February 1, 2017 (Vol. 37, No. 3)
Rating:
Strong Points: Many different categories of units
Weak Points: Visual interest is at the expense of functionality
Platform:
iPad/iPhone
Cost:
Free (in-app purchases)
Summary:
A fairly straightforward utility, the Unit Converter + app allows users to—you guessed it—convert units of measurement for twenty different categories: fuel consumption, force, energy, data transfer, data, currency, angle, mass, volume, area, length, volume flow-rate, time, temperature, speed, resistivity, resistance, radioactivity, pressure, and power. The app is very graphics-driven, having users select their category of measurement and the individual units therein from a wheel of options, rather than a list. While this makes for a visually interesting interface, it is unfortunately less functional than a simple drop-down menu would be, as not all of the options are displayed on the wheel at once. (Rather, as users scroll through the wheel, more options appear.) Beyond that, though, the app serves its purpose nicely and is still a useful app to have on-hand in the lab and elsewhere.
