When I am on the road (which lately has been too often), I use my iPhone exclusively as my alarm clock.I wind down at night with "NatureSpace" (iTunes link), and I wake to the "Strum" ring tone. Using my iPhone is just easier than messing with hotel alarm clocks and hoping I did it right. I must not be alone because Kensington has released an iPod charger specifically designed for the iPod Touch and iPhone that combines Kensington's "Rise and Shine" (iTunes Link) application to turn the iPhone into a bona fide alarm and weather appliance.

The Kensington Nightstand Charging Dock is designed to hold your iPhone / iPod Touch in landscape mode with a small kickstand device, and is small enough to not add to the clutter on your desk. The Rise and Shine application keeps the iPhone in landscape mode and displays the weather and time information in three different modes and styles. This combination of charger and alarm application is very smart. When I use my phone, I just use the built-in alarm, which does not offer a static display, and more than once, I have not been able to plug my iPhone in next to my bed because of lousy outlet design. The Kensington Nightstand Charging Dock kills both of these birds with one stone.

It is available for pre-order now for $39.99. There is not an official release date, but since the application link and pre-order page are live, it shouldn't be too long. I am going to start testing the application tonight, so I can see if it helps satisfy some of my road warrior needs.

via iLounge