Our Verdict
slumber may be one of our most basic need , but how much do you really think about it?iHome’siHome+Sleepapp aims to serve you get the best slumber experience potential , utilizing every feature film at its disposal , from integrating with your iPhone ’s medicine subroutine library to keeping stats about your sleep habits .
Wakey , Wakey : iHome+Sleep uses a ‘ sleep card ’ metaphor for its alert ; each card is a different alarum that lets you set when an warning signal should go off , what twenty-four hours it repeats on , and the duration of the snooze , among other feature film .
The iHome+Sleep app work with iHome ’s “ App - Enhanced ” product , such as the iHome iA5 alarm clock , but it also functions on its own as a full - featured alarm clock clock app . you could customize a variety of alarum presets , view weather forecasts , and even get societal networking updates delivered to you when you wake up in the morn .
Wakey, Wakey: iHome+Sleep uses a ‘sleep cards’ metaphor for its alarms; each card is a different alarm that lets you set when an alarm should go off, what days it repeats on, and the duration of the snooze, among other features.
iHome+Sleep apply a “ Sleep Cards ” metaphor for its alarm system . Each card is a dissimilar alarm preset which let you pick out an alarm time , what days it should repeat on , the continuance of the short sleep , plus options for medicine , reminders , and social networking message .
There are two type of sleep board — naps , which are for a preset continuance , such as 20 min , and alarms , which are for a specific fourth dimension ( like 8:30 a.m. ) . The number of option are astounding : you may foot medicine from your iPod depository library to light numb to ( along with a eternal rest timekeeper ) , wake to one of seven alarm tones ( or your medicine ) , make text reminders that pop up when you go to rest or ignite up , and even tailor-make Facebook or Twitter message that can be institutionalize out at bedtime or when you awaken up .
You set an alarm by swiping the card down into a slot that as if by magic appears at the bottom of the screen , and you could set multiple consternation simultaneously if you want ( handy if you have people that need to ignite up at different times ) . However , I did find the interface for set the cards at times unintuitive and touchy — it was n’t always clear where you had to exhort to make something happen or what gesture to use , and sometimes the field you need to hit is very modest ( the paraphernalia icon that play up configurations for a calling card , for example ) , urinate it hard to strike precisely .
If you tail your iPhone with the iHome iA5 , you also have the choice of handle the iA5 ’s own alarm from the applications programme , which is useful and emphatically more friendly than fiddling around with the button on the back of the alarum clock . It ’s also worth mark that you have to keep the iHome+Sleep app running while you ’re kip , but at least you’re able to rick off the exhibit ( or expend the app ’s built - in dim orientation ) if you ’re a light - sensitive snoozer .
The app also tracks eternal sleep stats , though I plant that they did n’t always jibe with what I had take note myself — then again , if I ’m get as petty slumber as the app suggests , then perhaps that ’s just my own fallibility .
One downside is that unlike Apple ’s build - in Clock app , you ’ll have to impart the app consort for the warning equipment to function . ( The forthcoming addition of multitasking to iPhone OS 4.0 should obviate that need ) . Plus , if you ’re using it overnight — instead of just for a cat sleep — you’ll probably want to plug away in the headphone , too , so it does n’t run out of powerfulness .
While the iHome+Sleep app really shines in conjunction with iHome ’s devices , it name a jolly good alarm clock when you ’re on the go , and it helps make indisputable that you startle your day on the correct side of the seam .
[ Dan Moren is a senior associate editor program for Macworld . ]
