By Andrew Liszewski

If it wasn’t for an alarm clock, my typical week would probably only consist of 3 or 4 days where I was actually awake. And while I’m quite happy with my current model, I have to admit the button layout is a bit complex to reliably navigate in my half-awake/half-asleep state each morning.

I assume that designer Tobias Jacobsen had similar experiences with alarm clocks, which inspired him to create this Snooze Alarm Clock Radio which streamlines the interface, and puts more emphasis on the snooze button. It features a conductive antenna for the radio, but you also have the option of waking up to the traditional electronic alarm sound if you’re so inclined. It uses two built-in speakers for maximum effect, and includes a sleep timer as well as the aforementioned snooze function. The only downside is that it’s available from the MoMA Store for a ridiculous $95. At that price I’ll happily mash away at my current alarm clock in the morning until the beeping stops.

[ Jacobsen Snooze Alarm Clock Radio ] VIA [ Digital Drops ]

By Andrew Liszewski

Oh look! Another clever alarm clock design. But this time instead of using a loud audible alarm (or the smell of freshly baked bread) this alarm clock simply vibrates you awake when it’s time to get up. While it might make for a more pleasant morning, it seems to require you to be a bit more diligent than a standard alarm clock does. For example, in order for it to be effective you have to remember to place the alarm under your pillow before you go to sleep. And so that there’s no power cord that could strangle you in the middle of the night the alarm’s also battery powered, so you’ll have to remember to keep it in its charging cradle during the day.

But other than that it looks pretty straightforward and easy to use. Setting the time and the alarm is done via a set of buttons that are hidden under a sliding cover which ensures they don’t get accidentally pressed in the middle of the night, and other notable features include a backup audible alarm in case you miss the vibrating one and a built-in LED flashlight. But what I like most about this particular alarm clock is that it isn’t just some concept dreamed up by an industrial designer fresh out of school, but is actually available from Lazybone for about $47.

[ Vibrating Alarm Clock ] VIA [ technabob ]

By Andrew Liszewski

I wonder if historians in the future will look back on these times as the renaissance for alarm clocks? It seems almost every day there’s a different model popping up that uses some clever trick to get you out of bed in the morning. Today we have the Osim Nioi alarm clock concept which was designed by Alfie Lake. Instead of using a loud buzzing or beeping sound to basically shock you out of a comfortable sleep in the morning (usually putting you in a bad mood) the Osim Nioi releases pleasurable scents, like the smell of freshly baked bread, to wake you up.

In fact the Osim Nioi goes one step further and allows for up to 3 different scent cartridges that can actually be used to give you a more relaxing sleep. For example, in addition to your 7:30am fresh bread wake up call, you can also set the clock to release a lavender scent at midnight, which supposedly calms the body and increases the amount of time you spend restfully sleeping. While I like the idea, I know that the smell of fresh bread isn’t enough to bring me out of my dormant coma in the morning. However, I imagine something that smelled a bit more unpleasant might actually do the trick.

[ Osim Nioi Alarm Clock ] VIA [ The Design Blog ]

By Luke Anderson

I’ve seen a lot of alarm clocks that try every evil tactic in the world to make sure that you get your lazy self out of bed. They generally make you physically get out of bed, or solve some kind of puzzle before they stop making an annoying noise. But what about an alarm that simply made you want to get up, and rewarded you for doing so? That’s exactly the idea behind the Wake n’ Bacon.

The night before, just pop in a frozen strip or two of bacon, and set the alarm. Shortly before it’s time to wake up, it will start cooking the bacon. The idea is that the sweet aroma of greasy bacon will lure you out of sleep, and out of bed. If the smell isn’t enough to wake you, it will set off a small alarm, which should wake you enough to smell your wonderful bacon. Unfortunately it appears to be only a concept device at the moment (though the creators do have a working model). Rest assured, if the price isn’t outrageous, I’d be first in line to get one of these.

