crying baby

My worst nightmare. (iStockphoto.com)

By Viet Le

I don't have a baby, nor am I a baby person -- a cat person, yes... baby person, not so much. (Although, let me know if you come across a baby that purrs and can kill mice.) Knowing this, my wonderful friends who are parents like to prank me when I come over for visits, sitting their toddlers on my lap and then tee-heeing as they race out of the room leaving me alone with their babies. It's like they've tossed a grenade at me that could explode in tears at any moment. That's why when I read about the Cry Translator, a new iPhone app, my first reaction was "where have you been all my life?"

What does it do? Well, you hold up your iPhone to a crying baby (which from this non-parent's point of view is pretty much all the time, right?) and apparently within 10 seconds, it analyzes and deciphers the source of the crying: hunger, fatigue, annoyance, stress or boredom. The Cry Translator will then offer specific suggestions to turn your baby's frown upside down. Biloop Technologic, a Spain-based company, created the Cry Translator and says clinical tests have shown it's 96% percent accurate.

Despite the steep app price, I'm willing to give it a shot. (It's $9.99 until November 11th, then goes up to $29.99.) But is it too good to be true? Does it really work? Next time I'm around my parent friends, I'll let you know. Although I could always test it out on myself when I'm stuck with a baby. According to its website, the Cry Translator will continue to work regardless of the child's age.

categories: Apps

5:17 - November 6, 2009

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