To many people, even the worst of news can sound better when said with a British accent.  And what worse news can you have every morning than a blaring alarm at 5am to wake you up and get  you started on your day?  Wouldn’t the gentle prodding of, say, Stephen Fry help to better ease you into your work day?  ThinkGeek has answered this wish with the Good Morning, Sir (or Madam) Alarm Clock.

There are over 120 sounds recorded by Stephen Fry as his character “Jeeves”, and just to give you a taste of this British wit, a sample wake up call is “It appears to be morning.  Very inconvenient, I agree.  I believe it is the rotation of the Earth that is to blame, Sir.”  The clock will still set off an alarm to ensure you get yourself up, but you’ll look forward to a confirmation by Jeeves once you shut it off, such as “Madam has a firm touch.  But very fair.”

The clock base is made of wood, not plastic, with the clock face similar to the above shot for the “Sir” version, and having little pink flowers on it for “Madam”.  It’s implied on the ThinkGeek description of “Sir” that you may be able to toggle between the Sir and Madam recordings if frilly pink flowers aren’t your style.  Both models run on 4AA batteries.

Good Morning, Sir can be purchased through ThinkGeek for $69.99.

Filed in categories: News, Watches and Clocks

Tagged: Alarm Clock

Good Morning, Sir is Waking You Up, Classy-Style originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on February 8, 2012 at 9:00 am.

Just released on the Google Store, the Android Watch Set has been designed with Modify Watch so the watches are mixable and matchable.  Each set comes with two custom straps and a you get a choice of large watch face or small watch face.  Made of stainless steel with a polycarbonate casing they’re also water-resistant to 3ATM.

I must admit when I first saw this I was hoping that it was actually an Android Watch Extension for your Android device

The small is 9.5″ and the large is 10″ both sets being priced at $59.95 from the Google Store.

Filed in categories: News, Watches and Clocks

Tagged: Watch

Google Android Watch Set originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on February 2, 2012 at 8:00 am.

Here’s another of those arty watches from Tokyoflash Japan.  The Kisai Optical Illusion Watch has a touchscreen for accessing the four main functions.  Like those optical illusion posters from years ago, the time display is buried in a pattern of high-resolution digital lines.  Once you’ve trained your eyes, you’ll be able to see the time.  Until you’ve trained them, or perhaps if you never do,  there’s a button that clears up the background lines when touched.  The Optical Illusion is a limited-edition watch with a mineral crystal lens with either a natural or green face and a stainless band and clasp available in silver or black.  The watch is $199, but it’s available for $179 with free shipping until Friday January 27th, 2012 at 11:30 am (Japan time).

Filed in categories: News, Watches and Clocks

Tagged: Watches and Clocks

Kisai Optical Illusion Touchscreen Watch from Tokyoflash Japan originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on January 25, 2012 at 8:26 am.

I still wear a wristwatch, but I’m part of a dying breed.  News articles suggest that the current generation has turned its back on the wearable timepiece in favor  of checking the time on a cellphone.  Modify Watches is offering wristwatches that are more a fashion statement than for the telling of time.  With multiple faces and straps, you can configure your watch to express yourself.  Their packaging states the watches are ” Fashionable, Flexible, Modifiable and Dope”.  I have no idea what the last term means.

The watches come in two sizes, big and bigger, they’re water-resistant to 3 ATM and made of stainless steel and plastic.

For the review I received 2 watch bands and one watch face which were packaged as above.

On their website they show 13 watch bands, or straps as they call them and 12 watch faces.  They run the spectrum from subdued to rather eccentric and vary in price.  I tend to be conservative, so I opted not to get the polka dot face.  I went with black and blue straps and a silver face.

Here’s a closer look at the face.  This is battery operated, so it came with a wedge in the stem to keep it from operating until needed.

On the backside are the screws that need to be removed when replacing the battery.  There’s no indication on the web site how long the battery will last.

The box the watch components were shipped in had the instructions for assembling the watches.  It’s really not that difficult.

To give some perspective, on the left is my daily use watch and the Modify watch.

If you’re someone with a small wrist, the watch may seem a little clunky, but that may be the look you’re going for.

The timepiece is very basic.  There’s no day or date indicator, although there is a second hand.  Even though it is battery driven, you can still hear the second hand “tick”.  This fascinates my 3-year-old grandsons, so I’ll count that as a positive.

