Since the days of flip clocks, alarms have always had one function—make a bunch of annoying racket early in the morning to ensure that you wake up in time. And this simple MO has stayed in place while technology advances at a breakneck pace, almost in spite of the fact that today's devices are capable of doing far more than beeping at 7 in the morning.
By now, everybody knows that overcharging a battery will reduce its overall life span. This is why many smartphone manufacturers recommend that you charge your device to 100%, then unplug it immediately. Some even go so far as to automatically stop charging when the device is fully juiced, although not all devices have this functionality.
My stock alarm clock does exactly what it's supposed to—it wakes me up. But for those really tough mornings when I just need to hit the snooze, getting my head out of the sheets is a no-go. This leads to trying to find my phone with an outstretched arm, which means knocked-over water glasses and my phone falling under my bed—even more out of reach. Ugh!
I am not a morning person. This is a fact that has been proven with science. I need every bit of help to get me out of bed in the morning—multiple alarms, extremely loud tones, Pandora—I've tried everything.
A car is stolen every 33 seconds in the United States, and from that, the percentage of vehicles recovered in the first day is a whopping 52 percent. Over the next week, that number rises to around 79 percent, but after those initial seven days are up, it's unlikely the vehicle will be found.
Want to set the alarm clock on a Motorola Droid phone? This clip will show you how it's done. Whether you're the proud owner of a Motorola Droid Google Android smartphone or are considering picking one up, you're sure to benefit from this hands-on guide. For more information, including detailed, step-by-step instructions, take a look.
This video tutorial from OfficialTechTerry presents how to use your computer as an alarm clock. Press Start menu button, then click Control Panel.
Looking to up the ante in the home secuirty department? If you are concerned about the safety of your family and home, consider purchasing a burglar alarm system by following these helpful tips.
Snooze bar addiction is no joke. Learn how to wean yourself off this destructive, ugly habit. You Will Need:
Check out this video tutorial to see how to construct an alarm system, that's based on the principle of motion detectors, which work by touch. It's very useful to catch unpleasant visitors red-handed. So make sure your chocolate bar never gets snagged again, catch the bandits with a motion detector alarm! Or just keep you kids away from the birthday present closet where peeping is not allowed.
While we shouldn't rely on it, every so often we need to hit the snooze button to get a few additional minutes of precious sleep. Depending on which OEM skin is running on your device, this could be either five or ten extra minutes of dozing. However, some of us need a different length of time.
There's nothing more jarring than the sound of your morning alarm. Even hearing it on others' phones, hours after your own abrupt wakeup, can cause you to flinch in fear. Though we depend on that shrill sound to get up each morning, it's actually better to wake up naturally—so don't even think about hitting that snooze button.
I regularly use my Nexus 7 to wake up in the mornings (well, sometimes afternoons), but it's pretty minimal in what it does. I shouldn't have to open multiple apps when I wake up to figure out my schedule for the day or what the weather is going to be like.
Want to learn how to build a laser tripwire and alarm out of snap circuits? I'll show you how to build both circuits— the laser tripwire circuit and the alarm circuit.
Building a DIY Alarm System: The Concept So, you want to protect your property, or maybe a room, car, or even your backyard. The concept of an alarm system is to notify the "alarm administrator" that there is an intruder entering the previously designated boundaries. The triggers for this boundary could be as simple as a pressure sensor, or as complicated as a laser network. They all do the same thing, but some work better than others.
One of the things I hate most about Android's alarm clock is that you get the alarm icon in your status bar way ahead of time. Regardless of whether the alarm is in five minutes, five hours, or five days, that icon just sits in your status bar.
Keyless entry remotes are great, but they don't always work how you want them to. One of the most common complaints is that they just don't reach far enough, and there's nothing more annoying when you can't remember where you parked. After all, what's the point of having "remote" entry if you have to be right next to the car for it to work?
Are you a radio control car enthusiast who's never moved beyond the store-bought toy models from Radio Shack? Then this nine-part series of videos is what you've been waiting for. It breaks down how RC engines work in exhaustive detail, including whole sections on carbs, pipe tuning, fuel mixing, and super chargers, among other topics. You may not be able to put your own RC car together entirely from scratch after this, but you will have a broad, deep understanding of how their engines work a...
With the exception of "Reflection" on the iPhone X, Apple hasn't updated their catalog of ringtones and alarms since iOS 7 dropped back in 2013. Since then, the company has come a long way with the quality of the iPhone's speakers, but their tones haven't adapted to meet those changes. That's left an opening for others to create their own ringtones mastered for the iPhone.
Starting your morning right is an essential first step to a productive day. Whether you're running late, rushing to catch up on the day's news, or lagging behind with early emails, little hiccups like these can have a trickle-down effect and ultimately ruin your day. Like with many problems, though, your smartphone can help.
