June 1, 2014 (Vol. 34, No. 11)
Rating:
Strong Points: Beautiful visuals, very interactive
Weak Points: None
Platform:
iPad/iPhone
Cost:
$4.99
Summary:
A stunning example of an immersive tablet (or phone) experience, the Brian Cox’s Wonders of Life app really does make the world seem wondrous through its many videos, animations, and interactive images. Users explore the globe as they navigate the app, zooming into countries, then landscapes, then animals, all the way down to a microscopic scale. The app presents users with a number of interactive scenes in which specific features (such as a chameleon hiding behind a bush) are highlighted and available for users to click to reveal more information. The videos are accompanied by substantial text descriptions, which lend yet another layer of information to this educational app. At almost $5 it is somewhat expensive, but given the amount of content and the thrill of exploration that one feels while navigating the app, I doubt many people will feel short-changed.
