SlapApp.com » Education

Cartoon ABC is on sale this weekend only!

jmcclain0129 — Thu, 19 Jul 2012 10:28:01 +0000

We just wanted to inform you that Cartoon ABC, an interactive alphabet for toddlers, will be 70% off this weekend only.

Starting from Friday the price will drop to $0.99 and remain that way until Monday July 23rd, 2012

With a school year around the corner, Cartoon ABC is a great way to start prepping children for preschool. The app is includes 26 beautifully designed flashcards with amusing animation and charming characters that come to life with a simple tap. Kids will learn the letters and phonics, enrich their vocabularies, as well as develop their motor skills, and foster their imagination and curiosity.

Cartoon ABC brings kids and parents together in a fun interactive learning environment.

Primary feature: Parents Area allows moms and dads to create multiple profiles to monitor kids’ progress and see if they are ready for preschool. How cool is that?

Brain Synch: Steroids for the Brain

jmcclain0129 — Wed, 18 Jul 2012 12:26:38 +0000

Brain Synch – Unproductivity Applications

According to the developers Brain Synch is in the top 100 Puzzle Games Category on iTunes, and is, as of writing this, #101 in the Arcade Games Category.

Brain Synch is a collection of four games based on real brain therapies.

Brain Synch works to coordinate both halves of your brain by challenging you to complete tasks using both sides of your body, reverse shapes in your mind, and visually track multiple moving objects.

Games can be played in two different modes: in the hectic Arcade Mode challenges for points or in the relaxed Zen Mode. The app tracks progress through the game to show improvement over time. Brain Synch also offers a unique warm-up level that preps your brain-body link.

iTunes rating indicates 6 people rating this app with all of them giveing it 5 stars

We here at slapapp have not rated this app as it is the review que. All statements are form the developer. If you use the app please give us a heads up and rate it on iTunes, we will be following it there…

Cool Universal Facts

jmcclain0129 — Mon, 19 Mar 2012 12:57:41 +0000

Cool Universal Facts

If the sun ever became a black hole, it would be significantly smaller than our country but still have the power to swallow our beautiful blue planet, chilling news indeed. This, along with other seemingly wonderful but random facts about the universe beyond us can be found through Cool Universal Facts.

Cool Universal Facts

A pocket encyclopedia of sorts, Cool Universal Facts presents information in a no frills and no nonsense format. While not quite visually pleasing, the simplistic design gets its job done well, serving its purpose of imparting valuable knowledge to young children. Four large and easily accessible buttons are also available for various purposes ranging from social networking to bookmarking.

Cool Universal Facts

In an era of social media dominance where even children below the age of 10 have Facebook accounts, Cool Universal Facts allow its readers to share their newly learnt knowledge with their peers. Social media integration means readers can share an interesting fact they’ve chanced upon with their friends on Facebook or followers on Twitter. However, sharing is not just limited to these two sites as users are granted a much more direct approach through being granted the ability to share their trivia directly through texts and emails.

Cool Universal Facts

Cool Universal Facts is one app that is worth the download. While on first glance it is nothing to rave about, Cool Universal Facts proves that first impressions do not last as it wins users over with its bite sized facts. This is one app that will not only teach kids about things they might not get a chance to learn in school, but also impart some extra knowledge to adults too.

Pros:

Seemingly endless supply of information.
Facts are presented clearly with no advertisements or other nonsense blocking.
Small bits of information are easily digestible without overwhelming young minds.

Cons:

Not very visually appealing.

Rating: 4/5

Cool Love Quotes

jmcclain0129 — Tue, 13 Mar 2012 02:12:34 +0000

Cool Love Quotes – Lead or Lose

Those who were looking for an app to teach them the ways of becoming the next Barney Stinson can turn back now. As an app targeted at kids, Cool Love Quotes is not quite the app that is set to produce the next Casanova.

Cool Love Quotes How to

Rather, Cool Love Quotes serves to provide an insight to the true love from the previous generation that has been lost in the current era where the media promotes lust rather than love. Expect a myriad of meaningful quotes by high social stature. A good thing, as this exposes children to the right values early on in life.

