SkyMall Monday: Sonic Boom Sweetheart Clock

Boxes of chocolates. Pillows. Even pepperoni pizzas. On Valentine’s Day, you’ll see anything and everything shaped like a heart. However, you can’t start your cavalcade of hearts on Valentine’s Day until you wake up. For many people, though, that’s the hardest part of their day. Here at SkyMall Monday headquarters, we don’t always attack the day. No matter how much you love the person next to you or the activities you have planned for this romantic holiday, the soft embrace of your bed can be even more enticing. So, how do you pry yourself out of bed and get started on the parade of hearts? Well, you let SkyMall wake you up. Or, more accurately, you let the Sonic Boom Sweetheart Clock – and its vibrating bed shaker – give you a heart attack.Most alarms play an annoying sound or the radio. The Sonic Boom Sweetheart Clock bombards your ears with a 113db tone. That’s louder than a motorcycle, power saw and a subway train. Surely, that would wake up even the sleepiest romantic. But, the Sonic Boom Sweetheart Clock ups the ante with a bed shaker. What’s a bed shaker? Just a small disc that you place underneath your pillow to vibrate you awake. It’s a perfectly natural way to start your day.

Think that a simple alarm clock will wake you up? Believe that a bed shaker is a misnomer when it’s only shaking your pillow? Well, while you plan your Valentine’s Day breakfast in bed, we’ll be reading the product description:

With a vibrating bed shaker and an adjustable volume audio alarm tone, this alarm will ensure that you wake up when you want to.

The Sonic Boom Sweetheart Alarm with Vibrating Bed Shaker has been designed especially for ladies; with its multi-colored display and heart shape. Waking up in the morning will never be the same.

Sonic Boom Sweetheart Alarm with Vibrating Bed Shaker features:

  • Comes with the newest most powerful 12-volt bed shaker
  • Complete with a hi/low dimmer switch to sleep better at night
  • Extra loud pulsating audio alarm with a loud 113db adjustable tone & volume control
  • Battery backup to maintain the proper time in the event of a power outage
  • One 9-volt battery is required for battery backup (not included)
  • A switch allows user to select 12/24-hour time

Finally, an eardrum-shattering, pillow-shaking alarm clock that has been designed solely with the needs of women in mind. It’s about time we disbanded the old boys’ club of loud, vibrating clocks. If you’re using the older, less powerful bed shakers, it’s time to upgrade.

Also, 9-volt batteries still exist? Isn’t that amazing?

So, start your Valentine’s Day with loud noises and a shaking bed. After all, it’s a day for showing off your love.


Check out all of the previous SkyMall Monday posts HERE.

Check the alarm upon arrival – Hotel tip

I don’t know if it’s the maid setting the room’s alarm clock as a prank, or the occupants prior to my stay. In any case, too many times I have been abruptly awakened to a blaring alarm or loud music booming at my head from the nightstand.

Not the best way to start off a relaxing vacation.

Therefore, it’s become my custom to check — and turn off! — the room-provided alarm clock when I first arrive so there will not be any surprises at dawn. Or worse: at pre-dawn.

[Photo: Flickr | Robert S. Donovan]

SkyMall Monday: Voice Interactive Travel Clock

Some people prefer their favorite radio station. Others opt for an impossible-to-ignore beeping. For some, it’s the sunlight pouring through their windows. For parents, it’s often the screams of children. Whatever wakes you up, it’s imperative that it’s at the correct time. Being late for meetings, flights or circumcisions can lead to embarrassment, fees and foreskins. But what happens when you travel and you need to be roused at a specific time? Sure, you could rely on the hotel’s alarm clock…or the alarm on your watch…or a wake-up call…or the alarm on your phone…or a call from your spouse, but who wants to take the risk of those things not working? Surely, there must be a better way to ensure that you are up and at ’em on time. Thankfully, SkyMall knows that your watches, phones and spouses are about as reliable as Tiger Woods. So, rather than leaving things to chance, they’ve come to the rescue for people with places to go, people to see and penises to snip. And that’s why SkyMall Monday is thrilled to endorse the Voice Interactive Travel Clock.Watches are stuck to your wrist and can be muffled by pillows. Phone batteries die. Wake-up calls are contingent on you knowing what to do when that ringing sound emanates from the phone. And the alarm clocks at hotels are most likely covered in semen (like everything else in your hotel room). It’s best to bring your own alarm clock that doesn’t require the use of your hands (since it, too, is probably covered in semen – like everything else in your luggage).

