The 5 Wackiest Alarm Clocks

It’s a dull, grey Monday morning; you’re due in work extra early for some ungodly reason, and before you fell asleep the night before you begrudgingly set your alarm, praying that it would successfully rouse you from your slumber. When it does finally go off, it’s unreasonably harsh and shrill. You blindly poke about, wishing to silence its incessant ring, and then, it’s all up to you. Do you have the discipline to get up and out of bed? Do you really feel in the right frame of mind?

Well, what if there was a clock which was specifically designed to get you up out of bed? I’m not talking about any old FM Tuner Radio Alarm Clock that can be found in John Lewis for a tenner, I’m talking about something that plays on your whimsical side, something designed to get you out of bed, entertain you, maybe even allow you to wake up naturally, rather than abruptly shaking you from that rather pleasant dream you were having.

Even better, what if I gave you 5 of them?:

The Flying Alarm Clock

It does exactly what it says on the tin; this alarm clock comes equipped with a mini propeller on top of the main hub. When the alarm goes, it will, as always, wake you up with its dull ring, but this time, it sends off the propeller flying into the air, and the only way to cease its howling is to pluck the propeller and stick it back in its rightful place.

This can be annoying, and may not do wonders for your mood, but it is designed specifically to get you out of bed, ensuring that you don’t hit snooze and drift off again, as we’ve all done from time to time.

The Sonic Bomb

This one is a monster; it consists of a double-feature: the clock coming with a vibration pad which is placed under the pillows and acts as a sort of practical insurance policy. There will be no problem getting up with this super-loud alarm piercing the silence each morning (you are, of course, able to tone down the volume to your preference), and literally shaking you awake. Seriously, the maximum volume is 113db, which is louder than a chainsaw. So, this should be taken as a note of caution to all potential buyers.

This product is perfect for those who care only about being roused efficiently in the morning, but if you’d rather get up in a better, lighter mood, read on…

The iPod Alarm Clock

There are quite a few of these on the market. It makes viable sense to attach your iPod to your alarm clock and have it play you awake. After some research, I would recommend anything made by the Phillips brand, as they seem to be highly popular with customers and are invigorated through many different, fun designs. In particular, the DC190B model caught my attention. It allows the user to fiddle with different alarm times for weekdays and weekends, which is a plus in my opinion, and it lets you fling your iPod/iPhone on to the attachment, slotting in perfectly, and allows you to wake up to your favourite tunes. An FM/AM radio tuner is built-in as well, and you have all the power you need.

Ideal for those looking to wake up to something a bit different rather than a monotonous ringing, and giving each morning an extra spice.

The Natural Light

This ‘alarm’ clock is perhaps one of my more unique discoveries. The idea behind it is scientifically proven and accurate, but may not be ideal for those who are adamant about when they get up. Another Phillips product, this clock works by turning itself on 30mins before your desired alarm setting, slowly increasing the amount of light it emits, so, akin to the sun shining into your room, by the time your selected alarm time comes around, you will find yourself gently roused by the natural light produced.

Additionally, you can use it as a bedside lamp for a spot of light reading, and it comes equipped with a few select easy-listening sounds, such as early morning birds, or the silky smooth sway of the ocean’s waves for those wishing to be somewhere else.

Clocky

‘Clocky’ draws many a resemblance to our flying friend above in that the user must leap out of bed and catch something in order to retain the peace and quiet of the morning. I included it because, quite frankly, it amused me to no end.

The method behind this playful device is that you get one chance to wake up, and if you choose to neglect that opportunity and slam your hand down on the snooze button, ‘Clocky’ sets off. It rolls down your night-stand, and, able to roll on both wood and carpet, it spins this way and that, emitting the usual shrill drone, whilst you’re treated to an early morning work-out as you scuttle around behind it. By then, you’ll be fully awake and prepared for your morning shower and coffee. ‘Clocky’ is small, an ideal fit for your bedside table, and good for travel. A good idea for students in particular.

5 great gift ideas for anyone looking to pack a whimsical punch. There are many sublime models out there, and searching for the mentioned products will definitely lead you to other sites and links, but these 5 are the best I found.

Android Anti-Malware Software Not Catching Malware

It isn’t a good time to be a user of Android. Not only is Google being sued by two separated individuals (one for invasion of privacy on his phone after Google’s new ‘privacy’ policy, the other for being caught by a Google camera for Streetview while urinating in his garden), it is also being sued by BT, Microsoft and Apple. Not only is the search giant itself constantly plagued with trouble, so too is its mobile operating system Android.

It’s no secret that Android has more than its fair share of malware and ‘trouble’ apps in its Market – giving a bad name to open-source software, although in reality it’s nothing to do with Android being open-source (which can be only be claimed in the most tenuous way) but Google’s “we don’t really give a shit, we’re only in it for the advertising anyway” approach.

