'Ghost' detection app wins fans in China  

“抓鬼”软件吓到好奇市民 专家称仅是一款游戏

the interface of The app "Ghost Observer."[Photo: gmw.cn]

(ECNS) -- The app "Ghost Observer" is believed to have added spice to Chinese people's lives, as it was the top download in China on Apple's App Store last Thursday.

Once open, the app shows a black and white interface. The radar detector searches for paranormal phenomena with electrical noise and then shows the image of "ghosts" around you, which is sepulchral and potentially terrifying. The app provides a signature that helps you figure out the ghost's history and even its habits.

Even when the mobile phone camera is covered, the app can still catch "ghost" images.

The developers, four young French engineers, said it is merely a form of entertainment, but it still scared a girl in Xi'an, Shaanxi province, Xi'an Evening News said. The girl surnamed Zhou said she was too terrified to turn off the light and fall asleep after playing with the app alone at home one night.

Liu Bo, a senior IT engineer in Chengdu, said cameras on the mobile phone can't form electromagnetic images and the discovered "ghosts" are merely dynamic images installed in the app.

Many netizens talked about the app on social media website Sina Weibo, most of whom said they won't take it seriously. But one netizen said she discovered a "ghost" with the same age as her deceased mother, and she doesn't feel lonely anymore.