I suggest you take a look at the Philips wake up light alarm clock:
http://www.youtube.c.../watch?v=gFeEEiEZHVI
It's easy to use and wakes you up smoothly.
Tommy

Hmm
I'm not trying to spam, but I have the light myself...
T

This $200 philips wake up light alarm clock still has no interface where you can just type in the time to wake up. We have been dialing numbers since our childhood and using calculators and ten keys since elementary school, so why not put it on a alarm clock that you could sell on campuses for $15??? The philips light is great, but it misses the point totally

I love this concept. Please add in the ability to put different alarms on different days (m-f, 6 am; sat and sun, no alarm!).

sounds too complex for the maybe 10 seconds of you would save setting an alarm...

Great for people who have to reset their alarm every day, but how many people actually do that?

Ok, 10 digits and a key to toggle am/pm/off. That would be simple enough.

There are probably a huge number of features that different people want, but I will list one of mine (though I am not currently in the market for this). I searched a couple years ago for an alarm clock where you can reach over and toggle off all the lights (all types, intensities, colors) while sleeping. Of course you can also toggle the back-light on to check the time in the dark.

If you remember college, or if you lived a bachelor's life and had a retail schedule, or worked at a deli or restaurant where your nightlife didn't start until you got home at 1:00 am, then Iyou set an alarm for a different time every day!! IF i had an 8:00 am class on Monday, a 10:00 lab on tuesday, no class on Wednesday so I could sleep in but had to pick up my friend at 11:00, etc you see the point... There are millions of people, maybe they are all younger, that set their alarms for different times. Even when I was out of school and worked retail, sometimes if I didn't have to be in until 11, I would get up at 9:30, if we had a 8:00 meeting then you still see the point.... And, it would be way quicker than the 10 to 20 seconds it takes to set an alarm now, and have you ever woken up someone in bed because of your tap tap tap tap tap tap tap on the alarm clock buttons??? Everyone has!!!! If you have EVER overshot your alarm time while trying to set it than this clock would forever erase that issue.

My cell phone allows me to set different alarms on different days.

I have worked at ATT Mobility (Cingular) selling phones and service for seven years and still do not use a cell phone for an alarm clock. I wake up my girlfriend when i set the old standby alarm......still more reason for the clock

I do not see the improvement. How hard is it to set an alarm? it is not difficut

Would you dial a phone number by pressing a button which sped thru all the numbers 0 thru 9? No, you punch it on a key pad, why couldn't you do it to set the time for your alarm? what is do different for choosing the cook time on your digital microwave than choosing when you want to wake up? If you have ever had to go back thru the 24 hour cycle (or 12 hr) because you went past your alarm time, then you can't have a sustainable argument against this. If you always gotten your time right the first time, ALWAYS, and enjoy tapping on the button numerous times then I guess they still make the old type of alarm clocks, too!

*Just* a clock? Or will there be more features? iPod Docking, radio, news, wireles RSS feeds or anything like that? I guess all I'm hinting at is that people want more than just a clock these days. Look at the cool alarm clocks on http://www.thinkgeek.com . Perhaps if you had more information on how it will look, how it will function. But I like the idea, and as inconsequential as some people may say it is, I think there's a good market out there for new interesting and useful clocks.

You gave no good argument for not using your cell phone alarm(s).

http://www.chumby.com/

There is no argument needed for not using a cell phone as an alarm clock, that is a flawed or biased thought based on your preferences. I stated that I worked in the cell phone industry for over 7 years and still do not use a cell phone for an alarm clock. Do you need anymore reasoning on why I should use a cell phone for an alarm? I probably sold you your cell phone alarm! That's it, it's not an argument, it's a preference. I wear a Seiko and Tag analog wristwatch, but I also wear a digital TIMEX when I work out, it cost $12 at walmart, and for one half of a nanosecond, it is faster to tell the time with when i look at it. It is lighter. It is non breakable. My TAG and SEIKO are also waterproof and shockproof, but they are clunkier and prone to shattered crystals and scratches. So what argument do I have for wearing those? NONE, It's called preference; in other circumstances it's called opinion. I also still own a VCR, but haven't used it for a year. So, summertime, no argument is needed for not using a cellphone. Go ask your 68 year old grandparents what alarm they use when they go to Sarasota, Fl to the beach at the condo. Probably not their JITTERBUG

I like this idea. I, too, use my phone as an alarm clock and I do it precisely for this reason; I can set the time using a number pad and choose on which days the alarm goes off. If this clock was available I'd be very interested in it.

Please include two alarms, as I know plenty of people who rely on this feature for whatever reason.

I'll also second Harlequin's request for different settings for different days. I'd prefer different times on different days instead of a simple on/off though - some of us have to get up at the weekends too!

Oh, and how about an extra on-demand alarm separate from the scheduled ones? For example, I have to leave the house at 8pm this evening, I just dial that into the clock with no hassle and never miss an appointment again.

On the other hand, I suppose that's less useful for anyone who isn't a student and hence has more than one room to live in...

Good idea Mtovar. Perhaps a reason there is no such clock around, is because the extra cost of having a ten button keypad isn't offset by the number of people who would specifically buy the clock for that feature. Is there another way you could do it, while keeping the cost and design issues under control?

"Perhaps a reason there is no such clock around, is because the extra cost of having a ten button keypad isn't offset by the number of people who would specifically buy the clock for that feature. Is there another way you could do it, while keeping the cost and design issues under control?"

chrischen had a good idea: Use the 10-key multi-alarm already in your pocket Extra cost=0

I can think of all kinds of ways alarm clocks could be improved. I think it could make sense to build an alarm clock with a full number pad. I know I have seen a few models that do have a full numb pad. They are some out there just hard to find. There are also those alarm/radio/phone/clocks.

But, lets say you really wante to make this idea up to snuff. As far as prototyping this will cost you about $80 to $100+ just for the parts (if you have to order them all new). (Note to others I am talking about prototyping the circuit board and all of that stuff not about costs after development of a retail model.)

But, here is the thing it is really hard to get physical stuff made via CH.

I think this ideas has merit. It has happened to me many times putting on my alarm clock and missing the time I want and having to go all the way around again. But this happens only if I need to set my alarm differently on the weekend then the weekdays. If I get up at 630 am on the weekday and dont use the alarm on the weekend which is probably true to alot of people, then this hassle only happens once in a blue moon. But like the way you think!

mtovar76, i think the main reason people shy away from numeric pads on alarm clocks is...
- aesthetics
- cost of the part
...i don't see myself needing one so I'm not sure there'll be a demand there waiting for you. But alarm clocks are a hell of a thing to want to build, unless you're an existing consumer electronics company. Try build a crappy alarm clock like all the others and it will end up costing 10x as much as an established player's one.

I have for sure seen alarm clocks in stores that have a full number pad.

"Try build a crappy alarm clock like all the others and it will end up costing 10x as much as an established player's one."
True, but its much more fun and a learning experience.