If you leave your computer running throughout the night and if you need to wake up at a specific time, then you can let the Chrome browser be your alarm clock. Yes, the Google-developed web browser can be a substitute for your alarm clock – all that’s needed is the right app and you’re set. And if you like to wake up to the sound of the news, then the app I’m talking about is the perfect choice for you.

There is an app in the App Store that turns your Chrome browser into an alarm clock and allows the browser to wake you up to the sound of the BBC Global News podcast. The app I am talking about is appropriately called BBC News Alarm and it is offered free of charge to Chrome users. If you would like to get it, just click here.

Using this app is an incredibly straightforward matter. Say you have to get up at 8AM. You set the time for 8AM, and go to sleep – don’t forget to leave your computer on and your speakers turned up. At 8Am the app will kick in and the BBC Global News podcast will start playing

Must be mentioned here that the BBC News Alarm app for Chrome is a themed version of Podcast Alarm (podcastalarm.com), which is an online service that plays the podcast of your choice as an alarm. You simply enter the address of your favorite podcast and set the time when the alarm will go off. At the time you specify, Podcast Alarm will play your favorite podcast.

Getting back to the BBC News Alarm app for Chrome, the only problem I see is that you have to leave your computer running overnight. That’s okay if you leave your computer on to do perform a task, but I don’t think it’s okay to leave it on if it doesn’t do anything. Besides the fact that it needlessly uses up power, it also makes noise – and I find it hard to fall asleep with the computer humming in the background.