Wonders of Geology An Aerial View of America’s Mountains – iPad App Review ~ Gadget Reviews, Product News, Electronic Gadgets

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Fat Jump Pro (By SID On)

Developer: SID On Price: $0.99 Version Reviewed: 1.2 Download: here Requirements: Compatible with iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad.Requires iOS 4.0 or later. Located in the Warsow,Poland-SID on an independent mobile application developer has announced a recent update of Fat Jump Pro for the iPhone,iPad and iPod touch.Fat Jump Pro is a fast paced vertical arcade action for the iOS devices.Using the tilt controls the player must guide the jumping,little green hero (a healthy and crispy cucumber) up a never ending series of platforms...

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NFL Pro 2012

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Blood and Glory

Saturday 21 January 2012

Wonders of Geology An Aerial View of America’s Mountains – iPad App Review

Wonders of Geology An Aerial View of America’s Mountains, a new iPad book written, photographed, and narrated by Michael Collier blends the sweeping scale of a coffee table tome with the didactic ease of a PBS special. Readers are sure to learn, and yes, even be entertained, by Wonders of Geology’s stunning images and well-written text. The iPad app was adapted from Over the Mountains: An Aerial View of Geology.
Perusing this edu-book was a pleasure. As befits the book’s transition to iPad, reading it was a multi-media experience. There are countless, stunning photographs of mountain vistas and glacial basins, as well as illustrations that elucidate concepts such as plate tectonics, the rock cycle, and erosion.

Colliers narration accompanies the photographs, which are punctuated by text sections that underscore the photo’s subject matter. Collier’s knowledge and clear love of his subject comes through to the reader, and contradicts the adage that “those who cannot do teach,” since Collier is clearly both a man of action with the skills to impart what he knows to a lay audience.

The app is full of anecdotes that stick with the reader even after the iPad is closed. My favorite was Collier’s explanation of the formation of the Blackhawk Landslide in California, which occurred 17,000 years ago. “A flying carpet of rock ski jumped at a speed of up to 270 mph, moving 8 miles in 80 seconds” before landing at its current spot in the Mojave desert.

Users navigate through the book using a menu bar that pops up in between narrative sequences. Swipe gestures and pinch-to-zoon are also enabled.
Download Wonders of Geology An Aerial View of America’s Mountains from the App Store for $12.99.

What I liked: It was easy to become engrossed in the story of the earth’s changing geology. Interacting with the app made learning feel effortless. The narrator’s text was not unnecessarily technical, though most geology vocabulary could be defined for the user with a single tap, and the use of on-screen queues such as arrows helped me get a lot more out of his explanations. It was useful to be able to view any image’s location on a US map with a single tap.

What I didn’t like: Wonders of Geology is extremely well-executed. It takes full advantage of the iPad’s display and audio capabilities. There was nothing to dislike.

To buy or not to buy: At $12.99 Wonders of Geology is definitely pricey for an app, but it’s a bargain compared to the original book version, which retails for 2-3 times the price. Because much of the book is narrated, it is appropriate for children who might not be able to keep up with a text-only presentation.