Tag: Alarm clocks »

Phones have been able to replace a lot of technology over the years, including things like alarm clocks. Most people likely depend on their default phone's clock app to vibrate and/or make noise by their bed stand to wake them up these days. While that's a perfectly viable solution, there are some other apps out there that try to go above and beyond in this regard. Check them out below.

Problems sleeping is a major issue for many, myself included. Not getting a good night's sleep means one's productivity the next day plummets, plus you turn grouchy, irritable and no fun to be around. There's no iOS app yet that will send you to sleep within seconds. There are, however, a few great options for helping wake you up in a more appropriate manner than through an incredibly loud alarm clock. Here's my (sleep-deprived) look at four highlights of the bunch.

Suno
Recently reviewed, Suno offers the delights of a sunrise in order to gradually wake one up, and get the day going just right. It's not quite as simple to navigate as one would like but, once set up, it provides a great, gradual sunrise, all lined up according to when you want to get up. It works best in a particularly dark room, of course.

Sleep by MotionX
Analyzing everything possible in a bid to wake its users at just the right moment in their sleep cycle, Sleep by MotionX is a useful life aid. It's just a matter of placing the iOS device on the bed with the app doing the rest. A graph facility makes it simple to see how one's sleep is progressing over time. Even better, the app comes with daytime activities too, such as a pedometer feature and heart rate monitor.

Deep Sleep
Offering a form of relaxation therapy, Deep Sleep is a different change of pace to the other apps featured here. Through the voice of therapist, Andrew Johnson, users are guided gently to sleep through a series of meditational audio programs. Thanks to the soothing voice, it gradually calms the user, slowing their breathing down, thereby enabling them to relax and fall asleep. It might sound a little gimmicky but it can work impressively well.

Sleep Cycle
It's been quite the phenomenon since its launch nearly 4 years ago, but Sleep Cycle has remained relevant ever since. Solely an intelligent alarm clock, it does similar things to Sleep by MotionX but at a lower price. Tracking different phases of sleep, from light to deep sleep, the app works out the optimal time to wake you. It'll even work out which days provide the best form of sleep. It's both interesting and potentially very useful.

The passing of Labor Day marks the unofficial start of fall. With back-to-school and back-to-serious at work, staying on time is essential. Telling one alarm clock app from another with so many similar names and features, must less finding the best one, can be tricky. So this week we look at our favorite four full-featured alarm clock apps with built-in weather forecasts for this changeable time of year.

Night Stand HD – Alarm

Night Stand HD is a full-featured alarm clock app that has several gorgeous and genuinely unique clock-looks to choose from. Even better this app recently become universal. There are nine clocks designs all of which allow for multiple and recurring alarms, iPod integration to awaken users with music, and it keeps working in the background. Of course, the app displays the current and global current weather and forecast.

Night Stand for iPad – Social Reader, Weather & Alarm Clock

Night Stand for iPad is the only iPad-only app on the list, but it needs the extra screen room. This is a lot more than a simple flip-style alarm clock. It packs all the features one would expect and global GPS-based weather forecasts with video loops or a photo album slideshow backgrounds. But, that's the window dressing - what makes this unlike any of the other choices here is the way it integrates easily with a user's choice of RSS feeds, as well Twitter and Facebook timelines to serve up all the morning’s necessary information at a glance.

Magic Window

The app is more about style than substance, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t a full-featured alarm clock and weather app. It’s filed under entertainment, however, not utilities because it is really like looking out a virtual window at any number of tranquil fully animated displays. 15 gorgeous scenes are included, like sunrise in Costa Rica or sunset in Tokyo and each come with soothing ambient sounds to help lull a user to sleep, not just wake them up. If the 15 included scenes aren’t enough, 30 more are available in bundles for in-app purchase. Magic Window is function meets eye candy, and looks and sounds best on a high-end speaker-dock.

Lifelike Alarm Clock and Weather HD

For really neat looking clocks including a pair of retrofied dial clocks and maximum iPod integration, Lifelike Alarm And Weather HD is the fun choice. Activate night mode by pulling a curtain, or use the built-in iPod player anytime, with full playlist creation support. With animated real-time weather simulation that works world-wide, a big snooze button and some silly-cute chimes, this one should appeal to the young and young at heart.