Changing straps is simple and if you have a large enough collection of straps and faces, you can have a different daily look on your wrist for a long time.  I’ve found the watches to be very comfortable to wear.  The soft plastic of the straps is “stretchy” and conforms to your wrist.

It appears to me that Modify Watches is attempting to recreate the Swatch craze.  More power to them if they do.  If you’re into vibrant colors and wear a watch as a fashion accessory, these are the way to go.  The least expensive combination of face and strap will cost you $40 plus shipping.  Just for comparison, you can buy 4 complete watches at most discount stores for the same amount.

Filed in categories: Reviews, Watches and Clocks

Tagged: Watch

Modify Watches Review originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on January 17, 2012 at 11:00 am.

The All Black is ‘just…’ a new color scheme in the existing Sunnto Elementum Terra line. The all-black casing and negative display make for a stealthy (Stargate ) look, while retaining all the functionality of the Terra clan. I have always been tempted by Suunto’s luxury line of Elementum Terra watches but to be honest the original three styles, while very nice, never talked to me enough to do the deed. But the Terra All Black pushed me over the edge….

The Terra All Black is well sized and weighted and even better looking in person, featuring: time, date, alarm, 3D compass, altimeter, barometer, and chronograph.

Here it is next to my old Suunto t6 running/workout (right) and Movado (left) watches I wear regularly.  As you can see, the Terra All Black is very nice looking. I have used my t6 for YEARS, having definitely gotten what I paid for. It continues to keep ticking…a new battery every couple of years and has yet to fail me. My hope and expectation is that the Terra will do the same; withstand the same rugged lifestyle that my t6 has. The Terra’s professional appearance not only enables it to be worn anywhere (aka business setting), but also be used while running/outdoor adventuring.

While nicely weighted and sized, the Elementum series of watches is relatively thick, but not painfully so. The overall dimensions of the watch are 1.8 (44mm) x 1.8 (44mm) x 0.5 (13.5mm) inches and weighs 95 g (200 g for Steel).

Contents:

• Suunto Elementum Terra All Black Wrist Computer
• Cleaning Cloth
• Customer Support Card
• Quick Reference Guide

Features:

• Time, Date, Alarm
• Backlight
• Altimeter
• Barometric pressure & trend
• 3D compass
• Chronograph
• Cumulative ascent / descent
• Log: last 8 ascent / descent, max. altitude

Suunto’s Elementum Terra has a simple design, manufactured with high quality materials and intelligent/well-thought out navigation. As you would expect from Suunto, its luxury line of watches is extremely well made: corrosion-resistant AISI 316L stainless steel case and buttons; sapphire crystal glass with anti-reflective coating; intelligent knob positioning for easy scrolling; high-quality LCD display with metallic display graphics; water resistance to 100 m (and according to the manual, the buttons can be pushed underwater).

The Suunto Elementum has two sensors: pressure and electronic compass. The pressure sensor has a dual purpose of monitoring the barometric pressure and altitude data. The main screen of the watch shows the time, date, altitude, and barometric pressure trend and reading continuously.

The compass function can be accessed by pushing the bottom button. The 3-Axis (3-D) compass does not need to be level to operate accurately. The barometric pressure scale (outside ring display) turns into a pointer for North, and the watch dial reads out the degrees you are facing. The compass and barometric sensors need to be initially calibrated and aligned.

Having majored in atmospheric science back in college, I find the barometric pressure gauge and trend indicator interesting and a lot of fun. So far, it has done an excellent job of letting me know what the weather is going to be like. The pressure was high and it was clear and cold but once it took a nosedive, the rains were here a few hours later. While this feature has limited benefits surviving in the urban canyons, it could definitely come in handy while out camping, fishing, hunting and the like.

The watch also features an alarm and simple chronograph. The chronograph measures 1/100 of a second for a minute after which it measures up to 99 minutes. While the Terra can time your runs/hikes/rides, track your altitude gains/losses, and help you navigate your routes, it does not work with Suunto’s foot pod, bike pod, GPS pod or heart rate monitor; making it not an ideal choice for hardcore training.

The watch has a very bright backlight. It can be activated by pushing the middle button for a couple of seconds. The entire screen is illuminated with a blue/green glow. The backlight is impressively bright and stays on for approximately 3-4 seconds.

In addition to the new Terra All Black, there are also three other styles in the line; Black Rubber, Black Leather, and Steel.

