PC Alarm Clock

This basic alarm program feels a bit like a $10 plastic clock: it gets the job done, but it's no pleasure to use. PC Alarm Clock lets you schedule five alarms on a daily, weekly, monthly, yearly, or one-time basis (in the registered version, you can set as many as you like). PC Alarm Clock alerts you by popping up a message box and playing one of six canned sounds or a music file of your choice. Unfortunately, the program doesn't browse to its sound folder by default, so you have to find it on your own. By default, alarm sounds play in an infinite loop--another bad design choice, we thought. The clock itself is a compact digital display you can customize by changing the background color or resizing the window. You can't hide it behind other open windows, but you can minimize it to the system tray. Given its limited functionality and considerable design flaws, PC Alarm Clock strikes us as a half-finished product. At $19.99, it's probably not worth your time.