Comments on: Alarm Clock Design http://keen.me/2009/01/04/alarm-clock-design/ Making unpopular things on the internet since 1999 Fri, 18 Jun 2010 05:14:33 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9 hourly 1 By: Hg http://keen.me/2009/01/04/alarm-clock-design/comment-page-1/#comment-4257 Hg Sun, 27 Sep 2009 09:03:50 +0000 http://www.jeffreykeen.com/?p=234#comment-4257 Chumby Chumby

]]> By: Chuck Campbell http://keen.me/2009/01/04/alarm-clock-design/comment-page-1/#comment-3071 Chuck Campbell Thu, 04 Jun 2009 06:13:16 +0000 http://www.jeffreykeen.com/?p=234#comment-3071 Hi- Like you, I just bought an RCA RPC100 for my wife. It looked like a swell unit, but it malfunctioned right out of the box. Never would auto set the time, and it resisted being set manually. I'm in the process now of trying to return it. I should have bought her a clock exactly like mine....a Sony ICT-C492. This is a great little unit, that has never let me down. Throw that RCA (Audivox) out the window, and get a Sony :) Here's a URL with a review on the Sony. http://reviews.cnet.com/radios/sony-icf-c492-clock/4505-7875_7-31355086.html . Best of luck! Chuck Hi- Like you, I just bought an RCA RPC100 for my wife. It looked like a swell unit, but it malfunctioned right out of the box. Never would auto set the time, and it resisted being set manually. I’m in the process now of trying to return it. I should have bought her a clock exactly like mine….a Sony ICT-C492. This is a great little unit, that has never let me down. Throw that RCA (Audivox) out the window, and get a Sony :) Here’s a URL with a review on the Sony. http://reviews.cnet.com/radios/sony-icf-c492-clock/4505-7875_7-31355086.html . Best of luck! Chuck

]]> By: justin http://keen.me/2009/01/04/alarm-clock-design/comment-page-1/#comment-2961 justin Fri, 24 Apr 2009 20:10:11 +0000 http://www.jeffreykeen.com/?p=234#comment-2961 I have the Insignia too. I am similarly disappointed with the current state of alarm clocks and found that model to be the closest thing to my criteria of: simple and doesn't light up the whole room It has a dim feature, which still is not dim enough for me, but better than most other alarm clocks. I have the Insignia too. I am similarly disappointed with the current state of alarm clocks and found that model to be the closest thing to my criteria of: simple and doesn’t light up the whole room

It has a dim feature, which still is not dim enough for me, but better than most other alarm clocks.

]]> By: RCA RPC100 user http://keen.me/2009/01/04/alarm-clock-design/comment-page-1/#comment-2931 RCA RPC100 user Sat, 18 Apr 2009 10:31:03 +0000 http://www.jeffreykeen.com/?p=234#comment-2931 "The green display might be a little brighter than necessary, but I was willing to overlook that because of the strength in the other areas." It has a dimmer knob. You can see it on the bottom left of the photo- this feature works very well and can make it extremely dim if desired. Other features you missed but which I think deserve a mention include: 1) built in LEDs **under* the clock front, this can be turned on independently or, more usefully, to come on when the alarm goes off. So if the display is very dim you can still easily see the clock in the dark when the alarm sounds as the table glows yellow from these other LEDs! 2) Unlike most alarm clocks, when this suffers a power failure, although the display won't show up while running only on batteries as with other clocks-THE ALARM WILL STILL WORK FROM THE BATTERY POWER ALONE. ALSO, 2 AA batteries are included. You won't find an alarm clock with better battery backup features than this. 3) If you turned the volume for the radio all the way down then fall asleep and have the main buzzer set as the alarm- IT COMES ON AT FULL VOLUME REGARDLESS. So you won't accidentally sleep through an unintentionally quiet alarm. 4) The "snooze" button spans the middle 7 inches of the 9 inch surface of the clock- one of the few snooze buttons easy enough to use when you're tired as to be worthwhile. Great design- plus it's right on the top of the clock. 5) The alarm gradually gets louder if ignored- it doesn't start off too brutally, but it makes sure you don't sleep through it as well. 6) The "snooze", "nap" and "sleep" buttons are all useful once you know how they work. 7) Daylight saving adjustment is easy with a switch underneath. It shunts the hour forward or back an hour depending on the position- and indicates daylight saving mode on the front display with a subtle LED sun indicator. “The green display might be a little brighter than necessary, but I was willing to overlook that because of the strength in the other areas.”

It has a dimmer knob. You can see it on the bottom left of the photo- this feature works very well and can make it extremely dim if desired.

Other features you missed but which I think deserve a mention include:

1) built in LEDs **under* the clock front, this can be turned on independently or, more usefully, to come on when the alarm goes off. So if the display is very dim you can still easily see the clock in the dark when the alarm sounds as the table glows yellow from these other LEDs!

