Gizmodo: Alarm Clock

'Princess and the Pea' Alarm Clock Makes It Impossible to Stay in Bed

Adam Frucci — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 19:40:00 EST

This homemade "Princess and the Pea" alarm clock is hooked up to a compressor that will literally toss you out of bed if you hit the snooze button. Not exactly subtle, but it sure is effective. [ProjectPage via Make]

Sony Gadgets Of All Ages Stripped Down And Photographed

Rosa Golijan — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 21:00:00 EDT

iFixIt and Wired got together to cajole people into tearing down their favorite Sony products. And while autopsies usually give me the creeps, I'll admit that seeing this hardware spread apart left me hot under the collar.

Among my favorites were the alarm clock, the CyberShot, the old-school Discman (I have one like it hiding in a drawer!), the PSP, and, of course, the Playstation 3.

Those are the Sony toys which got my attention, but you can check out the rest of the gadget porn over at Wired, and then maybe make some of your own. [Wired]

Mr. Wake Robot Alarm Clock Is An Untouchable Morning Menace

Sean Fallon — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 11:40:00 EDT

What if Clocky the alarm clock didn't just run away from you in the morning? What if he could sense your presence and evade capture with an IR sensor? That's the annoying idea behind Mr. Wake.

Of course, looking at these videos it is plain to see the Mr. Wake is a moron. I'm pretty sure I could capture him even when my eyes are half open and I'm stumbling around the room. Still, it's a good proof of concept. Perhaps you can use Vadim Ryazanov's notes on the build to make Mr. Wake more elusive—although I have no earthly idea why you would want to torture yourself like this. [Let's Make Robots via Make]

Hacked Alarm Clock With 140-Decibel Electric Horns Should Be Murdered

Joanna Stern — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 10:00:00 EDT

I hate you loud ass alarm clock. Cool hack, but if I had to wake up to this thing I would tear my ears out. Have a listen.

Honestly, while he was at it he could have at least made the snooze button bigger. [KipKay via Technabob]

Kensington Nightstand Dock Converts iPhone In Retro Alarm Clock

Jesus Diaz — Thu, 23 Jul 2009 10:00:00 EDT

I know at least one more person who sleeps with her iPhone in bed, but for those of you who use your nightstand for more than storing books and handcuffs, this Kensington Nightstand Dock looks like a perfect iPhone accessory.

When combined with the free Kensington Rise&Shine iPhone app—which shows the time and the weather—it converts your iPhone into a retro-looking bedside alarm clock. Maybe a way too expensive at $40, but it's a good idea. [Kensington and Rise&Shine App via Geeky Gadgets]

DDR Alarm Clock Takes Your Fingers Back to 2003

matt buchanan — Sat, 04 Jul 2009 14:00:28 EDT

Dance, dance to much booty in the, um, wrists? Your fingers have to dance like they've never danced before to shut off the alarm. Hope you don't suck at Tap Tap Revenge. $16. [Thumbsupuk via OhGizmo via Engadget]

Darth Vader's Head Will Freak You Up Every Morning

Jesus Diaz — Wed, 29 Apr 2009 15:40:00 EDT

I wish this alarm clock—a full replica of Darth Vader's head—would would say "Luke! Luke, wake up! Damnit Luke, you whiny one-handed son of a Sith you! WAKE UP!" to get you out of bed.

Sadly, its $30 price tag won't get you James Earl Jones shouting at you like a Marines instructor. Instead, it will play AM/FM radio or act as a speaker for your digital audio player. However, with its glowing red time indicators I like it better than the Darth Vader alarm clock. [Playthings via Toyology]

I Need Help Setting Up My Buttonless Motion Sensor Alarm Clock

Andi Wang — Mon, 06 Apr 2009 20:30:13 EDT

My iPhone is my alarm clock, so it ends up on the floor, across the room when I wake. But all you have to do to shut this "Magic" Sensor Alarm Clock up is wave.

