Best of Show CES: iHome+Sleep

Until now, the promise of iPhone apps designed to interact with companion hardware accessories has been largely been just that – promise and little more. But if the iHome+Sleep app is any indication of where things are headed, the results could be very fruitful. Known for its dockable alarm clocks for iPhone an iPod, iHome’s new iA5 ($99, budget model) and iA100 ($199, premium model) have basic on-board controls but are designed specifically to be operated via the iHome+Sleep app, which is currently awaiting App Store approval by Apple. The app is based around the idea of not only setting an alarm to wake to your music the night before, but also things that you may want to do just before falling asleep (sending yourself a late-night reminder for the morning) as well as the next morning before you get out of bed (checking the weather report). You might ask yourself why such an app would need Twitter and Facebook integration, but it’s there too – the entire app feels like it’s on steroids.

Our award is for the app itself, which will be free and functional even if you don’t buy the accompanying hardware. The iA5, which we tested at CES, sounds merely okay and is nothing to write home about beyond the fact that it works with the iHome+Sleep app. The iA100 appears to hold much more promise as a hardware product, but is further off in development (the preproduction unit wasn’t functional) and isn’t expected to hit the market for awhile.

However, the app is brilliant, and with so many high quality iPhone/iPod alarm clocks in its catalog, we hope that they’re all re-imagined to be compatible with the iHome+Sleep app eventually.

Read about all of iProng’s “Best of Show at CES 2010″ winners and finalists in the January 14th issue of iProng Magazine, which will feature a cover story interview with The Flaming Lips and more.

About Bill Palmer

Bill Palmer is Editor in Chief of Beatweek Magazine. His editorial contributions include interviews with musicians and iPhone industry coverage.