iVuvuzela

A loud buzzing noise has become a standard feature at this year’s World Cup. And now the noise has gone high tech.

The Vuvuzela is a plastic African trumpet that World Cup fans are using to express their excitement of frustration at the matches. The sound it makes has been compared to a loud swarm of angry bees and broadcasters are considering additional audio filters to tone it down for the home viewers. But eardrums beware because now the Vuvuzela has been made into an app and will be coming to an iPhone near you.

The app was designed by a Dutch duo, ironic because the Dutch have been some of the most outspoken against the horns. The Dutch coach has banned them from training sessions and players are blaming them for drowning out referee whistles. When the app originally launched eight months ago there were only a few thousand downloads. But since kick off downloads have exploded coming mostly from people in the United Kingdom, Germany and France.

The app only produces about ninety decibels of sound compared to the horns, which belt out one hundred and thirty decibels. It seems technology has found a way to keep the celebration going, even after the final goal and I sure wish I had the earplug concession.