You’re out at a holiday party and down a couple of beers throughout the evening. While you feel fine, should you risk driving home in case you’re pulled over? A new accessory for the iPod or iPhone was designed to help you make this decision before climbing behind the wheel. David Steele Enterprises’ aptly-named iBreath ($79) accessory lets iPod or iPhone users test their own blood alcohol content. Yes, we thought this was a joke too, but apparently not. Simply connect this accessory to the bottom of the iPod or iPhone (all current models supported except iPod Shuffle), fold out the “blow wand” and exhale for a minimum of five seconds. Two seconds later, your blood alcohol level will be displayed on the LCD screen to advise you whether or not you’re ok to drive. If you blow over, a built-in timer can be set (from 1 minute to 8 hours) to remind users to take the test again.
The company is positioning it as a safety device. The iBreath measures your Blood Alcohol Content (BAC) range within 0.000 – 0.100 percent. Still,The LA Times tech blog says the group Mothers Against Drunk Driving worries that kids might use it to play drinking games. The iBreath iPod Breathalyzer, which doesn’t require any batteries, also doubles as an FM transmitter, to wirelessly beam your music to an unused spot on the FM dial (such as on a car stereo) in order to hear your tunes through speakers instead of wearing earbuds.
Of course this wont stop anyone from driving drunk, and the FM transmitter is useful.
It takes about 20 minutes for elevated BA to register on a breath test. My then, most people can’t find their phones, anyway.
now THAT is what I call a gimmick
There’s been a few of these thingies going around for a while, and they’re not quite reliable enough. I wouldn’t trust one of them, better to have a designated driver or just not drink.
You can pick up a wireless transmitter for 10 bucks and don’t drink and drive anything.Buzzed driving”under the legal limit”is still drunk driving.Merry Christmas
Oh YEA!!! see how HIGH a number you can get!!!
15.9 I won!!! (ilose)
I wonder if this would be practical for bartenders or people who have house parties.
In both cases, if someone leaves drunk as a skunk and kills someone, the place he got drunk at could be sued. But if it could be established that they were not drunk when they left or went with a designated driver, then the lawsuit goes away.
Just might be a good investment, specially at only $79.
If you have to wonder whether or not you’re too drunk to drive, you are.
why does it need to be plugged into an Ianything? couldn’t they just build it with a battery in it? nice gimmick tho…
#8 – Phone
>>why does it need to be plugged into an
>>Ianything? couldn’t they just build it with a
>>battery in it?
Because then it would be no different than the other breathalyzer gizmos that have been around for years and years, cost half as much, and have three times the range.
#9 Mustard,
Ain’t progress wonderful?
A great breathalyzer story can be found here, although Tuker is full of sh*t usually, but still sometimes kind of funny.
Wish I could see the light at the end of the tunnel clearly – or at least not with double vision
An interesting article from Parker’s Guide (on the UK’s best sources for car evaluations etc):
http://tinyurl.com/aybdys
According to the article they are pretty much all shit….
Simple solution. Don’t drink.
Since most alcoholic beverages taste like yeast shit anyway, which when you think about it, is what you are drinking. If your enjoying the evening is dependent upon becoming inebriated, then you can’t have much of a life.
Years ago it was understood that alcohol preserved the food so wine and beer were essential to avoid water borne bacteria. Today however, they aren’t required as most water is pretty safe to drink.
Another very salient point is that it takes 20 minutes on an empty stomach for the alcohol to fully enter the bloodstream. Longer if there is food in the stomach. So blow in one after drinking and the results won’t be accurate for some time.
# 14 Mr. Fusion said, “Years ago it was understood that alcohol preserved the food so wine and beer were essential to avoid water borne bacteria.”
Yep, hence the term “small beer”.