Android docks are finally coming into their own in a big way. As someone who has a love/hate relationship with alarm clocks (doesn’t everybody?), a dock that can double as an alarm clock, completely controlled by the phone…that’s the future. The phone is the center of our world, and everything else plays around it. The bedroom clock may be the first serious step in that direction, and the Philips Fidelio AS111 Android Dock is a brilliant  step forward.

The AS111 is a very succinct, simple device. It has a MicroUSB connector for Android smartphones, though will charge any device with a MicroUSB port. It connects to devices via Bluetooth, and only Bluetooth. Android does not currently support audio out through USB, but all Philips Android docks do, so when Android does support it, the AS111 will be ready (after a firmware update to the hardware).

It has a round base with a clock on the front, speakers on the top, and little else. On the back there’s an AUX-in port for wired audio playback. When connected to a device via Bluetooth, the media buttons on the top can control music playback (play, pause, next and previous track). There’s also a button to turn on and off phone charging, which some users will find very attractive for conserving energy. Finally, there’s a night light on the underbelly of the dock. It has a slight orange hue and is very calm and pleasant. The brightness of the clock LED can also be adjusted.

Setup and installation is very easy. The dock works off of the software, so once the Fidelio app is downloaded, just connect the dock to your phone and the rest happens automatically. The clock will set its time based on your phone’s time.

I’ve used the AS111 for over a month and it is an exceptional device. I’m very satisfied with using it day in and day out. The stereo speakers aren’t all that powerful, but as a clock they don’t need to be. If I listen to music in the bedroom, it’s quiet anyways. Even with just 4W of power, I am satisfied with the quality of audio. Obviously bass is lacking, so you psychopaths who listen to Skrillex before clocking out won’t find this dock too appealing. Everyone else will.

All clock features are controlled through the free Fidelio app. As I discussed in the Philips Fidelio DS8550 Speaker Dock review, the software is okay and improving, though on Android compared to iPhone there are some major differences that both improve and can be a bit of a nuisance. Because it isn’t limited by Apple’s restrictions, alarms set will automatically enable when connecting to the dock (by activating the Fidelio app). This sounds great, but unfortunately it does this any time the phone is connected to any charger. If you only charge with this dock, the then’s fine, but if like most Android users you charge either more than once a day or connect to a computer, the Fidelio app starting every time the phone gets power is annoying. This feature can be turned off, but even after I turned it off it kept starting the app when connecting to a power source. Turning it off would also require starting the app every night if you want to use the dock as an alarm clock.

Otherwise the software is good, but messier than the iOS version. It’s slower than it should be and a little clunkier. While writing this review, I found another firmware update, which does speed up the app and clean some of the minor nags I found. It’s better, but still not as good as the iOS version.

The Fidelio AS111 dock on its own is excellent, the best I’ve seen to date. It has a proper balance of size, build quality, looks, and power. The software may need a little work, and perhaps some adjustments from Google, but all in all I highly recommend the AS111.

Editor’s Rating:

4.5 out of 5 stars

Excellent

Bottom Line: A great Android dock that replaces typical alarm clocks and clock radios.

Pros:

• Solid audio quality
• Simple, intuitive, and sleek design
• The hardware has everything users can desire from a clock

News on the Sony Ericsson Smart Watch (which will probably just be the Sony SmartWatch) has been released.  The Android-based watch keeps you discreetly updated on your social life, while also keeping your hands free. Everything is based on your wrist, as the watch allows you to catch up on emails, texts, tweets and more. It has the capability to store up to 255 widgets, most of which will interact with your Android 2.1+ Sony smartphone (they’ve listed the Xperia arc S and Experia S as two compatible phones) via Bluetooth.

Featuring a scratch and splash-proof multi-touch display, users can easily customize their SmartWatch with any 20mm wristband or even use it as a clip. It has an ultra-sleek, ultra-slim and ultra-responsive touch display where you simply tap, swipe or press to access your favorite apps from the Android Market. Price is said to be $149, but no launch date has been revealed yet.

To a large degree iHome’s success has largely been built upon Apple’s iOS devices.  And it doesn’t look like the company is about to change their strategy any time soon since they just announced plans for a slew of new iPod and iPad ready devices.  Taking the cake, at least so far this year, is the iW4.

Much like the iW1, the iW4 includes Airplay connectivity to wirelessly stream your tunes from any Apple device over your home’s WiFi connection.  You’ll of course need to set it up using their Connect app, which isn’t exactly painless (we’re testing the iW1 right now), but is manageable nonetheless.  But unlike the iW1, the iW4 boasts a dock as well as a form factor that is bedside friendly.  In fact, the iW4 is a bedside companion to the max, boasting dual alarms with a weekday and weekend function. Heck, you can even wake to tunes on your iPad via Airplay, or if you’re a traditionalist you can opt for the swiveling dock which all but ensures that you can see your iOS device’s screen from just about any angle you lay, along with providing power and the best possible audio quality. And if for some reason you don’t want to hassle with adding the iW4 to your home’s network, iHome has included an Ethernet port, though that feature will serve little to no one, with the exception of those living in studio apartments.

Other features include iHome’s patented Reson8 speaker system, which adds more oomph to the audio, 6 FM presets, an adjustable EQ, programmable snooze time, gradual wake and sleep, a USB port for firmware updates, battery backup and an AUX input for all things not iOS.