Waving, however, could be a problem for this clock. Because it is buttonless, the only way to control all the settings and switch between the time, date and temperature settings is with motion sensors and gesture controls. I personally wouldn't want a clock that might turn off my alarm or change my settings every time I lifted my head to check the time in the middle of the night. [Homeloo via Coolest Gadgets via OhGizmo]

The Googly Eyes Clock Constantly Looks At You Funny

Sean Fallon — Mon, 23 Feb 2009 12:00:00 EST

It is unfortunate that the googly eyes clock is only a concept because I believe this would sell like hotcakes. The left eyeball displays the hour while the right displays the minutes.

Sure, it is hard to read—but so are most of the clocks and watches coming out these days. Apparently, people like their time-telling challenging these days. And with googly eyes, you will get more laughs at 3:45 and 6:00 than you ever did at 4:20. [25toGo via Technabob]

The Alarm Clock for Neglectful Parents

matt buchanan — Mon, 16 Feb 2009 15:00:00 EST

The OK to Wake! alarm clock teaches your hellions when it's okay to leave the confines of their bed by glowing green when you're ready to deal with them. I'm sure it works perfectly.

Timelight Alarm Clock Lamp Makes Ignoring Your Responsibilities Harder Than Ever

Sean Fallon — Tue, 27 Jan 2009 14:40:00 EST

The concept is simple: an articulating bedside lamp that features a build in alarm clock. Because the stand can be easily adjusted, you can manipulate the alarm from the comfort of your bed.

While I like Avery Holleman's design for the "Timelight," I can't help but notice that there is no snooze button (or switch in this case) amongst the controls. No snooze? That's the most important feature! After all, if the Timelight actually existed, I'm sure I could not afford to hurl it across the room. [Coroflot and The Design Blog]

DIY: Safety Alarm Clock Locks In Your Snooze and Throws Away The Key

Andi Wang — Sat, 17 Jan 2009 18:00:00 EST

I'm a deep sleeper. Too many times, I've ignored the snooze button and turned off the alarm, making Jason wonder, "Where's ~~my slave~~ Andi?!" This DIY alarm clock would be perfect for us sleep addicts.

This Do-It-Yourself Safety Alarm Clock will only shut off after you've unlocked it with a key. When you go to bed, simply set your alarm and lock it in by turning the key. In order for it to have the maximum effect, take the key out of the lock after you've turned out the lights and then toss it into the dark abyss that is your room. In the morning when your alarm sounds, you'll be forced to crawl out of bed and hunt for the key before you can unlock your clock and shut it up.

Knowing me, I'd probably end up making duplicates of the key and hide it under my pillow, but hopefully you won't be a remarkably industrious lazy ass and do the same. Head on over to Instructables to see how this Safety Alarm Clock is made. [Instructables via Make Blog Thanks Seung!]

Official Mensa Alarm Clock Reminds You That You Are a Moron Every Morning

Sean Fallon — Mon, 22 Dec 2008 18:40:00 EST

What could be better than a super loud alarm clock at 6 am? How about a super loud alarm clock that makes you feel like an idiot?

That's right, the UK branch of the Mensa society for smarty pants has released a brain training alarm clock that combines groggyness, loud noses and puzzles (a winning combination). Here's how it works: when the alarm sounds, you will need to memorize and repeat a random sequence of colored lights on one of three difficulty levels. If you get the sequence wrong, or you are too slow, the alarm gets progressively louder until you get it right (or hurl it against a wall). If you are up to the challenge, the clock can be yours for about $41 shipped to the US. [eBay via Craziest Gadgets]

Brando Clock Thermometer Has More USB Than We Know What to Do With

Elaine Chow — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 05:15:00 EST

I sometimes wonder if the people at Brando have a competition going to see how many USB ports they could possibly put into one gadget. This alarm clock hub comes with seven, as well as a calendar and thermometer. With seven hubs (and knowledge of your room's exact temperature), you could charge your iPod, warm your feet, warm your hands, heat your coffee, heat your lunch, humidify your cubicle and still have a port left over. Sure, having all those things running at the same time could cause some massive electrical shortage, but at least you'll be toasty, moisturized and you'll know what time it is. [Brando]