Users concerned about rogue apps would install one of the various anti-malware apps available in the same way PC users install anti-virus. But recent tests found that two-thirds of the anti-malware scanners available for Android aren’t up to the job, including Comodo, McAfee, NetQin and Bullguard.

AV-Test put 41 separate malware scanners through testing, and almost two-thirds (66%) are unreliable and not to be trusted to do their job. How unreliable? Of the 618 types of malware tested, the scanners picked up less than 65%. The ones that are up to the job are the professional packages that we expect to work, and they caught over 90% of the Android malware that they were exposed to – Dr Web, Lookout, Zoner, Kaspersky, Ikarus, F-Secure and Avast.

There were also those products that scored better than 65% but less than 90%, and again these are names we expect to do well catching malware – AVG, ESET, Norton/Symantec and Webroot among them.

In addition to that, there were some that scored less than 40%, and while none of them are from recognised software makers, most of them failed to acknowledge that a week-known Trojan had been opened, let alone finding anything during a routine scan.

The problem with these results is the sheer amount of malware targeting Android, and thus its large amount of users. According to AV-Test there were over 11,000 different types of Android malware, and to give a context of how quickly that number has appeared, there were only 2,000 at the end of October 2011. The malware includes phishing and banking Trojans, spyware, SMS fraud Trojans, fake installers and premium diallers, and with it all lurking in the Market, the very least you want (if not a new operating system) is a reliable anti-malware scanner.

As if it isn’t enough that Google can’t even keep track of what’s entering its Market, it appears it can’t even be trusted to properly code its own software, as it is revealed that there is a weakness in Android phones that makes it possible for attackers to record phone calls secretly, monitor location data and gain access to other private data – without the user even knowing.

According to a paper written by researchers from the North Caroline State University, Android phones by HTC, Samsung, Motorola and Google contain code that grant powerful capabilities to apps that are not trusted, and that the “explicit capability leaks” circumvent key security defences Android has that require users to give permission to apps to access personal information and functions, such as location and text messages. Part of Android’s appeal is its customisation and that the hardware vendors can add their own ‘skin’ and services to the basic model provided by Google, yet it is these very customisations that make the weakness possible. The researchers stated that, “We believe these results demonstrate that capability leaks constitute a tangible security weakness for many Android smartphones in the market today…Particularly, smartphones with pre-loaded apps tend to be more likely to have explicit capability leaks.”

The researchers’ tests found that the HTC EVO 4G was the most vulnerable, leaking eight functions that include text messages, audio recorded and precise geographic location finder. The second most vulnerable was the HTC Legend with six leaks – making HTC a particular manufacturer to avoid. The Samsung Epic 4G has three leaks, including the ability to clear applications and data from the phone. Part of the problem is that the Android Market does not perform any security checks on the applications that come pre-bundled with certain phones; Google’s way to deal with this was the permission-based security model – where users have to agree to an app’s wants and needs before it runs for the first time. However, the enhancements supplied by the manufacturers offer a way to get around this security feature. According to the researchers, Google and Motorola (now owned by Google), have confirmed these vulnerabilities. By contrast, HTC and Samsung “have been really slow in responding to, if not ignoring, our reports/inquiries.”

The researchers who found this problem are the same ones that found other security vulnerabilities in Android, including the presence of at least twelve malicious apps in the Market. The apps, which stole data, remained in the Market for months and were downloaded hundreds of thousands of times before they were removed, which only happened after the researchers informed Google.

Are these concerns over privacy reason enough to avoid Android?

Nokia Win Best New Mobile Handset, Device or Tablet at Mobile World Congress

It’s been a seemingly long time since Nokia was viewed favourably in both the public and the tech world. The company has been long revered for its hardware and the incorporation of certain technologies in its device – such as FM Transmitters, USB OTG, HDMI output and so on – but it is also on the receiving end of negative reviews largely on the software side of things.

This looks to be in reverse now though, with Nokia winning awards for the design of the N9, and awards for the Lumia 900. Earlier this week was Mobile World Congress (MWC), which saw the unveiling of the incredible 808 device and yet another award for the Finnish handset maker. The 808 PureView landed the company the award for Best New Mobile Handset, Device or Tablet at Mobile World Congress, and the judging panel consisted of analysts and leading journalists, making it an especially important award – it is, after all, these same groups of people that have been Nokia’s strongest critics in recent years.

The award itself is justified, and aside from the write-up of the 808 on this site you can learn about the technology running the phone from Nokia’s imaging expert Damian Dinning. Nokia’s Jo Harlow explained the importance of the award: “It’s a fantastic award because it signifies that consumer experience counts. It’s about tech, but it’s about how tech is used to make a consumer have a fantastic experience…These are first signals that we are executing against our strategy. That we’re back. That we’re bringing great products to our consumers – and that this is just the beginning.”

