iPhone App Reviews

Q&F: iFirstaid Lite

Chris J. | Jan 24, 2009 Healthcare & Fitness, Quick & Free, Updates

User rating: (4 votes, average: 4.00 out of 5)

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When I saw this app, I hoped that it might be a handy reference in any emergency situation. Right away I could see that this app would be lacking as the only categories were CPR, Bleeding, Burns, and Poisons. Ignore the picture that appears in the iTunes App Store, while that picture of the menu shows a “More Topics” option, it doesn’t exist on the version I downloaded. Perhaps an unintentional bait and switch, but it can’t help but sour my feelings toward the app a little.

In my experience with first aid classes, there are some important topics that are absent from the app. Most notably would be a reference guide for choking. Also helpful would be sections for broken bones, heat stroke, and shock. There are of course other sections that could be considered besides those that I’ve named.

Aside from what is absent, what is present is fairly minimal as well. This is only intended as a way of refreshing the memory of a person who has already learned first aid. If you don’t already have a pretty strong grasp of CPR methods, this app will not be of much use to you. The other sections may be helpful to someone even if they don’ t already know first aid.

If you’re the “be prepared” type who needs a reminder on the specifics of only four types of first aid emergencies, then maybe this is the app for you. Personally, I would say that there just is not enough to this app to justify the space it uses.

Additional Note (1/26/09): I had a pediatrician look at the app and she noted one mistake on the CPR instructions for children and babies. If you are alone it is recommended that you first clear the airway and give rescue breaths before leaving to call 911. This is because children and babies require CPR for choking, drowning, etc. and not for heart attacks.

Update (2/27/09): First Aid for choking victims has been added to the subjects for iFirstAid Lite. This details the “back blows” method for helping a choking victim. If you are like me, and took a class which indicated alternating back blows with abdominal thrusts, this app will not help with technique reminders for abdominal thrusts.

Also, the image showing “More Options” has been removed from the iTunes store. I would have preferred that they add more options to the app, but at least the image now reflects what you are actually getting.

The CPR instructions for infants and children is still not completely accurate, as indicated in my note above. The app was developed in Australia, which may explain some of the differences in first aid instruction. Although the app is growing and adding more features, at this point I still will be sticking with my original conclusion and deleting the app after I finish reviewing it.

Tags: Chris J., free

iDream

Michael (Admin) | Nov 17, 2008 Healthcare & Fitness

User rating: (21 votes, average: 3.05 out of 5)

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iDream is the third… and hopefully the last… “sound machine” to get reviewed here. The other two are aSleep and Ambiance.

The best thing I can say about iDream is that it isn’t terrible! That’s not exactly a ringing endorsement, but the reality is that it does basically the same thing as aSleep and Ambiance but slightly differently and with a much more limited sound catalog.

iDream comes equipped with ten sound loops, a timer, “visualizations”, and English, Spanish, German, and Russian translations. The sound loops are all good and seem to be longer and more layered than what you’d find in those other apps, and the timer goes up to 90 minutes which should be enough for most people… but the visualizations are laaaaaaame! Sorry Wirntec, I gotta call it like I see it.

I was imagining the visualizations would be something like what you’d find in iTunes or Windows Media Player, but it’s really just a screen that changes colors. iDream’s App Store description talks about “optical stimulation” and “phototherapy” but, call me crazy, this extra feature does nothing for me. It’s nice that you can adjust the color depth and speed, but I still don’t have much use for this feature unless I somehow find myself needing sound effects and a trippy flashlight at the same time.

The only way I see iDream competing with aSleep and Ambiance is if it (a) carves out a niche of awesome sound loops that you can’t get elsewhere, or (b) extends the list of sound loops to at least 30 or so. Or both? The sounds that are currently included really are pretty good… in any given sound there are probably five or six tracks playing at once, maybe more.

Visualizations are something else that could be a reason to buy, especially if they could go beyond a changing color screen. I may think they suck, but others might really get into that.

Again, iDream isn’t bad, it’s just limited when compared to the competition. When I’m using one of these “sound machine” apps to fall asleep I usually stick to the same three or four sound loops that I like, and I suspect a lot of people are the same way. It could totally be worth $.99 if you like outdoorsy-sounding nature noises which would describe most of the sounds included. If you’re not sure about whether to buy, iDream does have a “lite” version available which includes three sounds.

Here’s the full sound list in the current version:

• Campfire (available in iDream Lite)
• Country Meadow  (available in iDream Lite)
• Gentle Ocean  (available in iDream Lite)
• Log Cabin
• Mountain Stream
• Ocean Night
• Rockie Mountains (contains burping and farting noises)
• Severe Thunderstorm
• Spiritual Sounds
• Wolf Creek

Ok, the burping and farting in Rockie Mountains is probably from some exotic bird or frog. I just prefer the idea of falling asleep to a chorus of bodily functions.

Tags: $.99, lite version

aSleep

Michael (Admin) | Aug 25, 2008 Healthcare & Fitness

User rating: (8 votes, average: 3.50 out of 5)

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A lot of iPhone apps are so boring and pointless that it seems like the developers are trying to put me to sleep, but so far Signs Studios is the only one that does it consistently and on purpose.

The first version of aSleep only included six sounds which kind of had me wishing I’d bought Ambiance instead. aSleep’s latest update, however, expands the selection to 50 snoozers that are all over the place and suddenly I’m quite pleased with my purchase! Here’s the full list of the sounds you’ll find in aSleep 2.0:

Actually, by my count, that’s only 49 sounds! Bastards. Oh well, there’s still a lot of variety… my personal favorite is Relax 1. I seriously have no idea how anyone could fall asleep to the incredibly annoying sound of a didjeridoo, but I think that’s the point of including so many sounds – something for everyone, including crazy people.

aSleep’s nicely assembled interface includes a timer that will fade the sound out after a certain amount of time (up to 23 hours 59 min) and there’s also a volume slider which should address whatever volume issues iPod Touch users might have. At this point there’s really nothing else to throw in except more sounds, and since we only have 49 right now I’d like to nominate Whale Noises as #50 to be added in the next update.

I have only one problem with aSleep and that’s with the timer being set to default to 15 hours 01 min. I really think it should default to something more realistic like two hours, or maybe even remember your last timer setting so you don’t have to do it again.

You should definitely get this app if you’ve ever had trouble sleeping. Even if you only fall asleep to it once, $.99 is totally worth it.

Tags: $.99