I don’t have an iPhone yet, but probably will in the next few weeks. Or maybe days. Anyway, I got the new iTunes and was checking out some of the apps in the app store and rand across this:
It’s essentially a blank white screen. So if you are in a dark alley fumbling for your car keys or whatever, you fire up this app and the iPhone’s screen glows as bright as it can, turning your $300 marvel of modern technology into a crappy 99 cent flashlight. 🙂
Actually, it’s not a horrible idea, and I’m sure there are already similar apps out there, not only for the iPhone but other mobile devices with screens. The amazing thing is that the author put it up for sale at 99 cents! In fact, from reading the comments on the app, I see there already is a free app that does the same thing.
Some of the commenters seem pretty pissed off that he would try and charge for this “app”. I’m more amused than anything. But I wonder how this made it on the store at all. I thought Apple was executing some kind of editorial control over what made it on the store.
Hehe, funny story: a few months ago I was on vacations in Chile, and for some weird reasons I had to cross on foot a small forest at 11pm, alone (just about 1/2 mile)… Erica Sadun’s “Light” was very helpfull… the funny thing was that in the middle of the walk, while I was almost literally shitting my pants, the phone rang, and it was my girlfriend calling from Spain… and of course, everything went dark ^^… geeky stuff 😛
As Apple is getting 30% on all application sell via the iTunes, it is not so surprising from them. BTW I get the IPhone this morning and it is really a beauty 🙂
I just made one in Flash.
http://tastylamp.net/stuff/Untitled-1.swf
yeah, you could make one in html. < html >< /html > 🙂 For a full blown app, take the Hello World app and delete the part that prints “Hello World”.
I’d make one in Flex, but that requires changing the background colour from green. Ugh – effort.
Yeah, I’ve actually had this same concept of an app on my hacked first gen iPhone for about a year now. You just slide your finger up and down the screen to adjust the brightness. Although very basic, it is *extremely* handy and I use it all the time actually. It’s a must have app for the phone if you ask me. It definitely should, however, be *free*.
hehehe yeah I just noticed that one too. Found it particularly amusing that they included a screen shot on the info page, which was essentially just a big white rectangle! LOL!
This is the hello world of mobile applications. Wonder if the app actually taps into backlight API or merely goes dim after x seconds (that truly would be i-Lame).
Anyways, not clever, and definately not innovative. LOL! Plus the $1 is an insult (we offer these for free in Flash Lite world and with more look and feel and functionality … SOS mode, dance mode, etc!).
Yes, how this got on the Apple deck is a wonder. Maybe Apple just wanted to say we have x apps instead of x-1.
Hopefully the comments outweight the downloads … but it would be interesting if the developer makes more than 1000 off this silly application where as the free version only makes 500 because it’s got a different name, etc.
1000 downloads and $1000, and 500 downloads that is …
I had a similar app for my Sony Ericson many years ago, but this app had an added bonus feature, you could invert it and get an all black screen, so you can shave or check your makeup. Never used it though but I use my phone as a flashlight all the time.