Most earbuds advertise their noise-cancelling properties, allowing you to immerse yourself in the music while you block out the outside world. But the Awareness! app aims to do the opposite.
Awareness! Awareness!
The new app uses the iPhone’s microphone to monitor outside sounds and let you know what’s coming, such as warnings, shouts or sirens – useful if you’re walking down a busy street, cycling or even driving (not that you should be driving with headphones on, obviously).
The app works by connecting the microphone to your headphones so that the outside world carries on in the background of your music.
You can adjust the mix yourself, setting the balance between the volume of your music and the volume of noise coming through the microphone.
The Awareness! app works with any headphones or earphones but requires iOS4.1, so it will only work with the iPhone 4 or 3GS (or the iPod Touch 4 or 3 if you use them with microphone-equipped earphones).
Developed by British iPhone specialists Essency, Awareness! is available now for £1.79.