The wristwatch seems to be making a comeback for smart phone owning geeks. Just last month the Pebble E-Paper Watch set a Kickstarter record when it reached 1 million dollars of funding in 28hrs. Now we have another smart phone extension watch looking for backing on Kickstarter. It’s the Cookoo, an Android and iOS compatible watch that will put simple notifications on your wrist. The watch face has small  icons to let you know when you have a new tweet, email, text message, call, appointment or need to charge your phone. A $50 pledge will get you one of the first edition Cookoo watches.

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

Tagged: Watch

Extend your Smart Phone with the Cookoo Watch originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on May 24, 2012 at 8:00 am.

While perhaps not the most stylish watch available, the Mutewatch comes with a touch sensitive screen, clock, alarm and time functions. Alarms can be set which vibrate rather than sounding and you have the choice between short and long vibration giving you discrete alarms. The Mutewatch also features a built-in motion sensor so that high levels of movement trigger an increase in the intensity of the vibrating alarm and a simple flick of your wrist activates the glowing display. The watch is charged via USB.

Available for $259 from Mutewatch in Charcoal Grey, Poppy Red or Pure White.

Filed in categories: Miscellaneous, News, Watches and Clocks

Tagged: Watch

Mutewatch – Muted Style originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on May 20, 2012 at 11:00 am.

Tokyoflash Japan has announced another entry in their line of limited edition watches.  The Kisai Uzumaki is made of stainless steel and is available with a black or natural finish.  The face has a swirling vortex design, covered with an acrylic crystal with concentric circles that add to the whirlpool illusion.  The outer ring indicates the hour, while the inner ring indicates the minutes.  The face is available in blue or green.  The Uzumaki will sell for $129, but Tokyoflash Japan is offering a limited-time price of only $99 if purchased by Friday, May 11th at 11:30am (Japan time).

Filed in categories: News, Watches and Clocks

Tagged: Watches and Clocks

Tokyoflash Japan Announces the Kisai Uzumaki Watch originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on May 9, 2012 at 10:00 am.

Watch and presentation tin

The Kerala Trance watch immediately evoked that “whoa!” reaction from me when I first saw it–and that’s before seeing it lit up.  From the picture alone there was just something sleek and sexy about its simple design of steel on black.  Kerala Trance is the creation of the company  THE ONE, who have been creating binary watches since 2004.  Their idea was to create a watch no one had ever seen before that used LED technology, as well as the IT computer code–or binary.  THE ONE watches are made to create a statement about the wearer, and not follow any particular trend.  In my line of work (programming) I rarely have the need to dress up, so instead I like to wear a slick or eye catching watch.  I have been fascinated by binary watches for awhile, so when I saw that WatchCo was offering this watch for a review, I asked Julie for a chance to review it.

Specifications

• Case Material:  Stainless Steel
• Band:  Leather
• Thickness: 11.35mm
• Case Width: 38.5mm
• Case Length: 48mm
• Band Width: 25mm
• Quartz movement
• Water resistant up to 3 ATM (30 meters)

I have seen binary watches rendered practically indecipherable to the layperson with what the lights and placement mean.  Kerala Trance makes this much easier by displaying printed numbers above each of the lights.  The top row of numbers are the hours and the bottom row are the minutes.  To tell the time, it’s just a matter of adding up the numbers a light appears under.  Time to dust off those rusty double-digit adding skills, no pun intended.

In order to view the time, simply press the top button.  The LEDs will display for roughly 5 seconds.

The time is 6:44

The bright blue LEDs are easy to see, and contrast beautifully against the black background.  They’re bright enough to see in full daylight, but it looks the best under indoor lighting conditions.  The numbers themselves aren’t lit in any way so it’s a little more challenging to get an accurate time in the dark without memorizing the placement of the numbers.

The limited glow length is to conserve on battery. Under normal use, the battery should last between 12 and 16 months.  A regular CR2032 watch battery is all it runs on.

Back panel

It looks amazing, but there are a few quibbles I have.  There is no way of differentiating AM or PM in the time, nor  is there any display for the date.  The former doesn’t really bother me much, but having a way to see the date is something I’ve come to expect with my watches.  Maybe I’m a bit old school, since everyone nowadays practically lives with a smartphone attached to their hand, but I still like having it on my watch.

