clock

Teachers these days need all the help they can get. Totally Free Teacher Tools is a suite of five tools that can be useful to teachers and plenty of other people, too. Although none of the tools are must-haves, they're not bad to have around just in case.

Once Totally Free Teacher Tools is installed, users have the option to download each individual tool one at a time. This is useful if you don't want to clutter up your computer with unneeded programs, but a bit of a pain if you want to try everything out. We started … Read more

Desktop gadgets are simple little tools that add simple little features to the desktop in Windows 7 and Vista. Simple, yes, but extremely useful. The most popular gadgets are clocks, calendars weather displays, Web feeds--stuff you need often and want fast. Clocks make great gadgets because there are so many ways to improve on the box-standard Windows system tray clock. We took a peek at ActiveX Clock Gadget, a free digital clock display that automatically changes hues. It works on 32-bit editions of Windows Vista and 7 with up-to-date ActiveX controls, or you can download a version for Windows XP.… Read more

Time clock software is easy to understand: employees clock in and out on a PC instead of a wall clock. It ought to be easy enough that any employees can use it, no matter what their skill level. And it ought to be free, since the typical small business needs all the help it can get. Few programs can cover all three "oughtas," though. We looked at one that hits a triple: CKZ Time Clock. It's supersimple for employees: click on your name and then click the big Clock In or Clock Out buttons. Employees can check … Read more

Do you have clients and colleagues all over the world? Then you know the importance of keeping track of their local time. Here's how to add two additional world clocks to Windows 7 for quick reference:

Step 1: Click on the time and date area of your Windows 7 toolbar, then click on "Change date and time settings."

Step 2: In the "Additional Clocks" tab, select the time zones you want to add, enter a display name, and be sure to check the box next to "Show this clock". Click the "OK&… Read more

Apple has created a series of new clock faces for people who wear their iPod Nanos as watches.

The mini music player can double as a watch thanks to special bands designed by iWatchZ, Lunatik, and other vendors. iWatchZ offers a variety of iPod Nano watch bands ranging in price from $25 to $90, while Lunatik's bands run from $40 to $100.

To kick off the 2011 iPod Nano revealed … Read more

We humans have clocks all over the place to tell time. But while we've been selfishly providing for ourselves, we've neglected the time-reading needs of robots, smartphones, and other machines.

The Clocks for Robots concept by London design consultancy BERG takes the needs of our future robot overlords to heart. The clock features a regular display that people can use and a constantly updated QR code for artificial eyes.

The QR code gives the time and location to portable devices. This could potentially tie in with real-world offers like coupons or signal to your smartphone what specials are currently active.

The QR codes could also help software recognize the time and date of photos for easier tagging and organization. … Read more

It started with August's $99 HP TouchPad and culminated with yesterday's $199 Amazon Kindle Fire, but suddenly the tablet deals are everywhere. (Well, not everywhere--cough, Apple store, cough.)

For example, today only, and while supplies last, Woot has the refurbished 32GB Motorola Xoom Wi-Fi 10.1-inch tablet for $349.99, plus $5 for shipping. Price just a couple months ago: $600.

Meanwhile, the 7-inch BlackBerry PlayBook is now selling for $299.99 at retailers like Best Buy (where it's currently backordered, interestingly). Days earlier, it was $499.99. Of course, unless you need built-in cameras, I can't see choosing that over the Kindle Fire.… Read more

Health and wellness firm Zeo's labeling of sleep problems in America as an "epidemic" might not be hyperbole. Some 64 million of us grapple with sleep issues every night, and another 49 million struggle at least a few nights a week, according to the firm's analysis of U.S. Census data.

Zeo, which first caught our eye in 2005 under the name Axon Labs with an alarm clock called SleepSmart, now offers a highly evolved mobile sleep system that employs a wireless headband to track all known sleep phases, including Light, Deep, and REM sleep.

The Zeo Sleep Manager then sends the resulting sleep data directly to the user's mobile device (iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad, and soon Android-based smartphones), which then syncs to the user's online Zeo account, where a ZQ sleep score that summarizes sleep quality is calculated. (It used to be transmitted to an SD card and then had to be manually uploaded.)… Read more

Say, that bomb looks familiar. It looks like almost every movie bomb every made--destined to have the proper wire clipped with exactly one second remaining.

This particular bomb is actually an alarm clock called the Defusable Clock. It has all the usual alarm clock features like a beeping alarm and snooze function, but it also has a 10-second detonation countdown.

Four wires stretch across the top. Trigger the detonation sequence and start clipping. The clock randomly assigns two wires to do nothing, one wire to set off an immediate detonation, and one wire that stops the countdown. The detonation is actually a visual explosion of red blinking lights.

The wires are easily replaceable so that you can scare the pretend wits out of yourself over and over again. A kit for the clock that contains just the electronic parts will be available this fall. You'll have to make your own fake dynamite sticks.… Read more