The bedside clock radio of the future
2010-06-10
As technology progresses, some once-popular inventions fall by the wayside. Others reinvent themselves and become brand new products.
The clock radio falls into the latter category. According to the New York Times, clock radios, replaced in many ways by smartphones with alarm features, are making a comeback. In 2009, the addition of MP3 player docks made sales of clock radios rise 40 percent. Now, the device is looking to the future by adding support for the Internet.
Business travelers may want to look at these easily portable devices. Not only do they feature Internet connectivity, but some double as a digital picture frame, allowing travelers to keep their family in their thoughts. They can also be customized to provide important information such as stock prices and news headlines.
Hewlett-Packard's DreamScreen is one such device. Its 10-inch screen displays pictures and has support for applications like Facebook. Sony makes a similar product, the Dash, which also sports a touch screen. Users can set these new clock radios to wake them up in a variety of ways - from alarms, to custom MP3s, to an automated voice soothingly reading the day's headlines.
Smartphone aficionados shouldn't despair, however, because the company Zazu plans to release an app that will turn any Android phone into a clock radio.