Tag Archives: alarm clock

Antiquated tools reinterpreted as delightful everyday products

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Humanity has produced no small number of tools and objects over the course of history. Some have evolved to become the tools we use today, while others have almost faded into the background, remembered and illustrated only in history books. While these items of the past may no longer serve a practical purpose today, they could still serve as a stepping stone to inspire the designs of tomorrow. This collection of three everyday products, for example, takes a few pages from the form and even the function of these old objects, creating an atmosphere of wonder and curiosity, while also giving a few visual clues that connect us to our distant past.

Designers: Dami Seo, Dohui Kim, Dong Kyun Kim

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Fire-lit lamps may have once been the only way that people could see in the dark of night, but these are not only impractical today, they’re also fire hazards. That said, there’s a certain romantic charm to the shapes and curves of these kerosene lamps, an emotion that the DIDIM_Stand Light tries to replicate with modern technology. The tall floor lamp imitates the style of a lamp dangling from a metal bar, but here the lamp is a battery-powered LED lamp that you can remove and use independently of the rest of the structure. The lamp’s two-piece stand and the wavy cantilever are meant to resemble a person holding such a lantern in olden times.

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A bucket-drawn well is almost an iconic image in many historical or fictional settings that depict periods before an industrial age, and this old contraption has come to symbolize not only life that comes from water but also the routines of life in those ages. Today, we use clocks to mark those routines, and the DIDIM_Alarm Clock combines these two concepts into a miniature well that will hopefully make you feel less annoyed when it wakes you up in the morning. Instead of a basket, the “well” has a bell that rises from within when it’s time to sound the alarm. It isn’t a real bell, however, and has a speaker inside to do the work. Amusingly, you have to hit the bell in order to silence it.

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A little bit more obscure is the DIDIM_Tray, inspired by old grinding stones that people used to prepare grains and beans for cooking. Instead of grinding things, however, turning the “pestle” handle deploys the fan-shaped trays that have compartments for your phone, your pens, and your earbuds. When you’re done using it and don’t want the circular tray to take up space, simply turn the handle in the opposite direction to transform it into a decorative for your desk or table.

These might be mundane objects you can find in anyone’s home, but giving them a bit of a flavor not only enhances their appearance but also changes the atmosphere around them. And you don’t even have to think hard of designs that will capture your visitors’ attention. By simply looking at our past and appreciating the designs that have come before us, we can already bring a unique visual and tactile experience to these everyday products, while also helping us make a connection with the past.

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Apple-inspired alarm clock concept helps you snooze a bit longer

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People buy and use alarm clocks to wake them up at the right time, but let’s face it, almost everyone ends up extending their sleep by five or ten more minutes or at least want to. With the advent of smartphones, that has become even easier with the built-in snooze functionality in apps. But just as reaching for your phone before bedtime can be bad for your health, doing the same when you just want to snooze your alarm could also end up keeping you from going back to sleep instantly. What you probably need is an alarm clock whose only purpose, ironically, is to get you to sleep longer, which is what this device concept offers in addition to looking like one of Apple’s stylishly minimalist products.

Designer: Antoine Brieux

Useful as they are, our smartphones are notorious for also being sources of distractions. At night, those incessant notifications and the screen’s blue light keep us awake, but our phones also prevent us from snoozing properly again in the morning. Few of us dare to slide the screen blindly for fear of pushing the phone over the edge and breaking it, so we’re forced to open our eyes, get blinded by the screen, and be tempted by the number of unread notifications. There goes your plan to continue that sweet dream!

You know those shows or cartoons where people simply push or smash a button on their bedside clock to silence their alarms, all without even looking at the thing? Well, that’s what this alarm clock concept design also lets you do, except it doesn’t stop the alarm from sounding. The big, though flat, button on top of the small box has one and only one purpose: to snooze the alarm and let you extend your sleep, all without pulling you out of your slumbering state completely. No fumbling over which button to push. You can even hit it with your eyes closed, which is the point entirely.

With such an extremely focused purpose, the design of the device can’t be any more complex than it needs to be. It’s a perfect opportunity to apply some of Apple’s famous minimalist design language, leaving a small cube that’s bereft of any unnecessary feature other than a small LCD screen on the front, a USB-C charging port on the back, and Apple’s iconic logo on top. That said, the design is also so simple that it can actually be easily used by other brands, for example, a LEGO-inspired yellow block.

