il mucca

i know you’ve been waiting eagerly for this, the second installment in my iPhone app series. *cough*

today i’d like to introduce you to sleep cycle, my new favorite app. well, favorite is possibly not the best term to use here, because i hesitate to apply any word that indicates happy feelings on my part to something that functions as an alarm clock. because that’s just not possible. it doesn’t happen.

which is actually part of the reason i use this app. i’ve struggled for years to find an alarm clock that could wake me up without inducing the burning desire to rip it out of the wall and hurl it across the room. more of a challenge than you might think, mainly because any alarm clock that possesses the capability to wake me generally has the characteristics of a foghorn in both decibel level and aural beauty. that’s enough to put anyone in a bad mood. i’ve been through alarm clock after alarm clock, and none of them has ever satisfied me- until now.

sleep cycle is “a bio-alarm clock that analyzes your sleep patterns and wakes you when you are in the lightest sleep phase.” no joke. the way it works: you select the time you’d like to wake up and place the phone on your bed, preferably next (but not underneath) to your pillow. the iPhone’s super-sensitive accelerometer (don’t ask me what that is, cuz i really don’t know) monitors your movement during the night, detects your sleep cycle, and wakes you up when you’re in the lightest sleep phase.

and it works. i kid you not, people, it works. i literally wake up right before my alarm clock- rare and notable, especially when it occures multiple times in a week. plus it’s super cool to look back and see what your sleep patterns are- not to mention a good conversation piece.

sleep cycle will run you $.99 at the app store.