Cool Love Quotes

Presentation wise, Cool Love Quotes does not impress on first glance. Overly simplistic in terms of visual appeal, there is hardly anything to rave about. However, upon further inspection readers will realize that navigation is extremely easy as the simplistic design promotes ease of use. Moreover, each app in the Cool App series has its color scheme aptly chosen to fit the theme, and in this case Cool Love Quotes is peppered with hearts and other romantic symbols. Although a minute feature, it is something worth appreciating.

Cool Love Quotes Notifications

In this current time and day, an increasing amount of children have access to the internet. In fact, Cool Love Quotes is targeted at children with access to an Apple iOS device! Thus, it is only understandable for social media integration to be expected from the app. Cool Love Quotes answers this with seamless integration with Twitter and Facebook for readers to share their knowledge with the world. An interesting thing to note is that Cool Love Quotes also allows for users to send facts directly to other people through texts and emails.

Cool Love Quotes Hints

Cool Love Quotes is one app that is worth the download. Despite not making a strong first impression, Cool Love Quotes wins detractors over with its sheer content, and simplistic navigation system. Without a fussy and subsequently confusing maze of menus to plow through, readers can access bits of information as an when they like without much hassle.

Cool Love Quotes images

Pros:

Seemingly endless supply of information.
Facts are presented clearly with no advertisements or other nonsense blocking.
Small bits of information are easily digestible without overwhelming young minds.

Cons:

Graphics are repetitive

Rating: 4/5

Cool World Facts

jmcclain0129 — Mon, 12 Mar 2012 13:57:43 +0000

Cool World Facts – Lead or Lose

Did you know, wearing headphones for just an hour will increase the bacteria in your ear by 700 times? Disturbed? Perhaps it’s time to get them noisy earmuffs off and stick a cotton swab in to clean your ears up.

Characters

This, along with other intriguing but seemingly random facts can be found through Cool World Facts.

Think of it as a knowledge booster, where you are presented with otherwise unknown pieces of trivia that will be sure to stun your mind. Users can scroll through a seemingly infinite amount of information to satisfy their thirst for knowledge.

Sampling of facts

In terms of presentation, Cool World Facts does the job extremely well by presenting facts in a very direct and no-nonsense format. An old school notebook style template serves as the stencil for these nuggets of wisdom to be written on, with four large and easily accessible buttons are available for various purposes ranging from social networking to bookmarking.

As a certain saying goes, good things are meant to be shared. Cool World Facts supports social media integration by giving users the ability to share their ‘findings’ with their peers through social media like Twitter and Facebook or even directly through text.

Notification Screens

The only downside to Cool World Facts would be the lack of visual appeal. While simplistic in design, there is hardly anything to rave about in terms of aesthetics. However, being an educational app targeted at children, there isn’t much to complain about in this department either.

Instructions

All in all, this is an app that is definitely worth the download. This will keep many a young tyke occupied meaningfully, as he or she begins to explore the wonderful planet we live on.

Pros:

Seemingly endless supply of information.
Facts are presented clearly with no advertisements or other nonsense blocking.
Small bits of information are easily digestible without overwhelming young minds.

Cons:

Not very visually appealing.

Rating: 4/5

Cool to be Clever iPad App FREE Code Giveaway

jmcclain0129 — Sun, 04 Mar 2012 09:09:53 +0000

Cool to be Clever: Edson Hendricks – Agio Studios

If you are a history buff and enjoy story telling in a first person factual way then this app has great appeal for you. There are many retrospective videos, interviews, reports, and personal theories related to the processes that eventually led to the invention of the Internet. There are great stories about creative thinking, about imagining that which isn’t and those involved with the core process of invention. At one point Edson speaks of the realization that they had no idea they were on the path to uncovering one of the most significant discoveries in the history of mankind.

GET THIS APP FREE UNTIL THE END OF MARCH!!!!!