[ Mathlete ] VIA [ Dvice ]

By Andrew Liszewski

Adding to the long list of novelty alarm clocks that ensure you have no choice but to get out of bed in the morning is the Shape Up designed by Yuk Wang. This dumbbell-style alarm clock features a simple LCD display on one end with a digital clock that also allows you to set what time the alarm goes off. And when it does go off (with an annoying buzzing sound) the only way to silence it is to get out of bed and do 30 reps. Unfortunately I have no idea how much the alarm clock weighs or how much it costs.

[ WorldWide Fred - Shape Up Alarm Clock ]

By Luke Anderson

I’m currently without any children, which I am perfectly happy with at this point in my life. I enjoy sleeping through the night without a child bounding into my bed at 4am because they’ve decided it’s time to get up for the day. Here’s a neat little alarm clock that may help parents who have exactly that problem.

This cool alarm clock serves a variety of functions. First, it has a 5-stage talking “game” which will help your child learn to tell time. Both a digital and analog clock are shown so that they can learn to read both. It also has a special “Ok to Wake” alarm, which lets them know if it’s still to early to wake you up. You’ll set this specific time on a hidden control panel, and during sleep time, the clock will glow yellow. Once it is time to get up, the light will turn to green.

The clock even serves as a regular alarm clock equipped with snooze for when your kid has to wake up for school. This is definitely a cool product that I would recommend to any parent of a small child. For $30, you can’t find a better clock for kids.

[ ThinkGeek ] VIA [ RGS ]

By Andrew Liszewski

Given its functionality, I can only assume this Halo 6-in-1 device is designed for something like camping trips where you might need a flashlight and compass at the same time. But if you’re camping do you really need or even want an alarm clock waking you up in the morning? The only reason I venture out into the great outdoors is for a little rest and relaxation, and an alarm at the crack of dawn doesn’t factor into that equation. The Halo also features a countdown timer which might be handy when cooking beans over the fire, a calendar so you can keep track of when you need to be back at work and a projection clock. All that for just $3.99 from Vavolo.com. (Plus $5 shipping and handling.)

[ Halo 6-In-1 Projection Alarm Clock ] VIA [ The Red Ferret Journal ]

By Luke Anderson

I hate getting out of bed in the morning, which is probably why I’ve chosen to be a professional blogger, rather than someone who gets up at the crack of dawn every morning and drives to a fancy corporate office (or anywhere really). I’ve seen more wacky alarm clocks that go to extreme lengths to wake you up, but this one takes the cake.

This alarm clock doesn’t roll away, or force you to solve a puzzle at 5am. In fact, it’s as simple to turn off as any basic alarm. However, there is a consequense for failing to turn it off in a timely manner. It will actually hijack your cell phone and start calling random people in your phone book every three minutes until you wake up. Now that’s harsh.

This thing wouldn’t actually do me any good, as I am perfectly capable of turning off an alarm while still asleep. Not to mention I’d be too terrified to actually plug this thing in. There are some people you just don’t wake up with a phone call early in the morning.

[ Alice Wang ] VIA [ CoolestGadgets ]

By Andrew Liszewski

Bucking the trend of alarm clocks that make hitting the snooze button an extremely physical chore is this model from Hammacher Schlemmer that uses advanced speech recognition technology to control the most common functions. So when the alarm goes off in the morning and you don’t feel like getting up, all you need to do is yell ‘Stop’ which will start a 5-minute snooze timer. The alarm clock recognizes 10 different spoken commands including Set alarm, Set time, Check alarm, What is the date, Alarm sound, Stop and Temperature. Alternately, the large backlit LCD panel is also touch sensitive and allows the time and alarms to be manually set the ‘old fashioned’ way. And if you need a little white noise to fall asleep to, the clock even has a voice activated function to start playing soothing sounds like the ocean, chirping birds or a babbling brook.

It’s available on the Hammacher Schlemmer website for $49.95.

[ Voice Interactive Alarm Clock ] VIA [ Coolest Gadgets ]