No such thing! But if I have to express a choice on a device to get me up when I absolutely HAVE to, I'd choose my mobile phone (trusty SE K750i). A swift belt of 'Black Eyed Peas' seems to do the trick...

Banshee Screamer: http://www.hanovsolutions.com/?prod=alarm
is the only thing that will wake me up these days.

You can have it play music or whatever but the default is a terrible, painful, loud high-pitched beeping that's definitely not for the faint-hearted but is pretty much guaranteed to wake you up. In fact I'd only recommend that option when all else fails :)

Before that I used to use my ipod plugged into a nice Bose SoundDock but unfortunately I was finding myself sleeping through even the loudest music. I wouldn't normally but I've been missing a LOT of sleep! So it's Banshee Screamer for me. It's so painful you HAVE to get up and turn it off!!

Mobile phone used by husband who will then get up to cook the porridge/make a cup of tea to get us going! I make sure the phone is charged.

hey lostincanberra I have the same phone (K750i). It's the best phone I ever had! I feel guilty that I'm not currently using it :)

The smell of fresh coffee works wonders as a preferred method for waking, the three week old baby works well as an effective method... now if only I could get the baby to make coffee before screaming, all would be well.

Mornings blah...

I am forever being harassed by morning people about how come I get up so late and not missing the day and all that crap. I happen to think 8.00am is quite early enough to wake up and arising before 8:30 seems unfair (though of course I know those with little kids have zero choice). I do my best work after 2pm and often work through well into the evening. I sometimes feel like saying to those "aren't you up yet people", who think nothing of starting up power tools before 9, hey I'll ring you at 11:30pm and ask what the hell are you doing in bed so early. Especially since the only decent TV on free to air comes after 10pm!

However, rave done back to the actual point - my cheap $2 shop digital clock died a while back and was replaced with a cheap $2 shop battery powered analogue clock that emits a horrendous beeping noise. H/ever my partner can't stand the ticking and relegates it to the kitchen when she is over.

My preferred device is my digital tranny, purchased at Dick Smiths a couple of years ago. It's badged Radio Shack but you can't seem to find them anywhere anymore with whatever badge, horrible analogues for crazy prices are all the shops seem to have. I'll be lost when it dies.

Anyway apart from always being on station and having 10 presets per band it also has a basic alarm that just wakes you up on the station and at the volume you left it on. Very easy to set and easy to carry around. Doesn't have snooze but does require several button pushes to turn it off thus requiring a modicum of consciousness. Only downside is the FM doesn't get picked up if the earplugs aren't in. But hey these days I seem to be more 774 and RN in my taste. And increasingly RN leavened with SEN now I think of it.

Oh and of course I should mention my real back up, the cat. She just will not sleep-in past 9 and not only demands breakfast but then gets annoyed if you are still in bed for long after she's finished. A ripped up mattress is a likely consequence for too much sloth.