Emit Sounds To Measure Distances With PocketMeter
April 20, 2009
If you dig around the App Store long enough, you are bound to find some intriguing little applications that at first glance you may pass up because you thought they could never actually work. Well folks, we have one of those types of applications for you today and it's called PocketMeter, and to our amazement it actually works!
PocketMeter is a neat application that allows you to measure distances ranging from 8 inches up to 13 feet with a relatively high degree of accuracy. PocketMeter emits a sound and measures the time it takes for that sound to return. The device does need to be used in a quiet area for the application to work as accurately as possible, and you need to input the current temperature of the area you are in since sound travels at different speeds in different air temperatures. The application allows you to toggle the measurement from the front or back of the device, and it allows you to enter the temperature in degrees Fahrenheit or Celsius to make things a little easier.
For our simple room measurement test, we first measured the length of a quiet room with a normal tape measure. We then whipped out our trusty iPhone utilizing PocketMeter. PocketMeter was able to measure the distance of the room within .5 inches of the actual distance. Not too shabby.
You obviously wouldn't want to use this application to measure anything overly meaningful, or use it an a loud environment, but it is fun to use nonetheless. Also worth noting is that PocketMeter will not work on the iPod touch since it doesn't have a microphone, and the first generation iPhone since its microphone isn't sensitive enough.
PocketMeter is available at the App Store for the introductory price of $2.99 instead of its regular price of $4.99.