Right-side view

Although this “lack” of features makes setting the watch a breeze.  There are only two buttons on the right side of the watch–buttons A (top) and B (bottom).  Time is set by holding down B for 5 seconds, then cycling the lights on and off for the hour using A and confirming the light and moving on to the minutes by using B again.  Other than setting the time, button B serves no other purpose.  The LEDs are turned on to tell time only with the top button.

Left side view

This isn’t the watch to buy if you don’t want to be noticed.  It’s going to get a lot of oohs, aahs, and requests to try it on from people who see it.  In a slow to start meeting at work, I casually checked the time and suddenly there was dead silence in the room.  I looked up to see several sets of jealous eyes on my wrist, with murmurs of  ”awesome watch”.  At a happy hour this week, it made its way around the bar with people getting a kick out of the binary lights.

With the leather band and stainless steel casing, it is snazzy enough to wear with a suit but also casual enough for the jeans and t-shirt weekends.  The Kerala Trance watch is available through WatchCo.com and will run $209 , not too shabby for a fashion watch.

Filed in categories: Reviews, Watches and Clocks

Tagged: Watch

Kerala Trance Binary Watch Review originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on April 23, 2012 at 11:00 am.

We posted news about the upsoming Sony SmartWatch back in January, but now it is actually shipping and we have more details. This $149.99 device connects to your Android smartphone and displays various pieces of information. You can order the SmartWatch at the Sony site.  The specs include:

• 1.3″ OLED display
• 128 x 128 pixels
• 65k colors (16 bit)
• Standard USB connector for charging
• Battery life: 3-4 days typical usage, up to 14 days on standby
• Bluetooth 3.0
• 36mm by 36mm by 8mm (12.8mm including Clip)
• 15.5 g (Watchband is 26g)

It’s kind of hard to tell from the limited information and pictures online, but it appears there is an adaptor to support USB charging, so the USB port may not be standard. It also appears there is only one button.

The apps they list are:

• All Events (from your calendar)
• Messaging
• Corporate e-mail (they specify Sony/Sony Ericsson Android phones only)
• Gmail Calendar notifications
• Facebook
• Twitter
• Music Player
• Call Handling (call, mute, reject, answer, send pre-defined SMS)
• Battery Strength
• Find Phone
• Weather
• More apps on the Android market.

This looks pretty intriguing to me, and had the advantage over the I’m Watch of actually existing. Of course, it is not going to work if you have an iPhone, but you still have the Pebble. What do you think, do you like this trend of wrist-bound computers?

Filed in categories: Android related, News, Watches and Clocks

Tagged: Android, smart watch, Watches and Clocks

Sony SmartWatch: Now Shipping originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on April 17, 2012 at 8:00 am.

This Pebble E-Paper Watch is a Kickstarter project.  It probably set a funding record, receiving pledges of over a million dollars in 28 hours.   The Pebble watch connects to an iPhone or Android smartphone via Bluetooth, so you’ll be notified of incoming calls or emails with a vibrating alert.  You can access functions of the phone on your watch – for example, bikers or runners can use the GPS functions of the phone to display speed, distance and pace data.  You’ll be able to control music playback from your watch.  The developers are also working with Freecaddie to “create a great golf rangefinder app for Pebble that works on over 25,000 courses world-wide.  Instead of using your phone, view your current distance to the green right on your wrist.  There’s an SDK available, so other developers can make apps for the watch.”  The watch has a 144 x 168 pixel E-Paper display, so it will be visible in direct sun.  There’s a lot more to learn about the Pebble Watch on the Kickstarter page.  Even though there are still 35 days (at the time of writing) left in the funding period, they’ve far exceeded their funding goal.  You still have time to make a $115 pledge (minimum) to receive a Pebble of your own.

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

Tagged: Android watch, iOS watch

Pebble E-Paper Watch for iOS and Android Smartphones originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on April 13, 2012 at 9:00 am.

The Verbarius Digitless Clock from ThinkGeek displays the time without using the typical digital format.  It uses the same words that people use when they say the time.  For example, 12:00am is displayed as Midnight with the Verbarius.  The clock comes pre-loaded with English, German, Spanish, French, and Russian, but there are more than a dozen other languages you can download from the manufacturer’s site.  The clock operates on 110/220v, and it uses batteries for backup in case of power failure.  The Verbarius Digitless Clock is $189.99 at ThinkGeek.

Filed in categories: News, Watches and Clocks

Tagged: Watches and Clocks

Tell Time Without Numbers originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on April 12, 2012 at 8:06 am.