No word on a release date, but it expect to cost just north of $250.

iW4
AirPlay Wireless Bedside Speaker
System for iPad/iPhone/iPod®

The iW4 is an amazing app-enhanced, AirPlay enabled wireless speaker system alarm clock radio for iPad, iPhone and iPod touch. Stream wireless digital audio via AirPlay through your WiFi network. Dual alarms let you wake to separate alarm sources at separate times. Impressive technology and an exceptional audio experi- ence.
FEATURES
• Wake or sleep to iPad, iPhone, iPod, app alarms, or iTunes via AirPlay Start or end your day just the way you want it to sound
• Works with AirPlay wireless audio
Send digital audio wirelessly to iW4 from your iTunes library or iPad, iPhone, iPod touch
• Reson8® speaker chambers
Specially designed sealed speaker enclosures deliver astounding clarity, depth and power
• Pivoting universal dock for iPad, iPod or iPhone charging and music playback
Enjoy your music while keeping your iPad, iPhone or iPod fully charged
• iOS App-enhanced device
Works with iHome Sleep alarm clock, iHome Radio internet radio, and iHome Connect network setup and iHome Set apps
• Dual Alarm with Weekday/weekend alarm settings
2 independent alarms let you wake to any combination of Airplay device,
docked iPhone, iPod, iPad, FM radio, alarm tones, iHome Sleep app or buzzer with alarm settings for full week, work week or weekend with separate wake times/ alarm sources
• Wi-Fi certified
Tested to ensure interoperability and the latest in Wi-Fi compatibility
• Ethernet connectivity
Connect to a local network
• Works with free iHome Connect app
Download the free iHome Connect app for easy network configuration
• FM radio with 6 presets
Tune in and memorize up to 6 favorite FM stations
• Adjustable EQ
Bass, mid range, treble, 3D sound and SRS TruBass sound processing controls let you customize your sound
• Programmable snooze time
Lets you sleep in a little or a lot with snooze time between 1 and 29 minutes
• Gradual Wake and Gradual Sleep
Gently increased/decreased alarm/sleep volume eases waking and sleep, duration can be programmed with the app
GENERAL INFORMATION
Product
Color(s): Black
Dimensions: WHD Inches: 10.80 4.41 7.17 mm: 274 112 182
Weight: 4.62 lbs
Power 100V-240V universal
voltage adapter
Batteries 1 CR2450 for clock backup (included)
Packaging
Type: Five-Color Gift Box
Dimensions: WHD Inches: 15.55 9.06 5.91 mm: 395 230 150
Cube: 0.48 cubic feet 0.014 cubic meters
Weight: 7.04lbs 3.20 kgs
Master Carton
confidential ∙ preliminary
ADDITIONAL FEATURES
• 100V-240V universal voltage AC adaptor • Remote control
• Aux-in jack
• USB port (firmware upgrade)
• Battery Backup
Package contents:
• iW4 System
• 100-240V universal voltage adapter
• Remote control
SDI Technologies Inc.
1299 Main Street
Rahway, NJ 07065 www.ihomeaudio.com
732 574-9000 · Fax 732 574-1631
iPad, iPhone and iPod are trademarks of Apple, Inc., registered in the U.S. and other countries.
SRS TruBass is a registered trademark of SRS Labs, Inc. TruBass technology is incorporated under license from SRS Labs, Inc.
©2011 SDI Technologies® All rights reserved
IMPORTANT: All products and packaging include a toll free consumer hotline number (800-288-2792) to provide assistance, answer questions and minimize unnecessary customer returns.
Specifications subject to change without notice to incorporate improvements in design. Printed in USA.
Revised: 12/19/11
Quantity
Dimensions: Inches
mm:
Cube: Weight:
Shipping
Country
40 Ft. Cont. 20 Ft. Cont.
Harm. Code 2011 Duty
iW4 UPC
1
WHD 16.18 10.24 6.54 411 260 166
0.63 cubic feet 0.02 cubic meters
7.85 lbs. 3.57 kg
China
3,167 1,500
0%


There’s nothing quite like a new spin on an old product.  And arriving just in time before the year’s end is Edifier’s Tick Tock clock.

While it may appear to be your old school alarm clock, it’s anything but.  Those would be bells perched up top are in fact 360 degree firing, 1.5-inch full range speakers.  We can’t make any promises in terms of sound quality, but we’re willing to bet that the sound from this 7 watt powered bed side companion produces anything but full and rich audio.  But come on, would you really buy this for that purpose?

In terms of other specs, all versions of the Tick Tock boast an AUX input, meaning you can playback audio from any compatible device, as well as an LCD screen for viewing the time and tuning in a radio station.  There are three models to choose from, which includes a version with a 30-pin dock for your iPhone or iPod Touch, a Bluetooth version for wireless audio playback or one that ships with an SD card slot.  And while all of them sport an AUX and USB input, none of the models sports all two or all three aforementioned features.  In other words, the Dock version doesn’t include Bluetooth and viceversa. A bit weak if you ask us, but perhaps it’s all in the name of cost.

And speaking of which, they start at $69.99.

The traditional alarm clocks emits a loud and annoying sound at a selected time.  Functional, but not always effective.  As a result we’ve seen alarms clocks which range from an amalgamation of helicopters and speakers to bombs you have to defuse in order to stop the ear brutalizing noise.  And while the vibration alarm clocks are anything but new, none might not be so effective as the Little Rooster.

Figure it out yet?  No.  Like an every day alarm clock you set your wake time before heading to sleep.  But instead of placing it bedside and waiting for the proverbial bell to ring, the Little Rooster will vibrate…in your pants.  And by pants we mean your underwear.  Yeah, pretty damn unorthodox, but since they’re sold out we can only assume that those who bought it think it will be an effective, and pleasurable mind you, method to wake up.  That or they’re looking for a vibrator and appreciate the guise of an “alarm clock.”

What we find a bit perplexing is that you can return it within 30-days without any questions asked.  Even if you’ve used it.  So does that mean you could possibly receive a refurbished Little Rooster, or are they just counting on the odds that no one will be willing to return this $100 device.

Operation is pretty obvious.  To charge this handy device you’ll need to plug it into a USB port.