The basic clock app on Android devices is functional and has a few nice features. One of these is a "World Clock" view, which lets you see the current time in different cities across the world, and shows the time in your location at the top.
The movie Her is getting a lot of love from viewers and critics alike. While I find it kind of creepy to fall in love with a computer program, if Scarlett Johansson talked to me every day, I'd probably fall in love too.
Whether it's because you're too startled from a sudden awakening or you're elbow-deep in cake batter, turning an alarm or timer off on your phone can be annoying. So why not simplify the process by eliminating the need to even touch your phone? With these free apps by Augmented Minds, you can turn off your timer or alarm with just a wave of your hand. That means no more fumbling in the dark for the right button, and more importantly, no more worrying about getting food on your iPhone.
If the number of apps designed to make getting out of bed easier tells us one thing, it's that people hate waking up. Whether it's because you're dreading going to work or school, or just stayed out a little too late the night before, it's almost never fun.
Your smartphone has a ton of ringtone options built in, but ringtones haven't really changed much in the past decade, and it's definitely not cool to hear someone in the supermarket with the same lame ringer. While replacing the stock sounds with a song of your choosing is the best way to keep your phone personalized, why not go a step further using a video?
I listen to Pandora as I slowly drift off to sleep, so why not have the popular music app wake me up as well? Pandora only recently introduced the Alarm Clock feature on iOS, and now they've brought that same feature to Android—only it's better.
Want to make your paintball wars a whole lot better? Then build this DIY Tripwire Alarm from Kipkay using a mousetrap and some caps from a toy cap gun. This won't harm anyone, and is a cool way to scare the heck out of your friends.
This video, incredibly short for it's massive content, will teach you how to make a laser tripwire that, combined with a photoresistor, can trigger just about any device. You can make traps, alarms, awesome party decorations, and all sorts of other awesome things with this easy-to-make device, provided you have a soldering iron and a local electronics store to buy some parts.
Horses don't kick their owners and handlers unless they think it is okay, or unless they think there won't be any repercussions for their actions. The gentleman in this video shows you that being gentle with your horse can go a long way!
Does the new plastic shine on your model train cars ruin the overall effect of a realistic model train layout? Turn minutes into years, by creating an aged finish on that fresh plastic surface. Watch this hobby how-to video and learn how to age and weather rolling stock model train cars weaily with just a little bit of chalk.
Burglary is common, but is also quite preventable with these tactics. You Will Need
This video shows us the method to make a universal motion alarm to protect your home. You will need a reed switch with an alternating contact, a 9V battery with a battery clip, a switch, a buzzer, a small plastic box and a magnet. When a magnet is brought near the reed switch, it switches to the other contact and the switch is open. If the magnet is removed, the switch is closed and the buzzer starts ringing. Make the circuit with correct polarity for battery and the buzzer. Make a hole in th...
Just because your Samsung Galaxy Note 2 is on silent doesn't mean that the world stops spinning. Emergencies can pop up at any time, even when your phone is put away during a lecture in class, in the library, or at an important business meeting.
This video, by MyBlackberryTV.com, shows us how to put a Blackberry in "Bedtime Mode" to hold all of the messages while the user is asleep. This prevents the incessant "ding" when a message is received to the phone, thus allowing the owner to get a restful night's sleep.
Learn how to assemble model cars, including what tools you'll need and how much precision is required in this free video series.
We'll base the project around a digital clock radio and a light gun for gaming; huge selections of both of these are available inexpensively second-hand, with many beautiful and well-designed examples. To enable our FPSI (First Person Shooter Interface), we'll outfit the gun with five tilt sensors, arranged at different angles on a small circuit board. A cable tethers the gun to the clock and carries your tilt and trigger signals to the clock's time and alarm control button contacts.
Kipkay explains how to make a rocket powered matchbox by combining two matchbox toy cars. You need A10-PT model rockets and 32 gauge wire to connect the model rockets to the two cars.
Your radiator fluid is one of the many important aspects of your car. Neglecting your radiator fluid can cause expensive damage to your car and put it in the shop for much longer than you want to deal with! So listen up and find out how to properly change your car's radiator fluid. This video from Watch Mojo will show you how to change your car's radiator fluid.
While hitting snooze won't help you much if you fall back asleep, it can help you wake up more gently. However, your iPhone's default nine-minute snooze may be too long or too short for your preferences. If you tend to fall back asleep quickly, you might be better with a two-minute snooze.
In this instructional video brought to you by Lowe's, a leader in the home improvement retail business, host NASCAR driver Jimmie Johnson, demonstrates how to create and customize a pinewood derby car with the help of a Dremel tool. New and experienced enthusiasts in the pinewood derby arena will appreciate the level of detail and tips found in this video. Whether you are building a car for yourself or your kids anything you could want to know about creating a pinewood derby car can be found ...
