alarm

AK Notepad for Android is your basic, bare-bones notepad app. The interface is clean, and using it couldn't be simpler. Open up the program and click "Add note" to get started. Once you're done typing away, you can set a reminder alarm for the note, or share it via any of your device's installed applications (Twitter, Facebook, SMS, Gmail, and so on). To prioritize a note, just pin it to your Home screen for one-touch access.

The Settings screen lets you tinker with fonts, font size, and horizontal line display. And if you use the … Read more

Self-service checkout is for suckers. The future of grocery shopping is a robotic clerk/bagger developed by Willow Garage. Eric and Donald also argue over the best way to spend $500, the best ball-based game machine to alienate you from your loved ones, and the cheapest X-Wing fighter ever made.

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In this week's episode, we answer your questions on car alarms, bluetooth audio streaming, and what is synthetic oil?

• LOLcars (photos)

• Coasting Prohibited

• Audi MMI

TimeTable is a low-cost tool that works with iCal to help you track your hours, so you know exactly how much time you've spent on particular tasks--which can be especially handy for consultants and anyone else who tracks their time for billing purposes.

TimeTable has a simple, multipane interface that plugs right into your iCal data: You see your iCal calendars on the left, which you can select or deselect, and a list of events with date, duration, and title on the right (and you can add a dozen different columns in all, including notes and start and end … Read more

ZoneAlarm SocialGuard (download) from Check Point Software Technologies is a Windows program released today that allows parents to monitor children's Facebook activities to see if they're bullying, being bullied, friending strangers, or engaging in potentially dangerous online activities.

No stealth mode For parents to monitor their kid's profile, the child has to sign in once with his or her Facebook user name and password. That password is not passed on to the parent and the parent can't actually see the child's profile or what they're posting. Instead they get alerts of anything that the … Read more

SocialGuard is part of a relatively new and burgeoning field of desktop apps that look to address growing parental concerns about how to keep children safe online in the Facebook age. It does a remarkable job of balancing cost with useful tools, although parents should be warned: SocialGuard is designed to make kids safer while encouraging communication, not impose draconian restrictions on your children's Facebook activity.

From the makers of the ZoneAlarm firewall, SocialGuard is a desktop client with deep hooks into Facebook. The company wants parents to use it as a starting place to encourage communication about online … Read more

Donald and Eric take a trip back through time, or maybe to an alternate Jules Verne-inspired future. Wherever they are, the gadgets are distinctly retro and lovingly hacked together. Even old Jedi master Yoda seems a little different. Plus, a burglar alarm that will blast you in the face.

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It's like waking up beside a Geeks Who Drink champion. Designer Oliver Sha obviously has a hard time crawling out of bed in the morning. He solved the problem by creating the iQ Alarm Clock, a smarter-than-thou invention that won't shut up until you solve a series of quiz questions. Forget about a snooze button. This device demands mental awareness.

Questions may involve figuring out which object doesn't belong in a group of illustrations or what comes next in a numerical series. Thankfully, there's a hint button to keep you from throttling the alarm into submission.

Sleep lovers may try to reach for the battery compartment, but Sha has already thought of that workaround. The battery cover is tamper resistant to keep prying fingers at bay. The only way out is to get your questions right or hold down the power button for 30 seconds. The prospect of having an Alex Trebek experience every morning may not sound too appealing, but it will get the job done. You'll be up and at it and maybe feeling a little smug for having conquered your clock in a battle of the brains. … Read more

Alarm clocks are a standard feature on most cell phones, but computer clocks typically don't do much but display the time. Free Alarm Clock adds alarm functionality to your computer, letting you create multiple alerts that can wake you up or remind you when it's time to do something.

The program's interface is plain and attractive, and we had no trouble figuring out how to use it. Attractive buttons across the top of the interface let users add, edit, and delete alarms. Each alarm can be set to go off only on certain days of the week, … Read more