Michael Schneider

01.17.12        App Score: 8/10    If you’re a believer in the power of suggestion or have ever wondered if hypnotherapy might work for you, then you guessed it – there’s an app for that. The newest, , is one in a series of several meditative, self-improvement apps designed to promote relaxation, relieve stress, quit smoking, eat better, and so on. Infinite Relaxation is designed for falling asleep or power napping and features the soothing voice of Andrew Johnson, hypnotherapist and expert on relaxation and stress management. Infinite Relaxation is structured around a recording coupled with a selection of soothing music. The ability to personalize the app by adjusting various settings is apparently part of what makes it work. Features touted by Infinite Relaxation include the ability to adjust the voice recording and music volume separately, set the length of the recording playback and decide whether it should conclude with “wake” or “sleep.” There is also a selection of four different background music/sound choices. The final feature of Infinite Relaxation is its ability to generate a different program each time you listen. Personally, I think they all sound the same, with the exception of varying the background music and voice volumes, but perhaps any other variances are subtle. Regardless, there is no doubt that the voice of Andrew Johnson is a soothing one. And if you let it, it can definitely guide you into at least a semi-meditative and relaxed state. Infinite Relaxation utilizes a form of hypnotherapy where the power of suggestion seeps into the unconscious mind. The recording included in this app is strictly about relaxation – both physical and mental. Frankly, it’s difficult to get past the first few minutes if you’re particularly sleepy, but it’s not unreasonable to assume that the program may help with mild insomnia. There is definitely a certain psychology involved in the effectiveness of hypnotherapy. An undeniable defiance to the possibility that it can work will most likely result in it having no effect. However, openness to the possibility that the power of suggestion can indeed promote relaxation is likely to allow the body and mind to yield to it. That said, anyone who doesn’t want the voice recording in the program can turn it off and use the music alone. Infinite Relaxation may come off a bit pricey, which it would be if it were strictly a sound-based sleep aid. Read More

General health practitioners recommend that adults get at least seven hours of sleep each night for optimal functioning of mind, body and spirit. Countless studies have proven the direct links between sleep quality and its effects on healthy immune functions, memory, learning, metabolism and much more. A good night’s sleep starts with a bedtime routine that prepares your body for a restful night ahead. Some drift off peacefully with the help of simple melodies, while others prefer a calming voice to guide them The following apps provide options for people of all sleep styles. Forget counting those sheep and upgrade to sleep 2.0 with these 10 app picks. This app is a guided meditation with self-help expert Andrew Johnson (who just happens to sound a wee bit like Sean Connery). The aim is to gently ease you into a more relaxed state, eventually falling into a deep sleep. With soothing instructions for breathing and relaxation techniques, this app works like a charm and can become a valued part of anyone’s nighttime routine. aSleep 3 provides a medley of sleep-related services like an alarm clock, timer, nature sounds, chromotherapy, weather and even a snore detector. Although there are some oddities in the sound options (didgeridoo, anyone?), this app provides a mix of features that can complement a good night’s sleep. Cost:  $0.99 Claiming to be your “personal sleep assistant,” pzizz is an app that aims to cure insomnia and keep users in a deep state of sleep throughout the night. The steep price can be partly attributed to the range of scientific techniques built-in, such as binaural beats and neurolinguistic programming, that creates more than one billion soundtrack combinations. With so many available, your mind won’t get bored by the monotony of a repetitive track every night. Modes of play include Energizer, Meditation and Sleep, and they are fully customizable to desired length. If you are wary of the high price, there is a lite version currently on sale for $0.99. Cost: $9.99 Long Deep Breathing is a simple, no frills app that promotes the practice of deep breathing for better health. Using what’s essentially a breath gauge, you simply follow the visual cues for inhaling and exhaling. You can adjust the length of each breath and eventually increase the duration. According to the app, the average person breathes about 12-16 times each minute. By practicing and working that number down, you Read More

To quote Nietzsche, sleeping is no mean art: for its sake one must stay awake all day.  Quite right too, but what about those times when sleep proves elusive?  Can we really use our iPhone to help combat those frustrating times?  Here are five apps which may do just that: A personal favorite.  A collection of ambient sounds to help you relax and fall into a deep sleep.  While some sounds are too harsh, there are some real gems here including Crickets Chirping and Cat Purring.  The ability to shift the balance from left to right is ideal for wearing a single earphone and a timer will turn the app off after a set time. An application which provides a guided meditation with self-help specialist Andrew Johnson.  Mr. Johnson’s pleasing Scottish brogue is perfect for describing the easy relaxation techniques contained here, and there is a very good chance that if you’re using it to help you sleep, you’ll rarely hear the whole program! We have sung the praises of this little app before, and its effectiveness as assisting in relaxation hasn’t changed.  Tap the screen to manipulate the onscreen visuals and either enjoy the custom soundtrack by Bloom creator Peter Chilvers or use tracks from your iPod library.  A sort of cross between a plasma ball and the iTunes visualizations. Available as either a Classic or PRO version, it’s by no means a cheap application at $9.99 and $14.99 respectively, but if you’re responsive to this type of assistance, then it’s cheaper than other standalone systems.  Essentially it’s an alarm clock, but it cleverly uses the accelerometer and proximity sensors built into the iPhone to tell when it’s the best time for you to wake up, based on your movements.  A log function keeps track of your sleep and a diary function lets you log mood changes and even your dreams! Sometimes it’s the tried and tested methods which work best, and what could be more tried and tested than counting sheep.  Listen to some default music or via the iPod, set a timer and count as many sheep as it takes.  What sets this apart from others is the sensible color scheme used – the last thing you want is a bright screen illuminating everything around you! Read More

Prank apps are a dime a dozen in the app store and PhotoDrop is just adding itself to the never-ending list of applications that have a unique idea but absolutely no use outside of that idea. The goal of Photo Drop is to give iPhone and iPod Touch users the chance to fool their friends by making photos fall apart and react to tilting the device. The app works particularly well on a screenshot of the springboard or the home screen of the iPhone. Enabling it, users can hand the phone to a friend and the second they go to use it, the icons will fall from their place and begin moving around. This is pretty convincing and makes for a nice gag, but the app has no use outside of this little trick. It allows users to add their own photos to mess around with, but I still have not found a reason why I would want to do that. It still moves the pieces as if they were icons and makes for a really cheesy looking physics app. Using them on a screenshot of the home screen will make for a realistic tragedy on your phone but anything else is just pointless. There is no way to reset the application either and anytime the user wants to reset the photo they have to exit the app and then go back in and pick the photo again. The app then tries to market itself as a game of some sort by having users try to get the pieces back into their designated spots, but this is just not entertaining enough. Unless you have the need for the most mind numbing entertainment ever conceived by man or a simple trick to fool your friends once, I suggest passing on this application. The fact that it costs money only made it easier for me to decide not to keep this one around. Read More