Apps: Books
Looking for a way to keep your kids busy while traveling or waiting in the doctor’s office? You know, something entertaining enough to keep them busy, but also quiet? Audiobooks For Your Kids for the iPhone could be the answer. Pros:
The developers of Misty Island did a superb job of turning this Thomas & Friends story into an iPad app. Unlike other apps where developers have cut out pieces of the original artwork and then applied some very cheesy animations to them, this app was done right.
Nuclear weapons hold a somewhat unique attraction in our society. They are at the same time the most destructive force imaginable, and yet many of us are drawn to it, not unlike moths to a light bulb. I have always been simultaneously drawn to and repulsed by nuclear weapons, and so I was intrigued by the iPad ebook, How To Photograph An Atomic Bomb, which takes you up close and personal with atomic weapons, and even takes you behind the scenes in some of the efforts to record and film nuclear explosions.
Not directly iPhone/Pod/Pad related (though they will have an app coming out--currently there's a mobile page), I read a ton of eBooks, and love the fact that they are changing the publishing industry. I used to love Stephen King, but could rarely afford his newest books (being lowly enlisted in the military). If eBooks had been around then, I might've had alternatives to paying a small fortune for a good read.
The iPhone, iPad, and eBook reader apps have changed the way we read
 When I left off, Lisbeth Salander was stuck in the hospital, hacking her way into various databases, planning her legal defense, while her only real friend and confidant, Blomquist, was out flirting with a buff aerobics addict who is a member of the Swedish version of the CIA. At least that's where I think I left them when I put down The Girl Who Kicked the Hornets' Nest, the last book in the Girl with the Dragon Tattoo series.
Hidden features that make the iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad more powerful
High dynamic range (HDR) photos on iPhone 4 One of the big pluses of the iPhone 4 is its high dynamic range (HDR) camera, which can capture amazing images. However, the file size of these images tends to be quite large and e-mailing them as attachments can take a bite out of your data plan. Our advice: turn it on if you want high resolution; turn it off if you're going to e-mail a photo to a friend.
The Little Engine That Could e-book features the original 1950’s art, but that’s about all I can say good about it. The animations are stilted and awkward, consisting of simple movements back and forth or objects flying across the screen. There is very little interactivity. All you can do is touch the images and listen to the sound effects or watch the objects wiggle.
Ayars Animation is one of my favorite app developers. Their first app, Jack in the Beanstalk, is, to me, an example of what an e-book for kids should look and act like. It is fantastic. See my review of Jack in the Beanstalk for more info.
This is a great little story for the iPad, I really appreciated the inspiration and the creativity both in the story and the illustration. Flying Poodles, great idea!
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