As a presenter the one thing I'm always concerned with is staying on time. Although I'm usually doing my presentation from my computer and there is a nice clock in the upper right corner I just can't simultaneously concentrate on my presentation and do the math on how much time is left from the current time. I need a timer. The iPhone has a nice built-in clock App that has a timer. However, it's not designed to keep the screen on the whole time and it also gives you no intermediate warnings (like 5 minutes left, 2 minutes left, etc.). It just sounds off once the time is up.
SpeakerClock mimics those big red TED clocks
I like SpeakerClock because it's simple, big, easy to read and keeps the display on the whole time. So at anytime during the presentation I can look down at my iOS device and see exactly how much time I have left. To use the App you just launch it and use your finger to drag across the display to set the time (00:00 to 99:30). So say you set it for 30:00 minutes. Then you just tap the display when your presentation starts to begin the countdown. As you get close to zero, the green light will go to yellow (3 minutes left) and then finally it will go to red (1 minute left). This is to let you know visually that it's time to wrap it up.
SpeakerClock works both portrait and landscape and is a universal App for native support on all iOS devices including iPad. It really looks great on the big iPad display.
It's great as is, but I want a couple more features. There is no option for an audible cue. Also there is no way to configure when the traffic light changes from green to yellow to red. I'd like to set the yellow warning at 10 minutes left and the red warning at 5 minutes left. I'd like the option of having a 10 minutes left beep and a 5 minutes left beep. Aside from those minor things, this App is AWESOME and I'll be using it from here on out. It's also great at helping me keep to the 10 minute YouTube limit.
UPDATE: Thanks to a tip from Twitter follower Karsten Warner, it appears you can adjust the traffic light intervals by first swiping/dragging the time to when you want say the yellow light to come on (for me 10 minutes) and then hold down the yellow light for a few seconds to set it. Then swipe/drag the timer again to set your red light interval (for me that would be 5 minutes) and hold down the red light a few seconds to set it. Very cool and thanks again Karsten!
There is the option to do an in-App purchase for 5 additional presets for $0.99. The default preset starts you off at 18:00 minutes.
You can get SpeakerClock here from the 
See a video here on how it works
SpeakerClock
SpeakerClock provides you a big red LED count down so that you'll know how much time you have left during your presentation.
- Oliver Drobnik
- Get on App Store
- $0.99
All info was collected on 13th July, 2010 when the app was reviewed.
About Terry White
Terry is the co-author of The Best Selling "The iPhone Book" 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th editions. He has been active in the industry for over 25 years and is the founder and president of MacGroup-Detroit, Inc., Michigan's largest Macintosh Users Group, host of the Adobe Creative Suite Podcast and a technology writer - Terry White Tech Blog.
And if you use apple’s keynote in presenter mode you can add a counter to count up or count down as well as a real time clock.
I could see how this could be much improved.
1. It doesn’t help much to have a warning when time is running out for an entire speech. That’s way to late to fix matters. Speeches usually have segments. There should be a way to give time warnings for each segment of a speech, perhaps with a way that a speaker can signal the app that he’s move from one segment to another. Minutes saved in one segment can be used later.
2. Watching counting numbers is too cerebral while speaking. Much better to use a bar graph that flashes changes from green to yellow and then red as certain times are reached. And as you note, users should be able to set those times.
3. It would hurt if each of this segments could display a terse summary of what the next segment is about as a memory aid.
Michael,
: http://www.bestappsite.com/reviews/productivity/timer-with-sections-helps-you-keep-your-presentations-on-track/
You’re describing this app
I think there is room for both kinds of apps.