Hasta La Gadget!

Everyone should own some sort of bedside clock to help them keep time whenever they snooze late into the morning, or just to know at what bewitching hour they keep on getting up at night, as though there was some sort of spiritual force oppressing them, so that they can share all the details with the visiting exorcist. Well, other than that, just simply having a clock is a must for any home, as time and tide wait for no man, so keeping the correct time always is essential. Better yet, why not if your time keeping machine also has more than one basic functionality built in, like the Time & Wireless Charging Station?

This smart clock will do far more than just tell you the time, as it will also come with a weather station, projection clock as well as charger that does things the wireless way. Basically, it will play nice with Qi-enabled wireless devices, now how about that? This radio-controlled clock will depict the indoor temperature and boast of a 5-channel outdoor temperature display, sporting a 2-minute crescendo and 8-minute snooze alarm function, and a magnet-free charging pad that paves the way for greater freedom of placement for devices while charging. Sounds like the ideal way to usher 2013, no?
[ Time & Wireless Charging Station copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]

Everyone needs a clock of sorts to tell the time, but with the modern day smartphone and tablet being a staple device for most folks we have ended up relying on them to help us tell the time. The watch has become a fashion accessory (and an investment for those who fork out thousands for it) instead of being a staple contraption that you wear around your wrist, but there’s one thing for sure – clocks are still here to stay, especially when you are at home. If you happen to have a rather geeky persuasion, why not go all out and pick up as nerdy a clock as possible – with the $69.95 Base Two Binary Clock being a prime candidate?

This is one idiosyncractic clock that relies on binary notation to display the time, where it will mimic the same on-and-off calculation as electronic systems from the beginning of the computer age. There will be half a dozen columns of blue LED lights, wherein every two columns will represent the digits for hour, minute, and second. From bottom to top in each column, there will be individual lights that represent the values 1, 2, 4, and 8. All you need to do is add the values of lit units and voila, you are able to decode the digit represented by each column. Depending on your choice, you can set the Base Two Binary Clock to a 12- or 24-hour convention, with three brightness settings to choose from.

Powered by AC, there is the option to stash in a trio of AA batteries to keep it going as well, nifty when the apocalypse happens and there is no power from the grid.

[ Base Two Binary Clock copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]

I’ve had an alarm clock sitting on my nightstand for years that can charge one device at a time. If my iPad is charging, I have to use a cable from the outlet to charge my smartphone. If you have multiple gadgets and want to be able to charge them all at the same time, what you need is the Model CR34 from Easy-Doks.

This device is alarm clock the large digital readout that also has an AM/FM tuner inside. The big draw is that the clock is capable of charging up to six gadgets at the same time. Three of those devices can be charged using the embedded cradle on top of the alarm clock.

The other devices are charged via USB cables and those cables can be sorted using a cable routing system on the back of the clock. The clock provides plenty of charging power for smartphones, tablets, and MP3 players. The device uses smart current detection technology and has built-in surge protection.

The large digital clock numbers are 1.2-inches tall and all the controls for the radio and clock functions are digital. If you want to listen to music from one of your devices, it does have an auxiliary 3.5 mm input. The clock also has a battery backup using a pair of AAA batteries in case power goes out. The Model CR34 is available now for $99.99.

Easy-Dok CR34 alarm clock can charge six devices at once is written by Shane McGlaun & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

About a year ago, I spotted this cool mechanical LEGO clock called the Time Twister. It was a pretty amazing build, recreating the segmented display of an LCD clock, entirely with LEGO parts. Well its builder, Hans Andersson is back with a new version – the Time Twister 2.

The updated version of the clock has a more finished look than the original, more closely mimicking the style of an LED timepiece with a light-on-dark display.

Mechanically, it looks different too, though the basic principles are the same. It’s built from LEGO blocks, Mindstorms NXT Controllers and servo mechanisms interconnected to gradually rotate and reveal segments of the digits which comprise the current time. Here, check it out in action:

Cool, no? I think so. Hans needs to figure out a way to mass-produce these – or at least sell an instruction kit along with a parts list. I would certainly love to have a clock this cool somewhere in my home or office – though the sound of the motors constantly whirring away might get on my nerves after a while. Nah, I’ll just buy some earplugs if I must.

The clock aesthetic you’re seeing on your iPhone 5 and iPad mini is one that Apple has reportedly payed a handsome sum for this week as Swiss daily reports a beastly $21 million USD as agreed upon by Apple and the timepiece’s owner: SBB. This situation was first reported earlier this year after iOS 6 was released with the new graphic look at the clock used by Apple’s devices and the Swiss rail group found it oddly familiar. The report today lets us know that Apple’s end sum certainly speaks to the greatness of the original design of the clock’s look, originally made real by Swiss engineer Hans Hilfiker in 1944.

The clock can be found in all devices running Apple’s mobile operating system iOS 6 and what’s known for certain thus far is that Apple and SBB have indeed entered into an agreement. What’s not certain is the cash sum – this report comes from the AFP who notes a Swiss daily reporting such information, but given the relative amount and recent similar legal sums we’ve reported, it’s certainly believable.

What you’ll find soon after this report takes hold is a collection of comments and analysis deciding that Apple is turning in on legal matters after much litigation themselves over the past year – when in reality it’s just a series of unfortunate timings. What’s referred to here is, of course, the HTC/Apple legal matter that was announced over the weekend, with both companies entering into an agreement which has them cool with one another legally for a 10 year period. Now the Apple “haters” will be unleashed, saying they’re folding down upon themselves.

Don’t believe them, folks – and understand this: the only mistake that was made by Apple between these two utterly unrelated events was not paying SBB before using Hilfiker’s design for a clock. A $21 million dollar sum is nothing, and in fact SBB has made it clear that they do not care about the cash so much as they care about the world understanding that Hilfiker designed the iconic clock (and that they still own the rights). Apple’s legal fate over the next 10 years doesn’t look all that different from our perspective than it has for the 10 years previous to this.

The folks at Apple will continue to protect themselves at the same time as they seek to litigate against those who infringe on the patents they’ve got the rights to. They’ll keep doing the same thing SBB has done here for the foreseeable future.

[via AFP]

Apple cash sum to Swiss rail $21 million for lovely clock is written by Chris Burns & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.