Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with alarmclock

Looking for an clock that won't alarm me, aesthetically or acoustically.

orange swan — Fri, 25 Jan 2013 08:08:00 -0800

I want to buy a new alarm clock radio for my bedside table as the old one keeps gaining four hours or so overnight. However when I look for one, I'm presented with your basic model ugly modern electronics, and I have a Art Nouveau theme going on in my house. Can anyone help me find an alarm clock that will not look so absurdly out of place sitting next to my brass lampshade with the stained glass shade? I know there are brass alarm clocks, which would work aesthetically, but I can't bear to be woken up by an alarm, so while I don't have to have a radio alarm clock I do need an alarm that won't make me hurl the clock across the room, such as something musical. I also want to be able to see the time in the dark. And no I don't have a watch with an alarm or a cellphone, and I'm not interested in getting either. Ideas?

Digital watch with an alarm that will wake me up?

makethemost — Wed, 02 Jan 2013 13:52:50 -0800

I'm looking for a pretty cheap digital watch that has an alarm that will actually wake me up. I'm traveling and would rather not have a separate battery-powered alarm clock. But I also don't want to spend an arm and a leg. Anyone have any experience with a digital watch with an alarm that will actually wake me up?

Thanks so much!

Alarm clock recommendation

medusa — Tue, 18 Sep 2012 15:30:35 -0800

Help a picky person find an alarm clock? I'd like to get an alarm clock that doesn't annoy me. I'm picky; most alarm clocks drive me crazy. Here's what I'm looking for:
- easy to set/change the alarm time (so an analog clock is preferred; I don't want to have to press a button 30 times to change the alarm from 7 to 7:30)
- stand-alone alarm clock, not a phone (I tried using my phone, found it annoying)
- makes no sound except when the alarm goes off
- makes a pleasant sound or sounds when the alarm goes off
- emits no light except on request
- good quality (I don't want it to break right away)

Special Snowflake needs an Alarm Clock!

cat_link — Mon, 17 Sep 2012 22:28:03 -0800

Special Snowflake needs an Alarm Clock! I have trouble falling asleep, staying asleep and waking up well. If I awaken too abruptly it rattles me and it takes hours to get on an even keel. I have developed hearing issues, due most likely to exposure to very loud sounds over the years. It has worsened to the point where I can't hear many alarm clocks. Over the past two years I have developed tinnitus. My version is a bit of a mynah bird - if I hear certain buzz-ring-whirl sounds repeatedly my brain/ear will latch onto it and change the internal buzzing to match the sound. The everyday buzzing is already distracting and has taken some time to adapt to. "Hearing" my alarm clock all day is distracting and eventually diminishes the ability of the real alarm to get my attention when needed.

I'm afraid the sonic boom sort will get me too rattled. Since my sleep issues get me on crazy cycles I have developed the ability to not be disturbed by changes in light.

I need an alarm which:

*has numerous sounds I can vary to trick my demonic buzzing

*an alert which gets progressively louder

*snooze option

*10" X 7" or smaller to fit on my night stand

*not cost an arm and a leg

*be fairly low-tech, as I am!

I appreciate any suggestions you may have!

Thanks!

Oh where is my alarm clock...

SpacemanStix — Thu, 02 Aug 2012 16:18:09 -0800

Is there a place where I can find pictures of Timex alarm clocks from the 80's? I'm looking for an alarm clock that I had when I was young. I think the year it came out was probably in the early to mid eighties. It was Timex, I think. The most distinctive features: it was a simple rectangular box (probaby 4inx6inx3in or something...), brown, and had flip-numbers, like this. The most dinstinguishing feature was probably how the alarm was set. It was a "turn dial" set into the side of the clock, and it was set in 20 minute increments. If you were facing the clock, you turned the dial in the same way that you'd turn the nob on a watch you were setting. Like this, but it's not the same clock. Also, you turned the alarm on and off by flipping a rectangular switch in the back up and down.

As I re-read this, it's almost embarrassing vague, but I'd think that the number that fit this description from the 80's might be limited for a particular clock manufacturer. I'd like to look through pictures, but if anyone can identify it based on these characteristics, that would be cool, too.

You are feeling very wakey...

thinkingwoman — Wed, 07 Sep 2011 06:00:19 -0800

Recommend a dawn simulator alarm clock for me! So, I've decided to get a dawn simulator alarm clock. What kind should I get? Previous Ask threads are about 4 years old (unless I missed one?) and many of the models are out of date. I would like a fairly high quality one.