The Space Time Watch from Gadgets and Gear has a stainless steel case and a thick silicone band.  The mirrored face is blank until you press a button, then an animated display shows both the time and date.  The watch is available with a black band and red LED display or white with a blue LED display.  The adjustable band is about 9″ long, and the watch requires two CR2032 batteries (included).  It’s $79.95 at Gadgets and Gear.

Filed in categories: News, Watches and Clocks

Tagged: LED watch

Space Time LED Watch for Men or Women originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on April 10, 2012 at 1:00 pm.

Sometimes watches from TokyoFlash can be a little “out there” and hard to read. The Kisai On Air Acetate touchscreen LCD watch however is a much simpler concept than normal.  We told you about the On Air with a stainless steel case and strap late last year.  Now they’ve introduced a version in acetate, which makes it much lighter and makes it look like the ceramic watches that are popular now.  The  digital numbers on the screen are the hour hand, and the digits making up the hour hand represent the minutes. The touchscreen has four hot-zones that change the mode: time, date, alarm and light.  After 15 secs the screen locks and you can swipe your finger across the screen from left to right to unlock (another lawsuit Apple? ).

It comes in black, silver, acetate white and acetate blue with colored faces.  Available now at a special launch price of $139 that ends after today (March 30).  Regular price is $159.

Filed in categories: News, Watches and Clocks

Tagged: Watch

TokyoFlash Kisai On Air Acetate Touchscreen LCD Watch originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on March 30, 2012 at 9:30 am.

SleepTracker Elite is the wear-at-night wristwatch that can monitor your sleep movements and help you ascertain how well or poorly you’re sleeping at night.  Time Magazine calls it the Invention of the Year.  I call it an interesting way to figure out why I’m such a grouch in the morning.  Simply put, it’s a wrist watch that monitors your sleep patterns and sleep movements and then analyzes those patterns in a software program that shows you your progress.  I was selected to give one a try when SleepTracker offered a review unit to The Gadgeteer.What It Does:

When you sleep, your body goes through various sleep cycles during the night with the average human typically going through four or five. SleepTracker’s theory is that if you are woken up during a “light stage” of sleep as opposed to another, deeper stage of sleep, you will wake up more refreshed and feel better.  Instead of waking up when your alarm clocks says you should wake up, the SleepTracker, when worn as a wristwatch at night, will wake you up when you are in a lighter stage of sleep. You can set the time you go to bed, you set the time you want to wake up and set the time to tell the watch when the lightest sleep stage is in accordance to your alarm time to then go off and wake you up. This watch has two alarms, a beep and a vibrate and they can be used together.  The beeping alarm woke me up.  The vibrate did not.

SleepTracker also monitors the number of sleep interruptions you experience each night, even if you are unaware of those interruptions.   Those interruptions could be from anything.  If you sleep with your dog or your cat (or both in my case), any movement from the animal will cause you to move from one stage of sleep to another and will register as a sleep interruption.  For instance, the first night I used Sleeptracker, I had 21 (!) instances of sleep interruption. Using an accelerometer, SleepTracker monitors and tracks the slightest physical signs from your body, and tracks that progress to determine your deepest sleep moments and your lightest.   Your lightest moments are when you really want to wake up because you’ll wake up feeling better and easier.

Using the data that the watch collects, you download it to the SleepTracker software on your computer, and it analyzes your night’s sleep and then gives you the number of interruptions, how long they lasted, as well as your total sleep time and a score that places your sleep progress.

My Experience:

Setting the watch for your sleep times, alarm times and the actual time and date is extremely easy.  And if you happen to go past your “To Bed” time, it’s simple to change it.  Trust me, I’m clumsy in the “Set the Watch” department and I can set SleepTracker.

Until SleepTracker, I thought I was doing OK in the sleep department.  My favorite hobby is sleeping with weekend daytime naps something I work hard at.  I always seem to wake up more refreshed and less grumpy from a nap than overnight sleep.  I have three animals and a husband with sleep apnea, so I was pretty interested in seeing what kind of sleep I was getting with the SleepTracker.

My first SleepTracker score was 95, which is pretty awesome.  But for the next two days, it went steadily downward. I am prone to migraines so I took Advil PM the next night thinking….ok, it will take care of my headache and I’ll be down for the count all night.   I was down for the count, but the next morning I woke up groggy and grumpy.  The upshot was that I had no headache, but my SleepTracker data on Day 3  read that I’d gone from a 95 to an 82.  Being unconscious doesn’t necessarily mean you’re getting the sleep you need.  In some cases, it just means you’re unconscious.

