Highly Visible Alarm Clock?

December 22, 2004 4:24 AM

After an unintended sleep in due to an incorrectly set alarm clock, I decided that what I really need is a highly visible clock. [more inside]

I had woken up on time, but being unable to see the clock (blocked from sight by my partner) figured it was still early. She was late, I was late, panicked rushing about ensued.

What I would really like is either an alarm clock with a small built in projector, or just a normal clock with a projector. I know these exist, but all I've been able to find is a cheap battery powered one.

Does anyone have experience with these clocks? Any recommended models? Being able to open my eyes and instantly know the time seems very useful.

I am in Australia, so 240 V models are preferred, but any recommendations at all would be great!

posted by tomble to technology (9 answers total)

I just bought two clocks at Ikea - not projectors, but you can definitely open your eyes and immediately see the time! They're great if you have a headboard or night stands on either side of your bed, you and your partner can each have one. It's a smallish battery operated alarm clock that clips on to your headboard, and it has a snake-like body that you can bend in any direction. It's highly visible, with a large red read-out, and it's good-looking too, all silver and grey metal/plastic. I got one for me and one for my husband, and we love 'em. They look like those clip-on tracklights you see for reading in bed - kind of modern and spare, if you like that kind of thing.
posted by iconomy at 4:54 AM on December 22, 2004

I'd recommend a slightly different route (that I've talked about in these pages before): a light on a timer. I use a 120-watt full-spectrum bulb on a cheap $12 timer I bought at the hardware store. It turns on automatically a little after 6 a.m. and goes off at about 7:40. That permits me to sleep a little later if my body wants it, but to still always have the bright light on me so that at the first natural waking, it catches my attention. It requires little thinking--if the light is on, I should be getting up. If the light is off but it's light outdoors, I'm late. On the weekends, I just turn off the lamp it is attached to.

(Of course, your partner may not like this.)
posted by Mo Nickels at 5:22 AM on December 22, 2004

CostCo sells what you are looking for, and very reasonably.
posted by rushmc at 6:19 AM on December 22, 2004

Make sure you don't get a clock that is too bright. I once had one that cast a greenish glow across my room and it kept me up at nights.
posted by painquale at 6:36 AM on December 22, 2004

They don't have CostCo in Australia, at least according to their store locator, they don't. Which would mean that they either don't ship to Au, or that the delivery cost would be exhorbitant. This clock is really beautiful. There are also some available on ebay.com.au right now, and this place sells a nice-looking one as well. But my clip-on clock is better :P
posted by iconomy at 6:49 AM on December 22, 2004

My parents have a clock, I'm not sure which one, but it has a projector for the ceiling, and it sets istelf. I have not asked them about it when I'm actually thinking about it. But I bought what I thought was the same thing from Target a week or two ago, and it's a cheap battery powered one, that needs to be set and doesn't have a back light so if you look at the clock itself, can't see the time, you have to look at the projector, which I haven't gotten to work yet. The one I have is a Wesclock I think.
posted by TuxHeDoh at 7:22 AM on December 22, 2004

I've got an alarm clock with a projector. It's supposed to set itself to the atomic clock, but apparently it can't receive the signal in my neighborhood. In any case, it works very well, and as one of those sorts who wakes up many times a night -- and *must* *know* *the* *time* -- the projector saves me lots of tossing and turning and fidgeting. It's AC powered, and although this model isn't the one I've got, it's quite similar.
posted by uncleozzy at 7:36 AM on December 22, 2004

Do you have night stands on each side of the bed (or something you can put a clock on)? We ended up simply buying a second clock radio. We each have our own and can always see them. The only problem comes when I forget to turn the alarm to Off and get up, leaving it in Snooze mode... then my wife gets pissed cuz it wakes her up.
posted by Doohickie at 7:56 AM on December 22, 2004

Oregon Scientific makes projector clocks. They have some models by Philip Starck which are kinda expensive - but they have barometers and look like teh sex.
posted by kickingtheground at 8:47 AM on December 22, 2004