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The smart alarm clock ... on steroids

The smart alarm clock ... on steroids
The Sandman Doppler is the mother of all smart alarm clocks
The Sandman Doppler is the mother of all smart alarm clocks
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The buttons on top of the alarm clock
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The buttons on top of the alarm clock
The Sandman Doppler is simple, stylish and not too gimmicky
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The Sandman Doppler is simple, stylish and not too gimmicky
A bunch of USB ports is a clever addition in the smart alarm clock
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A bunch of USB ports is a clever addition in the smart alarm clock
You better believe there is an app for that
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You better believe there is an app for that
The Sandman Doppler
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The Sandman Doppler
Three USB ports can be replaced with USB-C ports
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Three USB ports can be replaced with USB-C ports
The Sandman Doppler
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The Sandman Doppler
The Sandman Doppler is the mother of all smart alarm clocks
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The Sandman Doppler is the mother of all smart alarm clocks
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Over the years we've seen various attempts to reinvent the humble alarm clock, from one that wakes you with an electric shock, another that literally runs away from you, and one that wafts your favorite scent into the air as you wake up. The Sandman Doppler eschews such gimmicks in favor of some features that most people will actually find pretty useful.

The biggest, and potentially most useful, feature of the Sandman Doppler is the integration of Amazon Alexa, with support for "most" Alexa skills. Those hesitant to jump into the world of voice-controlled devices cannot deny the usefulness of being able to simply lay in bed and say to your alarm clock, "wake me up at 7 am".

A bunch of USB ports is a clever addition in the smart alarm clock
A bunch of USB ports is a clever addition in the smart alarm clock

The Doppler also functions as a nifty set of 14-watt Bluetooth stereo speakers. Additionally, there are a whopping six USB ports integrated into the rear, reflecting the fact that most of us have a plethora of mobile devices to charge up at the end of the day. With an eye on future-proofing, three of the regular USB ports can be switched out for USB-C ports (sold separately).

Numerous nifty design ideas make the Doppler a well considered device. The giant LED numbers are dimmable, cutomizable by color, and the brightness can be set to automatically dim according to the light in the room or be turned off completely. An internal rechargeable battery backup will cover you in case of power outages, and dashboard indicators offer direct readouts of info such as weather, traffic and temperature. Of course, being a device made in 2017 it also comes with an app to easily control everything through your smartphone.

You better believe there is an app for that
You better believe there is an app for that

The Sandman Doppler smashed its Kickstarter goals pretty quickly, but you can still snag one for US$119. As with all crowdfunding campaigns, it's a case of buyer, or backer, beware, but the company behind the project, Palo Alto Innovation (PAI), has produced products before, including an earlier less sophisticated version of this alarm clock. This updated model isn't due to ship until July 2018.

Take a look at the Sandman Doppler in action below.

Source: Palo Alto Innovation, Kickstarter

Sandman Doppler: The World's Best Alarm Clock

View gallery - 8 images
2 comments
2 comments
Daishi
Things on a typical nightstand: Alarm clock, phone charger, watch charger, lamp. There are some cool ideas but controlling lighting through Alexa would require another $250 invest in smart lighting with a bridge that's all mostly designed to retrofit yesterdays lighting systems. A push button LED light at the top might allow people to forgo the need for a lamp and sticking your hand up into the lamp shade for a twist-to-turn-on on/off switch for an A19 socket bulb seems like a painfully dated technology. Maybe there is a market for a simple USB powered LED lamp that works off the same hub everyone is using for their phone, watch, and tablet so we don't need 6 port AC power strips to power nightstands. An LED lamp with a wireless charging pad would be a cool product too. I'm mostly just surprised the antique lamps I own have survived this long. There are probably a half dozen better solutions.
Paul Anthony
There are certainly some nice features here. Had they included four more features they would have had my backing. 1) remote transmitter for outside Temperature reading. 2) automatic radio-wave updating of time. 3) projection of the time onto the ceiling. 4) AC outlet to plug in a lamp and control via voice.