To say that the iOS App Market is saturated with alarm clock apps is the understatement of the century. I have used many of them and almost everyone has let me down eventually (i.e. alarm fails), with the exception of Alarm Clock Rio. I purchased a Kensington nightstand charging dock and currently use it and Alarm Clock Rio as my functioning bedside alarm clock. Alarm Clark Rio basically provides 2 main themes (as seen in the screenshot), where you can either get a classic flip clock or a more modern theme with 7 different color options. In order to use the app as an alarm lock, it needs an auto-lock feature, and it works flawlessly in this app. You have the choice to wake up to 17 built-in alarm sounds or any of your own songs. Alarm Clock Rio provides the option to fade-in your alarms, which I think is a necessary feature for any alarm clock. It also provides large snooze and stop buttons on the screen when the alarm is going off. I personally am a weather nut, so I think the current weather conditions and temperature are a big perk of Alarm Clock Rio. It isn’t exactly a new thing to add weather into an alarm clock, but Rio does it very well with a large weather picture of the current conditions that you can see even if you are half asleep. Many of the features of this app are customizable as well.
Price: $0.99
Requires: iPhone/iPod Touch/iPad; iOS 3.2 and up
Download size: 10.0 MB