The data also records your uninterrupted sleep moments, and you can go back and view the data to determine when those moments occurred.  Some I remembered, such as when the dog decided to jump off the bed and go bark at something unseen in the dark… most likely dust.  Or when my cat jumped on me for reasons I still have yet to determine.  (My cat likes to sleep ON me.  Not near me, ON me.  Usually on my hip as I’m a side sleeper and makes a nice comfy nest out of the blankets in the curve of my hip.  Like I’m a log in the woods.  Or a piece of driftwood.  Or a living room chair. Only warmer.)

I used to be a “Sleep With the Televison On” kind of person.  I like something playing in the background when I’m working, and even when napping during the day.  Napping during football (my husband stays awake for this) in the autumn and lacrosse during the spring has never been an issue, but television at night has become a problem, and it’s showing in the SleepTracker data as well which I found interesting.

This is what the data graph will look like for your SleepTracker data.

My husband, who uses a C-PAP at night, does not experience the things I do at night.  He hears basically nothing because of the machine, and the animals don’t go near him on the bed. They’ve learned the painful consequences.  It’s me they bug because they know I’m a great big pushover.  Our youngest cat starts annoying me around 5:00 am because that’s when she wants to be fed.  She should know she has to wait until 7 am because that’s when I feed both cats and our dog.  She knows this but that doesn’t stop her from her shenanigans until I get so fed up, I get up and feed them all just to shut them up and let me sleep.  Surprisingly, it’s all showing up in the SleepTracker data.

Our Pembroke Welsh Corgi loves to sleep snuggled between my husband and me, but anyone who knows anything about Corgis knows they’re heavy shedders because they have a thick undercoat.  So while Gipper likes the whole “Snuggle with my Humans” thing, he gets overheated and starts this annoying raspy panting…usually in my ear and usually when I’m just drifting off to sleep.  Is it in the SleepTracker data?  Oh yeah.

For further testing, I let my husband wear the device.  Day 1 he got a 100 score.  That’s a perfect score.  That means he’s getting the sleep he needs to get.

As for comfort, I’m the wrong person to ask. I didn’t like wearing SleepTracker.  I found it to be bulky, I didn’t like the plastic against my skin, I knocked it against things (not that it hurt it, it’s even waterproof!) and ended up latching it to my belt loop which I can’t do at night or (of course) it will not record data. But I am not a watch wearer.  I don’t wear wrist watches of any kind.  I haven’t worn one in years.  Even as a teen, I never wore a watch, I’ve always worn a antique pendant watch pinned to my blouse or something. I also wear very little jewelry on my wrist or hands save for my wedding ring so again, the comfort of SleepTracker is probably more of a “me” thing. People who wear watches probably won’t have a problem with it.

Cool watch...I just didn't like wearing it.

Turning off the alarm when it went off in the morning proved problematic at least for me.  I kept pressing every button but the one that shut it off.  Again, I think that is a “me” thing.  I’m not used to being woken by a watch on my wrist with an alarm going off.  The watch does feature a very nice glow light for reading it in the dark.

I Sleep Fine, Why Get One?

For beginners, it’s a cool watch.  It’s got an alarm and keeps time, date and alarm info.  Second, we don’t always sleep as well as we should or could.  We have all had instances in our lives when getting a good night’s sleep was imperative, and SleepTracker will help you wake up during your best cycle so you can be at your best.  For travelers, it’s even better.  I’ve got three co-workers who travel to Europe frequently and are interested in what it can do.

The price isn’t bad either.

And Another Thing:

SleepTracker’s Customer Service rocks.  By and large, I hate reporting glitches to a product’s Customer Service department because they pretty much don’t care.  Not so here.  When I had questions and issues with the product, I got an weekend email from Lee Loree, the owner of SleepTracker!   This is a company that believes in their product, believes in their customers, and if their customers are going to pay for their product, they’re going to make sure everyone gets what they need.  I can dig it. It’s an open door policy at SleepTracker and these days, they’re the exception to the rule when they should be the rule.

Filed in categories: Health Related Gadgets, Reviews, Watches and Clocks

Tagged: Sleep, Watch

SleepTracker Elite Review originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on March 28, 2012 at 11:00 am.

