Sex appeal and simplicity.  Two of my favorite things. In the land of consumer products (especially those designed in the U.S.A.), they’re often mutually exclusive traits.  Thank the artistic Austrians then for bringing us the aXbo sleepphase alarm clock (S.P.A.C); a perfect blend of both. 

WHAT IT IS

The aXbo S.P.A.C is a complete sleep system.  It consists of two parts; the clock itself and a soft wristband worn by the sleeper.  The clock, as mentioned above is the epitome of modern style.  An LCD display (complete with cool blue backlighting) sits inside a smooth white frame.  It features just two buttons and a click wheel.  The wristband contains a wireless transmitter that interacts with the clock.  It’s lightweight and comfortable to wear.

HOW IT WORKS

Regular UM readers are familiar with our Biphasic sleep obsession.  The aXbo compliments this lifestyle perfectly, but will be just as helpful for traditional sleepers.

Your body movements during sleep are monitored through the wristband and sent to the sleepphase alarm clock.  By computing these movements, aXbo calculates your personal ideal wake-up time within a time range of 30 minutes prior to the alarm time set.  The alarm clock can wake two persons quite seperately and both at their individual optimum time.

That’s another thing; two wrist bands are provided and two seperate wake up times can be created.

SET UP

Using the aXbo couldn’t be easier.  Rotating the click wheel cycles through the various settings; time set, p1 (alarm #1) set, p2 (alarm #2) set, etc.  When you’re ready to make adjustments, you simply depress the click wheel and are brought to the next group of settings (i.e. choosing your wake up time, selecting the sounds and volumes, etc).  The click wheel makes scrolling to your desired time a quick, efficent process.

When you’re all done, the clock clearly shows your selections on the well laid out screen.  Slip on the wrist band, move it around for a moment, and you’ll see an icon on the clock indicating it’s receiving the signal.  Now you’re ready for bed.

FALLING ASLEEP

One of the coolest features of the aXbo is the “Chillout” slumber sound mode.  Depressing the click wheel once when you’re ready for bed activates a soothing sound of your choice.  There are three sounds in all, forest, ocean waves, and rainforest.  The Chillout also interacts with the wristband.  It waits until you’ve been still for an extended period (indicating you’re asleep) before gradually fading the sound down to silence.  Brilliant.

WAKING UP

The aXbo monitors your movement as you sleep, and when your designated wake up time approaches, activates the alarm just as you’re coming out of REM sleep (the optimum time for waking up refreshed).  There are 6 alarm sounds available, from a shuffling jazz like drum beat to a futuristic porno ring tone (my favorite, natch).  If the aXbo isn’t able to wake you based on your sleep cycle, it defaults to a conventional sounding ‘beep’ alarm that goes off at the time you’ve set.  This proves helpful if you forget to wear the wristband or the wristband’s battery dies (according to aXbo’s literature, the transmitter battery has a 3 year life).

CONCLUSIONS

My God do I love the aXbo.  It’s a smart system that’s worked almost flawlessly.  The one improvement I would make would be to extend the wake up window to 45 minutes.  (Props to the Sleeptracker watch for allowing a sleeper selected alarm window) There have been several times that I’ve been jarred awake by the ‘beep’ alarm rather than my soothing porno serenade.  Other than that though, the aXbo is a winner.  In my tests, the transmitter worked from up to 15 feet away.  Another cool feature I haven’t mentioned yet; you can turn the alarm off remotely by squeezing the wristband.  Charging the clock unit can be done via USB or a traditional wall outlet.  The charge is supposed to last for 10 days.  In my experience, it was around a week. 

The aXbo sleepphase alarm clock retails for $250 and is a sound investment for anyone serious about improving their sleep.

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