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Wakemate (YC S09) helps you kiss groggy mornings goodbye

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121–130 of 146 posts

Re: Wakemate (YC S09) helps you kiss groggy mornings goodbye

#121
That is slick...both the device and the purchase process.

My wife and I discussed something similar using EEG measurements but couldn't find a practical way to apply the electrodes in a consumer-grade product. This is a good example of solving that problem obliquely.

Pre-ordered.

Re: Wakemate (YC S09) helps you kiss groggy mornings goodbye

#122
post #32

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Can you give us some more details about your experience with the device?

Yeah, no problem. I didn't get to use one of the new, super sleek, production quality ones. I used an early prototype that slipped inside a wrist band (like tennis players wear). It was actually still pretty comfortable to sleep with - I didnt even feel it after the first night. It definitely woke me up at the optimal time in my sleep cycle. The alarm app was a really simple web app, and the bluetooth was simple. It…

Interesting, when I went to the Wakemate site I was hoping for a product that looks like a tennis wristband, which I know to be comfortable. I didn't pre-order because I'm not confident the neoprene looking band would be comfortable to sleep with. I'd like to try it on before buying.

Re: Wakemate (YC S09) helps you kiss groggy mornings goodbye

#123
post #43

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Please, please, please blog your attempt at going polyphasic. There aren't a lot of rational records of people trying this; and it's a really interesting topic (to me, at least). I'd try it myself, but for now my commute prevents me from being able to do it. pchristensen did it a year or two ago, and it was really interesting to read about.

I plan to. I'm shopping for an RV at the moment, and plan to hit the road on January 1st, and I'll be blogging about the process of going mostly off the grid while still running a company. Switching to polyphasic sleep will be a minor change in comparison, and so I'm cramming a number of life alterations into one bunch...since I won't have any habitual behaviors that remain unchanged, I'm going to take the opportunit…

This sounds like a great plan, I think you will have an interesting journey! I can confirm that the absence of daily routine triggers facilitates change to let go of undesired behavior. For instance, it was way easier for me to stop smoking and exercise every day when I spent the summer in California.

Re: Wakemate (YC S09) helps you kiss groggy mornings goodbye

#124
Can one of the Wakemate people please respond?

First off, I love this product. But before I click purchase, I want to know: how good of a proxy is the wrist accelerometer for brain wave activity?

Someone else asked this already but I didn't see a response. Ideally, I would love to know what the quantitative results were from your testing. For instance, if sleepers rate their grogginess after waking up every day, what kind of an improvement do you see in those ratings? What is the distribution like? Are there a certain percentage of people who don't respond to the Wakemate because for some personal reason their wrist movements don't correlate with brain wave activity?

I think this data would help sell a lot more of these since that's definitely what made me pause - and I was very ready to purchase.

Thanks!

Re: Wakemate (YC S09) helps you kiss groggy mornings goodbye

#125

Can one of the Wakemate people please respond? First off, I love this product. But before I click purchase, I want to know: how good of a proxy is the wrist accelerometer for brain wave activity? Someone else asked this already but I didn't see a response. Ideally, I would love to know what the quantitative results were from your testing. For instance, if sleepers rate their grogginess after waking up every day, what…

You might be better off contacting them directly:

  Questions? Comments? Send an email to contact@wakemate.com, or call us at 1-800-951-4761
http://www.wakemate.com/about/

Re: Wakemate (YC S09) helps you kiss groggy mornings goodbye

#127
I have been using a Now & Zen alarm clock for the last 3 years. http://www.now-zen.com/ (It looks like they are now calling the one I have the 'zen timepiece.') I was fed up with electronic noises. These clocks have a brass bowl that produces very pleasant gongs to wake you up. And it doesn't jab you awake like most all other alarm clocks I could find. It gongs and then waits a few minutes. If you haven't gotten up after a few minutes, it gongs again, and waits a couple more minutes. It gradually gongs more frequently over a period of 10 minutes.

Sometimes I am up at the first gong and sometimes it takes several. Now, hooking up my bowl gong to the wakemate could make for a great combination.

Re: Wakemate (YC S09) helps you kiss groggy mornings goodbye

#128
post #105

I really like the idea, but putting "(works on all phones)" on your front page is kind of shady if the actual requirements are bluetooth and internet access and third-party app support. No phone I've ever owned has all those features.

Those features have been practically ubiquitous on GSM phones for about five years (except for the cheapest 3rd world models). That's as close to "all phones" as you can get.

Yes, most phones have internet access, but I strongly doubt most people have that included in their monthly plan - I know I don't.

So do I have to pay extra charges for that? How much data is being sent? Can I view stats on my phone? Can I tether my phone to my computer to look at stats?

I can't find any of these answers on their site. Which is frustrating, because this almost sounds like something that would interest me.

Re: Wakemate (YC S09) helps you kiss groggy mornings goodbye

#130
post #42

That $5 pre-order is far too easy to do. I bought one without stopping to research other products like the http://www.fitbit.com/ . Brilliantly designed pricing. It's a lot like Glastonbury ticketing. Deposits in autumn, full payment in January. This is extra profitable because in January many people are short on cash post-christmas and either can not or choose not to pay the full amount. You get to keep the non-refu…

The Fitbit looked very fun, but the site didn't mention an alarm function. I'm already envisioning a long slog toward convergence, because some day I want my phone to do calorie-counting and smart-alarming. After all, I already keep it near me all day and night...
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