Not looking for recommendations to put a regular household lamp on a timer, unless you can teach me how to replicate the gradual brightening of a dawn simulator.

Looking for the perfect techy clock radio. Giving up on iHome... might consider an internet radio.

rglass — Wed, 03 Aug 2011 09:14:36 -0800

Looking for the perfect techy clock radio. Giving up on iHome... might consider an internet radio. Lots of questions inside. (Posting for my husband.)

I tried an iHome a couple years ago and was disappointed. I have the brand new iA92 and am still disappointed. The device is cheap and plasticky. My iphone plays well but there are strange clicks, hisses and pops occasionally. Without the iphone connected, it's just a basic alarm clock. Kind of disappointing for a $100 alarm clock. The iHome iA100 ($200) looks cool because it has bluetooth, but otherwise it still seems identical to the iA92 and it just doesn't seem like it's worth $200.

Now I'm considering an internet based radio... thinking I can listen to NPR, Pandora, streaming radio stations, etc. I'd love to also be able to dock my iphone but haven't found the perfect option yet.

I'm looking at three internet radios that seem pretty awesome on Amazon but it worries me that I can't find any mention of them except on Amazon... there's almost no coverage from tech blogs or magazines. They are:

- Aluratek AIRMM02F $89
- Grace Digital GDI-IRA500 (Solo) $80
- Grace Digital GDI-IR2500 (Innovator III) $99

None of these have an iphone dock but they all have multiple alarms, internet radio and Pandora. I believe they all have a line in feature which I suppose I could use for an iphone if I wanted to.

Does anyone here have any experience with any of these? Should I assume that since there's no mainstream coverage, these may be gimmicky devices? I've never even heard of these brands before.

Anyone have an amazing techy alarm clock that I haven't considered?

Previously.

zzz

ghostbikes — Fri, 24 Jun 2011 08:08:39 -0800

Mrmblmbembmmm. Sufferers of Excessive Daytime Sleepiness, how the heck do you do it? I've been struggling with my sleep health lately, but I'm working on it. Long story short, I'm constantly exhausted, fall asleep at work, and have been forgoing basic life functions in exchange for glorious sleep. I thought it was because of antidepressants, got various tests with no result and went to a sleep doctor who thinks I may have narcolepsy. The descriptions I've read of EDS and the EDS part of narcolepsy symptoms very much reflect how I feel every friggin' day. I have a sleep lab test in a month (BUT I WANT IT NOOOWW). A month or two ago my psychiatrist prescribed me ritalin when I complained of exhaustion and desk-sleeping, so that's been getting me through my workdays. At sleep-doctor's suggestion (when I complained of "I just go home after work and pass out!") I've been taking a half dose two times a day, rather than taking the full dose in the morning and being 110% alive at work. I'm trying to supplement with coffee but I'm new at this (and the office coffee sucks).

Anyway, I could really use some advice on how to get through this until my appointments. It's going to be another month until the lab, and a month after that until I have results and some sort of treatment. I'm trying to use my ritalin sparingly due to its controlled nature. Even with that, getting up in the morning, showering, eating, and basically doing anything other than sleeping, watching netflix, or mindlessly reading the internet is a challenge.

I can't get myself to read books on the train anymore without falling asleep, so I'm turning to mindless iphone games. I've been playing a lot of Coin Dozer, a coin pusher iphone app that's the most brainless (yet pleasing) game I've ever played. I would love recommendations for games that require similar limited skill and mental capacity.

Before that, though, my biggest challenge is getting out of bed and doing morning stuff before the wake-up pills kick in. I was hoping I could get some advice on that. How to not hit the snooze button when I wake up feeling exhausted, but more sleep isn't refreshing. How to not be late for work because I'm so slow moving and brain-foggy. General tips for enduring daily life with this feeling would be great. If I didn't live with my boyfriend, I'd probably get one of those super loud alarm clocks that runs away from you. I thought about treating myself to some kind of fancy coffee machine, but I can't imagine adding anything else to my morning routine. Sorry this is such a foggy post, today is particularly bad. Any help would be very much appreciated.

iPhone won't play nicely with Sony alarm clock

Atrahasis — Sat, 04 Jun 2011 16:24:56 -0800

iMy husband's iPhone 3GS does not work with our ICF-CD3iPSIL Sony clock alarm...but my iPhone 3G works just fine. Why? Details: His iPhone charges just fine when it's in the clock alarm dock, but we cannot control it via remote control or the buttons on the alarm clock. Also, his iPhone won't play music through the alarm speakers, though it will play it fine through the phone speakers. My older-generation 3G does all of those things. I compared iPhone settings, and everything seems the same. Can you help? Thanks so much!