Think that there are plenty of alternatives for waking up that don’t require you packing your own alarm clock? Think that packing an alarm clock with standard buttons and switches would suffice and that an alarm clock that responds to voice commands is gimmicky and useless? Well, I bet all of your belongings aren’t even covered in semen. Liar. Let’s take a look at the product description:

Unlike the confounding bedside clocks found in many hotel rooms, this travel alarm clock operates by verbal commands, making it as easy to set up as a wake-up call. Its advanced speech recognition technology responds to 10 spoken commands such as “set time,” “set alarm,” and “today’s date?” with clear and accurate verbal answers.

It’s the alarm clock of the future…today! I bet it would look great next to a bowl of Dippin’ Dots. And lest you think that Gadling doesn’t know about the future of alarm clocks, we were working the voice interactive clock beat months ago.

Look, you can say that a voice activated alarm clock is a gimmick. But you can also explain to the Greenbaum family why their mohel was late to little Shlomo’s briss. I’m guessing that won’t go over so well. Best to keep your hands clean and your alarm set with the Voice Interactive Travel Clock.

Check out all of the previous SkyMall Monday posts HERE.


Gadling’s gift guide for the frequent / business traveler

Unlike what many people think, business travel is not the jetset playboy lifestyle the TV makes it appear to be. You are frequently stuck in bad hotels, flights are delayed or canceled, and the little spare time you have, is wasted to create expense reports.

In this Gadling gift guide, we have compiled some of the best business traveler kit on the market. Some are there for your entertainment, others just help get some work done more efficiently, leaving more time for fun.

(Photo from Flickr/garybembridge)Callpod Fueltank Duo

As we become more dependent on our gadgets, we also become dependent on battery life lasting as long as a work day. The Callpod Fueltank won a spot in the Gadling top 10 gadgets of 2009 – and rightfully so. It can charge 2 gadgets at the same time, using the same power tips as on the Callpod Chargepod multi-device charger.

Price: $49.95
Product page: Callpod Fueltank


The Art Of Shaving travel kit

When you are on the road a lot, you tend to miss the comforts of home. One way to pamper yourself (or a loved one) is with some nice travel friendly toiletries. The Art Of Shaving produces a lineup of high quality shaving products, as well as some great travel friendly sized kits.

Their TSA friendly shaving kit contains a badger hair shaving brush, pre-shave oil, shaving cream and some after-shave balm. That way, even in the crappiest of hotels, you’ll be able to get a really nice comforting shave.

Price: $50
Product page: The Art Of Shaving

Briggs & Riley Baseline 20″ Upright

Frequent travel requires good reliable luggage. When you start traveling for business is when it is usually the best time to dump that old $40 rolling bag you got when you were 18. The Briggs & Riley Baseline collection consists of some great looking luggage, designed for the rigors of the airport and overhead compartment.

Price: From $259
Product page: Briggs & Riley Baseline Collection
Gadling review: September 2009

Moshi voice control alarm clock

The Moshi voice control travel alarm clock is the cure for the common hotel alarm clock. Most hotels provide an alarm clock that requires a complicated array of button presses to get the time set correctly – and if you are lucky, it will actually work. The Moshi clock lets you program the time, and alarm using your voice. With simple commands you get the right wake up time programmed. It can even tell you the temperature in your room.

Price: $24.95
Product page: Moshilifestyle.com
Gadling review: November 2009

NeatReceipts Moible Scanner + filing system

The NeatReceipts system is perfect for people who have to deal with the hassles of complex expense reporting. Instead of collecting all your receipts in a plastic bag, you simply scan them with the portable scanner, and let the filing software take care of the rest. At the end of your trip, you let the software produce a report, ready to file and speed up your reimbursement.

