Review: Buddha Machine

Overview Based on similar devices used in Buddhist temples, the hand-held version of the Budda Machine is a looped sound device meant not only to help you relax, but to be art in and of itself. People have been buying this little machine like crazy since it first came out in 2005, even with it’s limited feature set. The Buddha Machine emulator for the iPhone does almost exactly what it’s real world counterpoint does. But is this enough?

Features

The Buddha Machine features nine looped ambient tracks called Drones by FM3. These tracks will play endlessly until the track is changed or the battery runs out. These tracks, as a general rule, are very mellow sounding and slow with noticeable exceptions. One can change the track with the single button available on this app. The Sound quality is decent, but often you can hear the seam in the loop, and this is not only a little frustrating, but more importantly counter to the relaxing intent. The app also puts the accelerometer to use. If you shake the iPhone the color changes to one of seven different options. This reflects the hand-held version in that they were sold in as many different colors. The new hand-held is only available in three colors.

Breakdown

The Good:

I used this app for a few days before starting to come to conclusions about it. I turned it on before my nap on the third day and found that the droning eased me readily into sleep. I woke up to the Buddha Machine still droning away. These are, by and large, sounds that one truly can listen to over and over, the creation of which is no small feat. The Bad: There really isn’t all that much to this app, and while I realize that this is supposed to be part of the charm, I find it lacking something that is vital to the handheld. In all of my research, I couldn’t find one review or opinion on the hand-held that came across as even mildly negative. But the opinions about the hand held weigh lightly on this app. It’s not nearly as charming as the real thing, and in terms of true meditation, nearly useless.

Verdict

I wouldn’t buy this app. Not because it isn’t pretty, or because it entirely lacks utility, but because it emulates the real world variant very badly. The charm of the hand held is that you get to hold a anti-iPod. A small plastic piece of avant-art, whose offering creaks out of tiny tinny speakers is a completely different animal than nine tracks of looping audio on one of the sleekest handheld devices on the market. This app is antithetical to the original intent of the product. I was able to find a bright side to this, in that my curiousity about the original Machine was piqued. In truth, I ordered a handheld Buddha Machine for myself for Christmas, hoping that what I found lacking in the application might be realized in reality. This app is for those who already own the original Buddha Machine or those who appreciate novelty in the extreme.

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