Posted by
chinambilephone on Sunday, November 08, 2009 8:34:08 PM
Time is up for the traditional alarm clock as people now prefer to use their china cell phones to wake up in the mornings, according to a poll.
It could signal the end of a device that has helped people get to work on time for more than a hundred years.
A poll of nearly 1,500 people found that 82 per cent owned a mobile phone, with more than half using it as an alarm clock.
Robert Egan, a fellow of the British Horological Institute, said: "People are even using mobile phones instead of wristwatches now. It's another sign of modern technology taking over from mechanical things.''The move also shows the growing importance of the Chinese market in the mobile industry, and the sheer number of potential subscribers means it will continue to be a target for handset makers. China Mobile's subscriber base far surpasses the combined users of Verizon Wireless and AT&T, and there's still plenty of room for growth. Companies such as Dell, HTC, Lenovo, Samsung, and LG Electronics have also committed to bringing out OPhones over the next few years, and Apple also recently inked a deal to bring the watch cell phones to China.
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The poll, carried out by Rightmobilephone.co.uk, found that one in five British people used their phones to surf the internet, organise their week, take photos and wake up in the morning.Neil McHugh, the co-managing director, said: "Phones have evolved from simple communication handsets to now provide us with a wealth of information on the go.''One precursor to the alarm clock was the water clock, developed by the ancient Greeks, where rising waters would hit a mechanical bird that triggered a whistle.Another clock believed to date back to China's Tang Dynasty made a sound at regular intervals.
The first mechanical alarm clock capable of striking at a time specified by the user was invented by Taqi al-Din, from the Ottoman Empire, in 1559. Then, in 1876, the Seth Thomas Clock Company was granted a patent for a small bedside alarm clock, believed to be the first of mini cell phones.