I had the flashlight app on my jailbroken ipod (I've since upgraded to 2.0) and, as gimmicky and silly as it sounds, it is actually quite useful. Good when you're fumbling for keys in the dark because you forgot to turn the porch light on.. or if you're working on the inside of a computer as the ipod is very thin and easy to position.

shockwaver

Yeah, I had a white 320x480 pixel image in my picture folder. The only downside was that it would swivel around in landscape mode, decreasing light output.

Another easy hack is to access your e-mail inbox which is mostly white.

Deprong Mori

Just make sure you don't pay for the $0.99 version that is almost identical.

I did this all the time before "2.0". To make it more convenient set your wallpaper to a white (or similarly bright) image and it's always immediately available. Great for when you're trying to find your car keys under that restaurant table.

Reminds me of the old "mirror" application for Palm. It would simply turn the LCD screen black so it was sort of reflective. Not sure what else people expected it to do.

Zadaz

@JaggedToaster: haha. why dont you just carry a keychain light.

fredygamer

The funny thing is that there is also another flashlight app in the App Store that costs $0.99. It features different colors. Wooooo.

JaggedToaster

Light runs on the old software as well. 2.0 isn't needed

pyromaniac

I agree with Zadaz, there is another one that cost $.99. What?!?!, I meant it is just a simple code to display a white page. Just like LifeHacker said, use Safari to display a blank page or just have the setting screen.

Dynasty

Sigh...I keep hearing about all these apps originally made by Nate True, Big Boss, RiP Dev Team,R4mon, ZooTTD and all the other originals that are now being polished and commercialized.
(With the exception of Erica who has been doing this since 1.1.1, Of course)

Charli Wag

Funny thing how I had the "flashlight" application for months. Which beats this because it makes the screen solid white as well as boosting brightness to full. And turning back to normal after you're done.

Rob C

Where's the "Mirror" application which turns your screen black :-)

chelsel

It is unbelievable that someone would want people to pay for this.

As far as the usefulness, once I was in the restroom at work when the power went out. My keychain light requires you to hold down the button, so I took my phone out, and changed the display time out to never shut off. It gave me enough light to finish my business.

johnsmith1234

Oh enough with the iPhone posts already.

Want to turn any cellphone into a flashlight? Bring up an app or interface which is mostly white or grey. Tada!

Talthybius

@Talthybius: I kind of agree. Are we going to get an indepth post about each of the 500 apps in the iPhone store? Little tidbits about how to sync up with Google mail, or sync with Outlook, or ordinary GTD stuff is fine, but like.... zzzzzzzzzzzz..

(Yeah, I know there is a filter, but still)

Al Iguana

Out of all the apps I've installed so far, Light is the only one with a legal notice/disclaimer. It's in the Settings area, and it's pretty verbose.

I find it hilarious, myself, considering that Light is literally nothing more than a blank white screen...

Jordan117

"If you're resisting a 2.0 upgrade this week (or just haven't been able to get one), you could also try stopping a web page from loading in Safari"

Or just jailbreak your phone like everyone else who's had access to this app for almost a year.

Urza

I have done this for quite a while on my ipod classic. Just by viewing a blank, white picture (open paint and click save :) I have used it as a reading light on many occasions.

dkjohann

Oh, this idea's a standard, I'm just not sure you need an app for it (free or not :-/). It's #8 on my list of 10 reasons why the ipod/itouch/iphone is the geek dad's best friend:

[duanesbrain.blogspot.com]

Duane

does apple gives figures how long can the torch run?

thefatbrain

Hmm, I've done this using the Indiglow light from my Timex, and with my Sanyo flip cell phone, and with my beeper (back in the day), and with a Zippo.

Why is this such a great app again?

quail

Useful for finding theater seats in the dark.

Mythokia

It's actually a very useful application. In the event of a black out, everyone will have their own portable lighting device.

Has anyone seen what concert goers do in some foreign countries (YouTube it)? They do this really weird thing (at least from our perspective) whereby they all get out their cell phones and wave their arms creating a candle lit / firefly effect. That's the downside to this application. It enables people to perpetuate this odd crowd behaviour.

ICEBreaker

@Rob C: I agree. While this one is OK I liked the version on my jailbroken iPhone better because it did boost the brightness. And I find it funny how many times I actually used it.

@fredygamer: My phone is always on me. My keys are not.

jarhead

A basic Google page does the trick nicely -- makes a great little light in a pinch.

A friend of mine sent me a link to the iPhone Strobe last year, now that is fun! (HAH)

[www.motorcyclelife.net]

shoregeek

On the old firmware there were apps for this. One was Light and the other was Flashlight. The latter was better, because it jacked up the brightness to maximum when you ran it.

buckeye17