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.

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Apple may have failed to announce the iPhone 5 yesterday, but fortunately we are still in luck for some iPhone worthy news.  We present to you the Gresso iPhone 4.  And no, those clocks aren’t simply an app.  In fact they’re embedded on the back of the handset, replacing the glass back with 6 independent clocks.  Using our skills of deduction, which we assure you we excel at, we’ve determined that each clock costs $1,000.  Or in other words you can buy the augmented handset sometime later this year for $6,000.  Worth it? Probably not since Apple will release a new iPhone sometime in the near future, which will render this one obsolete.  How about a case that adds a set of analog clocks to the rear of the device?

By the way, Gresso says that this version of the iPhone is just 1mm thicker than the original.

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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.

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

Today, The Telegraph posted an article stating that they had discovered the world’s loudest alarm clock – it rings in at 90dB.  Truth be told this is complete poppycock.  In 2007 there was an alarm clock, which ThinkGeek still sells to this day, that claims a 113dB output.  It’s called the Sonicboom.  But none of these alarm clocks have anything on Kipkay’s modified alarm clock, which features two 140dB electric horns.

The the video after the ‘leap’ to see it in action.

Amazon users reviews are pretty solid with mostly 4 and 5 stars.

As a fan of minimalist design, this Cube Clock makes me giddy like a schoolgirl. Made by Uma Design, it appears to be a block of wood, but when a noise is made (clapping your hands, for instance) the time flashes on. There’s also an alarm mode too. Simple, yet effective — just how I like it. It’s available now for $29.99.

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This is the Swing Clock, and its name says it all — it swings back and forth, over and over, as it displays the time in what could be called a “modern” style.

Not exactly the most sophisticated clock, but it certainly looks stylish, and it will totally trip people up who are passing by it in the hallway. The cat might be confused, too. Available in black, red, and silver.

The Swing Clock is available now from ThinkGeek for $19.99.

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]]> http://www.gadgetreview.com/2010/06/swing-clock-keeps-you-and-your-cat-mesmerized.html/feed 0 http://www.gadgetreview.com/2010/06/pole-dancer-alarm-clock.html http://www.gadgetreview.com/2010/06/pole-dancer-alarm-clock.html#comments Wed, 02 Jun 2010 17:46:06 +0000 Christen Costa http://www.gadgetreview.com/?p=57695

Waking up to a lap dance would surely get your day off to fantastically fun start.  But if for some reason you can’t afford that daily service the Pole Dancer Alarm Clock should run a healthy second.  Just set the time and alarm on the digital display and you’ll be woken up when she starts to gyrate around the pole.

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Moshi has just announced their newest iteration of their Voice Activated Alarm Clock, which now offers a more streamlined bedside digital clock radio.  With all the features of the original including setting time and asking for the time, it now includes a radio that can be activated just by speaking to the device. The only thing missing is a WiFi connection for weather updates and Internet radio. Based on looks alone this version should appeal to a larger audience. Check out my review of the original Moshi Voice Controlled Clock.

It’s on sale now for $70.

Woodland Hills, CA – May 19, 2010 – Moshi, known for their unique and innovative consumer electronics featuring voice recognition technology, is thrilled to announce the availability of their new Voice Control Digital Clock Radio.  By simply saying “Hello Moshi”, the Digital Clock Radio allows users to activate eleven voice control commands including playing the radio, setting the time, setting alarm, and even snooze.

Similar to the original Moshi Alarm Clock, the Moshi Digital Clock Radio is easy to use and set up.  It is equipped with Technology That Listens™ which means the alarm clock recognizes your voice command without any setup required.  However, the new Moshi Digital Clock Radio allows users to also easily listen to the radio in the morning without having to find buttons while half asleep or away from the clock.

“The Moshi Voice Control Digital Clock Radio provides comfort and convenience to its users,” said Michael Nostrant, President and CEO of Moshi parent company SnS International.  “There is no easier way to wake up or play music other than by saying “Hello Moshi” and having the device submit to your command.”

The Moshi Digital Clock Radio is available now for $69.99 MSRP

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The Dharma Initiative Alarm Clock is just another April Fool’s joke on the behalf of the ThinkGeek, but dollars to donuts says they’ll actually build it, kind of like that sleeping bag. But what’s better than the product itself? The product video, but of course.

The best way for me to wake up in the morning is to scroll through my emails.  It engages my brain, gets me reading and reminds me of all the things I need to do.  If email is the last thing you want to look at upon opening your eyes, then perhaps the Twist Alarm Clock is more up your alley.

It works just like any regular alarm clock, but in order to shut it off you must twist two of the three dials (the third dial sets the functions) to solve the math problem at hand.  To be honest, I can’t tell you what the math problem will be since the page’s description is totally unclear, but I assure you that this will definitely get your noggin in gear.

Some of the Twist Alarm Clock’s other functions include a snooze function, backlit display and the date.

You can pick one up from Japan Trend Shop for $50.

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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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This isn’t the first Homer Simpson clock that we’ve seen, but this TIME around he has to choose between a beer or a donut, two of his most favorite snacks (when did beer become a snack?).  To indicate the passing seconds, his arms and eyes move from left to right as he debates his gluttony.

The clock measures 11 1/4-inches tall x 8-inches wide x 3-inches deep and can be yours for $40.

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As we stated many times before there is no end in sight to the Star Wars paraphernalia, even 30+ after the first movie came out.  What we’ve got here are over sized (8-inches) Star Wars Lego figurines with an alarm clock packed inside their chest.

There is no word on a launch date or price, but hopefully they’ll incorporate some funky way to hit the sleep button.

[via Technabob]

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Yamaha hasn’t exactly been knocking down doors when it comes to cool and noteworthy gadgets, but that is all about to change thanks to the TSX-W80.  At first glance it appears to be your standard bedside alarm clock, but stare a little closer and you’ll notice the built-in iPod dock.  But what’s even cooler is the included wireless dock that lets you stream your tunes sans wires to the system’s speaker system.  And of course you’ll also find an FM/AM radio with presets as well as digital clock and alarm.  There’s no word on a price but expect it sometime this December, that is if it ever comes out in the States.

[via Dvice]

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Sure, I could use my iPhone’s calendar to plan my day, but that wouldn’t be nearly as fun as the Magnet Clock.  Just stick the clock to your fridge and arrange the iconic chips in accordance to what time you want to perform that activity.  I’m particularly fond of the humping stick figures.  What about you?

As of right now the Magnet Clock appears to be conceptual only, but hopefully its designer, Designplus, well send it to production.

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Growing up I had a clock that featured an orb of light (i.e. lamp) that as my alarm time approached it would get gradually brighter.  The theory was that your brain would sense the change in light and the whole waking up process would be more natural and less painful.  Philips HF3490 Wake-up Light alarm clock does the exact same thing, but features a detachable iPod dock and an optional FM radio with 4 nature sounds.  Unlike my childhood version, though, this one can also gradually dim to help you drift off to sleep.

You can pre-order the Philips HF3490 Wake-up Light alarm clock from Amazon for $200.

[via Hardwaresphere]

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