Where can I buy a Wake 'n' Bacon alarm clock ASAP?

jitterbug perfume — Sun, 24 Apr 2011 08:38:50 -0800

Where can I buy a Wake 'n' Bacon alarm clock? Are they even available for commercial purchase? I can't find one anywhere but need to.

Thanks!

I Don't Got You, Babe

l33tpolicywonk — Mon, 14 Mar 2011 17:58:51 -0800

Recommend a kick-ass alarm clock that: doesn't use batteries, has a not-unpleasant alarm sound, looks not-ugly and is under $30. So, I'm tired with the clock radio route. My big honking digital alarm clock either plays the really unpleasant buzzer sound, or radio - and I'm tired of hearing Morning Edition every morning when I wake up. Plus, it looks ugly. Really ugly. Help me find an alternative that:

Is either AC powered or mechanical - I'm paranoid about batteries dying.

Has a nice alarm sound that doesn't reek of that digital death noise that most alarm clocks make

Is designed nice - I'm a softy for modern design and anything that looks elegant. I don't need a backlight, and I don't need to see it across the room, but I do want it to look better than your average clock

Is under $30.

Things I don't need: radio, AM/PM, time syncing with a satellite, or anything other than telling me what time it is and an alarm. Bonus points for something that's small.

It's 17 o'clock somewhere -- I just wish that wasn't here

cranberry_nut — Thu, 03 Feb 2011 18:07:51 -0800

My alarm clock/iPod dock has decided to display 24-hour time, and I'm really much more at home in the 12-hour format. (I may have desperately hit a lot of buttons when it was beeping...) It's a Sony ICF-C1IP, and it's not even supposed to have the option of displaying 24-hour time. It's worked just fine for the last couple of years with the 12-hour format and AM/PM icons.

However, during a power outage yesterday (thank you, snow removal crew!) it started beeping uncontrollably to indicate it was running on its backup battery. In an effort to silence it, I hit just about every button/combination of buttons available -- and when the power came back on, it was 20 o'clock. Clearly I've activated some hidden feature that neither the manual nor a reasonable amount of googling have told me how to disable.

I understand that there are arguments in favor of 24-hour clocks, but this current situation is unacceptable to me. Does anyone have any idea how to get me back into the AM/PM world?

Philips alarm clock

devnull — Sun, 12 Dec 2010 15:54:27 -0800

Where can I buy a Philips AJ3050 (or AJ3051) alarm clock radio? The problem: Philips don't make it any more!

I'm sure a store somewhere has a new one, all boxed and ready, sitting on a shelf. I tried Ebay, Amazon marketplace and Froogle. I even tried offline shops. No luck. How can I track one down online?

wakey wakey

randomstriker — Tue, 12 Oct 2010 10:50:52 -0800

Does this iPhone/Android app exist: an alarm clock in which you very quickly enter the alarm time numerically via a 10-key pad? For me, the alarm clock is the two killer app on a cell phone, and in this respect Nokia has always outshone all others.

I just wanna be able to set the alarm time by typing 0-7-0-0-Enter. No kinetic-scroll dials, no up-down number selectors, etc. Just hit four numbers and enter.

I've had both the Nexus One and the iPhone 4, and searching high and low, wide and far does not yield one simple app that does just what I want.

Does it exist?

Recommendations for headphones and alarm clocks

Solomon — Thu, 22 Jul 2010 09:12:49 -0800

What are your recommendations for 1] headphones I can wear to bed and 2] an alarm clock that will vibrate and wake me up? 1] I've seen the Sleepphones. Are these things any good? Comfortable to wear? Do they block out noise effectively? I toss and turn a lot in bed - will I end up strangling myself on the wire? Any other similar products out there?

2] On reading this thread, I'm leaning towards a Sonic Shaker. However, I'd prefer something that doesn't have LEDs on it. Does such a thing exist? Any other models or products that work in the same way?

Personal recommendations and experiences are very welcome.

I can't wake up.

devilsbrigade — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 10:59:29 -0800

I've been sleeping through my alarm clocks, or turning them off without really waking up. Just about every day. This sucks. This is a recent problem (last few months) and makes me late for stuff almost every day I have to be somewhere before, say, 11 - I wake up naturally around 10:30 pretty consistently. Plus its just massively disheartening to actually want to get up and not be able to because you just flat out sleep through it. I have two alarm clocks, and I set both, staggered by a minute or two. Once in a while I wake up a little for one, but rarely for both. I'm getting around 8 hours a night, so I'm not massively sleep deprived, but I'm really not in a situation where getting more is really practical. For important things, I've had to have people call me to wake me up, but I feel stupid about doing this, so... suggestions, MeFi?