Along with the Terra, the high end Elementum line also includes a Aqua (left) and Ventus (right). The Elementum Aqua is for ‘urban and underwater use’ and the Elementum Ventus is for the ‘on-board and on-shore lifestyle’.

The Elementum line of watches is made in Finland, where the brand started/is from.

The Suunto Elementum Terra line ranges in price from $899 to $1199. While not as costly as Rolex or Breitling, a thousand dollars is nothing to scoff at either. Its lack of training and/or expedition features makes other less costly Suunto watches, like the t6d or Core, a more logical choice for the hardcore athlete or outdoor explorer. The Terra All Black is more for the professional who exercises during lunch or hunts/hikes on the weekend. Having said that, even though I workout pretty hard a majority of the time and do many outdoor activities, I have zero buyers regret on my 2011 Holiday gift/splurge (to myself )….without a doubt, I love the Terra All Black’s look, feel, form and function.

Filed in categories: Fitness, Sports, Gear, Outdoor Gear, Reviews, Watches and Clocks

Tagged: Fitness, Health, Watch

Suunto Elementum Terra All Black Watch Review originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on January 11, 2012 at 11:00 am.

Some weather stations have a confusing array of buttons that toggle between modes, but Oregon Scientific is announcing a new touchscreen weather station at CES that will simplify determining what you should wear in the mornings.  The Touch Advanced Weather Station gives you full weather forecasts, accurate time & date, temperature, humidity and air pressure readings with a touch of your finger.  The Touch Advanced station shows 12-hour weather forecast with 24-hour historical barometer and barograph, indoor/outdoor temperature and humidity with up to 3 channels, and a daily max and min temperature and humidity record.  It also has an atomic clock and calendar with crescendo alarm and 8-minute snooze.  The MSRP is $49.99.

Filed in categories: Gear, News, Watches and Clocks

Tagged: Alarm Clock, Weather Station

Oregon Scientific’s Touch Advanced Weather Station originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on January 9, 2012 at 12:00 pm.

The P8Z from Chinon is an alarm clock, calendar, digital picture frame, audiobook player, and more.  In addition to the digital FM radio (with 30 presets) you expect with an alarm clock, the P8Z can play music or audiobooks from an SD/MS/MMC card inserted into the 3-in-1 card reader.  The 3.5″, full-color, high-resolution screen that displays the clock functions can also display a slideshow with 3D transitions, looping, and music using pictures and music files from your SD card.  You can even dock an iPod and playback music and videos stored on it.  With a WiFi-connect iPod touch, you can stream web video to the screen.  The P8Z has a black, rubberized finish to prevent fingerprints.  It comes with an AC adapter, and it uses 2 AAA batteries for backup.  It’s $59.99 at Chinon.

Filed in categories: iPhone, iPad, iPod related, News, Watches and Clocks

Tagged: Alarm Clock, multimedia

Feature-Rich Alarm Clock from Chinon originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on January 7, 2012 at 10:00 am.

Filed under kooky but useful, the Happy Hour wrist watch not only tells time, but also allows you to pop open a beer with the strap buckle. Priced from $69.95 – $99.95, these watches feature a leather strap with a patented stainless steel bottle-opening buckle. I’m sure the college crowd would love this watch, but would you wear one?

Filed in categories: News, Watches and Clocks

Tagged: Beverage, Watches and Clocks

Pop open a cold one with your watch originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on January 5, 2012 at 9:30 am.

The Dip Switch Click Watch from Watchismo has a bank of working dip switches that control various watch functions. The switches will toggle a bar graph metered time display, 12 hour and 24 hour digital time display, month, date, day of week and backlight. The watch has a stainless steel casing measuring 42mm x 35mm and is available in several colors for $139.99 – $149.99.

Filed in categories: News, Watches and Clocks

Tagged: Watches and Clocks

Earn +1 Geek Points with this Dip Switch Wrist Watch originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on December 29, 2011 at 1:00 pm.

TokyoFlash Japan is introducing their fourth fan-inspired, limited-edition watch.  The Kisai On Air has a touchscreen face and a silver or black stainless steel case and strap.  It has a colored LCD display that’s always on, and a colored LED backlight that’s turned on with a touch.  Various color combinations are available for the LCD display and LED backlight.  The watch also has date and alarm modes, and animation and audio feedback modes that can be turned off.  Mode selections and setup functions are accomplished with the touchscreen.  The silver Kisai On Air is $189.00; the black Kisai On Air is $199.00.  (The time on the silver watch is 5:08.  The black is showing 3:45.  The silver watch is also showing the function controls at the 12, 3, 6, and 9 positions.)

