You might still be reeling from that jarring alarm that scared you out of bed this morning, so here's a concept from Philips that could change all that, an alarm clock with a soft light that fades up over a half an hour. You can adjust its ultimate brightness, and we're assuming there's some kind of alarm at the end of that cycle, just to make sure you're awake.

Philips says this simulates a natural wakeup with the sunrise, when sunlight gradually begins to peek through your closed eyelids. That sends signals to your brain to stop producing melatonin, that sleep-inducing hormone that sometimes seems to kick in at the most inopportune times. The clock will be available in France this month, and everywhere else in 2007. Will this one work for you??