Which is better? A one-trick-pony utility that does one thing, but does it well? Or, a utility that seems to do everything except email? I have some of each on my Macs. Some I love, some I loathe. An alarm clock sounds like a one-trick-pony. After all, what else could it do except alert you to something, like, well, you know, an alarm clock on your Mac? Enter Alarm Clock Pro.
Alarms & Alerts
Our Macs are good reminder machines. iCal can remind us of events and dates ahead of time. Automator Actions can be set to perform certain functions according to a schedule.
The problem is multi-functions are spread across multiple applications for alerts, reminders, actions. Why not have a single utility which gives us every alert or action we can think of?
That’s what Alarm Clock Pro (ACP) gives Mac users.
Alarming Events
It could be that ACP simply has the wrong name. Sure, it’s an alarm clock, but who sleeps with their Macs? There’s just more built-in to this utility than is safely or accurately describe with the term alarm clock.
Speak or display favorite inspirational quotes randomly throughout the day, or even send them as text messages to your cell phone!
You did know that your Mac can actually speak, right? Oh, did I mention that no utility has enough features until it does email? ACP does email.
Have important reminders, or even birthday cards, e-mailed to contacts. Record laps with the Stopwatch. Track time differences for your investment portfolio. Even use it to help cook dinner by using the timer!
Right away you can see why Alarm Clock Pro needs a different name. It’s really more of an event or action utility. For example, ACP can be set to do functions not associated with a clock. Open a file. Open a URL in Safari. Run an AppleScript. Restart your Mac. Send email. And about 30 more, all related to actions tied to a specific time.
Features
Almost anything to do with time is what ACP can do, including calculate the difference between two time periods or time zones. Though it does it, I’m not sure of the mobile value of a Mac notebook which acts as the stopwatch with a lap counter.
How many Macs have you seen at a track meet?
Alarm Clock Pro can also initiate alarms based on a recurring monthly, weekly, daily, hourly, or even minutely schedule! Even start a countdown timer based on a specific time interval.
No alarm means much if you can’t put it on snooze, right? Snooze alarms can have different intervals. For example, set exclusions where the alarm does not ring on spefici days. There’s auto launch, alarms for specific times and dates, alarms that can be extended multiple times, a menu of alarms in the Menu Bar.
And, if you’re in love with iCal, ACP can import specific events to give your alarms more capability. In other words, there’s more than a boatload of features, and email is included. Yes, there’s even a clock. An alarm clock. A bunch of ACP plugins give you multiple clocks—ancient clock, porcelain clock, antique clock, a typical bedside alarm clock, even a huge wall clock.
You have to be something of an alarm or clock or actionable event junkie to fully appreciate Alarm Clock Pro. If you are, you will. If you’re not, you might become one after a day with ACP.