New York City is chock full of noise.  People yelling at all hours of the days, garbage trucks dispensing with the city’s trash and taxi cab drivers who all but have their hand glued to the horn.  And no matter what city you live in you probably wish you could shoot that dang car whose alarm goes off every morning at 5am.  Well, now you can…sort of.

This alarm clock includes a plastic black gun that looks real enough it might actually get you shot the next time the SWAT team kicks down your door for a drug raid. To turn the alarm clock off, which is signified by some sort of car noise (we assume a horn), you simply just to point the gun at the taxi – sorry, no trigger pull required.  It would have been way cooler if you had to shoot a sequence, which surely would facilitate the whole waking up process and justify its $40 price tag.

For the sake of full disclosure this is by no means a new or innovative idea.  We first saw a gun clock 3 years ago, though that one was a fair bit bulkier, and required you to shoot the bulls eye in order to shut it off.

3.5 out of 5 stars

Sleep is as vital as eating food.  Without, you’ll go insane, get physically sick and all together won’t be able to function.  So if you sleep poorly, your performance will diminish, hence why you’re told to get a good night’s sleep prior to an encumbering day.  However, unlike the other every day activities that we perform, where we can self monitor our performance, it’s impossible to do so while sleeping since your brain is for all intents and purposes in standby mode.

Enter the Lark.  It’s a wrist mounted device that tracks your sleeping habits and sends the data to an iOS device.

Design

The Lark includes a charging base (it doubles as an iOS stand), a wrist strap with a micromovement sensor and accompanying iOS application.

The micromovement sensor is composed of plastic and plugs into the charging base using a micro-USB port.  A small LED light changes from red to green to let you know when it’s fully charged. Lark recommends you charge it every night to ensure the battery doesn’t die mid sleep cycle.  Since the Lark is inserted into the charging dock in a horizontal like fashion, opposite to any iPhone dock, I found it particularly fiddly.  Furthermore, the wristband, if not completely unwrapped gets into the way.

Despite the dock’s aforementioned short coming, it’s hefty, won’t slip around on your night stand thanks to a rubber bottom and can hold any iOS device at a comfortable viewing angle in its rubber clutches.  An AC wall plug transfers power to a built-in USB port, which is designed to be used with your iPhone’s 30-pin cable, allowing you to charge your handset while you sleep.

Plugging everything in couldn’t be more simple, but setting the Lark’s vibrating alarm takes a bit more finesse.  First you must leave the Lark in the charging dock.  Next, pair your iPhone’s Bluetooth with the device and then download the accompanying app.  If you don’t leave the Lark in the charging dock it won’t connect with your iPhone since it automatically goes to sleep once you remove it.  So to set the alarm you must follow the same procedure.  Fire up the app, enter your wake up time(s) and then strap on the Lark.  In in the morning, turn off the Lark’s alarm when you wake, plug it back in and the data from the night will be sent to your iOS device, provided you’ve left the Bluetooth engaged on the handset.  A bit laborious for an evening or morning task, but for the latter time it’s perhaps a good way to wake up since your brain will have to kick into think mode.

The Lark is designed to wake you using vibrations.  In the event that the Lark’s battery dies or that the vibrations don’t wake you from your slumber, you can setup a back up audible alarm within the app or use the iPhone’s native alarm clock.  In addition to waking you with slight vibrations, the Lark can track your sleeping habits.  I’m not entirely sure how it works, but it will display, per the picture above, how much time it took you to fall asleep, how many times you woke up during the night and the quality of your sleep from 1-10, with 10 being the best.  The quality scores seems to be calculated based on how many times you woke up during the evening and how many hours of sleep you attained.  I believe that it is also compared against a database of sleep data.  You can review your results directly on the handset, within the Lark app, or login to the website, as shown in the above screenshot.

Performance

I’ve never been one to sleep through audible alarms unless I’m dead tired, but nor am I a light sleeper.  Despite that, the Lark’s vibrations, while not any more soothing or jarring than an audible alarm, woke me without fail for the 10+ days that I tested it.   Who knows, perhaps it is THE answer for partners who squabble about being woke early as a result of keeping different hours. As to whether the gentle vibration will awake more refreshed, keep dreaming (pun intended).

Lark failed to hook me up with a Pro account, which provides you with detailed feedback about how to improve your sleep based on your score.  As a result I was left to my own devices as to why I slept the way I did.  Nonetheless, I can’t help but wonder what kind of improvements they could suggest based on my movements throughout the night.   However, at first I had a hard time believing that on average I woke up 20-30 times during my night’s sleep.  But despite my skepticism this seemed to be accurately reflected, especially on the days I thought I had gotten more sleep but soon found myself dragging.  So Lark is definitely onto something, it’s just a question of how you apply the collected data, which is why the Pro account, which costs $59 a year, is so pertinent.

Conclusion

In the end the Lark proved a bit too intrusive a device on my wrist to enable me to get a good night’s sleep.  Furthermore, whose to say that the Lark didn’t cause me to wake up more times through out the night than I normally do as a result of having a foreign device strapped onto my wrist.  But alas, a 14 day test may not be an appropriate amount of time for me to adjust to the device.   So with that said it’s a question of tolerance and your willingness to not only be patient, but adjust to a device that isn’t any more encumbering than a watch.

Bottom line: The Lark would be a fair more attractive, and useful device if they didn’t charge a yearly subscription fee.  Without the Pro account, which provides a Sleep Coach, it’s little more than going to the dentist with a toothache, only to be told by your dentist that you have, what else, a toothache.

