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A different kind of Alarm Clock

by Mel Martin Mar 27th 2009 at 4:00PM

We've reviewed some iPhone alarms before. There are free alarms and alarms you pay for. Some were pretty good, and there is always the built-in alarm. In an attempt to improve upon the standard alarms, some Russian developers have created Easy Wakeup [App Store link] which has been available for jailbroken phones, but now is available at U.S. $9.99 for both the iPhone and iPod touch.

Why would anyone buy an alarm app for 10 bucks? Well, this is a very different kind of alarm app. Using the motion sensors on your iPhone, you strap your iPhone to your wrist with one of the readily available products that do that, and go to sleep. You tell the software at what time you absolutely must be awakened, and by analyzing your movements through the night, the software will pick what it believes is the most opportune time to get you up. The alarm can wake you to music, vibration, and even a message you record with the iPhone microphone.

There are some drawbacks. Your iPhone can't be locked. You have to put it in airplane mode, which means you won't be getting any calls through the evening. That might be a good thing, depending on how you like to live your life. The developers say you'll drain about 20% of your battery overnight, which might be bad if you have a big day planned and no time to recharge. When you select your alarm, you can't select music from your own playlist. You can select Apple built-in ring-tones, but not any you imported or created yourself.

The alarm supports snooze, and when you get up you can look at some graphs to see how restless you were during your sleep.

There are similar products that work on the same principles. The Axbo Sleep Phase Clock costs between U.S. $150-250. It is a bedside alarm clock with a wrist band and data cables.

I can't vouch for the science behind these products, and I decided I didn't love my iPhone enough to sleep with it to test this out, but for those familiar with the technique of computer aided alarms it might be worth a try. Just be careful when you roll over.

EasyWakeup Screens

  • Movement graph
  • Setup page
  • Alarm settings


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We've reviewed some iPhone alarms before. There are free alarms and alarms you pay for. Some were pretty good, and there is always the...
 

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25 Comments

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matt

Does anyone know of an app (app store or cydia) that will allow me to play a playlist when the alarm goes off? This is a functionality that my six year old iPod mini has, but six month old iPod touch does not.

March 30 2009 at 5:49 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Tom

The built in alarm is just fine!

March 30 2009 at 3:57 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Jon

This has to be an early April fools joke right?
One of the worst product ideas I've ever heard of!

$10 to make my phone useless overnight, and start the day with a drained battery?? All while strapping the very uncomfortable to sleep on (I'd imagine) phone to your wrist??

To each their own I guess...has anyone actually tried this thing?

March 30 2009 at 10:24 AM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
fergy4

Although strapping an iphone on before bedtime is less than ideal, it does raise some pretty good thoughts about future health care practices. Sleep Apnea monitoring, pregnancy monitoring, etc. Just strap on a much less intrusive bluetooth sensor to send the information without a wire. How to get the doctor to actually answer his phone and read the info might be the tricky part.

http://www.connecthowto.com

March 30 2009 at 9:21 AM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Arjun

Anyway we can hack the Nike+ accelerometer to work with this app? I actually wouldn't mind strapping that to my wrist...

March 29 2009 at 12:22 AM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Robert

Ya I can't really say I would ever purchase this

March 28 2009 at 5:33 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
(01)

Inconveniences aside, I'm surprised how many people are missing the point of what this app actually does. Try reading the article a little bit closer.

March 28 2009 at 2:16 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
pixie.susan

Doesn't the phone sort of already do this? First of all I'm deaf so as silly as the idea is to strap the phone to you, it sure works for me.

But just use the countdown timer and its free. If I want to wake up in 6 hours I set the countdown timer (its in the clock app that comes with the phone) for 6 hours, put on a sports bra (tmi, i know), shove the phone down the bra and fall asleep. I sleep on my back and side so I don't even know the phone is there.

In 6 hours the phone vibrates and wakes me up. I know this app described above tries to sense when a good time to wake you up is, hey... is it ever a good time? If I need to get up at 6am I have to get up at 6am even if its a "bad" time body rhythm wise.


March 28 2009 at 8:18 AM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
john

check your facts, for $10 at the app store this is just a regular alarm clock. A non jailbroken iphone will not support the functionality that detects your sleep patterns. I don't need to pay $10 for something that came for free with the iPhone.

March 28 2009 at 8:14 AM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
1 reply to john's comment
tdowling

No, the $10 version appears to be the full version. Maybe you're confused by the use of the word "unlocked" in the description? They mean it in the standard "slide to unlock" sense, not the jailbreak sense.

March 28 2009 at 9:50 AM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
MIchael

this is a real product. check cydia and it should work well. and just sleep with the phone plugged in. oh and use insomnia to allow the motion sensors to work while the iphone is sleeping (it's on cydia)

that's how you get it to work well :)

March 27 2009 at 10:35 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
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