What's a surefire way to lure a hungover carnivore out of bed? The smoky sizzle of frying bacon. If you're the opposite of a morning person, then this might be your lucky day - the folks at Oscar Mayer, purveyors of lunch meats, cold cuts, and the ever popular bacon, have announced the iOS Wake Up and Smell the Bacon alarm clock.
The bacon alarm clock won't be retailing, however. It can only be won in a competition, a marketing gimmick for the brand which, in a stroke of genius, is cashing in on the enduring power of bacon. The cured meat with a cult following isn't just the stuff of breakfast dreams, but its Internet-friendly hyperbole and meme-rich inclinations mean that this campaign was making headlines straight out of the gates.
It comes in two parts: an iOS app and an iPhone scent attachment that's plugged into the headphone jack. When the attachment is plugged in, the user simply sets the alarm time on the app. When that time rolls around, the phone plays the sound of bacon sizzling on a hot pan while emitting the ever-alluring scent from the plug-in attachment.
Nevertheless, there are some flaws. We've heard from netizens such as Slate that the sound is more reminiscent of falling train -- a kind of white noise that we'd rather stay under the covers for. And the all-important smell - surely the crux of the device - was labeled by Mashable as 'more jerky than bacon.' And while we have nothing against jerky, the chewy trail staple doesn't quite give connoisseurs like us the unctuous, smoky fry high we're after.
From a health perspective, we're also hoping that the incessant waft of sizzling bacon doesn't prompt users to indulge the craving it'll inevitably (we imagine) spark and consume bacon every morning. With 68 percent calories from fat (nearly half of which is saturated, aka the nasty kind) and a whopping 30 milligrams of cholesterol per ounce. It's a far cry from greens and grains. Bacon is also linked to lower sperm counts, high sodium levels, and, as a processed meat, contains nitrates that can contribute to the development of heart disease and cancers.
But for those who can embrace the smell without feeling the urge to gorge on bacon at the drop of a hat, we commend you. If you're so inclined, the competition is open now, until April 4.
