Tiny thought: vibrate to wake is the Apple Watch's killer feature

Since the invention of the alarm clock, people have been content to end their sleep with loud, abrasive sirens. And since the invention of the snooze button, people have been content to do so with loud, abrasive sirens that repeat every 9 minutes!

Ever since the Apple Watch got the features and battery life to be worn all night, I've been using it as my silent alarm clock. When the time comes, it vibrates like a heartbeat stronger and stronger until I get up or snooze the alarm. This vibration is surprisingly effective; I find it only takes a minute or less to wake me up.

Fitbit has had this feature for a long time, but I don't have one of those.

But the big winner is my wife. I often get up much earlier than she does to go for a bike ride or start working early, and my vibrating alarm is so discreet that I can usually snooze a couple times and get out of bed without even stirring her. I'm sure she's grateful for this extra sleep, but I also find that the vibrating alarm wakes me in a much more pleasant mood.