Pros:

• Silent alarm is a God send for partners with different sleeping hours
• Relatively easy to use free app
• Looks neat and seems to be very well made

Cons:

• App doesn’t provide enough insight into your sleeping habit; you’ll need to invest in the Pro version for more info ($59/year)
• Micro-USB port is at an awkward angle; difficult to dock the device

123►

GadgetReview is giving away one Stem Innovation TimeCommand iPhone Alarm Clock ($100 value), to ONE lucky winner!

The TimeCommand isn’t your ordinary iPhone alarm clock, though it will play and charge the handset.  It features an outlet that allows you to plug in any lamp of your choosing and can be controlled with the touch of a button.  But that’s not all.  Set an alarm, and the TimeCommand will turn the lamp on when it’s time to wake up.  On the converse it will turn the lamp off when your ready to head into slumber land.  There is also a speaker, a 5-band equalizer and the always necessary battery back up in case of a power outage.  Did we mention it also functions as a dimmer switch so you can set the mood right after you flip on some love making music.

We’re giving away one of these to one person for FREE. To enter just LIKE our Facebook Fan Page and then leave a comment on the associated FB post telling us what you HATE most about Facebook.  Again, you’ll need to head to our Facebook page and leave your comment on the post (one Facebook) announcing this contest.

Will pick one winner at random from the comments, but in order to WIN you’ll have to Like Us and comment on Facebook. If you’d like a double entry, follow us on Twitter and retweet this contest.

This contest ends 9/21/2011 at 11:59 PST

It’s open to US residents in the continental US of A only.

3.5 out of 5 stars

I have a very old first generation iHome by my bedside – it’s not pretty, and it doesn’t charge my iPhone, but it hasn’t failed me as a bedside radio. I knew though that the time would come that it would finally quit, and I would need to get something newer, something better; enter Stem’s TimeCommand.

I was instantly intrigued by the TimeCommand; not only was it an iPhone/iPad/iPod dock (which means I’d finally have another way to charge my iPhone), but through an app you could download for free, it could “talk” to your iPhone or iPad (or iPod; let’s just use the term iDevice to mean all three from here on out, ok?).  Set an alarm on one, and it would also set the other.  If you don’t feel like messing around with setting the time, no worries – just plug in your iDevice and it automatically sets it off of that.

The app turns the screen of your iDevice into a giant clock (well, giant if it’s an iPad – not quite so giant for an iPhone) that looks nice – albeit mildly useless considering that you also have a clock a few inches lower on the face of the TimeCommand as well.  Unfortunately, that seems to be the theme of the TimeCommand; nifty features, that end up being useless bullet points on the back of the box.

One such is the claim that with the TimeCommand you can listen to “internet radio”.  Now, this claim is true because the TimeCommand does have the option to connect to “basic” internet radio streams (nothing like Pandora), however (and here’s the kicker) you can’t fall asleep or wake to them. Yes, this is a clock radio that features a “sleep timer” feature, but you can’t listen to music to fall asleep to.  Oh it has a good number of white noise sounds that will play, and you can use them on the sleep times (things like rainfall and the like), but I want to fall asleep to music.  “Well,” you might say, “you can play music that’s on your iDevice and fall asleep to that.” – and you’d be right.  the problem with that is that I only keep podcasts on my iPhone because when I want to listen to music on it, I use internet radio – like Pandora.

Maybe I’m making way too much out of a little thing – a mountain out of a mole hill if you will, but it’s irritating as hell.  Using the TimeCommand means that I have to also leave my iHome plugged in to use as a standard radio with a sleep function, which is just ridiculously redundant.  I’m just not sure why when you have a feature included, that you wouldn’t do what you could to make that feature work in every situation that it could.

One of the features that the TimeCommand has that does work really nicely, is the bedside lamp dimmer.  When you plug your bedside lamp into it, you can control the brightness from either the app, or the clock itself.  I’m a person that like to read a few chapters before settling in, and it’s nice to be able to keep my lamp dim so my girlfriend can sleep and I can still read.  The TimeCommand also features a mini weather report; while it’s not as in depth as running WeatherBug or the like, it’s nice to be able to wake up and look at the screen to see what the day’s weather will being.

One thing that worked for my girlfriend (but not for me) was the TimeCommand’s docking mechanism.  I say it didn’t work for me, because it’s mounted on a swivel, and designed so that you don’t have to remove your iDevice’s case to plug it in.  My case is unnaturally bulky at the bottom though, so I still had to remove it.  Bear in mind that’s not the fault of the TimeCommand – but rather my fault for having outdated hardware.  My girlfriend never had to remove the case from her iPhone 4 to make it work.

Another really nice thing about the TimeCommand (and this is what makes me really irritated at the aforementioned internet radio issues) is the sound that comes from it.  The app gives you access to a very nice graphic equalizer, but in order to have superb sound you really don’t even need to mess with it much (unless you’re a big time audiophile).  The speakers deliver a better experience than I’ve found with clock radios before, so it would have been really nice if the music features would have worked a bit better.

I have to give the TimeCommand from Stem a rating of three and a half stars out of five.  I would think the main issue I had could be fixed through a software update on the app (rather than a whole hardware revision) – and if it happens I’ll be sure to revisit this review and update it accordingly, however for now the good parts about it are being overshadowed by the negatives.  Since stem is headed by the former CEO of XtremeMac though, I expect good things from them, and that this may just be a bump in the road.

Pros:

• The speakers produce amazing sound
• Bedside lamp dimmer is very useful (at least to me)
• Having your iDevice and the TimCommand synch up is effortless

Cons:

• Can’t fall asleep to the internet radio streams it plays
• Can’t wake up to the internet radio streams it plays
• Why change your iDevice screen into a clock when there’s a clock below??

