February 1, 2014 (Vol. 34, No. 3)

URL:
http://bit.ly/1anC7Lp

Rating:
Strong Points: Many illustrations and animations
Weak Points: Can’t manipulate graphics

Platform:
iPad/iPhone

Cost:
$0.99

Summary:

With a title that evokes images of very large rodents (just me?), the MacroMole app is actually an educational app about very large molecules, especially proteins. The app contains informational modules within seven main categories: functional groups, carbohydrates, lipids, amino acids, protein structure, protein survey, and nucleic acids. Each module consists of text along the right side of the screen that is accompanied by images and videos. The graphics and animations are nice, although the app suffers from the noninteractive nature of the illustrations. For instance, app users are unable to rotate, pinch-and-zoom, or otherwise manipulate the illustrations—options that have come to be somewhat expected in tablet apps. This limitation aside, the text of the app is informative and presented at a nice introductory level, and it is well complemented by a large number of graphics.

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