Filed in categories: News, Watches and Clocks

Tagged: LED watch

Kisai On Air Touchscreen Watch originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on December 17, 2011 at 10:00 am.

Are you a retro computer geek (with big wrists)? Perhaps the Click Keypad Watch  available from Watchismo is for you. Based on a numeric keypad, blinking lights on the number keys are capable of  indicating both the time and date.

It’s 40mm x 46mm x 10.5mm  (1.6′ x 1.8″ x .4″)  so not the most discrete watch around. Strangely enough it’s not a wrist based calculator as well.

Available in black, grey, ivory and blue from Watchismo for $89.99

Filed in categories: News, Watches and Clocks

Tagged: Watch

Click Keypad Watch originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on December 13, 2011 at 12:00 pm.

I really like watches, especially unusual ones.  The Phosphor Appear Black Crystal Watch with Black Gloss Leather Strap is certainly unusual.  It reminds me of eInk screens in a way.  Instead of using LEDs to show the time, these watches turn over crystals to show a clear side or a colored side to create the digits.  When Phosphor offered a watch to The Gadgeteer, I asked if I could try a black one.  I thought the black would be more discreet than the red I’d normally choose.   Turns out these watches are anything but discreet.

Most images in this review can be clicked for an enlarged view.

The watch arrived in an elegant black faux-leather box with the Phosphor name embossed in silver.  The top opens up to reveal the very shiny, sparkly watch on a black velvet pillow.  You also get a couple of booklets stored in a cunning compartment on the bottom of the hinged lid.

This is a big, heavy watch.  It’s very sparkly and attention-getting.  It’s not the watch for the shy, retiring lady.

The silver-colored case measures about 1.5″ wide X 1.75″ long (including the strap attachment arms), and it’s about 0.5″ thick.  It measures about 9.3″ from end to end.  The watch weighed 2.8 oz on my kitchen scale.  That doesn’t sound like much, but it is a very heavy watch.  You may need to do some curls to strengthen your arm to wear this one.

The numerals are very large on this watch; each measures about 0.5″ long.  Even older eyes won’t have a problem telling time on this watch.

The case back is marked stainless steel, but I can’t find anything that tells me what the rest of the case is made of.  The case bezel is encrusted with pavéd clear Swarovski crystals.  The black face is also covered with clear Swarovski crystals.  There’s a small Phosphor logo near the top left of the face.  The above photo shows the watch in the off position; time isn’t displayed and all crystals are turned to the clear side.  You can still see which crystals are used to display the time if you look closely.

The padded strap is made of very supple, shiny black leather.  I believe this is true patent leather.  I’d only ever seen the vinyl that passes for patent leather before, and this watchband is much nicer and much more flexible than the fake stuff.  The strap is about 0.75″ wide.  The band can be adjusted to fit a wrist between about 5.5″ to 7.5″.

Click on any of the photos showing the watch face and closely inspect the face.  You’ll see that the black numbers are made up of little bars with black crystals on one side and clear crystals on the other.  I’m going to quote Phosphor here, because they can best explain how these watches function.  ”Driven by Micro-Magnetic Mechanical Digital (M3D) technology, the Phosphor Appear watch utilizes miniature-sized rotors adorned with Swarovski™ crystals that revolve to reveal numerical or chronological information. With each minute, an electrical pulse generates an electromagnetic field that changes the position of the crystals on the face of the watch, to elegantly display the passing time, while producing a distinctive sound unique to the Phosphor Appear digital watch line.”

If you watch closely, you can actually see the little bars flip as the time changes.  The “distinctive sound” is the sound of the bars moving.  You hear a definite “click” sound as they flip.  You’ll best be able to see and hear the bars change in the seconds mode.

You use the two buttons on the right-side of the case to adjust the time and to change modes.  You can turn the time off; the crystals all turn to clear and the watch becomes a bracelet.  You can also toggle the watch between time mode and seconds mode.

A strong shock to the watch might cause the little rotors to get knocked out of position.  The watch detects this and automatically corrects the position of the rotors to the correct time. If you ever notice that one of the rotors is out of position, simply change modes and the watch should correct itself.