In addition to expense report creation, the scanner and software can scan regular documents and business cards.

Price: $199.95
Product page: NeatReceipts

HP Mini 5101 Business class netbook

The HP Mini 5101 builds on the runaway success of netbook size computers, but adds a touch of business friendly features. A specially coated full-size keyboard, 3D driveguard protection and options for integrated 3G make this the perfect companion for someone that wants to travel lighter, without compromises.

Price: From $399 (depending on configuration)
Product page: HP Mini 5101
Gadling review: November 2009

Sling Media Slingbox Solo

Even the most workaholic business traveler needs some entertainment every now and then – and the Slingmedia Slingbox can be the perfect tool to accomplish that. This $180 devices takes your home TV signal, and streams it directly to your PDA, iPhone, laptop or Blackberry, anywhere in the world you can get online. You get full control over your home cable box or TiVo, and even get remote access to a TV guide.

Price: $179.99
Product page: Sling Media Slingbox Solo

hField Technologies Wi-Fire

Crappy Wi-Fi signals are one of my biggest hotel pet peeves. It doesn’t matter how upscale the brand, when you have a room with limited Internet connectivity, it can screw up your entire evening. The hField Technologies Wi-Fire adapter clips to your laptop screen (or sits on a table), and greatly boosts your ability to pick up a signal. In some cases, by more than 10x.

Price: $59.99
Product page: hField Technologies
Gadling review: September 2009

Plantronics Voyager Pro

Forget about every experience you ever had with a Bluetooth headset. The headsets of yesteryear were usually horrible for the listener, and the wearer. In some cases, the Plantronics Voyager actually sounds better than using your handset. Stylish design, great battery life and dual noise canceling microphones make for a very reliable headset. Of course, no amount of stylish design can prevent you from looking like a dork – so only wear your headset when you actually need to.

Price: $99.99
Product page: Plantronics Voyager Pro

Aaxa Technologies P2 Pico Projector

Gone are the days where you had to drag a 20lb projector through the airport in a flight-case. The Aaxa P2 is about the size of the iPhone, and produces enough light to display your presentation in a moderately dimmed room. And at the end of the day, you pop in a MicroSD card and watch some movies in your hotel room.

Price: $359.99
Product page: Aaxa Technologies P2
Gadling review: December 2009

Ipevo Skype phones

If your travels take you outside your local calling area, or anywhere else where a simple phone call costs a buck a minute, then you have probably already found the joy of Skype. Ipevo make a line of great Skype hardware, from the most basic handset, to a full conference phone with DSP noise cancellation.

Price: From $14.99
Product page: Ipevo
Gadling review: October 2009

Gadling gear review – Moshi voice control travel alarm clock

Let me open by admitting that I have a hard time dealing with hotel alarm clocks. I’ve never come across one that was really easy to operate, and every time I program its alarm, I’ll set my phone alarm as a backup, because I just never know if it’ll work correctly.

In this Gadling gear review, I’ll show you the cure for the crappy hotel alarm clock. The Moshi voice control travel alarm clock does exactly what the name implies – it allows you to program its various setting with your voice. The voice recognition is absolutely amazing, and during my tests, it never once let me down. The clock itself is very compact, and is the perfect size for popping in your travel bag. The display features a backlight, and only turns on when you press the snooze/light button. It has three different alarm tones, a volume setting and manual time controls for when Moshi can’t understand you

Next to the snooze button is the voice recognition button. To program Moshi, you simply press this button, and speak your command. She understands everything from “alarm on” to “set time” and even “temperature”. Setting an alarm is as simple as telling Moshi the time you want her to wake you. I’ve included a brief video clip of how to operate Moshi, which will give you a better idea of how well this travel alarm clock works.

One of the smartest features on the Moshi travel alarm clock is the keylock button – this allows you to block access to all the keys, which is perfect when you put it in your bag as it’ll prevent you from changing any of the settings when you travel. Best of all, the Moshi voice control travel alarm clock only costs $24.99. It is available directly from Moshi in white, black, pink and blue.