Alarm Clocks Useless Thanks to Cell Phones

Do you still have an alarm clock? More importantly, do you still use it? If you do, you might be in the minority.

In a poll of nearly 1,500 people carried out by Rightmobilephone.co.uk, of which 82 percent owned a cell phone, more than half used their mobiles as their alarm clock.

20 percent of the British cell phone-owning respondents said that they used their handsets for the internet, organizing their week, taking pictures and video and waking up in the morning.

While cell phone makers often do advertise new phones by boasting new internet features and camera capabilities, it seems the most basic function of time keeping that's on all phones is the one that is used by most.

"It is a trend that we are seeing, people are even using mobiles instead of wrist watches now," Robert Egan, a fellow of the British Horological Institute, told the Telegraph. "It's just another sign of modern technology taking over from mechanical things."

Marcus Yam is a technology evangelist for Intel Corporation, the latest in a long line of tech-focused roles spanning a more than 20-year career in the industry. As Executive Editor, News on Tom's Guide and Tom's Hardware, Marcus was responsible for shaping the sites' news output, and he also spent a period as Editor of Outdoors & Sports at Digital Trends.