When the watch arrived at my house a couple of weeks ago, it was 1 minute slower than my clock.  I adjusted the time to match my clock.  The watch time still agrees with the clock.  I’m pleased with the accuracy.

My daughter Rachel is once again my watch model.   You can see that this is a very large watch when you see it on her small wrist.  It’s good that the watchband has two strap keepers, because she has a lot of extra band that needs to be corralled.

If you know a lady who loves unusual watches and who isn’t afraid of a shiny, attention-getting piece of jewelry, consider the Phosphor Appear watch for her.  You can choose black strap/black numbers, red strap/red numbers, white strap/black numbers, and pink strap/pink numbers versions with the crystal-encrusted bezel for $249.  If she’d prefer a little less bling, there are versions available with plain metal bezels for $199 to $210.

Filed in categories: Reviews, Watches and Clocks

Tagged: Watches and Clocks

Phosphor Appear Black Crystal Watch with Black Gloss Leather Strap Review originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on November 29, 2011 at 9:00 am.

I am guessing pretty almost every parent has had a moment where your little one has decided to wake just at the sight of sunlight in the morning, ready to take on the day hours before you would like him or her up.  Zazoo Kids has created the Zazoo Photo Clock to help alleviate some of these moments.  The Zazoo Photo Clock has recently received 2011 awards from The National Parenting Center and the Parent Tested Parent Approved organizations.

The Zazoo Photo Clock is for toddlers on up.   As the child becomes older, the Zazoo Kids Photo Clock can function as a digital picture frame and highlight personal photos.  You can also play videos, songs, and audio books with this device.

The photo clock has images to help recognize when it is time to get up or stay in bed.  There is also an optional nap time feature.  It features a USB port and SD memory card slot so you can personalize it with your own photos.  These photos can be associated with alarm times and be made into visual cues.  You can also use the two sets of awake and asleep images that are pre-loaded.  The Zazoo Photo Clock also comes with some pre-loaded songs, but a “ring” or “beep” are only allowed as the alarm tones.  The music setting for the audible alarm is functional if you download a music file from your computer and select to use the downloaded file for alarm music.

I placed the Zazoo Photo Clock in the bedroom for my two daughters, ages 3 and 5.  It’s a small room, so it was a little difficult to set up with needing to be plugged into an outlet and having a stable location that they could see and not yet disturb it.  I wish this clock had the option to be powered by batteries.  With going through daylight savings time a few weeks ago, my kids think 6:30 or 6:45 a.m. is their now normal wake up time.  I set the photo clock for 7:30 a.m., but so far they haven’t caught on to staying in bed with using the photo clock for the duration we have used it, which is less than a week.

The set-up options are fairly simple.  With the remote, it would sometimes scroll by my choice too quickly and I would have to go back and try again.  I was a little bummed to find that the pre-loaded MP3s could not be used to set the alarm and that they were only present to listen to as songs.  Otherwise, it’s attractive in design and has nice pre-loaded images.  I’m not sure if it is enough to get a child to stay in bed though, due to my personal experience with it so far.

Filed in categories: Kid Gadgets, Reviews, Watches and Clocks

Tagged: Alarm Clock, Kid's gear

Zazoo Photo Clock Review originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on November 25, 2011 at 2:15 pm.

Most of the watchband cases for the iPod nano have one thing in common – some part of the iPod comes into contact with your skin.  People who wear their iPods while exercising or working intensely find it eventually suffers damage from coming into contact with sweat.  Quad Mountain has developed a watchband for the iPod nano that completely isolates the device from contact with skin or sweat. I recently purchased the 7th generation iPod nano, and I wanted to use it as a watch.  I liked the promise that my new nano would be completely protected from skin contact and sweat, so I ordered a black one to complement the new Mickey Mouse watch face.  

Some pictures can be clicked for an enlarged view.

The Quad Mountain Ultimate One watchband is another successfully-funded Kickstarter project.  They designed a watchband to protect the nano and to be comfortable to wear.  The band is made of a single piece of silicone with a stainless steel clasp.  The band has several comfort features, like lots of openings for air circulation.  Even the adjustment holes are big enough to let some air in.

The silicone has a powdery surface texture that keeps the watchband from sticking to your skin so tightly it feels glued on by your skin’s moisture.  The back of the nano area has a waffle pattern of ridges that allow air flow to help keep your skin cooler.

