Posted by Steve on 08 22, 2010

iHandy Flashlight Free

Categories: Utilities, | 6 comments | |

Here is a MUST-HAVE Utilities application for your new iPhone 4. If you have any other flashlight-type apps on your phone, get rid of them now because iHandy Flashlight Free trumps ‘em all. With a list of functional and practical features, as well as a decent selection of different lighting types to select from, iHandy Flashlight Free is the one to pick if you are ever in need of lighting up a situation.

There are many reasons why this app reigns supreme over some of the other competitors in the App Store. First and foremost, iHandy Flashlight Free has made use of the iPhone 4′s built in LED camera light so you can now use the device as an actual source of shining light (*note this is only an iPhone 4 feature). It’s pretty bright and serves as the perfect utility if you’re in the dark and need to shed some light on a subject. In addition to this, one other feature that really stood out was the ability to activate the LED light as well as the screen light by simply shaking the iPhone 4. This makes for a quick and intuitive experience if you need some light fast, a simple shake and LET THERE BE LIGHT!

The main menu in iHandy Flashlight Free is a simple grid with 12 boxes: 9 boxes contain a different light, then you’ve got one box that promotes the paid Pro version, an info box for basic user control settings and instructions, and finally an iHandy Widgets box for promoting more apps created by the developer. Each light box has a cool blue/glowing icon followed by the name of each light. Pick from Lights, Strobe, Trippy, S.O.S, Emergency, Motion Control, Spiral, Glow Sticks, and Neon. Tap the box and you will get a quick preview. You can actually preview all of them at once if you slide your finger across each icon. The box flips around, displaying a preview of the light in action.

Once you have picked a light you have a few user controls. Hold your finger on the screen, then drag up or down to adjust the brightness of the light. You can also tap the custom color icon below and create any color you wish, then save it. Swipe or hit the arrow buttons left/right to pull up different colors and lighting patterns. The S.O.S light or the Emergency light may actually have some serious use, while the Trippy, Glow Sticks, and Spiral lights are more for fun. The regular white light is pretty bright, though you will get even more out of the screen light by making sure your brightness setting is turned up all the way in the iPhone’s Settings menu. Honestly though, you’ll be using the back LED light as your main lighting source. The screen light can be used to create a softer, more subdued ambiance.

While the free version is a great tool, you do have to deal with the ads, but there is a Pro version that gets rid of that. The developers also have thrown in over 60 more lights to select from if in fact you do want to upgrade to the paid version. The Pro addition includes some pretty cool new lights like a candle, lighter, Incandescent & Energy Saving light bulbs, more neon signs, and finally some additional skins for the glow sticks. All this at the $0.99 price-point is a good bargain. iHandy Flashlight Free is definitely a recommended utility app as well as the Pro version. With so many different utility apps to select from it’s important to make sure you have the right tool for the job and I think iHandy Flashlight Free is the most versatile and functional one.