It’ll be sometime until we can travel across the galaxy in a heartbeat. But that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t all be able to enjoy some of the technological advancements that Gene Rodenbarry envisioned.  Well my friends, the future is officially here…that is if you consider the future the Star Trek Electronic Door Chime.

Like all good things gimmicky you can pick this up at ThinkGeek for $29.99.  Installation is as simple as mounting it on the wall next to any door.  Unfortunately, it doesn’t include the necessary motors to open and close your door, but it will sound that classic Star Trek “swoosh” sound when someone crosses the threshold thanks to a built-in motion sensor. Alternatively, you can program it to emit a Red Alert sound, you know, just in case a Klingon enters your midst, or say a pesky younger brother.

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.

4 out of 5 stars

iHome’s iA63 is a stereo speakered alarm clock with a 30-pin dock.  It’s compatible with the iPhone and iPod Touch (it is not compatible with the iPad), and includes a motorized dock that rotates from portrait to landscape mode at the touch of a button.  It sports a dedicated alarm, clock, the ability to sync with your iPhone’s time, an FM radio and stereo speakers.  Installing iHome’s compatible alarm clock ($0) app brings a few more alarms and the ability to tweak settings such as the snooze and sleep timer.

FEATURES

Like any good alarm clock, the top of the device includes a dedicated snooze button.  It also doubles as a dimmer switch for the clock and the iPhone’s display, that is assuming you’ve got the app installed and running.  We’ve looked at the app in a previous review, so head there to get the deets.  However, I will note that the app’s feature set is slightly increased in portrait mode.  Why?  I don’t know, but you can access more alarms and tweak more features.

On the rear of the iA63 is a switch to sync it with the iPhone’s time.  Handy, since setting any clock after a power outage is a nuisance.  There is also a rope antenna for the FM radio, an AUX input for adding a computer or another portable player, and a credit card sized remote.

The remote works just dandy.  They’ve included a battery, which is always nice to see, and I’d imagine that it will probably last a good chunk of time.  However, it is one of those pesky watch batteries, so replacing it will take a bit more effort. What I particularly liked was that it features a snooze button.  That means you can setup up the second alarm for your mate, who is presumably out of arm’s reach, and they too can snooze without depending on you to move, or hopefully wake up.

The built-in radio can function on its own without an iPhone or iPod Touch docked.  However, downloading the $1.99 iHome Radio app will slightly enhance this feature.  I didn’t feel like plunking down $2, so I didn’t test this aspect of the device.

Setting the device’s alarm is intuitive; you just hold down the alarm button and use the “+/-” keys to increase or decrease the time.  Unlike other alarm clocks, the iHome iA63 will slow down at the half past and hour marks, which is a nice touch and prevents you from flying by the typical wake times.  Though, at times it made it a bit frustrating to set the alarm.  There is no AM/PM function, so you’ll need to cycle every 12 hours to cycle between the night or day setting.

The motorized rotating dock is without a doubt a neat feature.  Necessary?  No.  The chances of you using your iPhone to watch a movie, or interact beyond setting the alarm is pretty slim.  Also, accessing the touchscreen when the iPhone is docked is a bit difficult since you can’t grasp it.  I tested the iA63 with an iPhone 3Gs and it fit snuggly in the dock.  I’d expect the same for the iPhone 4 since it doesn’t require any inserts.  However, placing my iPhone into the dock proved a bit challenging, especially when I was tired.

SOUND QUALITY

As found in all of iHome’s products is their patented Reson8 speaker chamber system.  But unlike some of iHome’s other products, the iA63 isn’t quite up to snuff.  Don’t get me wrong, it’s loud for a bedside alarm clock, it’s just lacks the oomph that I’ve come to expect from iHome.  Fidelity wise, it does leave something to be desired, but given its rather small size and intended purpose, it suffices.

The volume level ranges from 0-40.  While most will see this as a moot feature I did not.  It’s nice to have such a large gray area when it comes to volume control, especially when you’re waking up to it.  The sweet spot for me was around 18, which is almost 50% of the iA63′s amplitude.  It’s worth noting that the iA63′s alarm has a gradual volume increase, which is a more natural and comfortable way to wake up.

SIZE

The footprint of the iA63, you know, the amount of space it takes up, is about on par with most alarm clocks.  It’s a consideration worth making, especially since my bedside table is rather limited in size.  To put it in perspective, it doesn’t take up any more space than your average sized picture frame.

