Six of the best gadgets and gizmos on a theme. This week: Six of the best time tellers.

By Peter Jenkinson


There isn't an easy way to soften the annual blow of the clocks going back. If you're of a cheery disposition, perhaps you're excited by the thought of kicking fallen leaves and getting out your array of colourful winter wear.

Other people, however, may get wound up and feel slightly gloomy about the darkening days and nights. Whether you welcome the cooler seasons or not, why not pay homage to altering the clocks by putting a new one up on the wall? Take a few ticks to look at some of this season's best ways to tell the time.


Wake Up Naturally - Lumie Bodyclock Active 250 - £89.99 from www.firebox.com

Be less alarmed by the lack of light in the morning with this clever clock, which simulates a sunrise in your bedroom. The device eases you in from the land of nod over preset periods of time by slowly brightening the room. It's meant to work by promoting the body's get-up-and-go hormone cortisol - very scientific, very effective.


Tock Tick - Backwards Clock - £14.99 from www.geniegadgets.com

Sadly you can't actually turn back time with these clocks but they're certain to attract a double take from guests. It will probably take a while before you can glance and immediately know where you are in the day. This time piece is colourful, quirky and slightly confusing.


Translate Time - Verbarius Clock - £149.99 from www.firebox.com

Verbarius tells you the time the same way as people do. It spells out time differently every 60 seconds, so it's either forty-five minutes past four, or fifteen minutes to five, or four forty-five, or quarter to five. It can tell you the time in English, German, Spanish, French and Russian, and you can upload other languages via USB.


Coat Clock - Diamantini & Domeniconi En Suspend Clock - £47 from www.madeindesign.co.uk

Not a bad combination here - coat hook meets clock. We think it's superb for the hallway. It's pretty simple, stopping your outerwear from being kept on the floor while reminding you how late you are running, but it's certainly one of a kind and colourful too.


Retro-Tastic - Starburst 60s Wall Clock - £29.95 from www.houseofbath.co.uk

Almost everyone will have a memory of this remarkable time-teller donning the wall of a relative. Remember those days when you popped over for Sunday tea and marvelled at its rather gaudy form? Well, now it's a classic and is available at an absolute steal. This iconic 60s-style clock will again be bursting on to walls all over the country.


Kiddie Clock - Gro Clock - £24.99 from www.gro-store.co.uk

This is a genius piece of kit created by someone who obviously has a wealth of experience with early-rising youngsters. A digital clock and pictures of stars are displayed to show your child when it's time to be asleep. A picture of a sun then appears when it's time for breakfast. Thanks to this device, kids can be easily trained not to jump out of bed before the sun rises on their clock. Works wonders.


App of the week - Via App - £1.99 from iTunes

For those on the run, this new jogging app is quite something. You can select start and end points for your run and listen to music as it guides you in a more interesting direction. You need never pass those people at the bus stop who jeer at your luminous wear ever again.