Rating:

There is nothing worse than being woken from a fitful sleep by your alarm.
It is the electronic equivalent of a repeated slap in the face.

Whaat!?! Where?!? Who!!? ….Bloody hell.
*Hits Snooze*

Im usually up early each morning.
And rather than a face slap, I use the more gentle wake-up strategy of the I-Qi Clock app on my iPhone.

This is a timer app that includes a meditation timer and an alarm. The alarm gives you the option of waking you with a series of gentle chimes that gradually increase in frequency (using the golden ratio) over a set period until they are continuous.

The app costs around $2 AUD last time I looked.
Overall design/usability is a little stodgy IMO, but the quality and variety of chimes you can select is excellent.

In application, I find this alarm well worth the 2 bucks.
The golden ration timing is a far gentler way to wake up than most alternative alarms.
If you are a reluctant waker-upper, you will appreciate the way it becomes increasingly insistent over a 10 minute period.

There is a big difference between being jolted awake, and emerging from sleep to wakefulness.

The other thing I find useful is that in my experience it doesn’t wake my partner. I have the volume set relatively low and have now become sensitised to the sound each morning. I usually wake after the first or second chime.
Meanwhile, Kelly = ZZZZZzzzzzzzzzzzzz.