Gadgetwise Blog: Finding Inner Peace, iPhone in Hand

The Inner Balance app from HeartMath.

HeartMath, a creator of science-based solutions to reduce stress, recently turned to a stress inducer, technology, to create a tool to help users achieve serenity.

HeartMath may seem like an odd name for a stress reliever; the word “math” can cause some people to break into a sweat. But its new app, called Inner Balance, is a better indicator of what the company is offering.

The app, available free for Apple iOS devices, provides instructions and feedback on techniques for breathing and focusing. It works with the company’s sensor, which costs $99.

Clip the sensor to your earlobe, and Inner Balance reads your pulse and develops a pattern to help you synchronize your heart and breathing rhythms. A typical session takes about three minutes.

The sensor does not have a Lightning connector, so it is not compatible with the iPhone 5. It does include an adapter for other iOS devices, so I downloaded Inner Balance on my iPad and prepared for my journey to inner peace.

I found the app simple to use and remarkably soothing. Once I focused my attention on the rainbow flower on the screen, I was able to match my breathing to its pulsating pattern. After only a few minutes, I felt calmer and more rested.

After a session, you get lots of charts, graphs and numbers (again, math). But the app does a thorough job of tracking your progress and providing goals for improvement without feeling too New Agey.

In fact, HeartMath went a long way to make Inner Balance appear scientific. A little too far, because the interface felt technical and cold, like something you might encounter in a doctor’s office. I don’t need Deepak Chopra whispering positive affirmations in my ear, but some calming music or even white noise would help me relax.

The HeartMath app and sensor can be beneficial tools for reducing stress, but with dozens of competitors it doesn’t feel worth the cost. Heck, you could just close your eyes and count to 10, free.

Gadgetwise Blog: Simple Home Surveillance That Offers Peace of Mind

The Dropcam HD offers live and recorded video monitoring on Apple and Android devices.

I’ve always wondered what my cat did while I was away from home. Did she devour the leaves of the plant in the living room or merely nibble them? How often did she jump up on the kitchen counter to forage for food? Did she dash out through the open window to patrol the ledge from four stories up?

Plenty of video monitoring cameras offer home surveillance solutions, but they are either expensive or the video resolution is low. At $150, the Dropcam HD aims to hit the middle ground, serving as a decent child monitor or home security camera. As I was getting ready to head out of town on vacation, I was eager to try it out.

The Dropcam HD was easy to set up. I was able to connect it to my home Wi-Fi and have it up and running in less than a minute. After that, I downloaded the Dropcam app so I could view my living room from my iPhone (the app is available for Android devices, too). With the camera’s 720p resolution, the image was clear, although hardly high definition. The colors were muted, but the sound was good. The real test, however, would come when I was 3,000 miles away on the West Coast.

While I was out of town, my neighbor promised to feed my cat. Through live feed on my phone, I was able to view him stopping by the apartment and giving the kitty her daily kibble. We could even communicate via  two-way audio, although a three-second delay made conversation awkward.

I checked the Dropcam at night, too, and the infrared vision showed me a quiet, still apartment.

But I couldn’t check the Dropcam every moment. To help with that, the camera has a DVR function that records events, marking them on a timeline of the last seven days. You can check each event and skip the hours of motionless void. Real-time viewing is free; the DVR service starts at $9.95 a month.

Now I know what my cat is up to while I am away. As it turns out, it’s the same thing she does while I’m there: sleep.