Wake Up to the New World of Connected Alarm Clocks
Use your smart phone to enhance your alarm clock, to get more music and better sound than ever before
Bedside alarm clocks have been a standard feature of bedrooms for decades. They tell you the time when you're anywhere in the bedroom. They wake you up on time. And the well-designed ones can be a nice addition to the look of your bedroom. They also let you listen to news or music while you're getting dressed in the morning.
As with so many other things, the use of alarm clocks is on the wane, as they're being replaced by the ubiquitous, all-purpose mobile phone. But it doesn't have to be so. And it shouldn't be. Good alarm clocks can do things your phone can't.
For starters, both the displays and speakers tend to be bigger, so telling the time and listening to music and news can be done from anywhere in the bedroom. And the sound quality is much better. That's especially true of the new generation of alarm clocks. Some of the sound system miniaturization that has been developed for laptops, tablets and other mobile technologies has made its way into alarm clocks. The good ones sound way better than alarm clocks used to — and way better than your phone.
While traditional alarm clocks get audio from old-fashioned radio, the new Bluetooth versions get it from a vastly superior source — the Internet, by way of your phone.
As with so many other things, the use of alarm clocks is on the wane, as they're being replaced by the ubiquitous, all-purpose mobile phone. But it doesn't have to be so. And it shouldn't be. Good alarm clocks can do things your phone can't.
For starters, both the displays and speakers tend to be bigger, so telling the time and listening to music and news can be done from anywhere in the bedroom. And the sound quality is much better. That's especially true of the new generation of alarm clocks. Some of the sound system miniaturization that has been developed for laptops, tablets and other mobile technologies has made its way into alarm clocks. The good ones sound way better than alarm clocks used to — and way better than your phone.
While traditional alarm clocks get audio from old-fashioned radio, the new Bluetooth versions get it from a vastly superior source — the Internet, by way of your phone.
Philips Original Radio Mini ORT2300
The Philips Original Radio Mini ORT2300 combines elegant, retro styling with Bluetooth streaming technology. It has a built-in timer, so you could use it in the kitchen, too.
You can set up to 20 radio presets, including for both regular FM radio and DAB, the newish standard for high-quality digital radio. That's nice, but you'd be better off streaming music and podcasts through your phone via Bluetooth — the built-in sound system can give you more volume than your phone, but not much in the way of sound quality.
You can set up to 20 radio presets, including for both regular FM radio and DAB, the newish standard for high-quality digital radio. That's nice, but you'd be better off streaming music and podcasts through your phone via Bluetooth — the built-in sound system can give you more volume than your phone, but not much in the way of sound quality.
iHome iBT97 Bluetooth Alarm Clock
One of my favorite new clocks is the iBT97 Bluetooth Alarm Clock from iHome. It charges your gadgets. You can charge iOS devices in the port on top — either iPhone or even iPad; USB devices can be plugged into the back.
Reviewers say it has a rich sound with deep base. The company uses some interesting technology to create audio separation, even though the stereo speakers are close to each other. You can use an equalizer feature to adjust the audio, including a setting called "3D space."
But the most unusual feature is that it doubles as a capable speakerphone, which even has voice echo cancellation like the high-end corporate speakerphones.
The iBT97 is expected to ship in summer 2013.
Reviewers say it has a rich sound with deep base. The company uses some interesting technology to create audio separation, even though the stereo speakers are close to each other. You can use an equalizer feature to adjust the audio, including a setting called "3D space."
But the most unusual feature is that it doubles as a capable speakerphone, which even has voice echo cancellation like the high-end corporate speakerphones.
The iBT97 is expected to ship in summer 2013.
iHome iA100 Bluetooth Alarm Clock Radio
Another example of the influence of smart phones on alarm clocks is iHome's iA100 Bluetooth Alarm Clock Radio, which comes with several optional apps.
The apps, which are downloaded separately, enable you to get updates to the alarm clock from Facebook and Twitter, get stats on your sleep, download custom alarms, play sleep-inducing and meditation sounds, and even connect to your Apple AirPlay system.
The iA100 has some impressive sound technology, including real-time digital signal processing, 20-watt power push drivers and Reson8 speaker chambers. It also doubles as a speakerphone for your smart phone calls.
Instead of dismissing the alarm clock as another victim of smart-phone convergence, look at it this way: The clock and the phone make each other much better.
It's time to wake up to the new world of smart-phone-connected bedside alarm clocks.
The apps, which are downloaded separately, enable you to get updates to the alarm clock from Facebook and Twitter, get stats on your sleep, download custom alarms, play sleep-inducing and meditation sounds, and even connect to your Apple AirPlay system.
The iA100 has some impressive sound technology, including real-time digital signal processing, 20-watt power push drivers and Reson8 speaker chambers. It also doubles as a speakerphone for your smart phone calls.
Instead of dismissing the alarm clock as another victim of smart-phone convergence, look at it this way: The clock and the phone make each other much better.
It's time to wake up to the new world of smart-phone-connected bedside alarm clocks.
The Tick Tock Dock has an iconic alarm clock look, characterized by a round face for the clock and two bells on top for the alarm. But it uses the round face for a woofer speaker. The two "bells" on top are actually omnidirectional tweeters.
The other benefit to the Tick Tock Dock is simplicity. It's an FM radio alarm clock that streams music and news from your phone, either wirelessly via Bluetooth or from a universal audio port. It does little else, though an iPhone-specific version has a swivel-out dock for recharging the phone and playing music from it.
The Tick Tock Dock comes in black, white and beige.