Gems and Jewels
© 2012 Touch Press
Similar in design to "The Elements" (one of the first iPad apps, also by Touch Press), Gems and Jewels lets you explore the large collection of glittering treasures on display at the Field Museum in Chicago. The app starts with a screen full of highly illustrated gems that slowly spin, 360 degrees, on a single access plane. Because the screen is black and the light comes from one direction (we think) the gems look extremely pretty as they turn. You learn that you can double tap any item to view it individually, or pinch to zoom in for a closer look at any item. There are two ways to adjust the angle -- either by swiping with a finger, or by tilting the screen, a new feature for Touch Press. When in the extreme close up view, rotation is reduced to 90 degree angles. Other features include swipe-to-flip text boxes (like looking on the back of the box to learn more) and a "life size" button that shrinks or expands the gems in proper perspective. The reference value of this title is enhanced by the searchable index and updated links to the WolframAlpha encyclopedia. Content includes 165 types of gems, each with as many as six examples. While this title feels comprehensive, some features could be considered missing. There are no prices listed, so we have no way of knowing the relative value between quartz and diamonds (both look rather similar, after all). There are no game or application features. In addition, we were wondering why gold was included in a title called "gems and jewels." The answer is that the content in this app comes directly from a book by The University of Chicago Press by Lance Grande and Allison Augustyn, that features the gems on display at The Field Museum in Chicago. As a specialized reference, this app is the best in it's class. It should be on any middle or high school science teacher's iPad.
$13.99, iPad
Teaches: science
CTR Rating: 97.5%