Alarm Clock Hack Automates Window Blinds So You Rise and Shine

Kit Eaton — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 06:23:23 EST

Mods don't get much simpler and more useful than this: It's an alarm clock that whisks open some window blinds when the alarm goes off, so the sun can tempt you out of bed. There's a microcontroller to handle detecting the alarm signal and to drive a servo wired into the blinds, and some switches to override the alarm and open or close the blinds on command. Check the video of it in action.

Looks great, but frankly you'd need to wire a giant servo to my feet to drag me out of bed rather than use hack like this, but YMMV. [Hackaday]

Moshi Alarm Clock Will Only Shut Off If You Ask It Nicely

John Herrman — Wed, 12 Nov 2008 05:23:30 EST

The Moshi IVR clock is one of those rare, heartwarming products that serves two marginalized demographics: the blind and the chronically rude. For blind folks the benefit is obvious, as all of the clock's major functions are controlled with simple verbal commands. This includes alarm deactivation, but not necessarily how you'd expect. "Gggugugughghghhhhh" or "SHUT UP" won't do the trick — you've got to greet Moshi to initiate voice commands, then politely ask it— uhh, her — to turn off the alarm. Sort of like if you're talking to a human, assuming that human hovers by your bed and plays a plastic recorder into your ear every morning at 7:30am.

As a product, the Moshi is pretty focused. There's no radio or MP3 support, and the alarm and voice command options are limited and unchangeable, though there is a pleasant "Sleep Sound" ambient noise function. The concept of an alarm clock that requires an ongoing, if simple, conversation to function properly is enough to justify its reasonable $50 price, and endorsement by the World Blind Union would seem to indicate that it's not a complete gimmick. Feature demos and purchase page are at the source link. [Moshi via Crave]

DIY Super Nintendo Digital Alarm Clock

Sean Fallon — Tue, 11 Nov 2008 13:15:00 EST

I wouldn't sacrifice a working SNES for this mod, but if you have a broken one in your closet somewhere, transforming it into a digital alarm clock is an interesting (and inexpensive) way to give it new life. As you can see in the video, the display can be set using the standard controller. Plus the cartridge is still removable, making it possible to expand on the mod and develop alternate displays.

[Mavrinac via Hack-a-Day]

New Laser Alarm Clock Features Normal, Hard Modes

Elaine Chow — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 23:45:00 EDT

Apparently the laser alarm clock idea, where you stop your clock's incessant ringing by shooting a bullseye with a laser gun, was popular enough to warrant a second coming. Bandai will be releasing its new version, titled Gun O' Clock, on November 15th in Japan. Gun O'Clock lacks the little man from the original, but features two wake-up modes: Normal and Hard. Normal mode means you only have to hit the target once to put the clock on snooze. With Hard mode, you'll have to hit it five times. Is that frustrating or secret agent awesome? I can't really tell. [Bandai via Geek Alerts]

Sonic Bomb Alarm Clock Lightning Review: It Explodes Your Dreams

matt buchanan — Sat, 27 Sep 2008 15:15:00 EDT

The Gadget: I can sleep through anything. I do, notoriously. It's why I already have three alarms: My current super clock has two built-in, and I set my phone. But it's still not enough. So Brian told me I had to review the only thing left to try: the Sonic Bomb, which has a 113dB extra loud alarm—louder than a jackhammer or chainsaw—and a bed shaker.

The Price: $37.00.

The Verdict: I'll put it this way: After using it once, the next time I set it up, I woke up five minutes before it was set to go off. Normally, I would go back to sleep and let the alarm wake me up. Instead, I went back to sleep for four minutes, and made damn sure I got up before it went off. When this thing jolts you out of a cozy slumber—or even my favorite, half-conscious dozing—it's a deeply traumatic experience that scars you for life, or at least twenty minutes.