The alarm clock does have another hidden functionality. It can charge your iPhone, but only if you place it on the iPhone’s back. It makes for an awkward position where the iPhone has to lie face down on a flat surface, which risks scratching its screen. Of course, the bigger question is whether there’s a real need for such a device that does only one thing, especially if that one thing encourages and even rewards sleeping in when you really should be getting up.

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Minimalist alarm clock and speaker can help kids manage time without screens

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There are parents who would like to wean their children every once in a while from screens because they believe that it may be rotting their brain or something. But even these parents will sometimes have to admit that they still need technology to manage their children’s lives or to teach them things like productivity and time management. So product developers are coming up with non-screen devices to help parents and kids navigate life.

Designer: Pupupula

The Little House Alarm Clock is one such device that has a pretty basic display but still utilizes technology to help children manage their time and schedule properly. It’s basically a smart speaker with a built-in intelligent voice assistant to help the kids (and maybe adults) out. The display will only show the time, date, temperature, humidity, as well as the time of the next alarm set, which means the next upcoming schedule.

The design is that of a tiny house that should look at home whether in the kid’s room or in your living room. It has a light source but it is underneath the outer shell to give off a softer look to its orange nightlight. There are only two buttons to make it simple: a red chimney and a blue mute button. They complement the minimalist design with its white body color. You can also adjust the backlight for the screen by pressing the chimney or through the app.

The alarm clock has four different customized nature themed alarm sounds that match the animation that will show up on the display. There is also a Sleep Mode which will dim the lights and will turn off the mic so that everyone can really rest. The voice assistant when active can set reminders, play music, tell stories, and other tasks that don’t need a screen for your kids. It seems like an interesting device to have if you still want technology to help you out but not necessarily your smartphone or tablet.

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Analog digital hybrid clock presses the snooze button for you

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One of the biggest struggles I have every morning is the constant battle between me and my smartphone’s alarm clock. I set alarms every 30 minutes for a period of 2-3 hours but more often than not, I still hit the snooze button so all my alarms run into each other. I’ve tried putting my phone away from me so I am forced to get up if I want to snooze it but that only results in me being in a horrible mood. But if i want a more convenient way to snooze (and lose), then this new kind of alarm clock may be what I need.

Designer: Nico Tangara for BHH Innovation Lab

The Self-Snoozing Alarm Clock may become your best friend or your worst enemy, depending on how you actually look at the snooze button. Instead of having to snooze the device yourself, it actually comes with a hand to snooze itself. It’s a device that uses a fusion of analog and digital and is powered by the Raspberry Pi compact computer module to help you beat the snooze button or actually fall victim to it.

The alarm clock looks like your typical analog clock with its rectangular box but with a digital clock showing on the screen. It is connected to a servo or an actuator that is able to push parts of the device with precision. The mechanism enables this tiny hand to extend from the clock and manually press the snooze button which will then activate the system to keep snoozing until you actually stop it.

If you have an appointment that you need to get to, then this may not be the best alarm clock to have beside you as it will keep you snoozing indefinitely. But it does help you in a sense that you don’t have to be the one to push the snooze button on your phone, although that may not be the best thing if you really think about it.

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The Seiko Mai tabletop Alarm Clock looks like adorably enlarged versions of their iconic Dive Watch

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The only difference is the lack of a strap, and the fact that the crown now sits at the 12 o’clock position instead.

Meet the Seiko Mai, a scaled-up version of the Japanese watchmaker’s famed SKX dive-watch collection. Designed, instead, as a tabletop clock, the Mai has an aesthetic that isn’t easy to miss. It’s pretty impressively true to its inspiration, and comes with the numbered bezel sitting against the clock’s minimalist body. The bezel doesn’t rotate, but the clock DOES come with a night feature that mimics the original, and an alarm function that can be toggled from the back, and snoozed on days where you just want those 5 more minutes in bed.

Designer: Seiko

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The Mai Alarm Clock comes in as many as 7 different color variants, modeled on the color combos seen in Seiko’s own watches. The clocks are portable for travel, running on a single AA battery, with a quartz movement on the inside and a silent sweeping seconds hand that eschews the annoying ticking sound found on most table clocks.

