Based on personal experience, Nokia is still the king of alarms.

A lot of people I know no longer use watches because they depend on their smartphones or PDAs to tell the time. In other words, why go through the relative trouble of wearing something on your wrist, when your gadget doubles as a pocket watch?

And, thanks to this development, people are also starting to rely on their handheld/mobile as alarm clocks as well. Most models have at the very least rudimentary alarm functions built-in; why not use them? Obviously, like their standalone counterparts, these built-in alarms must be great awakeners to be considered useful.

I've recently used the Samsung SGH-D830 and Z560, the Treo 680. None of them were as effective as the current phone I'm using, the Nokia 7650. Except for the recently-reviewed Nokia 5500.

Don't get me wrong. All of the gadgets mentioned above were loud enough to wake the dead. But the great thing about Nokia smartphones is that they do it gently, emitting the alarm tone at an almost-imperceptible level, then slowly building to a crescendo. Completely different than the others; they'd begin blaring at the loudest level possible.

Why is this important? Well, in the first case, the alarm eases itself into your brain, until your consciousness kicks in, making you realize that the alarm is ringing. In the latter situation however, you're totally jarred awake by the sudden loud noise. It's always better to wake up gently, rather than be startled awake.

How the rest of your day goes depends greatly on how it begins. This is why the tender alarms of Nokia smartphones are way better than the "shock and awe" approach of competitors.