The band is about 9.5″ long, including the metal clasp.  Quad Mountain says the band will fit wrists sized from about 5.75″ to 8.5″.  It’s available in black, white, blue, green, pink, orange, and red.  The watchbands are available singly or in pairs at a discounted price.

The nano's clip snaps into the large center cavity

When I first saw the Ultimate One watchband, I thought there was no way I’d trust it to hold my iPod nano.  It doesn’t have any slots to put the clip through, and the wings that fit over two of the sides were too flexible to be able to hold the nano securely.  Those wings aren’t designed to hold the nano; they just protect the metal sides.  The clip actually snaps down into a depression in the bottom of the holder area.  Once the clip is snapped in place, the nano is held very securely.  I tried shaking the iPod out of the Ultimate One watchband (over my bed, of course), but it wouldn’t shake out.  It should be nice and secure while you’re running, exercising, or working.

Rachel is modeling the watchband.  You can see this is a bit overwhelming on her small arm, but she says it was a comfortable fit.  You can see the power and volume buttons and the headphone jack and docking connectors are exposed when the nano is worn with the Ultimate One watchband.  I think headphones with a different plug would have worked better; headphones with a 90-degree angle plug would have kept the cable closer to the wrist.

I like the Quad Mountain Ultimate One watchband for iPod nano, but I think it would probably work best for exercising or when you are dressed casually.  I like that it completely protects the nano from sweat.  And I think the black looks great with my red nano and with the Mickey Mouse watch face.

Filed in categories: iPhone, iPad, iPod related, Reviews, Watches and Clocks

Tagged: Watchband for iPod nano

Quad Mountain Ultimate One Watchband for iPod nano Review originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on November 24, 2011 at 3:00 pm.

With the Greubel Forsey GMT you have the whole World in your hand , well at least on your wrist. The lightweight titanium globe allows you to visualise not only the time but  also the position of day and night across different continents via the 24-hour ring around the equator while the caseband window symbolises the position of the sun on the earth.  The  globe completes one full  counterclockwise rotation every 24 hours, matching the rotation of the Earth, and is surrounded by hour indicators split into white and black numbers indicating the daytime and night-time hemispheres. A worldtime disc on the rear of the watch is  connected to the globe and bears the names of 24 cities, each representing one of 24 global time zones. There’s no pricing on the site but with construction materials like 18 karat  gold, alligator leather and sapphire crystals it’s probably not going to be cheap.

Filed in categories: News, Watches and Clocks

Tagged: Watch

Greubel Forsey GMT – The Whole World in Your Hand originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on November 4, 2011 at 1:00 pm.

Most watches require the time to be set manually.  Some watches have the functionality to auto set to the correct time when it receives a signal from an atomic clock.  The Citizen Eco-Drive Satellite Wave watch gets its time differently.  Like its name, this Citizen watch gets the time directly from satellites orbiting the earth.   No need to worry about batteries because the Eco-Drive technology inside runs off the sun or any light source.  With the Satellite Wave, you’ll have the correct time whether you’re in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, stuck in the Sahara or lost in the Artic Circle.  That is if you have $3,000 to spare before this limited edition watch runs out. Check out the video after the jump.

Filed in categories: News, Watches and Clocks

Tagged: Watches and Clocks

Atomic time is so yesterday . . . originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on October 16, 2011 at 12:00 pm.

Swatch has teamed up with Kidrobot, an art-driven toy and lifestyle brand, to create a series of eight Kidrobot for Swatch watches.  The watches are based on the unisex Gents model watch, and each watch comes with a coordinating Dunny, the bunny-like 3″ toy.  The eight artists who designed these watches are: Gary Baseman, Jeremyville, Frank Kozik, Joe Ledbetter, MAD, Tara McPherson, SSUR, and Tilt.  The eight models are available at Swatch and at points-of-sale around the world.  Each watch and Dunny set is $70.

Filed in categories: News, Watches and Clocks

Tagged: Swatch, Watches and Clocks

Kidrobot for Swatch Watches originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on October 3, 2011 at 8:07 am.