You can grab the Stem TimeCommand from an Apple retail store (and only from Apple retail stores) for $99.95

Last week, Harry Potter fans from across the globe said goodbye to the boy wizard, as the last movie, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2, came to an end. After seven books (and 8 movies since the last book was broken into two parts), we’ve been introduced to some extraordinary gadgets in the magic world. While many will always remain merely fiction, a few Harry Potter gadgetry just might be on the horizon for us muggles.

Magic Wands

How awesome would it be to cast spells via magic wands? Pretty damn awesome! While this may NEVER make it to reality, there is a pretty cool Magic Wand Remote Control. It looks like exactly like the wands in the movie, but the only thing you’ll be able to control are the channels on the TV (or other infra-red device) via a flick of your wrist. All you have to do is swish, whirl and flick to change channels, adjust volume and more. Despite nowhere close to the real thing, it’s still a pretty cool little gadget for diehard Harry Potter fans.

Flying Cars

In Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (the second installment in the series), Harry and Ron use a flying Ford Anglia to get to Hogsworth after missing the train. But flying cars isn’t something only from Harry Potter books or movies; it’s a notion that’s been around for a while. Many are actually trying to bring this theory to life, with the closet being Terrafugia’s “The Transition,” which is a plane and a car in one. So you can drive yourself to the airport, get on the runway, take off, land and then drive away in the same vehicle. You would need to get your pilot’s license for it though.

Clock that Tracks People

For those who watched Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone might remember the clock Mrs. Weasly had that tracked all the Weasley clan. Well some dude thought it was a cool idea and actually built The Magic Clock, using Twitter and some electronics to physically display where people are. The guy hasn’t committed to actually mass producing them yet, but the way technology is moving so fast, someone might take his idea and build on it.

In today’s world, where we’re always looking to save time, effort, energy and space, multifunctional pieces are always welcomed. Take for instance the Alternative Alarm Clock from designer Kihyun Kim, which is not only an alarm, but also serves as an extension cord with two outlets! It’s diverse and modern design makes it suitable for any living space or even office. The red and white color offerings only further its desirability; given it can add a splash of color to wherever you’d like to put it.

An alarm and electrical outlets are two essential living items and the fact that they’ve been combined only makes life easier and better! Plus, you can never have enough electrical outlets for all your gadgets and electrical toys, only making this clock more appealing. The alarm is like any other alarm and goes off at the set time, while the sockets can be used for phone chargers or just about anything else you can’t find an outlet for elsewhere.

A few cool ideas as to what to use the extra outlets for can include: bedside fans or even a small coffee maker for those who want to get up, turn of their clock and turn on their brewer!

A solid nights rest is just as important as the food you eat.  But unlike the food you consciously consume, we unfortunately can’t monitor ourselves when we sleep.  Unless of course you invest in a sleep monitoring apparatus, such as the Lark.

It’s a fabric soft wristband that monitors your sleep activity and gently vibrates to wake you from you slumber.  The latter feature not only wakes you in a more gradual state, but insures that your companion won’t be disturbed, unlike an audible alarm clock.  The iPhone, like all trendy and cool products, serves as the administration hub to the alarm clock (connects over Bluetooth), and even if your phone dies over night the Lark will still vibrate at the defined time.   Fold into the mix that the Lark can monitor your sleep quality – it tracks how fast you fell asleep, for how long and if you woke up – and you’ve got the whole kit and kaboodle of sleep doctors stuffed into a $189 apparatus.

Read

We’ve seen our fair share of iPod/iPhone bedside alarm clocks, and by most accounts that’s an understatement.  However, the iLive ICP391B Clock Radio stands alone in the often over saturated category by incorporating a design that calls for the iPhone to become the 12th number in the clock, thus making it a complete clock.  Of course you’ll need to download the accompanying application, which also provides an alarm and radio.  The hardware itself includes a set of speakers, an FM antenna, 3.5mm headphone input, a full remote and gradual wake function.

You can buy the iLive ICP391B alarm clock radio for $49.99.

Read

For many the smartphone has replaced the standard bedside alarm clock.  But for those of you that still want the old world charm of a classic, wood finished flip clock, look no further than the Jonas Damon’s Alarm Dock.

Okay, so it’s effectively a piece of Beech Wood designed to hold your iPhone in landscape mode, but it sort of brings sexy back to the bedside.  We’d be a bit more down with the $35 price tag if we knew that you could snake the standard iPhone charger through a slot so you could charge it while it’s docked overnight.

Read

The Chumby 8, Chumby’s latest alarm clock/app device showed up at our door step this week.  We finally got around to an unboxing, which we assure you is nothing special.  However, we did have a chance to play with the device before writing this post.

It looks better, sounds better, feels better and we’re confident if we could eat the Chumby 8 it would taste better than the last iteration, the Chumby One.  Gone is the friendly bedside alarm clock foot print.  The 3.5-inch screen has been replaced with a larger, more responsive, 8-inch 800×600 touchscreen.  Thanks to the bigger screen the UI has been improved and is far cleaner.  The processor has received an almost two fold speed bump from 454mhz to 800mhz and the RAM doubled to 128MB.  This has resulted in a far speedier and more fluid user experience.  Pandora sounds vastly better and there is now a more finger-friendly QWERTY keyboard that makes punching in stations a snap.  Course, you still need to verify your Chumby before accessing Pandora, but once you do so you’ll also be able to add select apps to the device without the need for a computer, though your choices will be rather limited.  Chumby has also added CF and SD card slot, making it ideal for viewing photos, though thanks to the WiFi tapping into your favorite photo sharing site is a no brainer.  The 2W internal speaker is now in stereo – fortunately there is a headphone jack for adding your own speakers.

Expect a review soon, but if you can’t wait the Chumby 8 is available now for $199.99.

Chumby has just released the all new Chumby 8 and boy are we excited.  We reviewed the Chumby One, but felt as though it left something to be desired, especially from a screen size and processor standpoint.