The GPS Watch from runtastic records important parameters from your run: pace, laps, calories, distance, target HR zones, speed, duration, time, elevation and heart rate.  After the run, connect the watch to your computer with the included USB cable to transfer your data to your profile at runtastic’s website to analyze your metrics.  The watch display is customizable, and it has a compass and navigation function.  The battery lasts about 14 hours on a charge with GPS.  The runtastic GPS Watch costs €149.99; unfortunately, runtastic seems to ship only in Europe.

Filed in categories: Fitness, Sports, News, Watches and Clocks

Tagged: Portable GPS accessory, Training

Track and Analyze Your Run with the runtastic GPS Watch originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on March 23, 2012 at 1:00 pm.

Mmmm young Padawans,  shoot sparks to wake you up in the morning this Wesco Star Wars Jedi Training Ball Alarm Clock will not. But Force push umm…. throw it you must for the alarm to turn off.

Available for preorder (expected delivery April/May) from Frontline Hobbies Australia for $29.99AU (approx $32US ).

Filed in categories: Geek Toys, News, Watches and Clocks

Tagged: Clock, Star Wars

Jedi Training Ball Alarm Clock – Use the Force Luke originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on March 20, 2012 at 8:00 am.

In 1969, Seiko introduced the first quartz watch, and now they are introducing the world’s first solar GPS watch.  Using their own, patented, low-energy-consumption GPS receiver, the Astron is able to recognize all 39 time zones around the world to identify time zone and set the time and date data using the global network of GPS satellites.  The Astron receives the time signal once a day, and it can connect to at least four GPS satellites on command to determine the time zone and the exact time.  There are five models in the Astron line: three in “high-intensity titanium, which is stronger than stainless steel but has only 60% of its weight, and two in stainless steel. All have ceramic bezels, the same functions and high specifications, including a dual time sub-dial, in-flight mode indicator and sapphire crystal with Super-Clear Coating.”  All have ceramic faces and all have the same functions, and they’re solar-powered so you don’t need to worry with batteries.  The Astron will be available in Autumn 2012; no price information is available yet.  Read the full press release at the Astron link above.

Filed in categories: GPS, News, Watches and Clocks

Tagged: GPS, Watches and Clocks

Seiko Astron, the World’s First Solar GPS Watch originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on March 18, 2012 at 9:00 am.

Suunto has recently released a new high end outdoor/exploring/training watch….The Ambit. Similar in many ways to the Suunto Elementum Terra All-Black I reviewed last year. But with much more functionality for 50-60% the cost….

The Suunto Ambit Black (HR) package includes Suunto Ambit Black (available in white as well), Suunto ANT Comfort Belt, USB power cable, and Quick Guide. 

SPECIALIZED OUTDOOR FUNCTIONS

• Full-featured GPS with Waypoint navigation
• Unique 3D compass
• Accurate barometric altitude
• Barometer
• Temperature

ADVANCED TRAINING FUNCTIONS

• Highly responsive pace and speed (FusedSpeed™) with accelerometer integrated GPS
• Accurate vertical speed with barometric altimeter
• Advanced heart rate monitoring with Peak Training Effect and Recovery Time
• Online sports diary with planning & analysis tools in Movescount.com
• Compatible with Suunto Bike and Cadence PODs

MOUNTAIN & EVERYDAY EXPLORATION

• Robust BuiltToLast -casing
• Enhanced battery lifetime
• 100 m / 328 ft water resistant (ISO 2281)
• Upgradeable with new functionalities through Movescount.com

Filed in categories: Fitness, Sports, News, Watches and Clocks

Tagged: Watches and Clocks

The Suunto Ambit originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on March 16, 2012 at 8:00 am.

Once upon a time, a locomotive train ran through my son’s bedroom and he didn’t wake up.  Well, maybe not.  But if a train ever did run through his room he wouldn’t wake up.  Perhaps you have a family member who would fall into that category because they sleep so hard.  We have tried a dozen different types of clocks, including those that speak to you to wake you up, in hopes of finding a clock that would actually wake him up every morning.  Nothing has worked. He simply doesn’t hear them, yet it wakes the whole house up.  So it was with great anticipation that I agreed to review the TCL 200 Digital Alarm Clock with Wireless Vibrating Pad from Amplicom because of a few key features that might, just might, be able to wake the sleeping giant.  Did the Amplicom work?  Did my son finally make it to school on time?  Let’s find out!

