Technology has improved by leaps and bounds and mobiles have become a new way of life. It is impossible to imagine life without mobiles these days. Smart phones have changed the way people go through their everyday motions and Android has most certainly helped people lead a better life. With the internet on our fingertips nothing is impossible anymore with a smart phone in the hand. Whilst we use our phones for all purposes imaginable like playing games, watching videos, people have also come up with ways to use the phone productively.
Our ears are extremely sensitive, and everything from the roaring of the engine to a guitar playing acts on our ears. When noise levels increase it can cause a lot of damage to our ears, our brain and lead to permanent loss of hearing too. Imagine if we could have a noise detector with us all the time. This is fulfilled now by Android phones. To keep up with the changing times, Android now has apps that let you measure the noise level in your environment. We can take a look at some of these apps.
The apps are available on the market and even someone with limited knowledge of Android can download the apps easily. Regarding the usage, someone who knows the basics of sound levels will be able to decipher and understand the readings on the app easily. With the vast information available on the internet, even a novice would not take long to understand the working of the app.
Both the apps are free to download from the Android market. The apps are available on the market and therefore a good internet connection is required to download them. Make sure that you check your device compatibility because the apps do not work on some of the phones.
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This is a simple Android app and its functioning is quite easy to understand. The app takes the sounds that come from the microphone of the phone, and the Sound Pressure Level (SPL) is measured. The app shows the levels of all the sounds in your immediate environment. It also has graphs and charts to display the sound levels. The program also has a foreign translation integrated into it. Keep in mind though that the app can only pick up the sounds from the phoneâs microphones and therefore its accuracy is largely dependent upon the efficiency of your phoneâs microphone. This app can be downloaded from the Android market free of cost.
Sound Meter
This is yet another Android app that lets you measure the sound levels around you. All the sound values are shown in dB (decibels). In order to give you an idea of what the sound levels represent the app shows you the sound values of some common everyday noises so that you can gauge for yourself as to whether the sound that you are hearing is normal or not. Here too, the phoneâs microphone is used for the sound input; therefore the working of the app is largely dependent upon the quality of the phoneâs hardware. There have been some problems associated with this app especially regarding crashes and booting. This app too is free to download.
Quick tips
Though both the apps are similar, the Sound Meter app is better because it actually gives a comparative picture. By knowing the sound levels of various scenarios, situations and environment one can rightly judge whether a particular sound level is harming the ears or not. In addition, Sound Meter shows a time based chart on the sound level which is very helpful in knowing the intensity of the sound over time and also the total duration in which the sound has happened.
These apps are particularly helpful in knowing the noise levels in various places and this it helps a person to avoid those places with heavy noise levels. This is because eventually these places and noises would only contribute to disastrous hearing problems ranging from mild ringing in the ears to permanent loss of hearing.
Things to watch out for
The best part about these apps is that since they are on your mobile, you can easily carry them across anywhere. If you are in a place where you feel that the sound level is very high, then you can simply use your app to find out the noise level and confirm whether the sound level is high thereby enabling you to know whether you should stay at that particular place or not. Since the phoneâs microphone is the source of sound input the efficiency of the app depends upon that. Therefore, this app should only be used casually and not for anything official or professional.