That's mostly thanks to the bed shaker, which isn't so much a shaker as a knocker, at least when it was placed between my wooden bed frame and mattress, so it was like a hummingbird on steroids slamming a hammer next to my head.

So yes, it will rip you out of your dreams. It still has a couple of flaws though. Namely, because of the cord extending from the clock to the bed shaker, you've gotta have it close to your bed. Though I suppose you could look at the trip wire it creates as yet another layer of alertness, ensuring you're fully up and at 'em. Also, I wish it was harder to turn off the alarm—it's way too easy to flip it off in a zombified state and roll back into bed. Having to solve a mini-puzzle would be nice in this respect.

Otherwise, if you're just looking for a basic alarm clock that will absolutely guarantee you're out of bed—at least until you turn it off—this is it. [Sonic Alert]

Sony's (Yes, Sony's) ICF-CD3i the Neatest Looking iPhone Clock/Radio Dock Yet

Wilson Rothman — Wed, 10 Sep 2008 21:30:00 EDT

Sony Insider has uncovered Sony's newest Dream Machine, the ICF-CD3iP, the most attractive iPhone/iPod Clock/Radio Dock I've seen yet. No telling what it sounds like, but for the $100 or so it will cost when it eventually surfaces, I'm guessing it would be somewhere between "tinny but decent" and "hey, that's not so bad."

SI mentions the fact that it has an iPod/iPhone remote, and that its alarm can co-exist with iPhone/iPod alarms; I don't believe that's a first, but it's a good thing to hear. By the looks of it, that iPod dock slides out, too, a nice thing for those who might not care for iStuff. If the round face hasn't tipped you off already, it's also a CD player with MP3-CD playback, and it has a line in, in case you still want to patch in your 120GB Zune. What? Sony still makes MP3 players? Huh. [Sony Insider via iPodNN]

Silent Alarm Clock Wakes You Up With Good Vibrations, Smooths Roommate Relations

Elaine Chow — Sat, 16 Aug 2008 19:00:00 EDT

Back when I was in college, one of my most frustrating experiences involved a roommate in my dormitory apartment who mistakenly believed that she would be able to wake up daily for her 8:30am lecture series. Said roommate could sleep through an elephant parade. Oh how I seethed in the mornings as I clutched my pillow to my head, begging for the noise to pleasepleaseplease just STOP. If only this alarm were available back then. The Silent Alarm Clock, designed by Johan Brengesjo, uses a wireless rubber ring that vibrates to wake you up in a tactile, noiseless fashion. Though it's just a concept device right now, somebody ought to make and market one right quick. Think of how many friendships it could save! [Yanko Design]

iHome iH41 Rotating iPod Alarm Clock Released, Gets $80 Price Tag

Kit Eaton — Tue, 12 Aug 2008 06:33:31 EDT

Back in May we alerted you to the unusual iHome iH41 iPod dock alarm clock, which can swivel around its own corner to let you display a docked iPod touch as widescreen or portrait. Well, it's now available to purchase, with an $80 price tag. It's got Expanded Bass and Reson8 technology to give its sounds a little clarity and oomph, and has a remote that controls the iPod and clock functions. It still looks as if it's compatible only with touches and iPods, so if you're an iPhone owner maybe it's not the one for you. [Business Wire]

Vibrating Alarm Clock Jiggles Your Face Awake

Jason Chen — Mon, 11 Aug 2008 14:20:00 EDT

We've seen a couple vibrating alarm clocks before, but none as slick looking as this Karlsson version. By day it looks like a cordless phone sitting in a rounded base. By night it looks like a cordless phone slipped under your pillow in order to jostle your head awake in the morning. As great as this is, Joel of Boing Boing Gadgets notes that you can easily set your phone as a vibrating alarm as a more "free" solution. Though if you want to play it safe and not have cellphone radiation force its way through your skull for eight hours a night in order to get a signal—which may or may not be hazardous—this seems like the better way to go. [Lazy Bone UK via Technabob via Oh Gizmo via Boing Boing Gadgets]

