Method and apparatus for providing selectable roaming and non-roaming alarms

A method for providing an alarm for a communication device, comprising the steps of:

• providing to the communication device a first real time clock information referenced to a first time zone;
• wirelessly providing to the communication device a second real time clock information referenced to a second time zone, wherein the communication device is currently operating in the second time zone, and further wherein the second real time clock information is provided from a communication system within the second time zone;
• setting an alarm which is referenced to either the first real time clock information or the second real time clock information;
• wirelessly providing to the communication device a third real time clock information referenced to a third time zone, wherein the communication device is currently operating in the third time zone, and further wherein the third real time clock information is provided from a new communication system within the third time zone;
• and
• updating the reference for the alarm to the third real time clock information when the alarm is set to reference the second real time clock information.

A communication device having a home communication area and operable in at least one other communication area located in a different time zone than the home communication area, comprising:

• a receiver for wirelessly receiving a current local real time clock information associated with each of a plurality of local communication areas from each of a plurality of local communication systems when the communication device roams into each of the plurality of local communication areas;
• a real time clock circuit for maintaining a home real time clock information associated with the home communication area and for maintaining the local real time clock information associated with the at least one other communication area;
• and
• a controller coupled to the receiver and coupled to the real time clock circuit, wherein the controller is programmed to:
• set an alarm which is referenced to either the home real time clock information associated with the home communication area or the local real time clock information associated with at least one of the plurality of communication areas,
• update the local real time clock information using the received current local real time clock information associated with the current local communication area in which the communication device is located, and
• trigger the alarm using the real time clock information in which the alarm is referenced.