Nocturn

Built with Flutter, Nocturn is designed to be simple, intuitive, and beautiful. It is a perfect companion for your nightstand, and it is also a great way to keep track of time.

It features:

• Burn-In Protection: Safely leave the app running without damaging your screen.
• Dual Modes: Easily switch between different display configurations.
• Customizable Colors: Personalize the clock to match your aesthetic.
• Always-On Wakelock: Ensures the screen stays awake while the app is in use.
• True Dark Mode: Pitch-black background to minimize light emission.

Challenges & Solutions

Burn-in Protection on OLED Displays: Leaving a static clock running all night poses a significant risk of screen burn-in on modern OLED screens. To solve this, I implemented an intelligent display shifting algorithm in Flutter. It subtly and smoothly repositions the clock elements across the screen at randomized intervals, ensuring no single pixel is constantly illuminated without jarring the user.

Battery & Wakelock Optimization: A nightstand clock needs to keep the screen awake indefinitely. I utilized Wakelock APIs to prevent the device from sleeping, but this naturally increases battery consumption. By enforcing a True Dark Mode (using #000000 to completely turn off OLED pixels) and optimizing Flutter's rendering loop to only repaint when necessary (such as when the minute changes), I minimized power drain to keep the app highly efficient.