timers

Handy desktop clock

Like any clock, Clockmate will tell you what time it is, but it will also let you choose from dozens of clock faces, styles, and colors. If you work with folks in a different time zone, you can even set up multiple clocks to know at a glance what time it is in numerous places.

In fact, this program offers so many options for telling time, users may never get a chance to try them all. Its interface is quite simple: a default clock instantly opens for users, but if it does not meet your needs, simply right click and … Read more

MP3-playing alarm

If you have ongoing tasks throughout the day, this desktop alarm will keep you on track to the tune of your favorite song. We didn't understand the name, but we loved what it had to offer.

MP3 Pizza Timer offers a sleek, easy-to-understand user interface composed of an oval-shaped window with the countdown clock at the top and buttons for selecting a target time (in military format) as well as the MP3s. There are also buttons for playing, stopping, and pausing the song. Shortcut buttons on both sides of the window let you add or remove time increments of … Read more

Performed without a hitch

This desktop tool has one function and it performs its function well. The simply named Timer does just that, acts as a timer on your desktop.

You won't find any bells and whistles with Timer's user interface. It comes with a digital clock and three buttons to start, stop, and reset the timer. The window comes in three sizes--small, medium, and large. The ToString feature lets you easily copy the timer results to paste in another document. According to the very brief help feature, the Trackbar feature is supposed to let you adjust the speed of the timer, … Read more

Simple, reliable timer

This free utility has one purpose, and one purpose only--to time any task at hand. It performed its job and it performed it well.

Chronometer has a straightforward and simple user interface. It can be moved to any place on your desktop, and basically consists of a tiny window that displays the start and stop time and the time elapsed. All you have to do is click the Start button and off you go. We will say that the Options menu was a little vague and took us a little time to figure out, but ultimately it allows you to … Read more

T minus 10 seconds to shutdown

If you're looking for an effective and efficient program to perform a timed shutdown of your computer, look no further.

MF Shutdown Manager Full Edition is a basic, no-frills program designed to offer an array of functions. Users can force their computers to shut down, restart, lock, hibernate, wake up, standby, and more. The user simply sets a timer in hours, minutes, and seconds, and then selects Start Timer. If the timer is not selected, a predetermined time can be chosen. Simply set the clock within the program for when you want to perform the operation, and then wait. … Read more

DaysAgo Timers keeps track of your leftovers

I can see the potential for overuse here. Imagine walking into a home and finding these little timers all over the place, on everything. I can see it. In fact, I can see implementing it. It might be a better approach than my current yellow sticky system, where the ubiquitous pieces of paper are indeed ubiquitous; they are everywhere.

However, one corner of my kitchen is devoid of reminder notes, and that would be inside the fridge. I just haven't found a good way to keep them stuck as I shuffle things around in there. As I move the … Read more

A tape measure for the fourth dimension

I grew up loving to take my toys apart to discover how they worked. I ended up later majoring in a field of study that put me in a machine shop several times a week, giving me a formal setting for undertaking this kind of hands-on work. Somewhere along the way, I developed a love for cooking and an appreciation for food, something that diverged from the hobbies in which several of my friends were involved (restoring cars, carpentry, computer rebuilding, you get the picture).

It's not very often that I come across a kitchen gadget that appeals to … Read more

Gadgettes 90: The 'No Way' Episode

Some items make us go "No Way!" Others make us go "No Way?!" That question mark makes all the difference in the world. Listen now: Download today's podcast EPISODE 90

The KickTrack http://medgadget.com/archives/2007/12/baby_kick_counter.html

Fusion man soars above Swiss Alps on Personal Jet Wing http://www.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/europe/05/14/ photos.rocketman/index.html

Japan plans face recognition cigarette vending machines http://dvice.com/archives/2008/05/japan_plans_fac.php

Analyst: Amazon.com’s Kindle to generate $750 million by 2010 http://crave.cnet.com/8301-1_105-9945112-1.html… Read more

Sands through the hourglass count time in the shower

Showering can waste a gallon of water a minute. Yet a daily shower is one of those nonnegotiable, guilty pleasures I'm unwilling to sacrifice.

Still, the number of water-starved regions is only set to grow. For those who must watch every drop, a shower timer could be the next best thing to installing a high-tech, low-flow shower head.

A $3 timer from Envirosax, which makes trendy shopping bags, sticks to a shower wall with a suction cup. Its blue, pink, green, or gray sands take 4 minutes to pass through the hourglass.

Four minutes? Hair conditioner alone takes 2 … Read more

Will Microsoft software curb Xbox addiction?

If you need to get your kid's gaming habit under control, help may be coming from an unlikely source: Microsoft.

Available for download in early December, the Microsoft Family Timer is a piece of software designed to restrict Xbox 360 usage on a per-day or per-week basis. A warning will be displayed onscreen nearing the end of each session before the console is automatically shut down after a predetermined time limit.

There's one sticky question, though. Does it also limit sharing among family members? A password may be a solution, but that would be far from ideal. Just … Read more