The new Chumby however sports a larger 8-inch screen, a faster processor (800MHz Marvell ARMADA 166) and twice the RAM (128 MB DDR2 SDRAM).  But that’s not all.  You can now upload photos to your favorite sharing sites from the Chumby and manage your apps (i.e. content) directly from the touchscreen device – before you had to log into a computer.  

While they’ve added a mic, no doubt to support VoIP calls, they’ve removed the presence of the FM radio, at least according to the spec sheet, and a USB input for attaching a compatible MP3 player, such as an iPod.  The form factor has also taken a notable change, reflecting that of a digital photo frame.

The new Chumby 8, which measures 8.7″ widex 6.75″ tall x 5.5″ deep, will ship April 5th for $199.95.  You can preorder today.

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Putting aside the fact that the product page reads like an April fools joke, the Arnova by Archos looks like a product that should have hit a few years ago, not in 2011.

In a nutshell, it’s a bedside alarm clock that provides access to the web’s endless array of podcasts, radio stations and video.  Who are we kidding -it’s near impossible to wax poetic about the device, so we’re just gonna lay down the specs and move forward.

Specs:

• 3.5-inch 320×240 touchscreen
• Photo, video and audio playback
• 2GB of built-in storage and an SD card slot
• Alarm clock funtions with multiple alarms
• 3.5mm input and output
• Mini USB port
• Power via wall adapter or 4 AA batteries
• Compatible with Windows, Mac or Linux
• Remote control
• 199 x 84 x 84 mm

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4 out of 5 stars

Pros:

• Easy to setup and use
• Vast array of apps that fulfills almost any bedside need
• Bright screen, loud alarm and USB input and headphone jack

Cons:

• Pandora sometimes stutters during playback
• Touchscreen is not capacitive
• Video plays at an unwatchable frame rate

At first glance the Chumby can probably best be described as an alarm clock.  But turn on the device, setup the time and think of something that you might just need to know at a moment’s notice while laying in bed and I’d wager a bet that the Chumby is willing to facilitate.  No, it won’t perform nefarious activities like make an appointment with a call girl or send your ex-wife harassing emails, but thanks to the vast community of apps it can do everything from display the weather forecast, to showing the latest earthquake readings to viewing the hottest movie trailers.

To be frank the Chumby has been around for sometime now.  The company started with the Chumby Classic, which was an adorable padded device that sported the same 3.5-inch touch screen found in the device of today, the Chumby one.  What’s changed, or more importantly been added is a volume knob, FM radio tuner, a battery slot for a user provided battery and a faster 454 MHz ARM processor.  However, removed in this iteration is the stereo speakers and one of the two USB ports.

In terms of physical features the Chumby is sparse, and rightfully so since the meat of the product is found in the endless array of apps.  There is a volume knob, snooze/menu button, USB port (for charging 5V products as well as reading the contents of an MP3 player), rope radio antenna, 2 watt mono speaker and a headphone jack.  Also included, is WiFi b/g connectivity complemented by a setup process even my mom could accomplish.

Chumby Dashboard for organizing, customizing and removing apps

James talked a bit about the Chumby community when he reviewed Sony’s Dash.  It’s a vast array of apps that can be added to the device allowing you to view a variety of content.  So vast in fact that it feels like it’s almost impossible to think of something that hasn’t yet been created.  Given the nature of the Chumby, which is intended largely as a bedside companion, there are a variety of clocks which goes beyond the standard digital or analog presentation.  Games are also available, though they’re limited to the relatively rudimentary since the form factor of the Chumby, a rather boxy device (3.5″ wide x 4″ tall x 3.5″ deep), negates the possibility of aggressive and long term gaming.  My favorite apps include the ability to manage my Netflix queue, Pandora (built-in), Accuweather, Facebook news feed and many others that are far from necessary, but fun to have in the invent that boredom sets in while laying bed.  All of the apps are free, but before you get too excited there is a caveat to that statement.  From time to time Chumby will add promotional apps to your device that are sponsor supported.  Chumby assuages it’s users by explaining this is how the app store has remained free.

As mentioned earlier, this iteration of the Chumby includes a digital FM radio.  Reception comes by way of one of those rope like antennas.  And believe me, unless you’ve got a near by window or lamp that you don’t mind desecrating with its slightly unsightly presence, the FM radio will be filled with static.  Sufring the air waves is simple enough, though I would have preferred that the volume knob, at least in this instance, worked as a tuning knob.  Up to 4 presets can be set and the station of your choosing is displayed in a very rudimentary, yet effective fashion.

Fortunately, FM radio is far from your only option.  Shoutcast, Pandora and many others can be tapped into simply by logging in.  If you own an iPod you can plug it directly into Chumby’s USB port and view the content directly on the screen, though it is not compatible with Apple iPhone, iPod Touch, or with 6th generation iPods and newer.

Snooze/menu button

As with any touchscreen device there should be some concern as to whether it actually adds value, let alone works.  The Chumby Touchscreen measures 3.5-inches from corner-to-corner.  It’s definitely not capacitive, but nonetheless reactive enough to serve those laying in bed, setting the alarm or tinkering with the occasional app.  It should work directly out of the box, which was my experience, but in the event that it does not, there is a calibration option that has you touching a few points on the screen.  While the screen size is suitable for displaying clocks, Facebook news feed, and so forth, it’s annoyingly small for viewing trailers, which is made worse by the slow processor which cuts the frame rate to an almost unwatchable experience.

Virtual Chumby

And speaking of processing power, at times the Chumby would stutter when playing back Pandora.  This issue seemed to vary from time to time, and the best resolve I found was to switch the station.  Apparently, the Chumby sometimes performs some background operations, which might explain this slight hiccup.  It’s a massively annoying bug that we’ll hopefully see fixed in a future software iteration.

