Wellness

Lumino helps you rise before the sun gets up

When winter comes and the days get shorter, getting up before the sun to go to work or school can be a major struggle. Since the body is programmed to sleep at night and be awake when the sun is up, Lumino offers smart technology for helping a person to ease into those dark mornings. The product works with one’s bedside lamp, phone, Bluetooth, and a smart plug. A few minutes before the pre-set time, the intensity of the lamp gradually increases, registering in the brain in a similar way as waking up to the rising sun. When the lamp hits maximum intensity, the user’s desired alarm or song plays on their phone. Lumino can also be used as a night light when not home, or a sleep aid that slowly diminishes light intensity in the bedroom while winding down to go to sleep.

Everyone has experienced the dread of waking up before sunrise in the winter, so Lumino is a neat little way of  waking up to a more pleasant day, provided that users have iOS or Android. Interested backers might also like to check out the Sleep Sensei and TekTuk campaigns. This campaign seeks to raise $100,000 CAD (~$87,500 USD). Early bird backers get one product for $39 CAD (~$34 USD) with an expected delivery of April 2015.

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Sleep

Sense clips to your pillow, offers a mint of data

The Premise. Everyone needs to sleep, and yet only a select few get to enjoy the way their bodies are naturally inclined to do. Whether it’s city noise, a restless partner, or just the grind of a morning commute, the average person isn’t getting enough quality sleep every night.

The Product. Sense is a sort of hub that tracks and monitors all the important aspects of sleep through the use of the Sleep Pill, a small sensor that clips not to the body but instead to the pillow, and a ball full of sensors that rests on your nightstand. Sense functions as an alarm clock and a sleep monitor that pays attention to more than just how much movement is happening in the bed. Sense records any sounds that may jar users awake, can play calming sleep sounds, and can wake sleepers up at a time that is more natural by monitoring the sleep cycle. After each night, Sense gives users a sleep score based on the conditions of the bedroom and the quality of the sleep.

The Pitch. Sense’s video is all about how to unlock the best sleep one can get without ignoring al the realities of life, family, and work. The device is attractive and the materials show this off very well. Designer Hello wants to raise $100,000 to make Sense more than just a dream.

The Perks. A Sense and the companion Sleep Pill can be picked up for $99;, and will be reaching homes in November 2014. Bed partners can also get in on the fun with a Sleep Pill of their own. Those who want to color coordinate the striking device with their bedroom decor will need to shell out $1,000 to work with Hello’s team of industrial designers.

The Potential. The wearable market is quickly reaching a saturation point, and there are already plenty of devices that take a long hard look at how users sleep. What’s great about Sense is the way that it replaces an existing household device (the alarm clock) with something that is pleasing in design and more functional in what it does. Additionally, that the Sleep Pill clips to the pillow and not anywhere on the pajamas is a great asset for the more forgetful folks out there, as well as those who prefer to sleep au naturel and have nothing to clip a tracker to. In terms of innovation, Sense isn’t trying much that hasn’t been addressed before, but this is one of those rare “complete” packages that has a lot to offer even if it isn’t the newest idea out there.

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Accents

aclock taps Bluetooth and e-ink display to little advantage

aclockNo matter how well it brings the room together, the alarm clock tends to be one of the most unpopular devices in the home. Ranging from the simple and classic to more modern inventive takes, the alarm clock really only needs to be successful in one way. With wireless Bluetooth synchronization with phones and a Kindle-style e-ink display visible in all levels of light, the aclock is a technologically modern take on the alarm clock that works in conjunction with a phone. In the process it doesn’t really do anything a phone can’t already, but provides a nice, external display. The aclock is currently available for pre-order.

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Cell Phone Accessories

wobL lets your iPhone rock your wakeup

WoBLThe turnover of successive iPhone generations has led to many of us having a surplus of old devices. You could sell them or give them away, but why not put them to work around the house? wobL is a nightstand cradle for your iPhone that positions it at an optimal viewing angle for your horizontal head and allows you to “snooze” an alarm via a companion app. Rocking is a clever way to snooze the device given that the iPhone has no side-mounted snooze button, and the approach avoids having to pair with something via Bluetooth. Of course, it also works with Apple’s iPhone 5 series, providing a place for you to charge up overnight. On the other hand, even a dimmed LCD isn’t everyone’s favorite bedside companion. wobL comes to Kickstarter after a campaign on its hometown crowdfunding site Crowd Supply. It’s available to backers for $25, but isn’t expected to be available until October 2014. That seems like a long time for a relatively simple device, even including potential app development time.