Uniqlo Wakes You Up With Music That Changes With The Weather
Japanese casual clothing brand Uniqlo is known to also develop interesting gadgets. It recently introduces an Apple and Android app that wakes you up with music that changes with the weather.
When you turn on the app, it will ask you to choose your location, alarm music vocals (English/Chinese/None), and whether you want it to show Fahrenheit or Celsius. Then, you can set the time that you want to wake up. The app also has a playful feature that shows you people who are waking up by the app at the moment in different places around the world.
If you choose English or Chinese in the setting, the alarm sound will be a soft female voice singing you the current time, day of the week and today’s weather in that language with background music by world-renowned musicians Cornelius/Keigo Oyamada or Yoko Kanno. And if you choose “none,” the alarm will have music without human voice.
According to the app’s website, Cornelius and Keigo Oyamada began performing in 1993 and so far has released three albums worldwide. They also did collaborations, remixes and producing with a large number of artists in Japan and abroad. They were nominated for a Grammy (Best Surround Sound Album) in the 51st Grammy Awards in the United States in 2009. Kanno is also a famous Japanese composer who has performed with the Warsaw National Philharmonic Orchestra and is perhaps most famous for her compositions for anime titles such as Cowboy Bebop, Wolf’s Rain, Stand Alone Complex (S.A.C), Solid State Society, and Macross.
The app’s website features videos with the music and sound that you will hear in your app. There is also free Uniqlo screensavers for both PC and MAC users to download. The simple and humanist design and the lighthearted and carefree music will surely replace your annoying quartz alarm clock and bring you a refreshing and pleasant beginning of the day.
t
Xiaomeng Li earned her Bachelor of Arts, magna cum laude, with Honors in Mass Communication and Fine Arts at Wilson College, Chambersburg, PA. She is now a Master of Arts candidate for New Arts Journalism program at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC). Born in Wuhan, China, Li came to the United States in 2007. Her passion lies in popular culture, cross-cultural communication, and the relationship between the Chinese government, mass media and the civil society. Li is also an aspiring photographer who likes portraiture and the traditional darkroom experience.