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New awakening for the mobile alarm clock
By Mike on 09 October 2008
GLOBAL – The mobile phone has gradually nudged traditional buzzer off the bedside, with many of our handset’s built-in alarm clocks now on night duty.
The evolution of the mobile alarm clock is mirroring this subtle shift from the traditional wake-up routine, with innovative developments shining light through the curtains in the shape of a smart new app called HappyWakeUp. This S60 3rd Edition sliver of software doesn’t deliver the usual rude awakening, but instead monitors your sleep and wakes you up at the optimum moment to ensure you feel most refreshed. Hocus pocus or genius? Read on for more about this intriguing “arousal clock”.
Yes, that’s the other term the developers use for the HappyWakeUp app, as the perfect moment for waking up is called an “arousal” (okay, we’re not scientists). Now, it’s not silly and won’t simply wake you up at any time. The idea is that you set your alarm clock as normal, and it will wake you at some point in the 20 minutes before you have to wake up as within that time there will be a number of points in this “Alarm window” when you’ll feel most refreshed when “aroused”.
Here’s how it works, according to its creators:
“HappyWakeUp detects the optimal moment to wake up by monitoring the quality of your sleep using the microphone of the mobile phone. Actually it listens to your movements during the night time. Therefore the phone has to be near to you, preferably on your bed. Detection of the arousals is based on statistical analysis of the microphone signals.”
Sounds great, and like a genuinely useful innovation and completely original use for your handset’s microphone. We haven’t had a chance to test it out yet, but certainly will be over the coming weeks.
If you want to try it out, visit the HappyWakeUp site, and let us know how you get on with it and post your experiences below.
Photo from Chris Gin
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Tags | Alarm clock, conversations, HappyWakeUp, Microphone, Nokia, s60
October 9th, 2008 at 4:27 pm
hey Mike,
a better program would be – hook up the alarm to monitor the rest time in your device i.e. when no calls are received or answered. that way it can judge the amount to time it had off and when should it start…
simple and easy…
you can add a few tweaks as well… so go on developers make my wish a reality…
or you guys can pass this over to beta labs. i can elaborate more if you wish.
PS>
you don’t have to keep the phone near you… lol ;P
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October 9th, 2008 at 7:02 pm
Significant worries about hocus pocus, and no answer of simple issues like how it works with more than one person in the room.
So I’ll try it? 2 euros for a WEEK? Nope. My big, very nice, plug-in alarm clock that actually got manufactured and shipped to me cost less than the unlimited 50 euro price. This strikes me as very high.
Someone else review it and tell us if it actually works.
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October 10th, 2008 at 2:07 am
I’ll try it, but if it doesn’t make coffee within the 20 minutes than I might not like it too much.
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October 11th, 2008 at 3:39 am
How about battery life? Seems phone should be constantly awake to “listen” while I sleep.
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October 11th, 2008 at 6:32 am
Really good article. I have been following your blog for last 3 months. You have good knowledge
on Mobile(cell phone) Industry and happenings. Please continue the good work. Thank you.
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October 22nd, 2008 at 12:19 am
I’d settle for an S60 alarm clock that didn’t force me to use a 5 minute snooze interval and force me to get up after an hour. Like the iPhone (yes, I said it).
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