MakeUseOf Directory » alarm

WakeSmarter: Customizable Alarm Clock App [iOS]

Hammad — Sun, 11 Dec 2011 01:01:09 +0000

Wake Smarter is an iPhone application that takes the alarm clock to the next level. You can now forget those old, classical default alarm sounds.

Wake Smarter is an alarm clock that can be configured according to your needs and requirements. You can not only set the ringtone of your choice, but you can also fall asleep while listening to your favorite songs, relaxing ambient sounds, podcasts or even audiobooks.

The morning alarm can be set to a variety of messages. You can set it to wake up to the sounds of Internet radio, your favorite song, weather forecasts, birthday reminders, Facebook postings and Twitter feed and even your horoscope or joke of the day.

Wake up with a smile every day. Not only that, but the interface can be customized to 3 clock designs, and with over 30 stylish backgrounds, Wake Smarter is one of the best alarm clocks available out there.

Wake Smarter can be downloaded from iTunes App Store for $2.99 only.

Features

A very minimal cost of $2.99
Selects songs or internet radio as alarm.
Set birthday reminders.
Record your own wake up messages.
Customizable alarm sounds.
Requires iOS 5.
Similar tools: Wake N Shake.

Check out Wake Smarter @ http://itunes.apple.com/us/app//id479032853?mt=8 (via Lifehacker)

OKITE: An Alarm Clock Thats Sends An Embarrassing Tweet When You Hit The Snooze Button

Umar — Tue, 04 Oct 2011 21:01:39 +0000

For some people, the snooze button on alarm clocks is a useful feature. But for most people the snooze button is just another way of ignoring the alarm clock completely. Sleepy people keep hitting the snooze button and fail to wake up when they should. Here to discourage you from using the snooze button is an alarm clock called OKITE.

OKITE is a free to use iOS application. It is sized at 7.9MB and is compatible with the iPod touch, iPhone, and iPad running version 4.3 or later. The app is an alarm that strongly discourages you from using the snooze button by posting an embarrassing tweet to your Twitter account each time you hit snooze. The app lets you set alarm times easily.

But remember to wake up when the alarm rings as using the snooze button will roll out a random embarrassing tweet.

NOTE: the tweets are in Japanese so only users who have an understanding of basic Japanese will be able to make use of it.

Features:

A user-friendly phone app.
Compatible with iOS devices.
Lets you set alarm times on your iOS device.
Discourages you from using the snooze button.
Posts an embarrassing tweet from your account if you use the snooze button.
Similar tool: Wake N Shake.

Check out OKITE @ http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/okite/id457818344?l=ja&ls=1&mt=8 (By Umar from AllThatIsApple)

Wake N Shake: The Merciless Alarm Clock [iOS]

Umar — Wed, 21 Sep 2011 23:01:40 +0000

Anybody who sets alarms on his cellphones knows that the Snooze option is not very helpful. When people get up to the sound of the alarm, they immediately hit the snooze button and go back to sleep. What you need is an alarm clock that refuses to quit before it completely wakes you up. That alarm clock is Wake N Shake.

Wake N Shake is an alarm clock app for iOS devices. The app is sized at nearly 10MB and compatible with iPod touch, iPhone, and iPad running version 4.2 or later of iOS. Other than offering you various alarm tones and recurring alarms, the app makes you shake your device to turn off the alarm. You can set how hard the device needs to be shook. Shaking the device vigorously will get your heart beating and surely wake you up.

Wake N Shake offers a free version and a paid version with more alarm sounds.

Demo video:

Features:

A user-friendly phone app.
Compatible with iOS devices.
Lets you set alarms.
Makes you shake device to turn off alarm.
Offers various alarm sounds.
Helps ensure that your alarm wakes you up.

Check out Wake N Shake @ www.wakenshakeapp.com (By Umar from www.f4samurai.jp/alarm_everyone.html (By Umar from TechCityInc)

Smarter Alarm Free: Wake Up To News, Weather Reports, Emails or Tasks [Android]

MOin — Wed, 22 Jun 2011 21:01:57 +0000

After waking up, most people tune into the news, check their emails, weather or check their tasks for the day. Thanks to a new phone application, you can perform these tasks right after you turn off your wake-up alarm. This app is called Smarter Alarm Free.

Smarter Alarm Free is a simple to use smartphone application compatible with Android devices running version 1.6 or later. Sized at only 1MB, this app lets you set up an alarm and then select what information should be presented after the alarm. You can select from news, emails, RSS feeds, Google tasks, Facebook events, and more. Multiple options can be selected to start your day with all that you want.

Features:

A user-friendly phone app.
Compatible with Android devices.
Lets you view the day’s news, weather forecast, tasks, and more with your wake-up alarm.
Lets you view multiple items.
Similar tools: Zazu and Sleep Bot.
Also read related article: The Best Alternative Alarm Clocks (Windows/Mac/Mobile).

Check out Smarter Alarm Free @ market.android.com/details?id=com.edwardkim.android.smarteralarm (by MOin from ThumbPress)

BBC News Alarm: Wake Up To BBC’s Global News Podcast [Chrome]

MOin — Mon, 30 May 2011 17:01:14 +0000

Many people tune into the morning news to stay in touch with what is happening around the world. If you do the same, you would surely appreciate it if news automatically played each time you woke up in the morning. Here to make it happen is a tool called BBC News Alarm.

