Well it certainly wakes you up, but it is a bit unsettling. The quality of the light is the same as for camera floodlights and there is something alien about the LCDs. I also have a Lumie and a Phillips and the Phillips (with the sound of waves, forest etc) is definitely the best.
What is good about the Sunrise is that you can program it for different times on each day of the week, so (for example) you can be an hour later at weekends.