Filed under: iPod Family, iPhone, App Store, App Review
Found Footage: The iPhone sonic ruler
Have you ever had a device that you wanted to make just a little bit more sonic? Have you ever been up late, measuring rooms and thought: "Could I approach this task with an iPhone? Sonically?" Fortunately for you, the good people at Laan Consulting have already thought of this. They've anticipated this eventuality and are now shipping the iPhone Sonar Ruler [iTunes link] for just a buck on the iTunes Store.
Yes, these good folk have imbued the iPhone with sonic goodness. As the video on the next page shows, the application sends short pulses and measures their return delay. Sure, you could go out to Office Depot and spend twenty bucks getting a far more reliable, dedicated unit but isn't it more fun to help support iPhone devs while really pushing the device beyond its design intent?
And don't forget: Bananas are good. They are excellent sources of potassium.
Thanks to Neekers
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
A User said 7:00PM on 8-18-2009
What else can they think of next?
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rndmideas said 7:10PM on 8-18-2009
You refer to sonic ruler in the post but the video is for Sonar reader. They are 2 completely different apps.
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rndmideas said 7:11PM on 8-18-2009
Sonar ruler i mean, not sonar reader.
mentalsticks said 3:03AM on 8-19-2009
see how easy it is to get confused?
kusmi said 7:20PM on 8-18-2009
Actually this is not new, there is an app called "PocketMeter" www.pocketmeter.ch, which did this since April 2009...
It also seems to use techniques usually found in sonar/radars.
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Sparks said 7:26PM on 8-18-2009
Pfft. /Laser/ screwdriver. Who'd have sonic?
(Oh, c'mon. Someone had to reply with the Master's quote, even if it's from two seasons later than the banana joke.)
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holo said 7:52AM on 8-19-2009
haha that's the first thing i thought of when i saw the article title
Daniel Y. Suzuki said 7:37PM on 8-18-2009
This is almost brilliant! However, the only problem I foresee is isolating the audio when you are in a noisy room. Say a construction site.
And it would be nice if they used the accelerometer to help you level the phone while holding it.
But cheers for the awesome app!
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Ryan S. said 11:03PM on 8-18-2009
Actually, they do have a meter on there that will help you level it. See the red/orange/green circle in the video? It lets you know. :D
Alex said 12:51PM on 8-19-2009
if you are working a construction site and use your iphone to measure things, you aren't gonna keep that job very long
Samuel said 8:34PM on 8-18-2009
There's a lot I could say about that video, but what I will say is that YouTube simply isn't the default for as many as I thought. I for now have noticed the visual upgrade (desperately needed) to YouTube, but that sound bar (which nicely coincides with the app btw) is best by far!
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dsh said 10:47PM on 8-18-2009
Lol, I was expecting to see a certain Hedgehog here but this is interesting also.
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Ryan S. said 11:04PM on 8-18-2009
Wow. That is truly amazing, and true too. I bought it and it's accurate to the inch for me. I always wished I had a long ruler on my iPhone, now I have one. :D
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Tom said 9:25PM on 8-19-2009
Add a tripod and create and app to create a 3D model of the space.
brandon said 11:40AM on 9-22-2009
@Tom: Dark Knight, anyone!?! :)
weckman said 11:38PM on 8-18-2009
I bought it as well, merely because it's just a fun app to show off. I also bought SudokuMagic for the same reason, even though I don't like the game itself. Sometimes the uses developers come up with just amaze me, and that alone is worth supporting.
Apart from that, the app does work rather well. Fortunately one can switch between metric and imperial, wasn't sure about that when I bought it. In my tests it performed amazingly well, and I didn't even touch the advanced settings too much, of which there are a few. The only thing that is a bit annoying is that one has to enter the current temperature. As the iPhone doesn't have a thermometer build in (yet! :-) ), you have to guess, as Yahoo weather won't tell You how warm it is inside buildings.
Still, if doubtful in its actual usefulness, this is one small but amazing app. And who knows, maybe the iPhone of 2010 will have a laserpointer that can be used for even better measurements. The sky's the limit...no wait, actually battery life is... :-)
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Keith Smith said 11:56PM on 8-18-2009
What, nobody appreciates good DOCTOR WHO quotes 'round here? Thanks, not only am I gonna have to check the app out, I'm gonna have to re-watch "The Empty Child" and "The Doctor Dances" again.... "Never been bored? Never had a long night? Or a lot of cabinets to put up?" Love it.
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Sparks said 1:12AM on 8-19-2009
Hey, c'mon, I responded with a quote of my own! Granted, I went to 'The Sound of Drums,' two seasons later, for my quote... but still! :)
Megan Lavey said 11:49AM on 8-19-2009
Hey, you should have seen us on the internal TUAW mailing list. We're pretty big Doctor Who/Torchwood fans back there! Ironically enough, I've had a hankering for a series 1 rewatch ...
"He returns ...
"My name is [REDACTED]"
*goes to watch "The End of Time" trailer from SDCC again*
Jim In Holland said 12:18AM on 8-19-2009
Bananas are good - always take a banana to a party. Just be sure not to invent the banana daiquiri a few centuries too early...
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