Filed under: Software, Odds and ends, iPhone, iPod touch
LCD alarm clock for your iPhone
Oh no! Another alarm clock app for the iPhone. No shortage of these at the app store, but I am always impressed at the variety and creative approaches these apps take. Many combine the clock and alarm into one application, so you can leave your iPhone in the charger and have a nice desktop clock as well as an alarm.A just-released app for the iPhone and iPod touch is LCD Clock from Japanese developer forYou inc. The app, called LCD Clock [App Store link] has several functions, including display of holidays (U.S. and Japanese), 12 or 24 hour time display, a choice of 4 colors for the clock and calendar, support for landscape as well as portrait orientation, and the ability to disable auto-lock so the display stays running. Be sure to activate that only when then iPhone is charging or you'll eat through your battery quickly. I had trouble finding the settings menu, and it turns out they are not in the app, but in the main iPhone settings menu. You can change colors and set the alarm from within the app.
I didn't find the screen displays particularly striking. I liked Touch Flip Clock [App Store link] a bit better for a more interesting design, but the on-screen controls are in Japanese. (edit- it's actually Korean. I regret the error). For something a bit more traditional there is an old style clock in the AA01 Led Time [App Store link] app.
My favorite clocks for the iPhone are apps that emulate the look of the old Nixie Tube units. Here's one, Nixie Clock A, [App Store link] that looks nice and supports an alarm.
All the clocks discussed are US$0.99 which seems to be the going rate, although there are some free ones [App Store link] around. Improvements I'd like to see in the clocks I've mentioned would be the ability to choose a music track for an alarm, just not the standard rings and buzzers. There are lots and lots of clock/alarms for the iPhone and iPod touch. It's really just a matter of finding one that suits your needs and personality.
If you are looking for an alarm clock app for your mac, TUAW has you covered as well, with an extensive review from Mike Schramm of what is out there.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
cmuska902 said 1:33PM on 1-15-2009
Unfortunately, if I'm not mistaken, iPhone apps cannot access music tracks from the iPhone due to DRM or some other copyright issues. So therefor no alarm clock apps would be able to play a wonderful song. Theres is always Cydia though...
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+. said 3:14PM on 1-15-2009
the only workaround is to make your MP3s into ringtones; the built-in Clock app *can* use custom ringtones as alarms. of course, those are seriously length-limited, but it's a start at least . . .
do you know of an alarm clock app through Cydia? i didn't see anything the last time i perused, but it's been awhile. it would be awesome if there was one that could both access the iPod library, & run in the background as well.
NutMac said 1:34PM on 1-15-2009
These look nice and all, but I don't see a point of paying for any of them since none of them can run in the background. If you accidentally forget to connect the phone to the power source or exit the alarm application... then zoink!... there goes your morning wakeup alarm. I will stick to free and far more reliable built-in Clock application.
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totoro said 1:37PM on 1-15-2009
"I had trouble finding the settings menu, and it turns out they are not in the app, but in the main iPhone settings menu."
Exactly where Apple's iPhone Developer Notes recommend them to be, I believe.
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Big John said 3:50PM on 1-15-2009
...exactly where most developers don't put it. The dev notes can say what they want, but that standard certainly isn't enforced. More than once I've gone digging inside an application for settings, before finally realizing they put it in the iPhone's Settings app.
kory said 1:43PM on 1-15-2009
...and you forgot to mention that the screen is dimable within the app, but it also has a "shake to Indiglo" that's really cool :)
Used it last night and loved it.
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Allyn said 1:47PM on 1-15-2009
I was just looking at the Touch Flip Clock and in their description is states that you can use mp3 as alarm or wake up - I haven't tried the app yet, but does anyone know if this is true?
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PSM said 1:51PM on 1-15-2009
This is cool. I was just thinking about this last night. I am a stage manager and have to record the start and end times of performances down to the second. I'm disappointed that there doesn't seem to be a place on the iPhone natively that shows the time down to the seconds. When the app store first came out I couldn't find any good clock apps, and I've been meaning to look again. For a buck, I'll give this a try, unless the great TUAW readers have better recommendations.
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Carney said 2:32PM on 1-15-2009
The Clock app that comes built in with the iPhone has a stopwatch that goes to the tenth of a second. It can record and store multiple "laps" for you as well.
PSM said 4:07PM on 1-15-2009
Yeah, I use the regular stopwatch to keep running times, but I mean I need a clock so that when the show starts I know the time is 8:05 and 35 seconds.
emil said 2:09PM on 1-15-2009
I like Night Stand (and it's free)
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Carney said 2:18PM on 1-15-2009
I just use the Clock app that came built in from Apple, and which has a robust, easy to use alarm feature. I have different ones in place for different days of the week. Works great.
Why be redundantly redundant in a redundant way?
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soydn said 2:37PM on 1-15-2009
"I liked Touch Flip Clock (...) but the on-screen controls are in Japanese."
They're not in Japanese ! ... They're in Korean..... that's way better right ?
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Garrett said 2:40PM on 1-15-2009
Uhhhhh, that's Korean not Japanese on Touch Flip Clock… I'm sure there's an joke about them all looking the same here somewhere…
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Think Adrian said 2:48PM on 1-15-2009
I still can't understand the use of a clock app when all you need to do is hit a button and iPhone will show the time and date as well as already have multiple alarms...
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rethciR said 10:31PM on 1-15-2009
Agreed...
micha said 9:20AM on 1-16-2009
The point is to be able to put it in it's dock and be able to see it across the room like a regular alarm clock, thereby freeing the space on your night stand that your old alarm clock is currently occupying. Further, most of the clock apps have a setting to override the screen sleep/lock function when they are running, so it stays up like a real alarm clock.
That's why I like DeskClock-- I have a large time and date display, and a full calendar if I need it in a pinch (also unlike a traditional clock, which will have at the most two settings, you have complete control over brightness, and can check the time in the middle of the night without being blinded...).
harsh said 2:51PM on 1-15-2009
Am I the only one concerned with screen burn?
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Jenny said 3:11PM on 1-15-2009
They're not really alarm clocks but I use PhotoFrame when my phone is in the dock during the day - it shows your favourite pictures and displays the time and date - and NightTime at night as a bedside clock. It's got the biggest display and a built-in dimmer.
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Adam Schoales said 3:21PM on 1-15-2009
I like the flip clock one, but sadly the japanese menus make it somewhat difficult... once they get some real english localization i'll drop the $.99
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