Shape Up Alarm Clock Dumbbell Won't Shut up 'Til You Do 30 Reps

Kit Eaton — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 11:00:00 EDT

Shape Up from Fred and Friends is one of those bullying-style digital alarm clocks, designed to force you awake. It's shaped like a mini dumbbell and won't stop buzzing until you do 30 reps. This would not get me out of bed in the AM, nossir. But it might make me smile. Smile happily as I grip its conveniently throwable shape and fling it heartily out of the window into the garden, and slip back to sleep. There's no info on price or availability, you may be pleased to know. [OhGizmo]

Wake up! First Sun Warrior of the Morning Challenge Kit Turns Waking Up Into Crazy Anime Game

Jack Loftus — Sat, 21 Jun 2008 17:00:00 EDT

Japanese toy company People has released a new age alarm clock that supposedly helps kids wake up by turning them into Ultraman. It's called the Okiro! Asa Ichiban Taiyou Senshi - Charenjaa Kitto (Wake up! First Sun Warrior of the Morning - challenger kit) and was manufactured for the Japanese Ministry of Education “early to bed early to rise” program. The $38 kit comes with the extravagant eye shield and helmet; a series of talismans and message cards (no doubt world-saving secret missions); and a 27-day program that will involve your child taking orders from "the commander."

The commander wakes the child up at 6 a.m., and prompts players to put on the helmet and hit a "roger" button to acknowledge their wakefulness. Then, they are ordered to count to 10 in five different languages: English, Japanese, German, Swahili and Malagasy. At that point, the player is "allowed to take off the equipment and start the day"—wtf?! Didn't Akira start this way? [People.jp via CrunchGear]

Lightning Review: iHome iH12BR iPod Alarm Clock

Jason Chen — Sun, 15 Jun 2008 21:00:00 EDT

The Gadget: The iHome iH12, which is an iPod dock, alarm clock, AM/FM radio and stereo speakers all in one compact black box. The BR means it's black and it comes with a remote.

The Price: $79

The Verdict: It works pretty much as expected. We went through loads and loads of iPod Docks in our iPod Dock Battlemodo last year and like the iHome iH52 speaker dock, we found this iH12 to be fairly bass heavy. That's not really a huge deal if you're using this as an alarm clock to wake up to, but if you're just relaxing in bed, you'll have to make some EQ adjustments to find the right bass setting you're comfortable with.

The alarm features are fine, even if the controls are slightly less intuitive than we'd like. The remote is useful for fiddling with it from across the room, and the unit even has a battery backup in case your power goes out. For $79.99, it's a pretty great all-in-one iPod speaker and alarm clock combination that should work well in most bedrooms. If you want great sound quality in a set that you're going to use to listen to music more often, we'd recommend you get a separate unit to go with this. [iHome]

Lightning Review: Aluratek Wi-Fi Internet Radio Alarm Clock

matt buchanan — Wed, 07 May 2008 20:00:00 EDT

The Gadget: A Wi-Fi internet radio alarm clock from Aluratek, with over 11,000 free stations worldwide.

The Price: $199.

The Verdict: I actually like this thing a lot despite its laundry list of flaws—it's a bread-and-butter gadget that mostly works as advertised. It's got more radio stations than you could possibly ever listen to, from a good portion of the United Nations and organized into a bunch of different genres. Whether or not you want it basically comes down to how much you love radio, and if having thousands of stations on your alarm clock makes you tingly.

Here's what I dug: You can use any radio station (internet or otherwise) as your alarm. Bookmarks for your favorites, a necessity. The stations are about as well organized as you can hope for in cataloging thousands of them, and you can sort them by genre or location. Setup is simple, even without instructions. The sound and size aren't bad, though the bass could be a bit punchier. And I just like the concept of the thing—the core internet radio functionality works really well, above all.

