GeekSugar

Love It or Leave It? USB Flash Wristbands

GeekSugar — Tue, 05 Jun 2007 16:00:57 PDT

Don't these USB flash wristbands remind you of slap bracelets from the early nineties? I'm almost positive you can't slap these geeky jewelry pieces against your wrist, but you can use them to store all your fave pics and important word files. Even if they don't appeal to you as a jewelry accessory, they're so outrageously bright that you'd never lose one no matter where it is! Pricing and storage capacity still unknown. What do you think? Something you could love or would you rather leave this one alone?

Gear Review: Lark Silent Alarm Clock

Leta Shy — Sun, 13 May 2012 16:48:00 PDT

You can count me as one of the 30 percent of people who don't get enough sleep every night, so when Lark sent me its silent alarm clock ($100) to test a couple months ago, I was all about it. Since then, I've been using it pretty regularly, here's what I think of the alarm clock.

First, here's what it is: The Lark is part app (compatible with iPhone, iPod Touch, or iPad only at the moment, but an Android version seems imminent), part motion-sensing wristband that vibrates to wake you up and tracks your sleep quality throughout the night. It promises to both help you wake up more naturally and without disturbing your bedmate and change your personality from sleep-deprived night owl to well-rested morning lark. Included in the package is the Lark sensor, wristband, and charging dock where you plug your wristband into when you wake up - both to shut off the vibrating alarm and ensure that your wristband has enough juice to monitor your sleeping stats for the next night. The charging dock includes a USB port to connect your iPhone charger to it, so you don't have to use two sockets for each.

Who it's for: The Lark is useful if you have a partner and you both wake up at different times. Since it's a silent alarm clock, it rouses you with a series of vibrations through your wristband, so if your normal wake-up call is earlier than your bedmate's, your partner can snooze away without being disturbed. That may or may not be valuable enough for you to justify the $100 price tag, but it is an effective solution. Besides the alarm clock portion, the Lark app tracks several sleeping stats: how many hours you slept as well as how many times you woke up during the night and how long it took you to fall asleep (both based on your movements).

Keep reading for my thoughts on the Lark alarm clock.

Never Lose Your Flash Drive Again: 5 Portable Options

Kristy Korcz — Sat, 05 Mar 2011 04:08:16 PST

According to new research, over 17,000 USB flash drives were left behind at laundromats and dry cleaners last year. While I definitely promote the idea of backing up your important files on an external drive of some sort, leaving them lofting about in the hands of strangers (or destroyed in the washing machine) isn't exactly what I had in mind. Want to keep your important data with you, but are afraid your forgetful bug will strike at a most inopportune moment? Check out these flash drives that will stay with you wherever you go.