The night-light allows you to see the time even in the dark, glowing with the familiar Superluminova-inspired green hue seen on the watches. Powered by an LED, the night light also flashes when your alarm goes off, along with a beeping sound that’s loud enough to wake up even the most sound sleepers.

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Gaming aside: PlayStation 5 Controller Alarm Clock lets you set time, day, date from the D-pad

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I’m not sure how many people still use alarm clocks but if you know a gaming fanatic, he would love to trade his smartphone for the PlayStation 5 Controller Alarm Clock by the bedside. If PlayStation rings a bell and you have a gamer in mind, level up to them with the PS controller-shaped alarm clock; a great gift to consider for Christmas!

The clock, designed to look like the PlayStation 5 DualSense controller, is officially licensed and sold by Firebox. The entire contraption comprises a PS5 controller, which sits atop a charging dock and offers a gamer or an occasional Sony fan an option to station memorabilia by the bed; getting up every morning to the sight of a D-pad.

Designer: Firebox

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While the PlayStation 5 Controller Alarm Clock is a sight to behold, it is not a functional game controller. Perhaps, it is a functional alarm clock embedded with a 6.2-inch backlit LED display and D-pad controller buttons to set the alarm, date, and time.

With a fantastic semblance to the PlayStation 5 DualSense controller, the digital alarm clock is powered using a USB port. Arguably, the alarm sound is the biggest feature of a table clock, however, there is no information (at the time of writing) about how the PS controller alarm clock sounds. You can have your own assumptions!

While you’re at it, go ahead and give a gamer in your like the option to wake up on time for ‘Call of Duty’ with the PlayStation 5 Controller Alarm Clock always by the bedside. Or else, if you’re growing bored of the same old table clock, here’s your chance to make a fun upgrade your little one is going to praise you for. And then don’t forget to tell us the experience each one of you has had with the wake-up alarm – don’t like the sound, hit the snooze on the D-pad!

 

 

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Playstation 5 Controller Alarm Clock: Wake Up to Game

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Filed under products I never knew existed and would probably be fine if that were still the case, Firebox is selling an officially licensed Playstation 5 Alarm Clock, which looks like a PS5 controller atop a charging dock. It’s not a functional controller, though, just a functional alarm clock. Do people still use those things? I just assumed everybody used their phones.

Previously seen in a PS4 version, the USB-powered clock features a backlit LED display, and the D-pad and controller buttons are used to set the alarm. That’s cool, but what’s the alarm sound like? I feel like that’s one of the most important features of any alarm clock, but they never include that information in the product description. Is it a blaring BEEP BEEP BEEP that’ll make me wish I were dead, or the Playstation startup sound that’s too calming to even wake me up? My guess is the former.

Admittedly, you’d have to be one heck of a Playstation fan to buy a PS5 controller alarm clock. I mean, I’m ranked #2,344 in the entire world, and even I would have a hard time putting this by the side of the bed, and that’s not even taking into consideration my wife’s strong opinions!

This alarm clock keeps track of time in a childlike, playful manner

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For many people, alarm clocks are critical tools in making sure they’re on time or, at the very least, that they wake up on time. At the same time, however (no pun intended), these devices are often seen in a negative manner and are even portrayed as something most people will smash up first thing in the morning. It doesn’t have to be that way, of course, and sometimes all it takes is changing the way a thing looks to change the way people approach them. This alarm clock and timer in one, for example, looks less like a typical clock and more like a miniature arcade cabinet, reminding people not to take everything too seriously and to inject a bit of play into their lives.

Designer: MUID

A clock’s main objective is to tell time, but such a tool can take on many forms in order to accomplish that purpose. Alarm clocks and timers or stopwatches are simply variants that also do an action at certain times, usually by playing a sound or ringing a bell. There are plenty of ways these can be represented, but most of the designs of clocks appeal to the more serious side of life.

With a name like “Game Boy Alarm Clock,” it’s pretty clear that this concept design goes in the opposite direction. It embraces the lighthearted aspects of our existence, which is probably how you’d want to start your day in the first place. It could still annoy you when you want to squeeze in five or ten more minutes into your sleep, but you’ll hopefully feel a little less stressed whenever you see a reminder of that interruption.

