Tech Review: Wake-up alarm apps cajole, annoy and startle you out of bed

That extra hour of sleep you got last week when daylight saving time ended is now a blissful memory. As the days get shorter -- and mornings get darker -- some people find it easier to sleep but harder to wake up. These alarming apps can cajole you, annoy you and startle you into getting out of bed.

Alarmy

(iOS $1.99, Android, $1.71)

Alarmy proudly bills itself as the "World's Most Annoying Alarm App," and it may well be true. First, you take a picture of something near your bedroom -- for example, your bathroom sink -- and "register" it within the app. To shut off the alarm when it sounds in the morning, you must get out of bed and use your phone's camera to snap a new photo that matches the one you registered.

Alarm Clock Xtreme

(Android, $1.99)

Anyone trying to get up for work knows if you snooze, you lose, especially if you repeatedly hit the snooze button. Each time you hit the snooze button, Alarm Clock Xtreme's alarm gets louder. For repeat snooze-button offenders, the app can be customized so the only way to quiet the alarm is to successfully complete a math problem. Don't worry: The calculations are easy, because even Einstein wasn't Einstein at 6 a.m.

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Alarm Clock Pro

(iOS, Android; $0.99)

For those who don't need a lot of prodding to get up, Alarm Clock Pro is a good-looking solution. The app is stylishly designed to emulate a large LCD clock and has several themes to choose from. You can pick any song on your device as the alarm to wake up to. The app has a built-in flashlight, a nice feature on dark, cold winter mornings.

Wake Alarm Clock

(iOS; $3.99)

This popular iOS app offers several ways to wake you up. You can set the app to "shake" mode, meaning you physically have to grab the phone and shake it to shut the alarm off. For those who wake up easier, "swipe" mode should suffice, because all you need to do to quiet the alarm is run a finger across the screen.

Tech bytes

Experts: Internet attack likely

A majority of technology professionals canvassed by Pew Research Center predict a major Internet attack will cause widespread economic harm sometime over the next decade. Attacks by hackers and saboteurs could threaten financial transactions, national infrastructure such as the power grid and "essential daily-life pursuits for billions of people." The 1,600 people surveyed by Pew included security experts, technology journalists, academics and scientists. -- PETER KING

Wearing out a welcome

Two powerful movie industry trade groups have updated their anti-theft policy to include potentially banning theatergoers with wearable devices such as Google Glass that can record videos. The Motion Picture Association of America and the National Association of Theatre Owners say anyone who refuses to put the devices away will be asked to leave and could face further action from law enforcement authorities. -- PETER KING

Microsoft, Dropbox team up

Microsoft is teaming with online file-sharing company Dropbox to allow Office software users to manage and share files through Dropbox's website and mobile app. The functionality will be included in the next updates to Office mobile apps, to be rolled out in the next few weeks. Microsoft has its own file-sharing service called OneDrive, but the new deal gives it access to Dropbox's more than 300 million users. -- Reuters