Most people rely on some form of alarm clock in the morning, and it a sad fact of life that the majority of alarms are not only intensely irritating, but also result in being woken rather abruptly. Aurora offers a better solution for Mac owner, making it possible to use your computer to play media files to help your to fall asleep or to wake up.

Used as an alarm clock, Aurora can be used to listen to your favourite music – and you have the option of importing your iTunes playlists – as an enjoyable way to start the day. Different alarms can be set for every day of the week, so you can choose to lie in at the weekends. To avoid waking with a start, the volume level for music can be pre-defined, and you can also opt to fade in sound rather than jumping straight in at full volume.

You can also use Aurora to launch an application when the alarm goes of so your computer will be ready for use when you get up. The ever useful snooze option is available in the app, and support for Apple Remote means that you can control your alarm clock from bed if you Mac is not within easy reach.

Aurora can also be used as a sleep aid – you can use the app to listen to music or watch videos as you nod off. The application can be configured to shut down after a certain number of tracks have played, when the video has finished, after a certain length of time or at a particular time. Volume can be gently faded out and the screen dimmed so as o avoid disturbance as you sleep, and any alarms you have set for the next day will automatically spring into action at the set time.