New apps for every platform

TECHLIFE TEAM REVIEWS THE MOST INTERESTING NEW APPS FOR iOS, ANDROID AND WINDOWS MOBILE.

Nebula Alarm Clock WAKING UP TO A GAME. Free | nebulaapp.com

Are you a serial snoozer looking for more motivation to wake up and turn your alarm off for good? Many alarm apps offer a puzzle for you to solve to turn the alarm off, or gently rouse you with bird song (or a klaxon to really get your heart pumping first thing). Nebula combines these and turns waking up into a game. Successfully turn your alarm off several times in a row and you build a constellation of stars. Fail to turn the alarm off and the glowing, burgeoning star becomes a supernova and destroys the chain, scuppering your celestial creation. Nebula’s creators don’t want you to cheat the game — alarms set for less than an hour away from your current time won’t make constellation-worthy stars. The alarm tone itself can be a piece of classical music, an old-fashioned bell, or something custom, and the method to turn it off varies.

There’s a colour-matching puzzle, the option to shake the phone, or if you want to test your reflexes you can scan a barcode. While this latter one is probably the worst way you’d want to wake up, we can definitely say the rest of the app is effective and inventive.