BBC News Alarm a web app for Google Chrome available from the Chrome Web Store. After installation the app lets you set up an alarm time. The time displayed by the app is your system time. At the set time, the BBC news podcast is played. You wake up to the day’s global news thereby saving you time to separately turn on the television.

Features:

A user-friendly web service.
Lets you set an alarm to wake up.
Plays the BBC global news podcast at the set alarm time.
Uses your system time.
Similar tools: PodcastAlarm, TimerTab and Remember It App.
Also read related article: Best Online Alarm Clocks For Naps At Work.

Check out BBC News Alarm @ chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/kgfldkgcfjkclomnlifbhgeleheokdkl?hl=en-US# (via LifeHacker) (by MOin from ThumbPress)

PodcastAlarm: Podcast Alarm Clock

MOin — Sun, 29 May 2011 21:01:17 +0000

The Internet has numerous web applications to offer that act as alarm clocks. These apps usually provide a list of predefined alarm music or sounds. But if you want your favorite podcast to play at a set alarm time, you should check out a podcast alarm clock called PodcastAlarm.

Podcast Alarm is a free and very simple to use web service. The app detects your system time and lets you set up an alarm accordingly. You then specify the URL of a podcast. This podcast is played at the time the alarm is supposed to ring. A direct URL is also generated for your settings; you can bookmark this URL and visit it each time to have the alarm preset and the podcast URL pre-entered.

Features:

A user-friendly web service.
Lets you setup an alarm time.
Detects your system time.
Plays your specified podcast at set time.
Offers option to save settings via direct URL.
Similar tools: TimerTab, Sleep Cycle, MetaClock, MusicAlarmClock, OnlineVideoClock, OnlineClock, KukuKlok and AlarmTube.
Also read related article: Best Online Alarm Clocks For Naps At Work.

Check out Podcast Alarm @ www.podcastalarm.com (by MOin from ThumbPress)

Attikis: A Free Home Alarm Monitoring System

Israel Nicolas — Wed, 24 Nov 2010 19:01:46 +0000

If you have installed a burglar alarm system in your home, then you’ve probably invested upwards of $300/year for your alarm monitoring system. If you want to cut the costs, you should try Attikis. This tool allows you to configure your burglar alarm to call their servers and give you free ongoing monitoring, and instead of a yearly maintenance fee, you only pay for phone and SMS credits when they have to notify you of a possible intrusion.

Using Attikis is very simple. Just configure your home security alarm system to call Attikis. Then you just need to define what action should be taken when the alarm is triggered. You can configure Attikis to notify you by SMS, phone, and e-mail. You can also check the status of your home wherever you are in the world with your profile dashboard.

Attikis offers free and paid accounts. A free account only offer beeps, and phone-only notification, while the paid accounts add SMS and e-mail notification as well as auto-redial to prevent missed calls. Attikis is a cool tool for anyone who need a solid notification system for their home alarm at a fraction of the cost.

For more info watch demo video:

Features:

Save money as a alternative home monitoring system.
Easily configure your alarm system to call Attikis.
Set-up response rules for your to phone, SMS, and e-mail.
Free and paid options available.
Similar Tool: UGOlog and HighlightCam.

Check out Attikis @ www.attikis.com

RoosterAM: Wake Up To Latest Social Media Updates

Umar — Tue, 09 Nov 2010 23:01:57 +0000

If you are a social media enthusiast, you probably start your day with logging onto your computer and finding out what the trending topics are. But what if you could do this while you were waking up in bed? RoosterAM helps you do exactly that.

RoosterAM acts as an alarm clock and a reporter of trending topics. You enter your phone number (US only) on the site and choose your updates: date and time, day’s top news, Twitter trending topics, upcoming Facebook events, weather forecast, top Reddit news, and Google Calendar entries.

Your selection is saved and then sent as a voicemail to your phone. The voicemail not only promises to wake you up with a “Cockle Doodle Doo” but also helps you to catch up with the news and all other online social media updates.

Features:

A user friendly web service.
Can be used as an alarm clock.
Reads out the day’s details to you via voicemail.
Details include weather, news, and social media updates.
Similar tools: Zazu, SleepFM, AlarmTube, OnlineClock and Kukuklok.

Check out RoosterAM @ www.rooster.am (By Umar from TechCityInc)

Zazu: Wake Up To Weather Reports, News or RSS Feeds (Android)

MOin — Tue, 26 Oct 2010 21:01:17 +0000

Android phone owners have a number of free applications that can make their life easier. For example many people like to stay in touch with the news and weather. Zazu is one Android app that can read the news and weather out to you whenever you want.

Zazu is a free app and sized at nearly 6 MB. The app’s main function is to gather information on the local weather and global news; it then reads out this information to you while you busy yourself with other tasks. In addition to news and weather, you can also add a custom greeting to Zazu or any site’s RSS feed. You can easily use it as an alarm clock that wakes you up with the news and local weather.

The app’s developers soon plan to add calendar integration, advanced voices, advanced news feed settings, and full social media integration; they also plan to create Zazu versions for other smartphones.

Search Zazu on the Android Marketplace or use the QR-code below:

Features:

A user friendly applications.
Compatible with Android phones.
Reads out the weather and news to you.
Reads out the RSS feed of websites.
Promises future improvements and enhanced features.
Also read related article: Slide Screen Redefines The Android Home Interface.

Get Zazu from by searching for it on the Android Marketplace or visit its official site @ www.getzazu.com (via AndroidZoom) (by MOin from ThumbPress)