IKEA's clever new alarm clock does a lot more than wake you up – and it costs next to nothing
It tells the time, tracks your room and wakes you up
QUICK SUMMARY
IKEA has launched the Rödsträfse, an affordable alarm clock that displays the time, alarm, temperature and humidity simultaneously.
It also offers two alarms, a nine-minute snooze function, automatic brightness adjustment and three backlight levels, all for just £9/$14.99.
KEA has launched a new alarm clock that displays the time, day of the week, alarm, temperature and humidity all in one compact unit. The Rödsträfse also keeps the different readings visible at the same time, so there's no need to cycle through the display to find the information you want.
The Rödsträfse arrives alongside the Örnvråk, another new IKEA gadget that displays the time, temperature and humidity. The biggest difference is that the Örnvråk omits the alarm functionality, whereas the Rödsträfse adds it in, making it a more obvious choice for your bedside table. Both clocks also have a similarly minimalist, Scandi-inspired design.
The Rödsträfse is a little more expensive than the £5 Örnvråk, but it's still incredibly affordable at just £9 in the UK and $14.99 in the US, available via IKEA's website and in stores.
You can set two separate alarm times, each with a nine-minute snooze function, which IKEA says is handy if you want one alarm to wake you up and another to remind you to leave for work. You can choose between 12 and 24-hour time formats as well.
The alarm itself is controlled with a simple button, with the display clearly showing whether it's switched on or off. There's also a built-in light sensor that automatically adjusts the screen brightness depending on the surrounding conditions, so it remains easy to read throughout the day and night. If you'd rather sleep in complete darkness, you can switch the display off entirely.
You can also manually adjust the backlight between three brightness levels using the button on top of the clock. Finally, because the Rödsträfse is battery-powered, there's no need to position it near a plug socket, giving you plenty of choice about where to place it.
