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Time Command is a spartan iOS alarm-clock dock

01.11.2012
The future of appliances--refrigerators, toasters, washers, dryers, you name it--can be summed up as "smarter." But this smart revolution has already come to the trusty alarm clock, of which Stem Innovation's $100 is a good example. It uses a companion iOS app to transform your wake-up experience from simple to multi-faceted. Most of the time, this really does improve matters, but it's not without the occasional glitch.

Cylindrically shaped, at 7.6 inches across and 3.32 inches tall, the Time Command features a wedge-shaped layout of buttons on the top, tapering inward towards an iPad-compatible 30-pin dock-connector cradle. Rather than using Apple's , Stem has used a movable dock connector and a rubberized backrest that allows the system to accommodate iPad, iPhone, and iPod touch models of various generations. (For the iPad, Stem includes two small, adhesive, rubber bumpers to attach to the edges of the unit for additional support.) The Time Command will also charge any iOS device you dock.

The front of the unit features an LCD display with prominent amber numbers, flanked by speaker grilles that wrap around the sides of the device. On the back of the Time Command is a single port for the detachable power cable. There are no auxiliary inputs or outputs, so you won't be using the Time Command with anything other than an iOS device. Underneath the unit is a battery compartment that holds a pair of AA batteries to keep the clock running if the power goes out.

Starting at the top of the unit, the buttons include a Clock control for setting the time; Alarm 1 and Alarm 2 buttons for arming, disarming, and setting the Time Command's dual alarms; Decrease, Brightness, and Increase buttons for controlling volume and setting the time and alarms; and a Nap/Snooze/Sleep button that also doubles as a Play/Pause button. The wedge configuration makes it pretty easy to find any of the buttons by feel, and the buttons have a deep travel that gives them a satisfying feel when you press them.

You can use the Time Command without an iOS device and be woken by an effective, if not particularly pleasant, blaring electronic alarm. This approach also requires you to set the clock manually. But plug in an iOS device and download the free (which you ought to be prompted to do as soon as you connect your device) and the clock will set itself--plus you'll get access to a bunch of other handy features.

The Time Command app lets you set recurring alarms, either for every weekday, for weekends, or by choosing particular days of the week. It also lets you create multiple individual alarms. (I couldn't figure out if there was a limit on this, but I created at least ten distinct alarms, so I feel safe in saying that it probably offers as many alarms as you need.) You can label those alarms, and choose the alarm sound for each: one of the four included alarm noises (Tech, Bells, Triangles, and Synth) or music from your iOS device's library.