New Application: Safety Flasher (free)

Safety Flasher is the first title from Appmagination.

I'm aware that this sort of function has been done to death, but I thought I'd improve on the functionality, and price, of some of the others.

First, as with any sort of application or game that presents flashing lights or visuals to the user, let me provide you with a standard health warning that appears in the licensing terms for many software products. Note that this applies to all of the similar applications on the app store even though they may not bother to warn you about it!

PHOTOSENSITIVE SEIZURE WARNING.  A very small percentage of people may experience a seizure when exposed to certain visual images, including flashing lights or patterns that may appear in software applications.  Even people who have no history of seizures or epilepsy may have an undiagnosed condition that can cause these “photosensitive epileptic seizures” while using applications that display such lights or patterns.  These seizures may have a variety of symptoms, including light-headedness, altered vision, eye or face twitching, jerking or shaking of arms or legs, disorientation, confusion, or momentary loss of awareness. Seizures may also cause loss of consciousness or convulsions that can lead to injury from falling down or striking nearby objects.

IMMEDIATELY STOP USING THE APPLICATION AND CONSULT A DOCTOR if you experience any of these symptoms. Parents should watch for or ask their children about the above symptoms - children and teenagers are more likely than adults to experience these seizures.

Here's the description of Safety Flasher from the app store:

A very simple application that flashes the screen of the device for the purpose of increasing a person's visibility in low light conditions. It is especially appropriate for use with an armband holder while walking at night. It is provided without warranty or guarantees of any sort in the hope that it will increase your safety when used responsibly.

Why another flasher/strobe application you say? Well, here are some features/advantages over others:

• It's free!
• Launches immediately into the correct mode. Doesn't try to be a flashlight or anything else.
• Very simple settings with a preview area make it very easy to configure the application for the level of conspicuity you want without lots of unnecessary options.
• Flash, pulse, and burst modes imitate the most common flashing patterns of real safety lighting.

Note that the screen of the iPhone and iPod Touch isn't really very bright compared to a real safety light, so this application is intended to be better than nothing, but it isn't a real substitute for an actual dedicated light. Do not depend on this application for emergency signaling, especially in a situation where an emergency signaling device is required! It is only intended to make it easier to see someone in normal low-light conditions.

Note: If anyone wants the source code for this, please send me an email. I haven't bothered to put it up for download yet.

(Thanks to Russ Connell for pointing out the possible health issue.)