puZZed is the ultimate rebuttal to “just five more minutes mom!”. I’ve mentioned before, in the original puZZed review, that I am completely guilty of hitting snooze, or resetting the alarm numerous, numerous times. I’ve gotten better as of late; making sure I go to bed at a decent time, so that I can get out of bed after my alarm goes off the first time….okay, maybe the second time. What puZZed does is force you to wake up and use your ‘thinker’ to turn off the alarm. Various tasks are available that must be solved before the alarm stops sounding, including; memory puzzles, typing phrases, matching signs and math puzzles. Recently, puZZed was updated to version 1.6.2, check out what’s new!

Features:

• ew puzzle! Color Mess - Select the color of the text, not the color it tells you
• Set difficulty for each puzzle
• Try out puzzle before downloading!
• User interface modification
• User experience improvement
• Various bug fixes

If you’re the kind that abuses the snooze button to the point of smashing your alarm flat, you need puZZed for BlackBerry smartphones. You can get it from BlackBerry App World for free from BlackBerry App World.

More information/Download puZZed for BlackBerry

If you've been holding out for a price drop to come to the awesome alarm app -- Wakeful, then we have great news. Previously available for $14.99, Wakeful has now dropped down to only $4.99 which puts it on par with other clock applications that are out there. If you're looking for an alarm app that is awesome, and totally different from anything else available then by all means, give Wakeful a shot.

Click here for more info and to download Wakeful for only $4.99

For a limited time, get Musical Clock - Multiple Alarms for free at BlackBerry App World! 

Waking up early in the morning every day can be an overwhelming task. I try to extend my sleepy time as long as possible before I absolutely must drag myself out of bed. Since I'm pretty quick to hit to the snooze button, I need something that offers multiple alarms to get my kiester moving. As of now, my secondary alarm is a family member shouting in my ear. That's when I discovered Musical Clock-Multiple Alarms by Karvi Technologies.

Musical Clock - Multiple Alarms is a neat little application that goes beyond the capabilities of the native alarm. It allows me to create multiple repeating/non-repeating alarms for anything I need. While your device can assign a music file as an alarm sound, it uses the same one for each and every alarm. With Musical Clock, not only can you set unlimited alarms but you can choose a different music file for each one created. 

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When one alarm isn't enough... Alarm Clock!

I admit it; I don't like to get up in the morning. I once accused a friend of lying about the existence of 5:00 a.m. I have even been known to set upwards of four alarms to make sure I get up on time. The alarm on my BlackBerry works just fine, but I need more. I need multiple alarms to wake me up.

Alarm Clock fulfills that need and so much more. An infinite number of alarms and alarm profiles allow me to completely customize when, how, and how often my alarm will sound. And gives me control over just how long that snooze will last.

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I'm always amazed when I find something new buried in the native applications on my device. Over the weekend I was playing around with the clock and discovered the built-in timer for the first time (yes, seriously). I knew about the stopwatch function, but somehow never realized there was a timer there as well. I've used the alarm itself as a timer tons and tons of times, doing crazy math to get it set when I needed. So needless to say, after stumbling across the timer feature I'm relieved that my alarm woes are gone. Tag-team this with the awesome Bedside Mode and the clock is one of my most used applications. I apologize if this is a "no-brainer" to some users, but I figured if I didn't know it was there then there must be others who didn't realize it either. Hit the video below for a quick look at the alarm, timer and stopwatch functions within the clock application.

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Schlage is back this year at CES and has a few new offerings up their sleeves for the SchlageLiNK system. You may remember that we first learned of the SchlageLiNK system last year at CES, and then we posted a full review of the system just a few months later.

This year Schlage introduced a partnership with Alarm.com that will enable greater whole house control when integrated with a SchlageLiNK system. I spoke with Colin Murray from Alarm.com and he gave me a brief walk-through of the system. The system they will offer through one of their local distributors will tie in to the SchlageLiNK lock, and when you enter your door code, your alarm will arm or disarm depending on whether you are locking or unlocking your door. Like Schlage, they will have a web portal and a BlackBerry app that you can use to control your system. Fee's have not been set yet, and release is about 2-3 months away. We'll keep you updated as more information becomes available.

Also new from Schlage is a Home Energy Management system. Many of us suffer from high energy bills, and wish we could lower them. This new solution from Schalge uses additional Z-Wave components at various parts of your home to monitor your energy consumption. A new web interface is being created, and will allow the user to see energy consumption and what that energy is costing them, and help create a budget to help lower your energy use. 

All in all, I think Schlage has some great things in store for us in 2010 and you can count on CrackBerry.com to keep you posted on the new developments. 

One measure of a true BlackBerry addict is if they sleep with their BlackBerry on their bedside table. I'm guilty of this myself, but it's mostly because I use the alarm program on my Berry. I find it quick and easy to use, much easier than fiddling with those darn buttons on your clock radio. You know what I'm talking about?

Anyways, in the first screenshot you'll see me hovering over the alarm icon. Click it to get into the program (Yes, I know BrickBreaker, Sokoban, CirclePopper and Ka-Glom are on the screen too... Texas Hold'em King 2 is just out of view as well :P... I'll review those later.)

Once in, it's super easy. Here's a breakdown of the options you can set:

Daily Alarm: Turn this ON or OFF to activate or de-activate the alarm.

Time: Set the time you want the alarm to go off.

Snooze: Want a snooze feature? You can turn this on to 1, 5 and 10 minute options. I've never used it, but I would imagine a lot of people do.

Active on Weekends: Turn this OFF if you do not want your alarm going off on Saturday or Sunday. YES if you want it to go off on the weekend.

Alert Type: Choose from Tone, Vibrate, and Vibrate+Tone. I leave mine on Tone for those early morning wake-ups!

Tune: Select the alarm 'sound' you want to use. Lots of choices here. I use the Alarm_Antelope. It's a bit annoying, but not annoying enough to make me want to throw my blackberry across the bedroom. PERFECT!

Volume: Choose from Low, Medium, High and Escalating. Find out what works best for you. I leave mine on High.

Number of Beeps: Select the number of 'rings' you want your alarm to belt out. Choose from 1, 2 or 3... I leave mine on 3.

Overall I'd have to say the alarm feature is one of the most handy available on the BlackBerry (besides the staples of phone, email and messaging of course!) I use the alarm feature every day and it never fails me... Well, sometimes I don't get out of bed right away but that's my own fault!

If you haven't used it before, try it. You might like it.