I need an alarm clock that silently wakes me up!

carpyful — Mon, 25 Jan 2010 22:02:49 -0800

My awesome vibrating alarm clock broke and I'm planning to replace it. Before that, can you suggest any awesome alarm clock for deep sleepers that doesn't necessarily make noise? I've had this alarm clock for a few years and I really, really like it. It comes with a vibrating puck that shakes you awake. It has an incredibly loud alarm sound as well. However, whether because of abuse, bad build quality, or just age, the puck's wiring snapped and the alarm's sound goes on and off.

I am probably fine replacing the alarm clock but I figured I'd turn to Ask Metafilter to see if there was an alarm clock that I would love but just never heard of.

I am a super deep sleeper, I live with roommates, and I wake up the earliest in the house. With all that, the vibrating alarm was good because it woke me -- and only me -- up (my cell phone and other weak alarm sounds don't work if I'm very tired). So I'd like something that is similarly silent but effective.

I've considered getting a light alarm but i feel like I'll sleep right through it.

Save a different kind of alarm clock, is there a better vibrating one that I don't know about?

beep beep beep

KateHasQuestions — Sun, 25 Oct 2009 19:28:52 -0800

Where can I find an alarm clock like the one I've had and loved for years? (General Electric Clock Radio 7-4837C) Required features are inside. I've searched ebay, amazon, and the GE website, they probably don't even make this model anymore because I've had it for so many years. Probably the reason that the only image I found was so tiny.

Here are the features I need in an alarm clock that this one had:

Must be able to adjust time (on both clock and alarm) both up and down
Adjustable snooze time
Nap feature - really easy to use, can adjust for 10 min - 2 hour nap
Easy to hit snooze button, and easy to hit off button
Not a switch between the off/on button (I always seem to set that the wrong way) but an actual off/cancel button
Choosing between beep and radio for the alarm
For the beep alarm, must start out at low volume and gradually increase
Must turn off by itself after a reasonable amount of time (say, if I'm not home, so no one has to listen to it all day - I hated those people in college)
~$20 - I think this one was even cheaper. I don't need anything fancy like automatic daylight savings time or iPod hook ups, I just want all the convenient features I listed.

Does anyone know where I can buy the same one I had? Or maybe a newer model that has the same features? If not, who can recommend one that does all of the things above that they currently use and love?

I've tried searching online but the descriptions and specs just don't list all this in detail. Next step would be to go to stores and look at them in person and try to figure out if they would work for me, but I just don't have time at all this week, so I wanted to ask here. Thanks!

How to mount an alarm clock with no nightstand or permanent wall damage?

madscientist01 — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 14:42:29 -0800

How can I have my alarm clock near my bed even though there's not enough room for a nightstand and I can't make holes in the wall for shelves? There's a chest of drawers on one side of the bed but it is too tall to reach the alarm clock from on top. The other side of the bed is bordering the wall. Are there shelves without permanent mounting hardware that work? I have a usable wall corner. Maybe a super duper skinny nightstand out there somewhere? Use the headboard somehow?

Help me wake up

cmar618 — Wed, 27 May 2009 08:34:39 -0800

I have a tough time waking up in the morning and it is making my wife crazy! How do I wake up before my wife while disturbing her as little as possible? I need to wake up before my (very light-sleeping) wife almost every morning. I have never been good at waking up to an alarm the first time it goes off. I quite often hit the snooze button without knowing. It is as if I am subconsciously doing it. I want to be able to get up the first time it buzzes. Can anyone help with some ideas? Anyone in a similar situation?

Extra internet points if you can help me get up without an alarm clock at all.

Please help, for the sake of my marriage!

Need a little time to wake up. wake up well.

ijoyner — Sun, 29 Mar 2009 08:35:21 -0800

I'm tired of the Antelope alarm tone on my BlackBerry. Does anyone have any recommendations for alarm clock tones I can load onto my SD card? I have started a drop if you wish to drop your favorite tone, but recommendations work as well. Drop.io

Thanks!

Annoying alarm clocks -- just how annoying?

malapropist — Fri, 20 Mar 2009 16:44:18 -0800

So how well do those weird or annoying alarm clocks actually work? I'm thinking about getting the one that makes you complete a jigsaw puzzle to turn it off, but I'm not sure... Does anyone have any of the alarm clocks in the article? The jigsaw one looks interesting, so does the egg-laying one, and maybe the one which makes you shoot a target with a laser. I'm just not sure if any of these actually does what it says, namely making you work your brain a tiny bit so as to actually wake you up and get you out of bed.