Features and Hardware

Before I tell you the results of our tests, let me go over the features of the clock and show you some pictures.  The clock comes with a power charger, a phone cord, a user guide (yes, can you believe it?), a wireless vibration pad (more on that soon) and a cable that connects from the vibration pad to the clock for charging. The clock also runs on batteries (door on the bottom of the clock) in the event that the power goes out.

It has a bunch of buttons on the front and even more on the back, and I honestly had to read the user guide to figure out some of the functions.  I guess you could consider that a pro or a con, but it’s a pro for me because I like User Guides.  For this clock you need to hold onto the manual because in 6 months when you need to figure out how to do something, you are gonna need it.

On the back is where most of the action is, so let’s talk about some of these buttons. At the bottom is where you plug in the power cord, the charging wire for the wireless vibration pad, and the phone cord.  If you connect the clock to a phone jack in the wall then when the phone rings in the house the clock will act as an amplifier. This could be good, I suppose, for a person who was hard of hearing and needed to know when the phone was ringing.  On the back you also get to adjust the dimmer setting, the snooze duration, the volume of the alarm, the pitch of the alarm, and which signal (out of 5) that you want for your alarm.  The alarm signals range from just a constant beep to a series of beeps, to longer tones, etc.  It really is a personal preference as to which one you choose.  You also get to choose if you want the alarm to make a sound, just vibrate, or both.  With one of the switches on the back you also get to decide if you want the display on the clock face to flash when the alarm goes off, to add to the probability that the person will get  up.  And a nice touch is that you can set 2 different alarms and each one can be set to go off every day of the week, just on the weekend, or just M-F.

On top is the snooze button and on the right side is a really big knob that turns the alarm off and on.  One of my biggest gripes with alarm clocks in general is that the on-off buttons are small, and on most clocks the labels on the buttons are hard to read.  Not so on this clock.  That on-off knob on the side is not only clearly labeled, it is probably the biggest on-off switch I have ever seen.

On the front are indicator lights to tell you which of the 2 alarms are active and if the M-F setting is active.  On the front you will also find the buttons for setting the time on the clock and setting the alarm settings that you prefer.  Also, an interesting feature of the clock is that you can set the time to be announced in English, German, French, Italian, and Spanish.

The 2 main reasons why I wanted to try this clock were the sound level and the vibration pad.  The alarm volume on this clock can be adjusted up to 90 dB.  How loud is that? Loud.  I have read online that 90 dB is the equivalent of a police whistle, a lawnmower, a power drill, or a circular saw. Needless to say, this clock is loud.  The vibration pad is round and semi-flat with a non-slip grip on top and bottom. The on-off switch is on the front and the battery indicator light is located right above the switch.  It has an 800 mAh battery that is supposed to give you up to 80 hours of charge, and it charges by plugging it up to the back of the clock.  The best way to use it is to slip it inside the pillow cover so that it doesn’t fall off the bed.  If you have the clock set to include vibration in the alarm and you have the vibration pad turned on, then when the alarm goes off the vibration pad will start vibrating. The vibration is similar to the vibration on your cellphone, only much stronger.

Final Results

So did my son make it to school on time?  Oh yes. We had hoped that the vibration pad would do the trick to cause him to wake up. But the truth is that he didn’t need the pad to wake him up. This clock is so loud that it wakes him up without needing the vibration pad.  We finally found a clock loud enough to rouse him from his slumber.  Thank you Amplicom.  And even though I consider the price of this clock to be a little high for an alarm clock, it is a no brainer. If you need to get someone up in the morning, look no further than the Amplicom TCL 200.

Filed in categories: Home Tech, Reviews, Watches and Clocks, Wireless

Tagged: Alarm Clock

Amplicom TCL 200 Digital Alarm Clock with Wireless Vibrating Pad Review originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on March 12, 2012 at 11:00 am.

Why wear a certain touch screen mp3 player on your wrist when you can slap on a reliable Swatch?  The Swatch Touch is a new line featuring, you guessed it, the ubiquitous touch screen!  All physical buttons have been removed, giving the watch face a sleek new profile.  The wearer just needs to now swipe the screen to access the alarm clock, timer, date, chronograph, and two time zones.  Three on screen buttons allow for adjustments and settings to each screen, and holding the screen will activate the back light.