The Kisai Rogue Touch LED watch started out as a concept on the Tokyoflash Design Studio Blog less than a year ago, and it’s now available for purchase.  Tokyoflash Japan says  the Rogue Touch has “time, date, alarm, dual time zones, animation feature, LCD ‘always on’ display, and LED backlight at a touch.  The watch has a perfectly round form since there are no buttons on the case.”  The watch has a polished gunmetal-colored case and band and a slightly recessed mineral crystal lens.  The watch has four touch “hot zones” (top, bottom, left, and right) that switch between modes; touch and hold on a hot zone to enter setup mode for that function.  The touch screen has a lock mode to prevent accidental input.  The Rogue Touch is available with a “natural” background with blue LEDs, blue background with blue LEDs, red background/red LEDs, or green background/green LEDs.  Tokyoflash is offering a special discounted price for a short time after release.  If you order before Sept. 30 at 10 am (Japan time), you can get the Rogue Touch for $179 and free shipping.  The normal price for the watch is $199.

Filed in categories: News, Watches and Clocks

Tagged: Watches and Clocks

Tokyoflash Japan Announces Their First Touchscreen Watch originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on September 29, 2011 at 2:00 pm.

Some of us are such deep sleepers that transplanting Big Ben from London to our night tables still might not wake us.  If you aren’t one of those people, you might like to be awakened by the gentle tinkling of wind chimes.  This Wind Chime Alarm Clock from Vat19 can wake you with the sound of electronic beeps or with the wind chimes.  The clock runs on 3 AAA batteries, and it has 12- or 24-hour modes for time display.  If you like, you can set the chimes to play continually, although that does quickly deplete the batteries.  The alarm clock is $19.95.

Filed in categories: News, Watches and Clocks

Tagged: Alarm Clock

An Alarm Clock with a New Age Twist originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on September 19, 2011 at 12:00 pm.

The problem with alarm clocks is that they wake you up in the middle of a dream, and not just you, but also all the people at your place. Furthermore, alarm clocks don’t know if you are already awake or not, and therefore they don’t know when to stop the alarm and when to continue with it. The Lark wants to change your awaking experience. The product consists of a wrist band, charging dock and an App for your iOS device (Android App will be available later). The functionality is simple, you set the alarm on the iOS device and then the wrist-band will vibrate and wake you up quietly. In addition to that, the wrist band also monitor your movements during your sleep and can provide you with details like, how long  it took you to fall asleep, how many times you woke up, how long you slept and the quality of sleep. You can use the ‘sleep coach’ software that enhances the lark to enable you to achieve your sleeping goals and to receive feedback on how to improve your sleep quality. The product was developed by ‘sleep and pro sport experts’ and it costs 99$ or 159$ with the personal sleep trainer bundle.

Filed in categories: Home Tech, iPhone, iPad, iPod related, News, Watches and Clocks

Tagged: Clocks, iPhone

Lark wants to change the way you sleep and wake up originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on September 18, 2011 at 9:00 am.

The ARS20i App-Enhanced Docking Station from Acoustic Research is big enough for your iPad, but it can also dock and charge iPhones and iPods.  The mounting arm (visible in the picture, above)  adjusts to display your device in landscape or portrait mode for easy viewing.  With the iOS device, you’ll have app-enhanced alarm clock functions, and you’ll be able to wake to your music library.  There’s a built-in digital FM tuner for local radio stations.  Amazon offers the ARS20i for about $70.

Filed in categories: iPhone, iPad, iPod related, News, Watches and Clocks

Tagged: App-enhanced alarm clock, iOS

Acoustic Research ARS20i App-Enhanced Docking Station originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on September 13, 2011 at 11:30 am.

The Eremos watch from Stauer features a stainless steel case (42mm diameter, 12mm thick) and a leather band.  That’s where the similarity to regular watches ends.  The Eremos is a regulator watch, which is a timepiece based on the observatory clocks of the 1800s that were so precise because they separated the hour and minutes dials.  This miniature regulator has a scrolling hour display and a sun and moon dial.  The watch works are visible through the Cotswold crystal and through the exhibition back.  It’s water-resistant to 3ATM, and it fits a 6.5-8.5″ wrist.  It’s $196 at Stauer, and it will be available 9/22.

Filed in categories: News, Watches and Clocks

Tagged: Regulator watch, Watches and Clocks

Stauer Eremos Regulator Watch originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on August 31, 2011 at 10:00 am.

I enjoy making stuff, and I love electronics, so I generally really like electronics kit projects. The SpikenzieLabs Solder:Time Watch Kit seems like a great option for someone like me. This is actually a hackable watch- they provide the source code and other info, as well as convenient pads on the circuit board to tap into.