Have years of poor sleep hygiene ruined me from using a sunrise alarm clock?

cosmic osmo — Sun, 28 Dec 2008 13:19:57 -0800

Will my sunrise alarm clock ever work for me? And other tips on regulating my sleeping schedule? So I have a ton of trouble with sleep:

- Insomnia, which alternates between not being able to fall asleep at all and waking up an hour or two after falling asleep at night
- Excessive daytime sleepiness, which makes it nearly impossible not to nap, which then throws off my whole schedule
- Complete inability to wake up in the morning, regardless of how much sleep I've gotten the night before

To that last end, I asked for (and received) this guy for the holidays this year. I've tried every manner of super loud alarm clock placed across the room, multiple alarms, etc.--all of which I eventually end up sleeping through completely after using for a couple of weeks. So I decided to go a different direction and use an alarm based on light rather than noise to see if that worked.

Except in the four days I've used it, I've failed to be awakened at all by it (even the beeping noise it makes at the end of the "sunrise"). Twice it's been set to a time prior to the actual sunrise (6:45), and twice after (7:45). I slept with the shades drawn for the "after", but it didn't seem to matter, as neither scenario was successful.

My sleep hygiene throughout my life has been spectacularly poor, and while I'm really working at getting that under control, I'm wondering if my habits have 'ruined' me from ever successfully using a sunrise clock. Specifically, light has never prevented me from sleeping--in addition to frequent afternoon naps, I have been known to fall asleep at night with all of the lights on (and have since childhood). I also live in New York City, so it is never completely dark in my bedroom, even with the shades drawn.

The past few weeks I've seriously been cleaning up my act--no daytime naps, no caffeine except tea in the mornings, reducing external sources of stress, making my bed more comfortable (and not spending non-sleeping time in it), trying to go to bed at a specific time each night. While I haven't been perfect, the past few nights when I've used this clock I've been pretty meticulous with a specific bedtime routine and ample time to wind down from computer/television use and though I fell asleep more easily than I normally do (ok, I did take a Benadryl last night), I'm still sleeping straight through the alarm.

So, people with sunrise alarm clocks: did they work right away for you? Is this just a question of my body taking its time to adjust to my new habits? Or will this clock never reliably wake me up because of so many years of sleeping with the lights on?

(Additional, possibly relevant information: I don't have sleep apnea, and while actually getting out of bed is easier in the summer when it's bright and warm out, my sleeping through alarms is pretty consistent year-round and doesn't really change based on what I'm getting up for--i.e., getting up for work, getting up for an exam, getting up to catch a flight, getting up to go have fun at the beach--are all complete struggles.)

Please help me find an alarm clock ...

MegoSteve — Sun, 28 Dec 2008 08:43:36 -0800

Please help me find an alarm clock ... I want to buy a new alarm clock and can't seem to find the perfect one with all of the features I want. I'm willing to compromise, but beyond the obvious basic buzzing alarm function, I'd like the following: digital FM tuner with presets (and/or internet radio) and some kind of MP3-playing capability via an SD card or USB flash drive, wireless network (ideal) or even CD-R (okay, but not perfect). Photo/slideshow capability is a big plus, too, and so is random techy coolness.

What I definitely don't want: an Ipod dock. I don't have an Ipod. I also don't want that cheap looking Chinese-made white cube.

The top contenders so far are The Philips AJL308, the Transcend PF720 (or the PF810, which was just announced) and, at the very high end of what I'm willing to spend, the Chumby. The Philips, the cheapest and most ubiquitous of the lot, has got some fair to middling reviews and the consensus seems to be "wait for 2.0." I can't find much information at all on the Transcend one since it's fairly new. The Chumby, while the coolest, I have some misgivings about, namely the high price, the advertising (is it obtrusive?) and the potential that the company may go out of business leaving me with a beanbag brick.

Do you have any experience with any of the above-listed products? Importantly: is the Chumby worth it?

Am I overlooking any other possibilities?

Dawn Simulator Without Backlight

cm — Wed, 12 Nov 2008 15:42:02 -0800

Does anyone know of a dawn simulator alarm clock with a display without backlight? Or a display with a backlight than can be disabled? Ideally it would be the type that you plug an external light source into but I suppose I can live with one with an integrated light.

The only one I've found that I believe doesn't have a backlight is this one:
Sunrise Creator