Please forgive me if I take the easy humor route and inject a few "Twilight: New Moon" jokes into my posts over the next few days. I haven't been sleeping well and when that happens I get groggy and tend to go for the easy laugh. The problem is that some nights I just don't get enough sleep (no, not a vampire). I go to bed at different times and always try to wake up at 8.
That being said, I'd like to try the WakeMate sometime to see how it can help me be more rested so I can make better jokes for all of you. It's a cell phone accessory that monitors and analyzes your sleep and then uses the data to wake you up at the optimal point in your sleep cycle.
Sleep analytics like this have been around for a while, but WakeMate appears to be the first system that uses off-the-shelf components (Bluetooth, iPhones, etc.) to bring the method to the masses.
Sleepers wear a wristband that tracks movements during sleep. The motion data is then analyzed to determine sleep patterns and circadian rhythms and sent to a device, like an iPhone, via Bluetooth. At just the right moment in the sleep cycle, the alarm goes off, hopefully waking snoozers to a great morning. Also included are personalized instructions on how to improve your slumber.
The WakeMate is the first product from Perfect Third, a company funded by venture firm Y Combinator, which focuses on early-stage start-ups. Other noted Y Combinator-funded companies include Loopt, Justin.tv, and Reddit. WakeMate is available for preorder for $49.99 from Perfect Third's site and we're guessing we'll hear a lot more about it in the coming months--if we can stay awake, that is.
