Reviews for LARK Un-Alarm Clock and Sleep Sensor

I am hearing impaired and I've always look out for a new and improved alarm clock. This exceeds my expectation as I love its wireless so I can put my iPad/iPhone away from my nightstand. This device gets me up on time better than other vibrating alarm clocks. I don't know if you market the deaf community, but they would appreciate LARK greatly! Thanks.

I'm posting this review as a counterpoint to the low scoring review by GD.

First of all I am not related to Lark at anyway. Just a normal user like everyone else.

I've used the Lark for more than two months (got it end of September, writing this on Dec 7). Here's my thoughts:

1. The Lark sensor works and works well. The sleep sensor captures the data pretty well but it's not 100% accurate. I would say about 95% is about right, which is pretty decent. I don't agree with GD as saying "it is not very accurate" but then again we may have different ways to interpret that. I would dare say for most people it's at the very least accurate enough, more accurate than most people will think.

2. I can access my data on my iPhone. In fact, that's the first thing I do when I wake up, to check how much I slept right after I turn off the alarm. The same data can be accessed when I go online. Heck, I can even access it in my iPad Lark app. I don't understand how GD cannot get the data; this is the most basic thing this Lark is supposed to and if it that doesn't work I'd return this right away.

What I did notice is that the iPad Lark App is TERRIBLE! It's simply the same Lark in the iPhone but it's not even pixel doubled. It sits in a small window in the middle of the screen, and there's no 2X button to make it bigger. To the Lark guys, the iPad gives you all this space and it's not being used. Hope this gets better in the future.

3. Sleep coach: Yes you pay $60 for the sleep coach. But to be honest? Never needed it. I'd be curious to see what the sleep coach can do but just by looking at your own sleep data you can pretty much guess what the sleep coach will tell you anyway.

4. It is true however, that the cradle does not charge your iPhone when you dock it. The cradle simply has a USB port. You put you charging cable there, you put the other end on the iPhone. So there's a cable sticking out from your dock connected to your iPhone sitting on the dock. It's not the prettiest and elegant solution, and it seems the images are a bit misleading since they don't show the cable, but it works.

Finally, the big question: Should you buy one?

As I've said I've been using it for the last two months. In all my years I found that Lark is the best experience for me to wake up: waking up via a vibration on my wrist is much much more pleasant than waking up to an alarm. I like it so much that when I travel, I bring the whole system with me. I don't use the room service wake up call or the room alarm, I use this instead.

In addition, seeing your sleep data is really enlightening. I've been more conscious and more aware of my sleep patterns and it has really encouraged me to sleep better.

Yes the thing's a little on the expensive side, I wish it were a little bit more cheaper, but given that I'm getting better sleep these days and a better experience waking up, if I had to buy it all over again, i would. At least for me, it was definitely worth it.

The product needs work. The first night, the battery ran out in less than 5 hours, the 2nd night, it would not allow alarm to be set (Bluetooth connection made but the app said it was.not connected). I doubt a connection between this and another app enabled accessory purchased at the same time, but neither worked. If you are going to give it a shot, I recommend purchasing online unless you live close to an Apple store.

For someone like me who has strived for years to get more sleep, the last month with Lark has been wonderful. If you're like me and you just think to yourself "I gotta get more sleep," then what I've found is that nothing changes. An occasional sleep-in is nice but what I really want to have is someone at my side reminding me and giving me more clues about how I've been sleeping and what I can do little by little to improve.

When I started using the Lark vibrating alarm, I found the instant daily feedback (via the accompanying iPhone app) was great. Not only how many hours of sleep, but how quickly I went to sleep and how many times I "woke up", which I presume it measures using motion sensor in the device itself.

I like the product because it has some cool features:
* a vibrating alarm that doesn't wake everyone up, just me. And an iPhone app to set alarms (similar to the native alarm feature of iOS)
* a daily set of stats on my sleep: duration, how many times I tossed-turned, and even "how fast I got to sleep", and Overall sleep rating "good" "poor" etc.
* a sleep-coach assessment that looks at patterns over a 7 day period with a very detailed and useful write-up at the end with helpful hints
* a reminder (iPHone notiication) that it's time to go to sleep - sounds funny but this actually helps!

So overall I've been able to use the Lark in 3 ways: as a daily alarm clock, as a daily sleep data collector to keep monitoring how "well" I'm doing according to some personal goals, and as a sleep coach with more in-depth assessment data.
The only improvement I'd look for in the future is that some mornings the iPhone doesn't connect to the device to shut off the alarm -- and I need to dock the device and wait for bluetooth to connect before I can just switch the alarm off. Overall a superb product.

Have had Lark for under a year and it is toast. Only 30 day warranty? Are you joking? For a $100 item I expect more, especially from Apple. I own a Mac, power Mac, three iPhones and an iPad and to purchase such a product that is not consistent with these devices is dissapointing. Features great, actual product quality horrible. Will be more cautious to buy cheaper items from Apple. Thought they could do no wrong, but they did. Don't buy the Lark, not worth your hard earned money.

My previous alarm clock was loud. Really loud. It woke up everyone in the house. Except me. When I heard about the LARK, I decided to give it a chance. It did not disappoint. I wake up on time. I don't wake anyone else up. My sleeping habits are becoming more normal. In short, the LARK performs as advertised. If you have any of the sleep related issues I mentioned, you should definitely consider buying a LARK.

When I heard about Lark I knew immediately that I needed one. I rarely use the Un-Alarm clock - although it's certainly a useful feature. As someone in the early stages of diagnosis for sleep apnea, the Lark sleep sensor was a great way for me to get a handle on how much sleep I was actually getting and how often I wake up through the night. And as the parent of a toddler, it was really helpful to get a handle on how little sleep I was actually getting. Sleep is essential, and with the feedback that you get from the sleep sensor (if you're disciplined about using it) you can really challenge yourself to treat your body better and get more sleep.

bought this hoping it would wake me up more consistently than the alarm on my phone, and it does exactly that! I wake up feeling great and my wife can sleep in! :)

So here's the scoop on the LARK. This gadget detects motion during sleep. That's it. I've used it 3 times now. The first night I slept 8 + hours and it told me that I slept, "Very Well". The second night I slept 4 hours and again it told me I slept, "Very Well". I did not sleep well either of these nights. The third night I got up before the alarm and shut the alarm off. The alarm ended up coming on during a phone conversation I was having. As for going to sleep, the lark told me the first night that it took 15 min and 8 min the second night. I know these two times for going to sleep were way off. ALSO read all their RETURN POLICY before buying. I'm now in the process of trying to return the LARK and get ALL my money back. There will be a follow up to this review. Hope APPLE is reading/listening.

I had a problem with my LARK sensor (dog chewed it up), there were no similar problems on the FAQ's. I contacted tech support. They were helpful and very timely in their response. It's nice to know LARK backs up it's product with more than just talk. The alarm is intuitive to use and performed as advertised.

Signed,
A satisfied Luddite.