This alarm clock’s toy-like appearance isn’t just for show, though. The way you use it is also like a gaming device, particularly with the lever that looks like a joystick. It can only go up or down, though, mostly for scrolling through hours and minutes. Admittedly, that could be tiresome when you’re going through a lot of numbers, but hopefully, you only need to do that only occasionally.

Operating the device is also easy, with clearly marked buttons for the different functions. Most of the buttons are on the back, though, so that they don’t become visual clutter. Only one button remains on the front, and that’s mapped to starting and pausing the stopwatch function. As for stopping the alarm, all it takes is a simple tap on the top, almost like petting a loyal companion that faithfully wakes you up at the right time. Hopefully, you won’t bring your hand down in wrath, which will probably make you feel guilty afterward for treating such a cute device poorly.

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This nap timer concept marries simple analog controls with a digital display

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Most of us probably like taking naps during the day. Some people might even find it necessary to get through a tiring workday. There are studies suggesting that even a 20 to 30-minute “power nap” can be beneficial to productivity, though the problem is getting that amount of time right without undercutting or overspending. We have alarm clocks for that, of course, including the ones that can be found on our smartphones. Despite the proliferation of these general-purpose utilities, there’s still something to be said for a specialized tool dedicated solely to counting down the minutes until you wake up. Especially when said tool is a beautiful throwback to the past with some modern conveniences thrown in as well.

Designer: Andrea Senatori

We have plenty of timers and clocks around our house or, at the very least, in our pockets. Most probably use their smartphones for anything that needs counting down or up, while some might have a separate alarm clock beside their bed, set to ring on one or a few specific times in a day. A dedicated nap timer, however, offers simplicity and ease of use. There are no other functions to worry about or other timers you might get confused with. Simply set the timer when you want to take a nap, and that’s it.

It doesn’t get simpler than what the Spot 2 concept brings. It has one purpose and one purpose only, to ring an alarm after a specified period of time. Its controls are dead simple, too. There’s one large dial to set how long the timer goes and a smaller one for controlling the volume. These are presented as analog controls, so there’s absolutely no ambiguity in how they work.

This mix of analog with digital has both aesthetic and psychological aspects. The latter brings back familiar physical controls, putting the power back under our fingertips. At the same time, the nap timer looks interesting and attractive, especially with the ongoing trend to create retro-looking products. It isn’t all old-school, of course, with a monochrome display that prominently shows the timer as well as other details like the date, time, and even the temperature.

The Spot 2 nap timer concept is simple yet effective in conveying its purpose in an interesting yet easy-to-use manner. The dials leave little to the imagination in how to control the device, while the digital display distills information down to only the most essential parts. After all, when you’re body’s craving a short nap, the last thing you want to do is fiddle with your phone or alarm clock and have your brain too distracted or too engaged to sleep.

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Alarm clock concept adds light and color to your bedside

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A lot of people use their smartphones or devices as their alarm clock. But for those that would like to keep their digital devices away from their bed, having an actual alarm clock is a necessity. We’ve seen various devices come out these past years that have the sole purpose of telling you what time it is or telling you to wake up in the morning or whatever time it is that you need to wake up. Momax is one such brand that creates Bluetooth speakers that are also alarm clocks.

Designer: mofree design

While there are a lot of Momax products out there, some product designers still come up with neat concepts based on the brand’s current lineup. One such concept is for an alarm clock that also seems like a Bluetooth speaker and a wireless charger, packaged in a cute, oblong-shaped device that looks like a tiny robot. The designer seems to be inspired by a “ray of light” which seems to be what the device will also bring to you when it wakes you up.

There are no explanations or descriptions so we’re basing all this on the product renders on the designer’s page. The LED screen of the device will show you the date, day of the week, time, room temperature, and whether an alarm has been set. The display seems to be “floating” on top of the speaker part which probably has some controls although we cannot see it. There’s a light part in the middle which also makes it like a lamp either to help you sleep or to wake you up.

One photo also shows a phone on top of the device, which the designer calls “alarm sound”, so it may also have a wireless charger function. The renders also shows various colors and color combinations so the devices looks pretty and interesting. I can actually picture it alongside other Momax products or other digital alarm clocks that are in the market.

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