1st Impressions

As guys grow up they are more than likely going to accumulate an entire black book full of contact info on all their old girlfriends. When they get into a bind they will often pull a name out of their book for an emergency date (to a wedding for example) and discover that they really like the girl after all and finds himself at the beginning of a long and happy relationship.

That is exactly the same kind of situation I found myself in a couple of days ago – but with iPhone apps and not old girlfriends. In this case I dusted off an application I hadn’t used in some time (not that I ever “used” any if my girlfriends) and found that it fit my needs even better now then when I first purchased it. That application was Easy Relax Ultimate.

If any of you read my article on The Perfect Alarm Clock then you will know that I was getting frustrated with my ability to listen to soothing music at night, have a clock on my nightstand, and then wake up to an alarm that is louder than the music I slept to. This problem was made worse when my phone began having difficulty properly repeating the music tracts I used to sleep to.

Unlike many other apps in the same genre, Easy Relax Ultimate not only gives you a set number (in this case 16) different sound collections but will also let you use any one of 22 different base sounds and add up to 3 different intermittant sounds as well an one binaural tones to create your own perfect melodic collection.

Let me give you an example. The top selection on the screen shot was one I created myself. I began with the sounds of gentle lapping of some soft ocean waves. I then added a healthy dose of a breeze blowing through trees and the occasional cricket chirp and distant melody of a wind chime. Each of these intermuttant sounds are customizable not only by controlling their individual volume but also their interval, randomness, and speed.

I completed the masterpiece by adding a barely audible binaural tune designed to assist in deep dreamless sleep. The end result was magical. If it wasn’t for the lack of sand on my feet, the smell of sea air, and no strings in my back than all I have to do is close my eyes and I an transported to a hammock on the beach with a breeze softly blowing through the palms and sea grass and with the faint sound of the wind chimes across the dune from me.

While I love the app it, just like the girls in that black book, could use some added features or upgrades. I would not only like to have the option to download new sounds but also switch between a timer with an alarm at the end and instead just be able to set the alarm for a specific time. I also wish that changes to the color and brightness clock were saved so that it wasn’t just bright green each time it started.

In the past I have tried several apps of this type but always find myself returning to this one. At $2.99 it might cost a tad more than some of its competitors but I think it is worth it.