Apps Blog

User Group: Ideal for students studying for the SAT, the GRE or for anyone looking to boost their vocabulary

Reviewed on: iPod

Price: $1.99

About the App: An ideal app for those looking for a fresh approach to enhance their vocabulary in English
as well as for students preparing for SAT/GRE. There are two modes to the application:

1. VOCAB TRAINING: The user has access to 400+ vocabulary words using virtual flashcards that are broken down into three levels of difficulty namely lightweight, medium weight and heavyweight. The front of the flashcard has the word on it along with the ability to ‘Flag’ the word. The user can flag the word if they are not familiar with the word or to study it later. The back of the card clearly shows the definition along with other information on the word: part of speech, antonyms, synonyms, and a sentence that puts the word in context.

The user can also hear how the word is correctly pronounced. In the latest app version (1.2.1), Word pronunciation files are audible even if the Vocabador sound effects or the device’s ringer switch are turned off.

Once the user is confident that they are familiar with all the words, they can proceed to take the Vocab challenge.

2. VOCAB CHALLENGE: The users knowledge of words is tested in an interesting way and is the highlight of the app. It turns learning and testing SAT vocabulary into a game based heavily on Mexican wrestling. The user picks up a wrestler name and selects the foe across their levels. The user has the choice to get a sneak peek into the words or jump straight into the ring. Correctly answering a question is rewarded by the sound of a punch, and incorrectly answering shows a cartoon image of user’s character being hit in the face. The challenge is not easy as four wrong answers get the user thrown out of the ring.

After defeating all the wrestlers across all levels, the user can compete in the final challenge to battle the Vocabador to win the championship title.

What we like: We really like the educational value of the app. Information about each word is neatly presented. Timed quizzes to practice selecting the correct definition for the word is a sensible way to help the student quickly decide on the answer which is very helpful for the SAT/GRE exam where time is the most important factor. Correct definition is displayed when user chooses an incorrect answer.

The interface is so designed that it guides the user at every step. The user can peruse words alphabetically or randomly, choose difficulty levels and flag words for future study. In order to advance, each round must be completed within 90 seconds and facility has been provided to pause the quiz.

What we suggest: The application is mostly static and therefore trails behind as far as interactivity is concerned as the user does not actually participate in some real matches.

Also, the app should have the ability to create multiple profiles to help all members of a family increase their vocabulary in a fun way.

Overall experience: Although the app interaction is mostly static, we found its word lists to be useful, and can see the app being a valuable tool for test prep and the like. It is a great option for vocabulary expansion.

User Group: Kids between 4- 11 years

Available on: iPad. Requires iOS 3.2 or later

Price: Free download with in-app purchases

About the App: Everything Butt Art is an app that teaches children how to draw common zoo animals starting from the shape of a butt (a rounded lowercase w). Three animals come free and include step-by-step drawing, book pages, and shape search game (gorilla, tiger, ostrich). The inspiration behind the creation of the app is to instill a sense of fun and humor for piquing a child’s interest in art. To get kids started, the app gives a few sample pages from the book. There are a bunch of fun tools to work with like colored pencils, paintbrush of different widths and shades, a stamp pad as well as an eraser. The app guides the child along with tracing lines and step by step direction. The child can also choose the freestyle option by turning off the tracing lines.

The user also has the option to buy in app up grades that gives instruction for drawing more animals from the zoo. The user can also register for added benefits like creating multiple profiles, earning badges for drawing accomplishments, as well as making the art accessible from anywhere and saved forever. The drawings can also be emailed as they happen.

Children love adventure. Keeping this in mind, the app has an activity for the child where they can go on a butt hunt. Butt shapes are hidden all over in every illustration. They highlight as the child finds them, and a scoreboard keeps track.

What we like: The app is successful in engaging the curiosity and attention of the child by helping them learn to draw zoo animals beginning with one single shape: a butt. It is a humorous way to motivate the child to start drawing as smiling children are engaged children. This concept is taken further by making children go on a butt hunt.

Children earn badges for achievements while drawing. That’s helpful because it means parents are able to encourage their children on their progress and motivate them to earn more badges.

Engaging the parents in their childrens activity is another thumbs up for this app. There is no substitution for an engaged parent. The parents can get notification emails every time their children complete a new creation. This means that the parents can check out the new work online and can also share it via Twitter and Facebook. The artwork can also be posted to an online activity feed that notes the child’s profile, date, and the colors used in the image.

The app is equipped with a lot of the simple arts tools one would expect in a drawing app, like paintbrushes, pencils, erasers, colors and stickers. But it also has some additional functionalities like a smart centering feature when zooming out and multiple layers.