2) Unlike most alarm clocks, when this suffers a power failure, although the display won’t show up while running only on batteries as with other clocks-THE ALARM WILL STILL WORK FROM THE BATTERY POWER ALONE. ALSO, 2 AA batteries are included. You won’t find an alarm clock with better battery backup features than this.

3) If you turned the volume for the radio all the way down then fall asleep and have the main buzzer set as the alarm- IT COMES ON AT FULL VOLUME REGARDLESS. So you won’t accidentally sleep through an unintentionally quiet alarm.

4) The “snooze” button spans the middle 7 inches of the 9 inch surface of the clock- one of the few snooze buttons easy enough to use when you’re tired as to be worthwhile. Great design- plus it’s right on the top of the clock.

5) The alarm gradually gets louder if ignored- it doesn’t start off too brutally, but it makes sure you don’t sleep through it as well.

6) The “snooze”, “nap” and “sleep” buttons are all useful once you know how they work.

7) Daylight saving adjustment is easy with a switch underneath. It shunts the hour forward or back an hour depending on the position- and indicates daylight saving mode on the front display with a subtle LED sun indicator.

]]> By: Nigel Parry http://keen.me/2009/01/04/alarm-clock-design/comment-page-1/#comment-2263 Nigel Parry Thu, 05 Feb 2009 05:33:30 +0000 http://www.jeffreykeen.com/?p=234#comment-2263 You've got it all wrong. Go bacon! http://www.mathlete.com/portfolio/wakeNbacon.php PS: That Mac OS X Current Widget appears to have died. I'm guessing the Current moved their RSS list? Thanks for it, very useful. You’ve got it all wrong. Go bacon!

http://www.mathlete.com/portfolio/wakeNbacon.php

PS: That Mac OS X Current Widget appears to have died. I’m guessing the Current moved their RSS list? Thanks for it, very useful.

]]> By: Violent Violin http://keen.me/2009/01/04/alarm-clock-design/comment-page-1/#comment-2201 Violent Violin Sat, 24 Jan 2009 21:39:02 +0000 http://www.jeffreykeen.com/?p=234#comment-2201 Yeah dude, I looked through all the clock radios on Amazon and decided this one was the best. It's replacing an old GE of a similar layout that I used for many years. The rotary dimmer for the display makes it just fine at night. Cool night light built in the bottom makes it float on light at night. The only sucky thing I've noticed is the sound. The rear firing speaker is kind of tiny. I pulled the old speaker from the GE and might try to replace the RCA's. Although it might sweeten with use, I've only had the clock for a couple of days. Weird note, the radio is actually an analogue tuner with a digital display, really hard to tune AM accurately but it is very precise. The AFC makes the FM easy to deal with. Funny that the old RCA brand has the best design, I've got one of their old tubes in an amp of mine... http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&ssPageName=ADME:B:EOIBSAA:US:11&Item=320324670045 VV Yeah dude, I looked through all the clock radios on Amazon and decided this one was the best. It’s replacing an old GE of a similar layout that I used for many years. The rotary dimmer for the display makes it just fine at night. Cool night light built in the bottom makes it float on light at night.

The only sucky thing I’ve noticed is the sound. The rear firing speaker is kind of tiny. I pulled the old speaker from the GE and might try to replace the RCA’s. Although it might sweeten with use, I’ve only had the clock for a couple of days.

Weird note, the radio is actually an analogue tuner with a digital display, really hard to tune AM accurately but it is very precise. The AFC makes the FM easy to deal with.

Funny that the old RCA brand has the best design, I’ve got one of their old tubes in an amp of mine…

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&ssPageName=ADME:B:EOIBSAA:US:11&Item=320324670045

VV

]]> By: craig http://keen.me/2009/01/04/alarm-clock-design/comment-page-1/#comment-2186 craig Wed, 21 Jan 2009 21:52:06 +0000 http://www.jeffreykeen.com/?p=234#comment-2186 I think humans were meant to wake up one of two ways... with the gradual progression of sun on the horizon, or ... flashback a few millennia to caveman times... where the sound of something snapped you wake, your heart beating, adrenaline surging. The danger of yesteryear has been replaced by the alarm clock of today. Easily the best alarm clock I've ever owned was one from www.now-zen.com -- total bliss. I think humans were meant to wake up one of two ways… with the gradual progression of sun on the horizon, or … flashback a few millennia to caveman times… where the sound of something snapped you wake, your heart beating, adrenaline surging.

The danger of yesteryear has been replaced by the alarm clock of today. Easily the best alarm clock I’ve ever owned was one from http://www.now-zen.com — total bliss.

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