Adding new apps to the Chumby requires you to register and then log in to their website.  The process is relatively simple, but means you can’t add new content directly from the device itself.  Which also begs the question as to why Chumby doesn’t provide a remote access feature that allows you to control the Chumby using your computer or smartphone.  While the need is few and far between it would be a nice feature for administering music during a party.

Back of the Chumby; USB input for an iPod, headphone jack and power port

I would be remiss if I didn’t detail the alarm functionality of the Chumby.  There are two options: quick alarm and custom alarm.  The quick alarm, as implied by the name, let’s you setup a one off alarm that is limited to a few audio alerts.  The custom alarm however, can be setup to go off daily, one time, weekdays, weekends, or specific days of the week.  An unlimited amount of custom alarms can be created, each with their own audio profile that includes FM radio, Pandora and other music sources.  Fortunately, someone at Chumby wasn’t asleep at the wheel when they created this feature and realized that network connectivity may not be present at all times, so they’ve provided you with the option to setup a back up alarm that uses one of the rudimentary tones in the event that music can’t be played.  It’s worth noting that the alarm is very, very loud for such a small box.

The Chumby, at its core is an alarm clock.  It’s not a device that should be considered to resolve a technological conflict in your life, such as the need for a gaming device, or a means to viewing online video content.  However, the more I looked through the Chumby apps the more I realized that diminutive box had abilities well beyond any other bedside alarm clock, thus making it the cheapest $130 alarm clock money can buy.

You can buy the Chumby from Amazon for $129.95.

3.5 out of 5 stars

Pros:

• Available apps are often tremendous and ridiculous, like Hulu+ and Netflix
• Build quality is superb, should stand the test of time against raging wakers
• App customization and installation through Sony’s Dash website is excellent

Cons:

• Expensive, even at the discounted $150
• Touchscreen lacks sensitivity, isn’t nearly responsive enough
• Organization of apps is awful on the device

It almost feels like a little piece of Star Trek. Sony’s Dash is just a simple alarm clock, running off of Chumby’s UI and apps, and it’s a remarkably simple little device, but it still feels like the future. But does this expensive piece of tech really survive in the bedroom?

The Sony Dash is the sort of thing I’d expect some well-to-do aristocrat to have. It’s shamelessly gadget-like in an 80’s sort of way, with that large 7” screen and thick, rubbery build. And it’s got just one main function: waking you up.

For some background, I haven’t had a standalone alarm clock in about four years. With the proliferation of cellphone alarms, a move and giving my last clock to my kid brother, I never replaced the 10-year old CD player/alarm. Why bother when you can just check your phone? As I quickly learned, thanks in part to Chinese businesspeople and wrong numbers, who have no concept of time, keeping a cellphone near the bed is never a good idea. For a short trip, maybe. Otherwise, you’re just asking for trouble.

Sony’s Dash has most of the same timewasters as any of today’s smartphones, but without the ability to receive calls from that uncle seeking bail. Thanks to Chumby’s UI, the Dash not only plays the clock, it can check email, play videos, show RSS and Twitter feeds, play games, etc. Meaning like your smartphone, it has apps. The available apps are limited, but you can be sure that anyone looking to buy this smartclock will be satisfied when they see Dilbert comics and Philosoraptor on the Dash.

The Dash is a perplexing piece of hardware. It’s thick and big, which is the complete opposite of what most manufacturers, Sony included, strive for.  A thick base seats the Dash firmly in place, and like a pyramid it thins towards the top. The capacitive touchscreen is only single-touch, and is not very sensitive. This isn’t a serious downside, though mostly because it is, after all, an alarm clock.

More tech-savvy users who want to get the most out of the Dash may be disappointed. As a piece of hardware, the Dash seems like nothing special. Chumby was great, but only in a very geeky way. It lacks a long list of apps that so many of us rely on these days, though the small community does churn out useful and fun apps regularly. The most important ones are there: Gmail, Twitter, Facebook, news feeds and more.

The Dash beside a Blu-ray case. The Dash uses a pyramid base that gets thinner at the top

In some ways, the limited functionality of Chumby does keep the Dash from being all it could be. That, and a few of the odd features. Features like an accelerometer, which makes no sense to be in the Dash. Why does it need to know which way is up? There is no built-in application for it, besides tipping the Dash over when the alarm goes off. Even then, really? Similarly, I think Sony could have done better than relied on Chumby, possibly using Android, though it’s understandable that Chumby was their ultimate choice. The hardware requirement is much less stringent, and after all, the Dash isn’t meant to be a tablet.

Some of the best features of the Dash are, frankly, the same you could get with any modern alarm clock. The sound of birds or the ocean instead of an annoying ringing, multiple alarms on separate days…there are analog clocks that can do that! But no analog clock can show you the daily pictures from NASA or Confucious saying, nor can they wake you up and show emails or your daily calendar first thing in the morning.

With USB and headphone ports, plus the surrounding rubber frame, the Dash can take a beating and keep you in bed longer! Why leave the warm confines of your warm blanket? Snuggle up and watch TV or read comics!

I’m of the impression that these functions are all niceties, and for someone with less self-control, it’s far too easy to sit on the Dash and play around with it. That is to say, sit and play with an alarm clock. The idea is ridiculous, stupid and cool at the same time…geeky for the sake of being geeky.

My bigger concern was that the Dash uses an LCD screen, and one reason I never replaced my analog alarm clock was because I hated the light on it. It always was too bright, even after making it as dim as possible. At first, the LCD on the Dash looked like it would be a nightmare, but it really isn’t. The Dash has a sleep setting where it just acts like a clock, and the brightness can be set so dim that in a pitch-black room, the numbers are just barely visible. Light sleepers who are sensitive to light when sleeping can rejoice with the Dash. It won’t make you lose a wink of sleep.

