Dolphin Alarm Clock for iPad – Review
We are very impressed with this app, it’s a great way to wake up and certainly ticks all the boxes for unique content. Despite there being quite a lot of alarm clock apps in the App Store, there are none like this. Read our review below.
We recently interviewed the developer of this great app, Mark Linthicum, you can read that here.
This app retails for $4.99 in the App Store and you can download it here.
If you’re looking for an alarm clock for your iPad that’s a bit different to the norm then this app could be just the thing. As well as some outstanding footage of real dolphins that was shot by the developer and his team for a movie (Beneath the Blue) 10-percent of the proceeds from sale of the app is being donated to the Sea Shepard Convservation Society, which is dedicated to protecting not only dolphins but all wildlife inhabiting the worlds oceans.
The app is a visual treat, yet it’s restful, should you be setting it up late at night for a bright and breezy start in the morning, which is kind of the point.
An auto-dimming night mode is a rather neat addition.
The quality footage (over 1GB in fact) gives the impression you’re viewing the dolphins from some kind of submersible. There’s something deeply calming about it. And the latest update, version 1.2, has even more dolphins than before.
Setting the alarm function couldn’t be simpler. The clock can be displayed in either 12- or 24-hour mode and you simply tap the corresponding digits – no scrolling involved!
If there’s a niggle you can’t select multiple alarm times throughout the day or program new times over different days. You can choose the day or days, say Monday thru Friday, or Monday thru Sunday even, but if you want a lie-in at the weekend, for instance, you can’t set a different (i.e. later) time for Saturday or Sunday. But this is easily rectified with a future, albeit as yet unannounced, firmware upgrade.
As well as access to your music library (from your iTunes account) there are 32 different tunes to choose from for your alarm.
If the app is open this is what you’ll see when you wake to the alarm. From the preferences, you can program the snooze feature to sound the alarm again at any interval you like, though the default is set, sensibly, for a couple of minutes.
If the app is closed (as is the most likely scenario) then the alarm can still be heard (you must have the volume set beforehand) and you’ll see a message like that seen above. We’ve hit the snooze button here a couple of times, hence the time.
Unlike the iPhone the iPad isn’t bundled with an alarm clock, and, while that seems like an oversight to us, apps like this are particularly welcome. With the lack of setting multiple alarm times the only real niggle, the beautifully shot footage and simple functionality mean this app should be on your iPad. Highly recommended.
Joanne Carter
Joanne Carter is a British photography journalist, editor, curator, and the founder of *TheAppWhisperer.com*, one of the world’s leading platforms dedicated to mobile photography and art. Since its launch in 2009, TheAppWhisperer has become an international hub for artists of all levels to discover, learn, exhibit, and engage with contemporary photographic practice.Built on principles of inclusivity, accessibility, and artistic excellence, Joanne has spent almost two decades championing mobile photography as a serious artistic medium. Through interviews, critical essays, exhibitions, competitions, and education, she has helped shape and document the evolution of mobile art on a global scale.Her work has taken her internationally, lecturing on photography and mobile art at institutions and events including the Museum of Art in Seoul, South Korea, alongside appearances in the UK and Europe. She has served as a juror for international photography and mobile art awards across Portugal, Canada, the United States, South Korea, Italy, and the UK.Joanne is also the founder of *TheAppWhispererPrintSales.com*, one of the first online galleries dedicated exclusively to collectible mobile art, connecting artists with collectors across Europe, the United States, and Asia.Before founding TheAppWhisperer, Joanne worked extensively in print journalism and photographic publishing, including roles at a paparazzi photo agency and as deputy editor of a leading photography magazine. Her freelance journalism, criticism, and commentary have been published widely in both the UK and the US, with bylines in *The Times*, *The Sunday Times*, *The Guardian*, *Popular Photography*, *NikonPro*, *DPReview*, *Which?*, *Vogue Italia*, *LensCulture*, the *BBC*, and more recently, the *Financial Times*, where her published letters on photography continue to contribute to wider conversations around the medium.Alongside her editorial and curatorial work, Joanne’s own photographic practice has been exhibited internationally across the UK, Europe, South Korea, and the United States. Her work increasingly explores themes of grief, loss, death, memory, and the body.Her current research interests centre on grief, death, and poverty, with forthcoming postgraduate study leading towards doctoral research in these areas.Joanne is currently developing new long-form writing and photographic projects and is available for commissions, editorial projects, speaking engagements, and collaborations.Contact: joannetheappwhisperer@gmail.com)