The first part of the quote is entirely true – it isn’t just about having an impressive sheet of specs, a quad-core phone still seems entirely pointless, but it’s about the core user experience when using the device that’s important, making it function in such a way that users want to pick it up, and more importantly know how to use it in certain situations, from travel to photography to social interaction. As for the second part of the quote, that signifies Nokia has at last truly begun to understand the situation it finds itself in and is putting its efforts into turning things around – so let’s hope we can expect more of the great pioneering that turned it into the biggest phone manufacturer in the world.

Privacy Campaigner Files Claim Against Google For Privacy Infringement

WMPowerUser reports that “Alex Hanff, a prominent privacy campaigner based in Lancaster, England, has filed a claim against Google at the small claims court for around £400 to replace his HTC Desire.”

The reason for the claim is that since purchasing his Android phone Google has adjusted its privacy policy to collect data across Google’s services, including the location data stored on its mobile operating system, to sell the profile to advertisers.

Hanff states that “The changes are a significant infringement of my right to privacy and I do not consent to Google being able to use my data in such a way” and he believes that the changes go beyond what is reasonable within a contract period.

Google’s initial response has been that those concerned can use the phones without logging into their Google accounts, essentially turning the expensive smartphone into a basic feature phone, which for many would make the purchase redundant and therefore not a valid method of response.

Whether this case will succeed or not remains to be seen, but it’s an interesting turn of events and, quite honestly, unsurprising. Google has been pushing its luck for a length of time regarding how it treats the private data of its users, and if this case gains a high enough profile it could potentially cause a chain-reaction from other users turning into a backlash against the company.

Sample Shots From Nokia 808 PureView – With Zoom

Yesterday Nokia announced the 808, featuring a 41megapixel camera with PureView. Today we have sample photos of what the phone can do, which aside from stunning pictures is the ability to zoom in to unprecedented levels to see detail invisible to the human eye when in that real-life position. Below are two pictures taken with the new device – for a glimpse of the technology on offer, zoom in on the rock climber’s foot in the photo on the right.

Nokia Unveil the 808: 41MP camera with Pure View and Xenon

When Nokia unveiled the N8 in 2010 it set the bar for imaging in mobile devices. Not for the first time either – Nokia phones have allowed users to take high quality pictures for a long time now, and at the time the N8 was released Apple still hadn’t worked out how to include a flash for low-light situations and HTC cameras were all but a joke to both the industry and the public. While the competition has improved remarkably in the past 12 months – with iPhones and HTCs taking remarkably good pictures now – the N8 has remained the undisputed image king, thanks in large part to the sensor it packed, allowing more light than any other phone on the market.

Today, however, sees the N8 dethroned. It wasn’t the competition that knocked it off its top spot, but Nokia itself with the Nokia 808, the much rumoured and long awaited successor to the N8. A year ago Nokia CEO Stephen Elop announced that the image quality and capabilities of the N8 were the tip of the iceberg of what Nokia was capable of and testing in its labs, and that piqued interest. According to Nokia:

“PureView imaging technology is the result of many years of research and development and the tangible fruits of this work are amazing image quality, lossless zoom, and superior low light performance…

…One of the reasons the Nokia 808 PureView has taken so long to develop is down to processing power.

We simply couldn’t get hold of enough. Even the most powerful mobile chipsets have an upper limit of
around 20Mpix image processing capability. The Nokia 808 PureView eats up more than double that.
For video, the amount of pixels handled through the processing chain is staggering — over 1 billion
pixels per second, and 16x oversampling. That’s a throughput of pixels 16 times greater than many
other smartphones.”

The Nokia N8 had a sensor of 1/1.83, making it the largest ever to appear in a mobile phone and even many point and shoot camera. To drop jaws around the world, the 808 has a sensor 2.5 times larger than that of the N8, and the device packs Xenon flash for snapping photos, and LED for recording videos, offering users the best in both worlds.

For full details and information of why this is important and why it has leapfrogged over the competition without any hope of being caught for many years, Nokia’s own .pdf can be read here, and excerpts can be read below. Before that though, let’s take a look at some sample photos taken from Nokia’s Flickr account

PureView Pro imaging technology doesn’t represent a step change for camera smartphones performance, so much as a quantum leap forward. The first device to feature Nokia PureView Pro camera technology is the Nokia 808 PureView, which gives people the means to take better images and video footage than ever before. Nokia PureView Pro turns conventional thinking on its head. It dispenses with the usual scaling/ interpolation model of digital zoom used in virtually all smartphones, as well as optical zoom used in most digital cameras, where a series of lens elements moves back and forth to vary the magnification and field of view. Instead, we’ve taken a completely new road.

The result?

