App of the Week: MindPulse - November 12th, 2008 by Forest
MindPulse is a new iPhone app takes advantage of a behavior of the brain called “entrainment.”
It could accurately be described as mind control, but instead of gathering an army of somnambulists à la Dr. Caligari, the creators simply want to make you: Focus, Relax, Meditate or Sleep. The lights and sound blink in unison and at varying speeds in order put you in the desired frame of mind. It’s like a digital drug cocktail: Adderall, Xanax, Ambien all in one!
Funny thing is, it actually kind of works. That being said, if watching a Dragon Ball Z fight scene or Cloverfield brings you to the edge of seizure, you probably don’t want to invest $3.99 into MindPulse. However, if you could use a little rewiring, plug in your headphones and place your iPhone over your eyes. It’s weird at first, but as you begin to relax, there is actually a noticeable change in your mental state – almost a conscious hypnosis.
While MindPulse may never sell a million copies, it is an interesting mobile extension into the “real world” and one that actually aims to serve a purpose. Not to hate on the Zippo lighter, because it’s awesome, but, like the iPhone heart monitor, MindPulse is an actual utility (in this case, a healthcare tool), even without the use of GPS, messaging or Internet connectivity and WAP formatting.
Of course not every random app signifies mobile’s progression towards the core of our life, but this is just one more example of how the phone is becoming an increasingly useful, flexible, personalized Swiss army knife.
No comments:
Post a Comment