The Solder:Time Watch is loaded with interesting features for something so apparently simple and only $29.95:

• Laser-cut acrylic case (4 layers thick!)
• Dallas Semiconductor DS1337+ RTC clock chip
• PIC 16F631 micro-controller
• Low power consumption components
• Simple, one-button set-up and operation
• Long 2-sided Velcro strap wristband fits even large wrists
• Large, bright display
• Hackable and tinker-friendly allows for lots of other options- pocketwatch, desk clock, external power supply and more

Everything in the package

The parts for the case- some with protective film still in place

The electronic components

• Soldering the battery holder was annoying since there are no pins or anything to stabilize it. The directions have a handy trick I should have thought of, but I made it work.
• I needed to go back and trim the leads a few times- they need to be REALLY short for the right fit and to prevent issues when the board is squished into the case.
• It took a few tries ‘dry-fitting’ the 6 parts of the case, not including 4 socket-head screws, to get everything to line up right. It was fun to try to work out exactly how things fit. The directions make it super-easy, but I enjoyed the challenge.
• Troubleshooting was irritating and kind of fun. Long leads, mediocre solder jobs, and so forth plagued me- try it, works fine, assemble it and it was acting odd. Disassemble, try something, repeat. Even after it was working well enough for this review, it started to act up again.
• Trying to determine how to set the time without looking at the directions was fairly straightforward and I got it in only a few tries.

The glitches I had just added interest to the project for me, but could easily have been avoided by following the simple directions.

Assembled 'guts'

So what did I end up with for my investment? Well, to be charitable, it is a big watch- it measures 2 3/8in (60mm) across, 1/2in (12mm) thick- not counting the screw heads, which bring it to 9/16 in (15mm). It is also a simple watch- when you press the button, it displays the current time for about 5 seconds. No date, no seconds, no other functionality in its default state. If you wear it as it is, it actually looks a little silly- big clunky watch on a skinny 3/4in (20mm) band- albeit one you can see though,  which is kinda cool.

Finished watch on a reluctant model's arm(I forgot to remove one of the protective films- the back piece is clear as well.)

I doubt most people would wear this as is- it begs for hacking the case. I’m trying to decide it’s final purpose. If I carry it as a pocket watch or clip-on clock, I’d want to replace the 4 socket-head screws with countersunk flatheads, round off the top and bottom edges for a smoother package and figure out a cooler strap (carbon fiber???) If I use it as a desk clock, I’d glue it to a clear stand, probably taking advantage of the DC power option to run it off a battery pack in the base. Hacking the chip itself is outside my skills although I am curious what is possible. I did not find a lot of ideas or tips online for that.

Sure, for $29.95, you can buy lots of watches that look nicer and do more, but the cool thing about the Solder:Time is that you did it yourself and that you can then modify it into anything you can imagine.

Filed in categories: Do-It-Yourself, Reviews, Watches and Clocks

Tagged: DIY, Watch

SpikenzieLabs Solder:Time Watch Kit Review originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on August 25, 2011 at 11:15 am.

The Dominus Plus app is for those of us who don’t wear a watch but still want one of those artsy timepieces that use colored light patterns to show the time.  The Dominus Plus! app for iPad  or the Dominus Plus for iPhone/iPod touch use colored dots to display the time.  AM and PM use different colors, there’s a single alarm and selectable alarm sounds, chimes to sound the hours and quarter hours, and more.  Each version is $0.99 in the iTunes app store.

Filed in categories: iPhone, iPad, iPod related, News, Watches and Clocks

Tagged: Clock app, iOS

Now You Can Not Know What Time It Is on Your iPad, Too! originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on August 14, 2011 at 7:15 am.

I really love my automatic, analogue  watches, there’s just something about watching ( pun intended ) the mechanism. It’s like it’s “alive”.

That being said these look really sweet. Often Tokyoflash’s watches require an advanced degree in cryptography to tell the time but the 3D Unlimited , while very different  is easy to read.

The LCD comes in blue, red, green orange, pink   and the casing and band comes in either black or silver polished stainless steel. They sell 8 different combinations so  there should be something to suit everyone. Includes backlight and date function.

Available from Tokyoflash for around $120

( If you can’t tell from the picture the time shown is  4:54 )

Filed in categories: News, Watches and Clocks

Tagged: tokyoflash, Watches and Clocks

3D Time – Tokyoflash Style originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on August 11, 2011 at 3:00 pm.