A good handful of months ago, I hesitantly swapped my trusted BlackBerry for an iPhone. Don’t get me wrong—I’ve been an Apple adherent for many years, and had already traded my costly PowerBook G4 laptop for an iPad without complaint, and have faithfully used Mac desktop computers since childhood (often alongside a PC supplied by work…).
Of course, I haven’t looked back and now wonder how I ever survived without the iPhone—and am continually amazed at its capabilities. Case in point, the other day, I ran across a Mashable story on a new device you can plug into your iPhone to test produce for potential pesticide residue (see “Lapka Turns Your Phone Into an Organic Monitor”).
Those of us who make the food industry our professional home know that, more than ever, transparency is key to establishing consumer trust. After all, folks are skeptical. And this Lapka iPhone device and app play right into that skepticism (other capabilities of the device include other paranoia-driven tests for electromagnetic fields and radioactivity, as well as humidity, with the latter option helping users determine their “perfect comfort level”).
The device basically seeks to detect nitrates in foods to, ostensibly, determine if they are truly organic or not (you can also test drinking water to discover pesticide contamination). Although it’s quite possible that the probe works on contact, I’m envisioning people carrying these devices around the grocery store and skewering fruits and vegetables—perhaps even poking through the barriers of packaged foods—with the probe before purchase, which I’m sure will rile many a store manager… Nevertheless, a cool idea that pushes the boundaries of iPhone capabilities.
Of course, I haven’t looked back and now wonder how I ever survived without the iPhone—and am continually amazed at its capabilities. Case in point, the other day, I ran across a Mashable story on a new device you can plug into your iPhone to test produce for potential pesticide residue (see “Lapka Turns Your Phone Into an Organic Monitor”).
Those of us who make the food industry our professional home know that, more than ever, transparency is key to establishing consumer trust. After all, folks are skeptical. And this Lapka iPhone device and app play right into that skepticism (other capabilities of the device include other paranoia-driven tests for electromagnetic fields and radioactivity, as well as humidity, with the latter option helping users determine their “perfect comfort level”).
The device basically seeks to detect nitrates in foods to, ostensibly, determine if they are truly organic or not (you can also test drinking water to discover pesticide contamination). Although it’s quite possible that the probe works on contact, I’m envisioning people carrying these devices around the grocery store and skewering fruits and vegetables—perhaps even poking through the barriers of packaged foods—with the probe before purchase, which I’m sure will rile many a store manager… Nevertheless, a cool idea that pushes the boundaries of iPhone capabilities.
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