App review: Track Runner

Track Runner

According to the app’s description this app is for runners that don’t compromise. Track your run, analyze your performance & train smarter with intervals.

I have used it for quite some time and will share my thoughts. Track Runner has basic features like tracking the running distance, the average speed (per split) and burned calories. It can remind you to run faster or slower based on the interval-settings. It has some nice additional features like showing a map with your run en track the usage of your gear (like running shoes).

Using this app you can let your friend send you a cheer while running. This will help you to motivate yourself to keep going. The intervals can be set with several presets or to your own liking. It can recognise when you stopped running and will auto-pause while you wait for a traffic light for example.

I really like the fact it has all these features without using too much battery or space on your phone.

Target group

Track Runner is very useful for runners that want to see the statistics, but don't want to deal with the hassle or the cost of other applications.

Recommendation

This app can help you to keep a good and healthy run-rhythm. If you go too fast, you will not go for another run. You will be too tired. But if you run too slow you are not burning enough calories. With this app you can keep this in control.

Alternative methods of create a date with friends

Friends / Private methods

Phone

Used with max 3 people

Pros

• Immediately organized and you know what you can expect.
• Personal

Mail

Used with 3 people or more

Pros

• Quick but everyone can still answer in their own time.
• Personal

• Everyone has input:
  Consulation about things like what to do and when. Not just one organizer.
• More structured than groupchat

When we meet

Used with small group

Pros

• Immediately organized and you know what you can expect.
• Personal

Chats

Used with a small group

Pros

• Quick but everyone can still answer in their own time.
• Personal

• Everyone has input:
  Consulation about things like what to do and when. Not just one organizer.

Facebook & LinkedIn

Have no facebook or use it almost not and would not use LinkedIn for these things.

Google Calendar

Small and big group

Pros

• You know more about each other left sparetime
• It is already integrated with my calendar
• 100% by the time; there will be no situation where I first say that I am available and later plan something because I forgot about my input.
• I don’t need to share my personal data with another organisation
• Other users can bring input as well
• You can choose your visualization; list, day, week, month and year.
• Suggestions for mail addresses.
• Quick response in mail without opening.

Other input

• Create your own layout especially for business (look and feel)
• Add an attachment
• Include also the travel options
• Can I fix a cab for you?
• You will have one hour travel time from your previous appointment with public transport
• If datum prikker would know everyone’s location he could give suggestions about the best location for everyone; make it smart.
• No physical appointment? What does everyone prefer? Skype? Hangout?
• Communicate with my calendar
• Animate; Move answered dates te the left in listview
• Animat; Weekview so you got better comparing with you own calendar (or month)
• Could be more structured, choose wisely what is the most dominant thing on the webpage.
• Everyone can edit.
• Show earlier: Respond later
• Option to give direct notes

App review: Sleep Time+

Sleep Time+
Sleep Cycle Smart Alarm Clock, Sleep Tracker with Sleep Cycle Analysis and Soundscape for Better Sleep
Azumio Inc.






Info
Smart alarm clock that analyze your sleep and wakes you up at the perfect moment of your lightest sleep phase. Wake up feeling refreshed. It also comes with a soundscape function.


Review
I have used it many times, not in the first place for the soundscape function but mosly to check my sleep rhythm. I want to know why I am always so tired so I checkt my rhythm to see if there is a problem. But unfortunately I never really get something out of it except for my REM rhythm. I sleep mostly 45 minutes in REM en then I sleep light for 30 minutes. But this difference become less by the end of the nighttime. So what I have learned from my rhythm is that I always should sleep less than 25 minutes or at  least an hour for a powernap, otherwise I will be more tired then before.
The function that it will wake you up in your lightest sleep never really happend in my opinion because it always woke me up at the time I exactly set up or it was a lot of coincidence. At the other hand I doubt the validation of the information because it is nog professional hardware. So for the rest I don't think it is a very useful app unless you always want to sleep with an soundscape.


Target group
For people who want to sleep better and/or with some soundscape on.
This app combines these features and measures you quality of sleep.


Recommendation
I would recommend this to everyone who want to know his sleep cycle/rhythm and to people who like to sleep with a soundscape.

App review: Head Space

What is Headspace?

 

This is an operation system build application that allows the user to meditate anywhere. There are various types of lesson sets which create a scheduled rhythm, ensuring calmness and relaxation of the mind. Individuals which are constantly stressed out can use this app program to improve their awareness levels and eliminate stress from the daily regularity.  This platform is suitable, varying from the beginner to the intermediate levels of users, wanting to spark the relaxation component among the constant strain experience.  

Who is target audience (group)?