Unprecedented camera control and versatility, combined with truly spectacular-quality images and video. Nokia 808 PureView sets new industry standards — it will give you around 3x lossless zoom for stills, and 4x zoom in full HD 1080p. For 720p HD video, you’re looking at 6x lossless zoom. And for nHD (640×360) video, an amazing 12x zoom!

Always true to the image

With the Nokia N8, we limited the digital zoom to just 2x to avoid too much compromise to image
quality. But at the end of the day, this was still a conventional digital zoom. With the Nokia 808 PureView,
zoom is handled completely differently — like nothing that has gone before. We’ve taken the radical
decision not to use any upscaling whatsoever. There isn’t even a setting for it.

When you zoom with the Nokia 808 PureView, in effect you are just selecting the relevant area of the
sensor. So with no zoom, the full area of the sensor corresponding to the aspect ratio is used. The limit
of the zoom (regardless of the resolution setting for stills or video) is reached when the selected output
resolution becomes the same as the input resolution .

For example, with the default setting of 5Mpix (3072 x 1728), once the area of the sensor reaches
3072 x 1728, you’ve hit the zoom limit. This means the zoom is always true to the image you want.

New depth, new detail

The way Nokia PureView Pro zoom works gives you many benefits. But the main one is undoubtedly
‘pixel oversampling’.

Pixel oversampling combines many pixels to create a single (super) pixel. When this happens, you keep
virtually all the detail, but filter away visual noise from the image. The speckled, grainy look you tend to
get in low-lighting conditions is greatly reduced. And in good light, visual noise is virtually non-existent.
Which means the images you can take are more natural and beautiful than ever. They are purer, perhaps
a more accurate representation of the original subject than has ever been achieved before.

Less is more.

The simple structure of Nokia PureView Pro beats more complicated designs hands down. Image
definition is pin sharp, way superior to conventional zoom designs. Conventional designs need many
more lens elements to provide the zoom capability and correct aberrations, but these interfere with
definition and/or light transmission. Our simple structure has enabled a significant improvement in
manufacturing precision, and our lenses are produced with 10x greater precision than SLR lenses.
This was essential to allow the PureView Pro sensor and optics to work in complete synergy.
Neat and compact.
The size of the Nokia 808 PureView camera (including sensor and optics) is at least 50%-70% smaller
than a conventional optical zoom design

Effective zoom settings.

You can get right up close with any zoom setting. Typically, optical zoom gets closest with wide
(rather than tele) lens settings. Which means you have to stand physically closer to whatever you’re
shooting, obscuring the light and possibly casting unwanted shadows. With the Nokia 808 PureView,
you can use full zoom capability at a shooting distance of 15cm providing greater than ever
magnification of small objects with full zoom.

On a more technical note…

oversampling eliminates Bayer pattern problems. For example, conventional 8MPix sensors include only
4Mpix green, 2Mpix red and 2Mpix blue pixels, which are interpolated to 8Mpix R, G, B image. With pixel
oversampling, all pixels become true R, G, and B pixels. What’s more, based on Nyqvist theorem, you
actually need oversampling for good performance. For example, audio needs to be sampled at 44 kHz
to get good 22 kHz quality.

Quality, not quantity

People will inevitably home in on the number of pixels the Nokia 808 PureView packs, but they’re
missing the point. The ‘big deal’ is how they’re used. At Nokia, our focus has always been capability
and performance.
The main way to build smaller cameras over the years has been to reduce the pixel size. These have
shrunk just over the past 6 years from 2.2 microns, to 1.75 microns, to 1.4 microns (which is where
most compact digital cameras and smartphones are today). Some new products are on the way with
1.1 micron pixels. But here’s the problem. The smaller the pixel, the less photons each pixel is able to
collect. Less photons, less image quality. There’s also more visual noise in images/videos, and various
other knock on effects. In our experience, when new, smaller pixel size sensors are first released, they
tend to be worse than the previous generation. While others jump in, banking on pixel numbers instead
of performance, we prefer to skip early iterations.

Lessons learned

With the 12Mpix Nokia N8, for example, we were more concerned with capturing photons of light than
ramping up the number of megapixels. We bucked the trend and went with a large sensor and 1.75
micron pixels — but the result was a new benchmark in image and video quality. This set the Nokia N8
apart at the time, and competitors are still trying to match it two years later. The Nokia PureView Pro
comes is equipped with an even larger sensor, 1/1.2” approximately 2.5 larger than the sensor used
in the Nokia N8. The result is an even larger area to collect photons of light. With PureView we’re
continuing to make choices focused on performance rather than pixels for pixels’ sake. Fewer but
better pixels can provide not just better image and video quality, but better overall user experience
and system capability.
In fact, 5Mpix-6Mpix is more than enough for viewing images on PC, TV, online or smartphones.
After all, how often do we print images bigger than even A4?