WakeupQ.com: Alarm call with a difference...

I can only see a couple of slight issues with this one, ingenious though it is and we’ll come to them a little later. Getting out of bed can be a tough call for a lot of people and it doesn’t matter what method you use, alarm clocks of all shapes and sizes can just be switched straight off when the annoying noise gets too much. This one takes the method of getting a reliable friend to pop round and throw a brick through your bedroom window to new heights. It’s nothing as destructive of course but it does bring me to my first issue and that is that you’ll need a friend who is going to be up themselves when you need them.

How does it work? It’s quite simple really. Sign up and for $15 a month you can get a daily wake-up call with a twist. Based on the fact that it’s those first few minutes that are likely to have you drifting back into the arms of Morpheus the call will give you a set of tasks to do and confirm. If you fail to complete them then your nominated friend receives a text message and if you’re lucky no doubt calls you incessantly until you actually get up. Either that or a brick comes sailing through your window.

When setting up your account you can set the tasks and the time lapse between hearing them and confirming them. For instance the first task might be to get out of bed and switch on the lights within a minute and then press a number to confirm. You can set three tasks which hopefully end up with you in the kitchen drinking coffee and ready for the day ahead.

This brings me to my second issue. Unless the system can somehow track that you actually do the tasks set then I can’t see what’s to stop you just lying in your pit and pressing the requested numbers. OK so you might annoy a friend or get a brick in the face but for some people, for a few more minutes in bed, it might be worth it!

Conclusion

This is a novel way of helping you get up in the mornings and I think the fact that it’s costing $15 a month might be another incentive to try and make it work. It’s also worth bearing in mind that if you have to get up ridiculously early one morning it might be a good idea to check with your friend or you may not stay friends much longer.