App of the week: Wake N Shake

Wake N Shake for the Apple iPhone

Wake N Shake, developed by Andres Canella, is aimed at the 'compulsive snooze button user' in all of us.

Quite simply, this is an alarm clock which can only be disabled by shaking your iPhone vigorously and continuously until a barb reaches the top.

The shake intensity settings start at 'hard', through to 'painful', and all the way up to 'merciless'. Overall, the concept works well, and after several minutes of painful shake-action, one certainly doesn't feel like going back to sleep.

For the extreme snoozer in those dark, early hours, it is easy to get around the alarm by switching the phone off, or crashing out of the app with a home button double click, but for the average person, this is a fun way to start your day.

Options for quick naps, and optimised to allow a daily alarm, as well as plenty of options to add variety, this app really works as an effective alternative to the conventional alarm clock.

The only downside to this app is that it differs from the built in iPhone alarm clock in that the phone settings must be altered, and it is advisable to switch the iPhone to 'airplane mode' and to leave the app open for it to work well.

WARNING: If the instructions aren't followed properly, the alarm will not go off, and all you get is ten notifications telling you that it has and a headache from running onto the Bakerloo line two hours after your intended time.

Wake N Shake costs 69p in the Apple Store, and a free version is also available. As with a lot of other apps, it is advisable to fork out for the paid version for more functionality, options, and to avoid pesky ads.