Not groovy: The screen and UI are ugly, straight out of the early '90s. A significant issue is that the Wi-Fi receiver is weak—my DD-WRT router blasts the signal at 85mW, and on the other side of my apartment (which is by no means cavernous) two rooms away, I only got two bars. In a larger pad, this will be a problem. It lost service occasionally, requiring a reboot. And I never could get it to sync up with Windows Media Player, even though it saw my computer, and my computer saw it. Given these issues, $199 is just way too much, as much as I like this thing's soul. [Aluratek]

JWD Media-Playing Alarm With Radio, Chumby for Cheapos?

Kit Eaton — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 09:04:29 EDT

This little box from JWD does pack in a fair number of functions: 2-inch 220 x 176 TFT screen, built-in lithium battery, speakers, 1GB of memory, MP3, WMA and MP4 playback, FM radio and alarm clock. It can even record the radio or a line-in audio source, and has an SD slot for expansion. It doesn't have a touchscreen or Wi-Fi, but this Chumbyesque device is at least fairly reasonably priced: $88 for one, with discounts if you buy in bulk. [Shopkami via Chipchick]

Pole-Dancer Alarm Clock Gets You Up in Every Sense of the Word

AddyDugdale — Wed, 02 Apr 2008 09:10:00 EDT

N.E.R.D. may get their lapdances for free, but I don't know about ordinary people. I do know, however, that my lapdancing run-in in Vegas several years ago was a never-to-be-repeated experience. Girls with wonky boobs in Santa outfits, (it was June) my girlfriend in hysterics and me squirming with embarrassment, vowing that this was the last time I would have a lay-dee gyrate on top of my chest in order to extricate the dollar bill that said chum had put there for the tip. So this forty-buck glitterball-encrusted alarm clock seems like a safer option. One drawback I do see, however. Five shiny red buttons to work it—isn't that going to lead to confusion amongst some people? [Nerd Approved]

Seven Alarm Clock Won't Take "No" For an Answer

Sean Fallon — Mon, 10 Mar 2008 17:40:14 EDT

There are plenty of alarm clocks out there that attempt to "shock" you awake with loud noises or groggily impossible feats of hand-eye coordination—but I think we can all agree that waking up to that would suck really hard. The Seven Alarm clock concept takes a different approach by playing your favorite MP3 (like Shatner's "Common People"—a true classic), then gradually increases the volume if its motion sensor does not detect activity.

The Seven clock was unique enough to earn designer Joel Escalona a Volvo for Life Design Award—which is certainly well deserved. However, could it be turned down by simple movements like waving your hand in the air? If so, the motion feature wouldn't be much more effective than a snooze button—and we all know how well those work. [Joel Escalona via New Launches via DVICE]

Portable Digital Frame, Webcam and Alarm Clock All-In-One

Sean Fallon — Thu, 28 Feb 2008 20:40:30 EST

Hong Kong-based WinWin Industry has recently unveiled a product that combines a digital picture frame, webcam and an alarm clock with temperature and calendar functions in a single, semi-portable device. It also features 8MB of memory, a built-in rechargeable battery, a 1.44-inch screen and a 300K pixel camera resolution.

Okay, so it won't blow you away on the specs, but it could be a handy device, especially when you consider that the pocket-sized photo viewer can be removed from the base for easy transport. No pricing or release date information has been announced. [WinWin via Coolest Gadgets]

Aroma Waker Early Morning Scratch 'n' Sniff Technology

Kit Eaton — Wed, 27 Feb 2008 07:22:38 EST

Aroma Waker is a not-so-cunningly-named alarm clock that wakes you by emitting aromatherapy scents at a preset time. Its actually got two heated scent pots, so you can have a second dose of smells later in the day— perhaps to remind you it's lunchtime, to feed the cat, or a "warm welcome from a hard day's work" as designers Abiogenesis suggest. So, fragrant Giz readers, how would you like your olfactory glands to be aroused this morning?