• People Wanting To Learn Meditation
• Propelling entrepreneurs who are looking for a way to relax
• Individuals seeking to Increase their positive awareness
• Involving beginners or intermediate users to meditation
• People with an over active mind or lifestyle
• Consumers searching for a deep meaning of life

Recommendation phase

I want to start by referring to my total overview of the application “Headspace”. I am an individual, who would recommend personally (in person) something to friends or other acquaintances.  This platform is well structured, so that the user is not confused and provides significant result in a short period of time. This enables it to have a deep impact on people regarding their decisions. As a “victim” of this app I can state that I feel calmer after the first 10 min of use. My mind is more focused and energy is flowing through my body. After feeling satisfied I will contribute to its popularity it for sure. The only minus that I can state is the registration phase. The time it takes is just minute, but it is still annoying to deal with.

Experience Flow

The experience flow is available here on Google Drive.

App review: "Sleep as Android"

SLEEP AS ANDROID

“An alarm clock and sleep cycle tracker, wakes you gently in optimal moment for pleasant mornings"

1.   Review

Sleep as android is an alarm clock and a sleep cycle tracker with many other features. The main features are listed under here with a short explanation.

·         Sleep cycle tracking and smart wake up in optimal sleep phase

The app tracks your sleeping cycles during the whole night and calculates the best time to wake you up in the easiest sleeping phase to wake up.

·         Sleep deficit stats and time to bed notification

It collects data and shows you graphs about your sleeping habits. You can see if you sleep too long or too short and it can give you advice about when to ideally go to bed.

·         Nature sound lullabies for fast fall asleep (+binaural beats)

The app will play sleeping songs to make you fall asleep faster.

·         CAPTCHA: gets you out of bed on time (QR code, NFC tag, shake phone, math)

The app can force you to go out of bed with a QR code or force your brain to wake up using simple mathematic problems.

·         Gentle alarm, wake up with light and nature sounds playlists

The alarm clock in the morning will wake you up as smooth as possible by using light and relaxing sounds.

·         Sleep talk and snoring recording, snoring stats and anti-snoring, room noise stats

All sounds at night are being recorded and the app can recognize different sounds like snoring.

·         smart watch (Pebble) sleep tracking and smart light (Philips HUE) wake up

There are features to connect the app to hardware like a smart watch or smart light.

·         Sleep advice, rating and tagging

The app will gather all information and distillate an advice about your sleeping rhythms.

2.   Target group

The target group is primarily people who are having trouble with their sleeping habits and would like to gather information about that. The target group has a smartphone or tablet that can receive android apps.  The target group are people that search an alarm clock that does more then only waking you.

3.   Recommendation

If you want an alarm clock that does more then only waking you up, an alarm clock that tracks your sleep cycles, that helps you find your perfect sleeping pattern and bring your sleeping problems to the light then this is the app for you. Easy to use and easy to understand while it gives you a professional look on your sleeping habits.

Summary of Circadian preference and college student beliefs about how to cope with sleepiness

The article

The article describes a study that examined the relation between circadian preferences and the beliefs about ten effective ways to relieve sleepiness. The article starts with an introduction then the used methods are shown followed by the results and ending with a Discussion.

Introduction

A lot of studies examined the sleepiness of students and even the use of some main methods to cope with the sleepiness but this is the only study that examined students coping methods comprehensively to find out how students rate the relative effectiveness of different ways to cope with sleepiness. This study is important because a better understanding of how students cope with sleepiness and how different methods work according to the students can improve the night-time sleep. The study also examined the relation of circadian preferences (morning types, evening types and intermediate types) and the believes of the students about the coping methods with sleepiness. Evening types are coming during adolescence and the number of evening types decrease during adulthood.

Method

The participants of this study were 298 introductory psychology students (79 males and 219 females) at a Canadian college. The average male and female age was both 20.69. The study was approved by the Institutional Research Ethics Review Board at Grant MacEwan College in Canada. The measures were Morningness/Eveningness Questionnaire and ten fixed methods to Cope with Sleepiness with one open method.

Results

According to the Questionnaire 190 students were neither morning nor evening types, 108 students were evening types and 18 were morning types. The most effective methods according to evening types were: naps, coffee, exercise, spending time outdoors, energy drinks and caffeine pills while the most effective methods according to intermediate types were: Exercise, spending time outdoors, naps, coffee, energy drinks and cooling the body temperature. Surprising to notice is that caffeine pills listed in effective at the evening types was listed at ineffective at the intermediate types. In the open method most students filled in keeping busy or listening to music.

Discussion

The results of the study show that college students with different circadian preferences have different believes about the methods of coping with sleepiness. This is causing different behavior of different circadian preferences between students. Further research is needed to explore the relationship between student believes about effective ways to cope with sleepiness and what they actually do when they are sleepy.

Personal value

I am an evening type and this study may help me with finding the right methods to cope with my sleepiness. This study is focused on students and because I am a student this study is related to me too. This methods can help me feel better after a short night and that is very valuable for me.

Connection with Smart Life Rhythms

This article relates with Smart life Rhythms in the sense of sleeping rhythms of the students. This article shows very good how to research this sleeping rhythm and can help students of Smart Life Rhythms to find the right way to do a similar research. In this article they explain very good how to start with a group participants and what methods are possible to use.