On the level

Are you a high-tech kind of guy who owns an iPhone or iPod to help you get through the difficult days? Well, if you need to hang a picture, need a quick, accurate level reading, your entertainment technology can help.

The Stanley Works has launched an iPhone and iPod touch application that will provide you with a Stanley level. Go ahead and scratch your head, but it’s true.

This new and free application is available online at the Apple Application Store and brings users the accuracy and reliability of Stanley tools in virtual form. Four interchangeable application skins emulate existing Stanley levels to provide consumers with a choice of Stanley’s line of levels.

According to the company, the Stanley level “harnesses the accelerometer, a digital gyroscope technology located in iPhone and iPod touch, to generate an understanding of where the device is in space.” Once the user has downloaded the free application, they begin by calibrating the level with a gravity-driven (bubble) level to create a simulation in the iPhone or iPod touch. When the calibration is complete, the level is ready for basic leveling tasks.

“The Stanley level application combines more than a century’s worth of hand-tool manufacturing experience with today’s latest digital technology,” said Kevin Udy, a Stanley Works company spokesman, in a press release. “Every Stanley tool is designed to provide best-in-class end-user benefits and the level application is no exception. This handy [application] simplifies many jobs including the hanging of artwork or the mounting of shelves. The Stanley level is just like the real thing, but it’s always in your pocket when you need it.”

The Stanley level for iPhone and iPod touch mobile digital devices is available for free from the online Apple Application Store.

Contact: The Stanley Works. www.stanleyworks.com

This article originally appeared in the July 2009 issue.