iPhone App Review – Swipe Ruler

Swipe Ruler won’t replace your measuring tape or your yard stick.  But if you carry around a tape or a yard stick and you’re not a contractor you probably look like a dork.  This app won’t give you a precise measurement, but this app will give you an accurate estimate using the accelerometer in your iPhone.  Sometimes that’s all you really need.

I’m married.  My wife is a chronic window shopper.  She window shops for furniture and browses for decor that we have no intention of buying.  Inevitably, the question comes up.  Even for items that we will never purchase, the question comes up.  “Will this sofa/table/cabinet fit next to the door/window/hallway?”  Prior to putting this app on my iPhone, I would always just guess based on memory and eyeballing.

Now I can give a digital estimate, which according to my wife is far more accurate and valuable.  Once again, I’ve been devalued by my mobile device.  The app is super simple to use.  Just open it, click ruler, touch the screen to begin and slide the app along the surface to measure.  Then touch the screen to stop measuring.  The how-to video is great and always available from the start screen.

Two things to consider.  First, the case on your iPhone won’t affect the measurement, but it will affect your ability to slide your phone along a surface.  The surface itself will also affect the slide.  This is all important because the slide needs to be uniform and smooth in order to optimize performance.  Second, the app only provides an estimate.  An estimate down to the hundredths of an inch or centimeter which is kind of comical, but still just an estimate.

In the right scenario, this app is great.  I wouldn’t use it to measure lumber prior to cutting.  That whole measure twice cut once thing doesn’t really fly with this app.  But for guessing and estimating, Swipe Ruler is just fine.  Is it fun?  Not really.  Is it useful?  Absolutely.

Overall impression

★★★★★★★★ ☆☆

Value for your money

★★★★★★★★☆☆

Category: Utilities
Type: Ruler
Cost: 99cents
Rating: 4+

Current iTunes Reviews: 10 reviews, 2.5 stars

Description:

Swipe Ruler is an accelerometer based ruler for the iPhone and iPod Touch.

This tape measure is a very simple and easy to use application that implements some very cool math using the accelerometers in your iPhone or iPod Touch to estimate distance.

Out shopping and need to know if that table will fit in your dining room? Find out using the Swipe Ruler.

-Measures several feet down to a few inches.

-See distance in both inches and centimeters instantly.

-Check out the YouTube video on the menu page of the App for tips and directions for the best results.

Swipe Ruler is only intended as an estimate. Please use a tape measure for projects that require precise measurement.

What’s new

Changed the background of the ruler to indicate which direction to swipe the ruler.