Not surprisingly, the biggest actual flaws from the Dash stem from the software which Sony worked on. Everything with Chumby runs fine, albeit slow at times. Updates however take 5-15 minutes, though in the month of testing I only needed to update the Dash once. The combination of the insensitive touchscreen and the slow software is a harsh reality, one that could easily have been remedied with a multi-touch screen instead of the projected capacitive touchscreen technology currently used.

Philosoraptor, just one of the many Chumby apps available on the Dash

Then again, hating on an alarm clock which can actually play 1080p video (even though the Dash has an 800×480 screen resolution) is pretty hard. Why it needs that ability is beyond me. The fact that I can stream content from Hulu, Amazon, several major TV networks, a slew of online radio stations and far, far more is almost beyond ludicrous. It’s almost as if Sony just got a room of engineers together and said “you have 90 days, put whatever you want into this box and we’ll ship it.”

Sony’s Dash really is a piece of the future. Being able to have all that power – in an alarm clock – is downright insanity. It’s irresponsible. And there is no reason why every electronic device can’t be so jam-packed with features that we have to rely on an alarm clock to show everyone else how it’s done. The only stumbling blocks are the lack of organization, slowness of the UI and the touchscreen, but even then its so easy to see why this makes an amazing gift. Just remember, in the wrong hands, anyone you give it to could suddenly disappear for days at a time, so be careful. Especially if that person is you.

You can buy the Sony Dash from Amazon for $129.  Alternatively, you can choose from one of the retailers below.

1.5 out of 5 stars

Pros:

• Small form factor
• Built-in WiFi
• SD card slot

Cons:

• More often than not unable to locate WiFi networks
• Slightly buggy operation
• Low rez screen, not capacitive
• Poor battery life

Unremarkable. That’s probably best how to describe Atlaz’s AZICR101 Touchscreen Internet Clock Radio. In a day and age of touchscreen phones and tablets, Altaz’s touchscreen alarm clock struck me as ‘too late to the party’.

So where to begin? Perhaps a brief explanation of the device is in order. It’s an alarm clock, you already know that, and it sports a 3.5-inch 320×240 touchscreen. There’s WiFi (it’s only WPA compatible), JPG viewer (photo frame), MP3 player, SD card slot, 128MB of built-in storage, calendar, a 1w built-in speaker and a mini USB input for charging and powering the device.

Play/pause, volume and power buttons

Power on the device at anytime, even after initial setup and you’ll be greeted with glaringly loud music and a slide show of stock photos. A few taps of the ‘snooze’ button and it cancels the process.

The home screen contains 6 icons: clock, files, network, i-radio, weather and settings. Until the WiFi is setup weather, i-radio and network are useless. Network strangely enough provides you access to photo applications – the only one I recognized was Picasa.

The settings menu is relatively straight forward and really doesn’t warrant much explanation. There you can set the two alarm clocks (standard noises included – rooster, 80s digital alarm, etc) with your choice of MP3, what kind of clock type you’d like to display (analog or digital) and setup the WiFi.

SD card slot

And this is where things went a bit south. Putting aside the fact that more often than not I was unable to detect any wireless networks – I’m surrounded by about 10 of them – I was unable to join mine. But the pain didn’t stop there. Assuming you can find your WiFi, if you make a mistake entering your WPA key, you’ll be forced to delete the entire string, not just the character. Furthermore you can’t view the password in plain text, so you’ll never know if you’ve entered it correctly; it appears as asterisks only. According to Altaz they’re working on a firmware update to address this, but from what I understand it will only fix the deleting issue.

Since I was unable to connect to the Net the majority of the functionality of the clock was rendered useless. What I was able to test was the alarm clock, the MP3 player and the photo viewer.

Speakers and mini USB port for charging/powering the device

The speaker on the device is loud, but fidelity, I think not. Don’t expect to rock out with this device, though it might serve as a suitable last second love making soundtrack.

It’s nice they’ve included an SD card, though I’m not sure what capacity it’s compatible with. It’s probably safe to assume 16GB, which should suffice for those looking to display pics and play a little music.

There is a built-in battery, which is good for about 2 hours of use. With some tinkering I discovered that you can set the display to power off after just 30 seconds, which extended the battery life enough to last 5 hours, hardly enough for a full night’s rest . I would have liked to see a dimmer setting for the screen while it’s plugged in, but for now it’s full brightness or not at all.

Snooze/Function button

The accuracy of the touchscreen, while not horrendous is questionable. It’s not capacitive, so you’ll need to use a bit more heft than you’re accustom to, assuming you’ve got an Android or iPhone. Entering my WPA password took painstaking effort to insure I didn’t make a misstep. Be warned that the screen might turn off during entry, which happened to me a few times. I assume this was a result of setting the display to turn off after 3 seconds, which should have been negated by use, but at this point it is anyone’s guess. A resolution of 320×240 isn’t terrible, but once you’ve laid eyes on today’s smartphones I guarantee you’ll be disappointed. Pictures looked grainy and videos, well I didn’t test it since it requires them to be encoded in M-JPEG, a process that wasn’t worth going through given the already lack luster experience.

At $100 your money is better invested in an iPod Touch, which sports a higher rez screen and much greater functionality. It will lack the bedside form factor, but that’s nothing an aftermarket device can’t quell. If that’s a bit too rich for your blood there is also the Chumby device, which we haven’t tested, but given its feature set and despite sporting a slightly higher cost it seems like a far more solid buy. It really is unfortunate since I had higher expectations for Altraz’s touchscreen alarm clock and didn’t expect it to be plagued by a set of bugs that could have been avoided with a bit more QA testing.

You can, if you so dare, buy it from Amazon for $99.99