mind Wave – Review
By App Type: Uncategorized
Our rating: 
By: mind Wave
Version #: 1.0
Date Released: 2008-10-02
Developer:
Price: 1.99
User Rating:
Loading...
I am a big fan of the app WhiteNoise, a well-executed sound generator for listening to everything from a thundershower to a crashing surf. It is an enjoyable and relaxing break to put in some earbuds, fire up the app and escape for a few minutes.
On the surface, MindWave looks like a similar app. Like WhiteNoise, it too generates a number of different sounds. Like WhiteNoise, it too offers a sleep timer. But unlike WhiteNoise, MindWave employs binaural beats. hat makes it an entirely different beast.
What ARE binaural beats? As the Developer’s notes (above) explain
Binaural beats are… the easiest way of stimulating the brain is through ears.
Years ago I purchased "Brainwave Suite", a series of CDs by Dr. Jeffrey Thompson that embed Delta, Theta, Alpha and Beta waves into the music in order to foster calm, deep meditation or alertness. I have been listening to the CDs regularly ever since and find them to be a powerful way to enhance my degree of calm, thought and general well-being.
MindWave takes a similar approach but, rather than offering a variety of musical selections, it offers specific, goal-focussed selections and a built-in countdown timer.
The promise of this is that "Binaural tones help to improve the learning process, relieve headaches, help you fall asleep, relax and even get rid of bad habits like smoking".
The app offers a small, but growing selection of "tracks", a countdown timer that will keep the app running until you actively turn it off or as quickly as ten minutes later, and a setting for "Visual Stimulation" that flashes color on the screen.
Does it work?
Let me put it this way- I have been using MindWave for the past two weeks. Each night I put in my headphones, select the "Sleep Induction" beat and set the timing to give me 20 minutes before shutting down. I do not fall asleep easily but I have yet to hear the app turn itself off. In other words, since I began using MindWave I have fallen asleep every night within minutes. Can I prove it works scientifically? Nope. But I am a believer.
The app is well designed and at just $1.99 is, in my opinion, a bargain!
Quick Take
Value: Very High (What price can be put on falling sleep fast or regaining clarity in the midst of a long day?)
Would I Buy Again: In a heartbeat binaural beat
Learning Curve: Zero. The app is well-designed and makes actually using it simple
Who is it for: Everyone
What I like: Well designed app! Works! Developer promises "More presets to come every month."
What I Don’t: I would like to be able to turn off the "click" when scrolling between sounds/functions.
Final Statement: This is an amazing app that, at least for me and apparently many others, works!
Note: You must wear stereo headphones in order for this application to have any affect. Do not use if you have a pacemaker or if you have epilepsy(visual stimulator in v2).
Note: In reading up on binaural tones for this post I also discovered that Dr. Jeffrey Thompson’s work is available through Last.FM. It might be worth a look!
I have included 10 binaural beats to entertain your brain waves:?Study Aid?Sleep Induction?Relaxation?Deep Meditation?Mental Refreshed?Coffee?Creativity Boost?Focusing Attention?Weight loss?Headache Treatment
How it works: The easiest way of stimulating the brain is through ears. Other senses are often used as well like vision. The problem is that humans cannot hear low sounds, which are very useful for brain wave stimulation, that's where a technique called binaural beats is used.
Let me give you an example of a binaural beat/tone. Right ear is given a steady tone of 400Hz and the left one is given 410Hz, these tones combine in your brain to achieve a 10hz difference. This 10Hz tone is totally formed by your brain. This can only be achieved when using stereo headphones since the right and left channels do not mix until in your brain.
There are four frequency stages:?Delta (0.5Hz-5hz)?Theta (4Hz-8Hz)?Alpha (8Hz-14Hz)?Beta (14Hz-30Hz
For example: Theta stage (4hz-7Hz) has been found to increase learning abilities. Children spend more time in theta stage than adults, which could explain their accelerated learning capabilities.
I hope you enjoy this brainwave entertainment application as much as I do. More presets to come every month.
NOTE: You must wear stereo headphones in order for this application to have any affect.
O U R T A K E . . .