What we suggest: We would love to give the child more free rein to their creative thoughts. They can be encouraged to create their own piece of art using this shape and add to the existing list. The idea is to ‘encourage’ but not ‘restrict’ creativity. For example, more drawing aids can be provided to complete the piece of art with incorporation of backgrounds, shapes, characters and so on. This will help the child to build a story around their creation eventually leading to developing design thinking.
Overall experience: Parents love being able to engage and keep up with their children’s artwork and show it off. This is a simple way to get kids started on drawing while keeping parents in the loop. They do succeed in their mission which says “We don’t want our iPad app to be addictive. We want encouraging your child’s creativity to be addictive!” — Of course, if one does not mind the cheeky way to inspire the children to start drawing

User Group: Adolescents, Adults

Available on: iPhone, iPod

Price: Free

About the App: The idea behind creating this app is to solve the problem of “noise” when trying to discover something new online, whether it be a restaurant, book, movie, song or app. There are umpteen reviews but can we trust ratings of strangers? Generally, people turn to friends for recommendations as they can trust their opinion. A gourmet friend knows a lot about restaurants, for instance, and a film-buff friend knows all the best movies.

The app lets users find and “follow” people they know or reviewers they trust, as well as the ability to personalize their own “stamp” of approval. Users are provided a limited number of stamps (100) to start with and thus must be careful while making recommendations, since additional stamps are provided upon the users’ followers re-stamping or liking the things they have recommended. Recommendations can also be shared on Twitter and Facebook. All recommendations are retained that shows up like an inbox rather than a feed, so that previous recommendations can be searched at any time. It is also integrated with Google Places. Tapping on the earth icon at the top right lets user see Stamped recommendations nearby or search for specific locations.

What we like: We really like the neat interface and the overall design which makes the app intuitive. The ability to customize stamps or choose from given ones adds a personal touch to the recommendation and gives a feeling of having a personal signature.

The app is also tied into OpenTable, Fandango, Amazon and the iTunes Store so that the friends can conveniently follow up on recommendations if they wish directly through the app. Stamped has an affiliate relationship with each provider. When user sees a recommendation for a restaurant for instance, they can click through to book a reservation on Open table. Likewise, user can purchase movie tickets through Fandango, books through Amazon and songs through iTunes.

The app is well structured as recommendations fall under relevant categories. It is easy to share things, browse by category or location.

It is also a good idea to give the users a finite number of stamps to begin with and that the only way to increase this number is by getting positive feedback from other members of the community. This is mainly to encourage qualitative recommendations.

What we suggest: The navigation is confusing as the user repeatedly taps the back button in order to return to the main screen. The new version has incorporated the functionality of swiping the navigation bar to return to the main pane.

Overall experience: The execution of the main idea behind the application is quite satisfactory. Stamped is only for favorite recommendations; low and average ratings aren’t supported. So instead of attempting to amass a huge catalogue of ratings from the crowd, Stamped is designed to shrink the decision process by focusing only on the trusted opinions of close friends.

User Group: Toddlers, Preschool

Available on: iPhone, iPod

Price: Free

About the App: It is an early learning app for babies and toddlers. The idea is to playfully familiarize the child with commonly seen objects. For this purpose, words have been segregated into six different categories namely Zoo, Vehicles, Farm, Sea, Harvest, Art, and More Games. Whether your little one loves vehicles or farm animals; all the common interest categories can be found here. Each category is presented as a car trolley on a charming paper-art train that rolls back and forth on the Home screen. When a car is tapped, the photographs open up and can be navigated through by swiping. A male voice clearly pronounces the word and tapping on the photograph makes the word appear as an overlay on top of the image. Another tap clears the word and returns to the photo. Repeated tapping lets your child hear the word and see it displayed as many times as they like. There are 100+ colorful images that will help to gradually develop the vocabulary of your child.

What we like: Care has been taken to keep certain guidelines in mind while creating an app for babies/toddlers. Little ones love repetition, bright pictures, and simple words. The flow/navigation is easy as well as intuitive. Controls have been developed specifically for the fingers of babies and toddlers. Children love big things. The exit button of every section is large enough to be noticed. Cozy, fabric styled design elements have been used with pastel colors. It has a kid friendly interface. The photographs are crisp, clear, and colorful. The app has minimal functionality making it easy for the toddler to independently manoeuvre the application.

What we suggest: The app should have an element of discovery and guide the child ably to discover hidden areas. This not only stimulates the mental capabilities of the child, but also propels him/her towards self discovery and learning. A simple quiz can be added for this.

We also suggest adding sound to images helping the child to make associations.

The art section can also have a blank picture canvas to help the child dabble in colors.

Overall experience: It is an engaging application helping your child become familiar with the surrounding world. It’s a great way to encourage early language recognition in little ones. We definitely suggest adding it to your iPhone if you have a toddler at home.

Note: We are beginning a series of review of mobile apps from this week. If you have any apps that you want us to review, do send us the link. We would love to review it

Intelligaia launched their ‘Learn Language’ series available on the iPhone and Android phones aimed at improving lingual skills and using language as a medium to connect Indians with their roots. The application has received a good response and has caught the attention of the media as well. Recently, there was a writeup on the application in the leading daily ‘Indian Express’. You can read the full article here.