The Aroma Waker is just a design concept, sadly, but a prototype is showing at the Wellcome Trust Sleeping and Dreaming exhibition in London until March 10th. [Abiogenesis via Yanko design]

Home-Made Alarm Clock Beeps Until You Solve a Mathematical Problem

AddyDugdale — Thu, 21 Feb 2008 10:20:52 EST

I tend to have a cup of tea and some cereal before I do anything in the morning, but Nicholas Paul Johnson swears by his Turing alarm clock. Powered by an PIC16 microcontroller, Johnson used a four-buck LCD display and has, very sweetly, made the whole thing free and open-source. [cheaphack via MAKE]

Torture Yourself By Building a Water Gun Alarm Clock

Sean Fallon — Tue, 19 Feb 2008 19:00:16 EST

Have trouble waking up in the morning? You could use a really loud alarm, or an alarm that forces you to engage what little hand-eye coordination you have in the morning—but for real torture, you will have to step up to the squirt gun alarm clock. The only problem is that you have to build it yourself.

For that you are going to need some soldering skills, a motorized water gun, a voltage relay switch, a bread board circuit and some basic tools. If this doesn't wake you up, you are going to be condemmed to a lifetime of lateness my friend. That is until someone develops an alarm clock that slaps you in the face and/or groin each day promptly at 6:30am. [Hack n Mod]

Hasbro Room Tech Clock Wirelessly Wakes the Lamps in Your Room

Haroon Malik — Wed, 06 Feb 2008 04:55:00 EST

Hasbro's Room Tech Clock, which looks like a mix between an iPod and a Goomba, is an alarm clock with a wireless link to the shroom-shaped Room Tech Lamp. When the alarm goes off, two things happen; the alarm clock will either stomp its fists on the table making an awful racket, play back the radio or pump out tunes from a connected MP3 player. Secondly, the Room Tech Lamp, which is styled like a shroom-Martian hybrid, will be activated, bringing illumination to your dank, dingy room.

The Room Tech Lamp has a touch sensitive domed head, which allows the user to turn the light on, as well as select from a variety of colors simply by touching it. Additionally, the lamp has a speaker built in that can be hooked up to your MP3 player. The Room Tech duo are due out in September and will retail for £39.99 ($79) each.

Given Gizmodo writers mostly work from their beds, the biggest chore in the morning is turning on the light; we're just too lazy to pull the blinds up. Frankly, how we got by without the Room Tech series is quite beyond us. We're already in line. [Pocket-lint]

Alarm Clock Design is So Stupid it's Brilliant

Sean Fallon — Thu, 03 Jan 2008 18:10:27 EST

The Emily Clock from designer Greg Wolos will soon go from concept to reality thanks to a simple twist that allows it to be mounted on a wall so that it can be easily read while lying in bed. Sure, you could criticize by saying that it would be easy to duct tape your current alarm clock to the wall and achieve a similar effect or pick up a projection clock if you happen to sleep on your back. But hey, the guy won a contest with this design—and he will make money off it. That makes it brilliant. [Moco Loco via DVICE]

10 Gadgets You Need For Global Orgasm 2007

Benny Goldman — Fri, 21 Dec 2007 21:02:00 EST

At 6:08 a.m. GMT on the 22nd, activists Donna Sheehan and Paul Reffell hope you will join them in their quest for world peace—by having an orgasm. Yes, the two have organized Global Orgasm 2007 with the hope that through "the largest possible instantaneous surge of human biological, mental and spiritual energy" we can "effect positive change in the energy field of the Earth." Since manual stimulation is so 2006, we've rounded up 10 gadgets that will help you contribute to the cause:

• The Danger Bomb Alarm Clock. This clock is sure to wake you up for the event, because it makes an exploding noise until you figure out how to turn it off. Sure, we could've gone with the Orgasmo, which makes the sound of a female orgasm, but that would probably just put us back in dream land. Besides, the Danger Bomb will serve as a good reminder of your own impending sensory explosion.