Like most other Swatch watches, the Touch line comes in various bright colors (purple, pink, turquoise), as well as the standard unisex white, black, and camo.  All colors feature the same functions and digital number design.  They are available now and retail for $140.

Filed in categories: News, Watches and Clocks

Tagged: touch screen, Watches and Clocks

Swatch Gets Touchy Feely originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on March 6, 2012 at 10:00 am.

I love pocket watches. I used to carry one back before cellphones were a common pocket item. Although I haven’t carried a pocket watch or worn a wrist watch in years, I still like to look at them. The Memento Pocket Watch caught my eye because the case is made of wood. You can choose from sandal wood or maple. Each shell will be different due to the unique grain in the wood. These watches are made in Hong Kong and can be ordered for $125 each.

[via Cool Material]

Filed in categories: News, Watches and Clocks

Tagged: Watches and Clocks

Memento Makes Pocket Watches Fashionable Again originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on March 4, 2012 at 2:27 pm.

The Kisai Stencil LCD Watch was originally a concept submitted by Heather Sable, a math teacher and fan of Tokyoflash Japan watches from the USA.  The Stencil shows time with the “negative space” on the LCD screen.  The display is always on, and there’s an electroluminescent backlight for night use.  The Stencil displays the time and date and has an alarm mode.  The case is stainless steel and measures 1.3″ X 1.85″ X 0.4″ thick.  The leather watch band is available in either black or white and fits wrists between 4″ and 8.26″.  The LCDs are available in either mirror or green, blue, pink, and red colors.  The Stencil is even water-resistant to 3 atmospheres.  The Kisai Stencil will sell for $139, but Tokyoflash Japan is having an introductory price of $99.  The introductory price ends at February 23rd at 11:30am (Japan time).  The above watches show 06:57 (left), 12:04 (middle), and 05:44 (right).

Filed in categories: News, Watches and Clocks

Tagged: Watches and Clocks

Kisai Stencil LCD Watch from Tokyoflash Japan originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on February 22, 2012 at 8:13 am.

Pyle is introducing a new item in their sports gear line – the Snorkeling Master Watch.  This watch is water-resistant to 10 atmospheres (330 feet), and it has a selectable sea or lake diving setting.  It measures your dive depth (up to 328 feet) with a resolution of 0.1 feet and water temperature (range of 14°F to 140°F) with an accuracy of 1 degree, and it displays this data onscreen with the dive duration.  It has an electro-luminescent backlight and a dive alarm that activates when emerging faster than 6m per minute.  The Snorkeling Master also keeps a log of your 100 most recent dives with the time and date, dive duration, maximum dive depth, minimum water temperature, and dive site indication.  The Snorkeling Master is available in green, black, or red for $215.99 or orange for $222.99.

Filed in categories: News, Outdoor Gear, Watches and Clocks

Tagged: Snorkeling gear, Watches and Clocks

Record Your Underwater Adventures with the Pyle Snorkeling Master Watch originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on February 21, 2012 at 9:00 am.

The Apple iPod nano is a popular gadget not only because it makes a very portable music player, but because it can also replace your wrist watch by using any one of the many straps designed for it. Now those of you that want to go old school can turn your nano into a very stylish pocketwatch with the iPocketWatch case. The iPW offers square or round fascias to compliment your favorite watch face. I have always been a fan of pocket watches, so I was really excited when I first saw this new nano case. I was disappointed when I learned that it is not yet available for purchase. The iPocketWatch is currently soliciting financial help through Pozible, an Australian based crowd funding site like Kickstarter. Their project just started, so if you want this case to see the light of day, you might want consider helping fund it.

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

Tagged: iPod nano, Watches and Clocks

iPocketWatch Turns Your iPod Nano Into a Pocket Timepiece originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on February 19, 2012 at 11:40 am.

This is another Kickstarter project.  The Manifold Clock is a wall-mounted clock with a 30″ sweep.  The hour and minute hands are joined with a flexible sheet that forms a changing 3-D shape.  This “combination of simple mechanics and modern design is based on the mathematical notion of Riemann surfaces, derived from the log(z) function.”  Pledge at least $45 to receive a Manifold Clock.  Funding has already been exceeded, but there is still time to pledge and receive a clock.  The funding period ends February 23 at 5:00 pm EST.

Filed in categories: News, Watches and Clocks

Tagged: 3D, Clock

Manifold Clock: Telling time in 3D originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on February 10, 2012 at 8:00 am.

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.