Saturday, August 11, 2012

Alarm Clocks to Start Your Day Right

alarm clock, blue, with Wait Wait Don't Tell Me on the side

Still like to use an alarm clock, rather than just using the alarm on your phone? There must be plenty of us, because I keep finding some nice alarm clocks to show you. As Seth Simonds writes on Lifehack, "Don’t use an alarm that makes you angry." If your current alarm clock isn't working for you, here are some to consider.

The clock above is the one that caught my attention today, and inspired this post: the Tocky Wait Wait ... Don't Tell Me alarm clock that "comes preloaded with wake up messages from Peter Sagal and Carl Kasell." I've mentioned Tocky before — it's an alarm clock that will "leap off your nightstand and run away to ensure you're awake" — but this new edition was worth the mention, because I'm sure I'm not alone in being a fan of Wait Wait. If you like NPR but aren't a Wait Wait fan, you might be interested in the All Songs Considered version. [via Cool Mom Tech]


alarm clock using light as well as sound

If you'd like a calmer way to start your day, take a look at the Verilux Rise & Shine Natural Wake-Up Light. The light gets progressively brighter over a 15-minute period; there's also a sound alarm, with a choice of natural sounds combined with music — "pond life harmony" and "songbird serenade" are two options — or the clock radio. You can buy this from Signals as well as directly from Verilux.


tabletop alarm clock

Want just a normal alarm clock — but one with style? The Arne Jacobsen alarm clocks from Rosendahl are worth a look. You can buy these clocks at the Nordic Nest; the Station alarm clock, shown above, is also sold at the MoMA Store.


vintage alarm clock

For a very different look, you could go for the German vintage alarm clocks sold by Berliner Strasse. There are 12 different designs available at the moment. [via Apartment Therapy]


travel alarm clock in leather casing

Let's end with this gorgeous — and expensive — travel alarm clock from Pineider, sold by Pianki.

Related Posts:
7 Alarm Clocks for A Gentler Wake-Up Call
Clocks With Character
Two Alarm Clocks With Fancy Scheduling Features
Alarm Clocks: Amusing, Beautiful, Practical - and Furry
5 Alarm Clocks to Get You Up and Running
Waking Up On Time: Five Alarm Clocks
New Year's "Be On Time" Resolution Help: Cool Alarm Clocks

5 comments:

tba said...

For me as a Berliner the Berliner Straße items look incredibly overpriced. I know it's a matter of supply and demand and stuff from Germany might be hard to get in the US, but some of the stuff really has never in its lifetime been worth as much as they want for it. Also, how is the tag "Add a touch of Berlin to your vintage home decor" working when they sell a French coffee grinder? Some of the watches they sell have been produced by Junghans, which really is the farthest away from Berlin you can get in Germany. It really looks like they're cashing in on the Berlin-hype that exists at the moment. If you find that stuff nice and think you want to spend that money on it, go ahead, but please don't think you've laid your hands on an exclusive Berlin item emitting Berlin history and hipness.

Julie Bestry said...

It'd be worth going on WWDTM and winning karl kassell's voice on my voicemail, anyway, but to arrange for his actual voice in a personalized message on my alarm clock (perhaps a limerick) would be a real delight. Failing that, just having Peter & Karl on my alarm clock would still be stellar.

Julie Bestry said...

And I have no idea why Karl Kassell's name appears above as if I e..e cummings'ed him.

Jeri Dansky said...

Julie, I figured you'd enjoy that one!

Tba, thanks for commenting and adding your perspective. I remember vaguely reading about Berlin being an "in" place now - but really, I just included the clocks because I thought they looked cool. And I know nothing about what such vintage items generally go for - but I would assume they are priced competitively, since Berliner Strasse has already sold a number of them. Whether they are worth the prices or not is, of course, a very personal decision.

tba said...

Jeri, thanks for replying. Yes, of course, I totally agree with you that price is a personal decision - like I said, a matter of supply and demand. I do not want to talk anyone out of buying something they might really like, just add a little touch of local colour, if you will. :-)