Now for the guys, here are some suggestions to get you going:

• A sex doll. For all those do-it-yourselfers (haha! get it?) with time on your hands, build a companion to cuddle with tonight. Make sure to hide it when company is around.

• The Blowjob Machine. If you don't have time to build but still crave the feeling of a robot lover, go with this gadget out of Japan. This thing looks more "vacuum cleaner" than "erotic," so be careful.

• The Rubbot. More mechanical goodness, the Rubbot is the most discreet male sex toy of the bunch. Too bad it's still in beta, because judging by the job it did on that beer bottle you wouldn't have any problem making it to the finish line in time.

• 1-900-Nerd-Girl. So you just can't seem to get *there* without a little dirty talk? How about a little nerdy talk instead? Hearing these ladies talk Star Wars and D&D will have your lightsaber up in no time.

• Condom applicator. If you'll be sharing in the global orgasm with that special someone, you're going to want one of these. Over-population is a major factor in world unrest, so don't make the problem any worse.

Ladies, don't think we forgot about you! We at Giz ~~have heard~~ know that the female orgasm is not a myth, and we couldn't leave you out of the festivites, so for you we present:

• A Vibrator. We have so many to choose from, but we decided to go with Inch Perfect, because it's huge, it precise, and you need to get the job done quickly.

• The Call Me Panties. Stick your cellphone in the Call Me Panties front pocket, put it on vibrate and set your alarm. That way, you'll be on your way to saving the world without leaving your bed.

• Nintendo Wii. How will a Wii help you reach orgasm, you ask? Just ask this woman, she seems to have it down.

And finally, for everyone:

• Open Mouth Ashtray. Phew, after all that hard work, you're probably going to want a cigarette. Nothing says "I just participated in a Global Orgasm" quite like this ashtray.

That should be enough to get you started on your journey to heal the world. With less than 12 hours until the big moment, you better start making plans. I know what I'll be doing at 1:08 AM EST; Hell, I probably would have been doing it anyway. [Global Orgasm, World Clock for 6:08 GMT]

Philips Clock Radio / Digital Photo Frame: The Joy of Family Pictures at 6 AM

Sean Fallon — Wed, 07 Nov 2007 17:38:07 EST

If you fancy waking up to the sight of your loved ones, you may be interested in this Philips AJL308 7-Inch Digital Picture Frame, Alarm Clock, Radio and MP3 player combo. This do-it-all device can even be loaded with pictures, video and music from a PC USB connection, memory stick or SD card. No doubt it would make for a sweet holiday gift for people with friends and/or a family that doesn't suck. Available for $129.99 [Amazon via Crave]

USB Blender Alarm Clock Mixes Worst of Eras

Mark Wilson — Mon, 29 Oct 2007 08:17:12 EDT

The USB Blender Alarm Clock was designed as the ultimate throwback gadget. Celebrating the the disco revolution by playing your favorite 70's jingles, co-workers will marvel at your sense of history. But the really acute among them will recognize that since USB gadgets are sort of the alarm clock gadgets (80s) of the new millennium, a USB alarm clock is your ultimate superfluous gadget stereotype. As for that blender...when Wednesday finally rolls around at the office, frozen cocktails can be a necessity. Oh, why the hell are we even trying to explain why they made this thing? It's not meant to make sense...we hope. [brando]

Projection Clock Mixes Up Past and Future to Give You the Present Time

Charlie White — Wed, 03 Oct 2007 14:30:00 EDT

We've seen our share of projection clocks, but not like this futuristic bullet-shaped timepiece that tosses a clock face with Roman numerals onto your wall. Don't worry if it's too bright for you, you can dim that display, or even throw it out of focus if you want. Put it on the other side of the room and have a gigantic version of Big Ben filling up your room with timely illumination. Available in a couple of weeks, it'll cost you $99.95. [Plow & Hearth, via Oh Gizmo]