Review: Nightstand Central For iPad
by Staff Writer
February 2, 2011
Alarm clocks are a dime a dozen in the App Store so that you have practically any option at your disposal from the stock apple clock to $10 apps. Nightstand Central for iPad is one of the more interesting choices because of all of the customization options. Any alarm clock can go off at the time you set, but most offer sounds you don't really want to wake up to.
That's where Nightstand Central comes in as it accesses the iPod app to let you wake up to your own music. You can create custom playlist mixes for each alarm you create, and then shuffle the songs to play different songs daily. You can have multiple alarms with different song sets or even one song, it's completely up to you.
Waking up to your iPod music is so much better than some sound effects, but those are included as well. There is also a sleep timer included so you can fall asleep to your iPod music, sound effects, or even third party music apps that work with 4.2 backgrounding like Pandora. The alarm can work in the background, and even in standby state when the screen is off.
The interface is very well done to make your iPad a great addition to your nightstand. You get the clock interface as well as the current weather and forecast on top of background wallpapers. There are multiple sets of beautiful backgrounds to choose from, and you can add in your own photos stored on the iPad.
You can choose the photo sets, and you can pick the interval they change at, if at all. There is the ability to shake to have a flashlight so you don't have to be in total dark in the middle of the night. The app isn't the most feature rich, but it does a great job at what it does provide.
One problem is that when in standby mode you need to leave the app open, and then press the power button. If you’re back at the home screen just regular sound effects will play on the alarm, and not your iTunes tracks. That means you still need to remember to leave the app open every night.
If you want an alarm connected to your iTunes music look no further than Nightstand Central for iPad which is worth picking up for $1.99.
That's where Nightstand Central comes in as it accesses the iPod app to let you wake up to your own music. You can create custom playlist mixes for each alarm you create, and then shuffle the songs to play different songs daily. You can have multiple alarms with different song sets or even one song, it's completely up to you.
Waking up to your iPod music is so much better than some sound effects, but those are included as well. There is also a sleep timer included so you can fall asleep to your iPod music, sound effects, or even third party music apps that work with 4.2 backgrounding like Pandora. The alarm can work in the background, and even in standby state when the screen is off.
The interface is very well done to make your iPad a great addition to your nightstand. You get the clock interface as well as the current weather and forecast on top of background wallpapers. There are multiple sets of beautiful backgrounds to choose from, and you can add in your own photos stored on the iPad.
You can choose the photo sets, and you can pick the interval they change at, if at all. There is the ability to shake to have a flashlight so you don't have to be in total dark in the middle of the night. The app isn't the most feature rich, but it does a great job at what it does provide.
One problem is that when in standby mode you need to leave the app open, and then press the power button. If you’re back at the home screen just regular sound effects will play on the alarm, and not your iTunes tracks. That means you still need to remember to leave the app open every night.
If you want an alarm connected to your iTunes music look no further than Nightstand Central for iPad which is worth picking up for $1.99.
Mentioned apps
Free
Nightstand Central for iPad Free - Alarm Clock with Weather and Photo Wallpapers
Thomas Huntington
$0.99
Nightstand Central - Music Alarm Clock with Weather, Sleep Timer, and Flashlight
Thomas Huntington
