LazyAlarm

Hi, and welcome to my blog post about a little side project I created for the iPhone called LazyAlarm. To get technical support and see the FAQ, scroll to the bottom of this blog post or email me at bobbyren@gmail.com. The app in the iTunes store is http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/lazyalarm/id539788402?ls=1&mt=8

LazyAlarm is a simple alarm clock tool where you can basically toggle between two alarm settings: LAZY or NOT LAZY. You do have to set two alarms, but other than that there's just a large red switch that you use to tell the alarm that you have decided to be lazy and sleep in, or not.

The idea stemmed from when I used to work at a job where there was a shuttle service. Unfortunately the shuttle came every two hours because the commute was about an hour away. So the options for getting up and catching the shuttle would either be at 7:30 or 9:30. And sometimes, when I was really bad, I would miss the 10 AM shuttle and be super lazy. These things happened often enough that I wanted to be able to switch between 7:30 and 9:30 by only smashing my thumb on the phone interface, instead of actually having to go to alarm settings, turn one on and the other off, etc.

LazyAlarm v1.0 is a really simple, perhaps buggy product that I built just to see how fast I can create a simple iOS app, and see how the submission process and sales process in the Apple store works. There are a few shortcomings that I'm trying to fix in the next release. One, the alarm settings don't automatically renew each day. So the switch is only really efficient if you change your mind in the middle of the night, but each day you'll have to set it again. Two, the app doesn't allow custom alarm alarm sounds yet, or repeating alarm sounds or snooze. Three, for my own benefit, there are no analytics or feedback. That means it's hard for me to understand what my users are doing in the app and whether the interface is confusing.

FAQ/Instructions for LazyAlarm

Q: How do I set an alarm?
A: Click on the info (i) button on the bottom right. To set an alarm for either the Normal or Lazy modes, you have to change the time settings when you are under the Normal or Lazy mode by clicking on the selector. As soon as you move the time selector, the alarm will be set. Clicking done simply goes back.

Q: How do I know if I'm on the Lazy or Normal mode:
A: The big red letters that say YES or NO is the answer to the question/statement "I want to be lazy today." When it says YES, the alarm you set for Lazy will go off. When it says NO, the alarm for Normal will go off.

Q: How come it says "No alarm currently set!" or "No alarm currently set for sleeping in!"?
A: You have to set an alarm each day (after the last set alarm goes off) by clicking on the info (i) button.

Q: How do I set a snooze or repeat alarm?
A: You can't in this version...I blame Apple. But it should be in future upgrades.

Q: How do I disable my alarm if I set both alarms already?
A: When you set the Lazy mode for the alarm, there is a switch that turns it on or off. If this is set to off, then the Lazy mode becomes super lazy mode, ie No Alarm.

Q: How do I send more feedback or ask more specific questions, or send hate for this buggy app?
A: Email me at bobbyren@gmail.com.