CONCLUSION

$100 for a bedside alarm clock is pushing the top end of the category.  But not too many of them, regardless of price, can output stereo tunes and includes a motorized rotating dock.  And let’s not over look iHome’s alarm app which provides additional features and tweaking.  Don’t expect amazing sound to pump from the speakers, but considering its diminutive size, and all things relative, it’s on par with some of the other speaker systems in a comparable category.  I could have done without the motorized rotating dock, which is just one more thing to break and probably bumps up the price.  On the other hand it is fun, albeit gimmicky feature.

Pros:

• Full featured alarm clock
• 30-pin dock for iPhone and iPod Touch
• Remote control with snooze and sleep features

Cons:

• Expensive for an alarm clock; $100
• Motorized dock is gimmicky
• Removing and inserting the iPhone takes some effort

Laying your head to rest in a foreign place can be down right nerve racking.  While you may know where you are, entrusting that your surrounding, or more explicitly the neighborhood your rented that apartment in, isn’t rife with thugs just waiting to kick down your door, is a completely different story.  While the door/window alarm won’t prevent an actual intruder from entering physically, its audible alarm, which detects movement and sounds, might just be enough to scare them off.  It attaches to any door or window and includes a watch battery for $15.

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Looking like some type of space age Event Horizon or Stargate style speaker dock, the TEAC SR-LUXi is now in its 2nd iteration that supports all things iPod Touch and iPhone this time around.  The SR-LUXi has a LED lamp that is meant to be used as a bedside dock and it also has a sleep timer, AM/FM radio, and alarm.  The speaker size is small, as you could guess from the picture so I’m not sure how good this thing could sound.

No word yet on price or availability and beyond the cool aesthetics, this seems like a very outdated speaker dock.

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I’ve had a first hand experience with a dryer fire – my dog Bucky can attest to this since he still shakes when he hears a smoke detector.  Beyond the crazy statistics of over 40 dryers catching fire a day, lint is usually the cause.  To help combat this is the LintAlert device.

Consisting of two parts, the LinkAlert lets you know when lint has become backed up and when the vent system of the dryer has become blocked.  The base unit plugs into the wall and acts as the display for anything that could be going wrong with your dryer.  Attached is a six-foot flexible 1/8″ tube that is fitted to the dryer’s transition hose and uses a pressure differential sensor to make sure airflow is normal and safe.

If anything is not up to normal regulations, LintAlert’s LED’s will denote what’s going on and the audible alarm will sound.  For $45, this is an absolute no brainer!

[via GizMag]

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Of all the crazy whacked out clocks we usually post on, the Verilux Rise And Shine Natural Sleep System is a nice change of pace.  The alarm clock gently awakens you using a combination of dimming and brightening lights while also simultaneously raising and lowering the sound levels.  Looking sort of like a mini-stadium light, I’m interested to see just how well this thing works.

The clock also has an AUX input jack for your MP3 player, an FM tuner, and about 800 songs worth of internal memory.  It also looks like it has some sort of SD card slot.  Get one now for the beefy price of $249.95.

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I think this would be fun maybe one time.  While it is surely a great idea, I can’t see many people wanting to engage bomb defusing on a morningly basis.  A minute before your alarm is set to go off, the Danger Bomb Clock starts ominously beeping.  During that time you have to unplug the wires in accordance to the color of the lit LED on the clock.  Once you unplug all three you’re effectively safe to get back to snoozing.  Fail to unplug all three connections and a horrendous siren noise starts blaring your ears off.

Hmmm….you like?

Get your McGruber on for $35 if you so choose.

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Frontpoint Security just dropped me an email to let me know about their highly customizable home security systems. At first glance I thought it was the usual ‘diy’ security system, but after some poking around on their site I found out that they have a wide array of products that truly offer a customizable security system.  The core of the system runs on a cellular link that will cost you about a $1/day to operate.  The different detectors range in price, but you can monitor windows, motion, view video remotely, keep track of the heat levels in  your home (i.e. fire), monitor carbon monoxide levels, water/flood detection, freezing pipes and more.  Apparently, the whole system can be setup in as little as 20 minutes since everything is wireless, and monitoring is simple as pulling up the website.

Front Security website

Features:

• Built specifically for the iPod
• Charges while you listen + wake to iPod music, radio or alarm

Buy it: Element Electronics Clock Radio for iPod – $50