Cool to be Clever internet invention

jmcclain0129 — Sat, 03 Mar 2012 20:47:45 +0000

Cool to be Clever: Edson Hendricks – Agio Studios

This app is more of a biographical ebook dressed in apps clothing than it is an app. The original story presumably available in print is written by Leanne Jones. Once you open the app the premise seems a bit self serving and clearly the Creators intention may have been lost in this digital montage of the life and mind of Edson C. Hendricks.

cool to be clever ipad app landing screen

Throughout the app the Edson seeks to enlighten you on topics ranging from how vertical problem solving agendas led to the invention of the internet; how bullying during his early years led to a toughened resolve to explore his inner mind and expand his knowledge. As you dig further down into the app Edson discusses the processes of invention and the importance of starting from scratch with little to consideration of outside influence.

cool to be clever ipad app gloassary

I took the time to preface this review with the remarks above to highlight the obvious in hopes of convincing you to stick in there and fully explore the apps inner workings as it really holds a lot of good information and insight told mainly from the person who was there from the very beginning, every inch of the way. That of course is Edson Hendricks himself and this app is about him, his life and his accomplishments.

The app delves into interpersonal experiences and in some case offers advice directly from Mr. Hendricks. He discusses how he thinks about, invents, and copes with the adversities that life presents to him as well as all of us.

There are several featured sections, for lack of a better term, that you can explore starting with “The Story” itself. A navigation menu is located on the top left of the page that reveals the table of Contents and gives you the option to listen as Edson reads his story aloud to you. The pages magically scroll along with the narration and any new chapter transitions are introduced with some soothing classical, swing jazz infused piano arrangements.

cool to be clever intro screen

You can pivet back and forth to the home screen by using the home hot key at top right of any inner page and in doing so we decided to take a look at the “Clever Minds” section. In this area Edson tells us how he thinks his mind works and what drives his thoughts, you can view a bunch of early family photos with captions and listen to some original musical scores arranged by the books author Leanne Jones. A couple of key areas exist here as well, those being Edson’s views on the “Origin of Earth’s Water” and “Wither Tektites”. Both of which are scientific diatribes of Edson’s understanding of these two phenomenas. Both of which seek to explain how these two matters came to occupy the Earth. I suppose it takes a genius to questions this in the first place as the subjects seem a bit bland. But, after reading the chapters I have formed my own personal opinions on the matter. I’ll save those for a later date

cool to be clever minds ipad app

Returning to the home page we then go on to investigate how Edson was single handedly responsible for inventing the design which led to the internet. I think Edson did a great job of explaining this and he goes into details about the teams he work ed with in and outside of IBM. Plus he discusses how work on other projects eventually led them to stumble upon the connection of the VNET design that led to the intenet being invented.

cool to be clever inventing the internet app

But that is not all you’ll find under the “Inventing the Internet” tab as there is some great conversations and historical documents related to early networks, the internets first virus and even has a segment where Edson offers advice to other programmers.

We saved the last section of this app for last as it is a bit more serious. When listening to Edson speak about the issues related to this section “about bullying” you can’t help but feel sorry for his circumstances and get a sense for where the difficulties he and so many other young people have to deal with while growing up.

cool to be clever about bullying app

Unfortunately for all of us Edson has not cracked the code which leads to a softening of this awful behavior and it is quite realistic to believe this will never be overcome. I suspect that Edson felt it necessary to discuss these otherwise personal experiences in hopes that it would shed some light on the issue and bring it forward in conversation. As the only real solutions for resolving this issue is through conversation, guidance and teaching of tolerance to others.

Editor’s Note:

Personally I feel the app is very interesting as I have always been drawn to intellectual conversation and most notably have always been amazed by those who have a far superior intellect and have used it to their advantage. I somehow feel though that the author lost an opportunity to inspire the readers to reach for more.

I found one striking contrast in Mr. Hendricks’ explanation of how he clears his mind of any worldy influences when reckoning an invention. This seems to contradict the relationships that spurn such creativity and these relationships, especially in his case led him to lead the team that invented these early processes. In otherwords I believe inventions come from solving everyday problems as well as pondering the mysteries of life and to devoid your mind of any recollection to spur ideas seems like bad advice. But then again he’s the genius not me so we’ll have to grapple with what works for him plus mingle it with what works for you. Somethings are just meant to be interpreted differently and this seems to be one of those cases.

Pros

Great interface and expertly conceived
Well written and thorough
Interesting historical details about the early ages of computing

Cons

The information seems incomplete and I am left wanting more in most cases especially when it comes to the video testimony
The segment on bullying is not the main focus and is more of an also ran
TMI on the person as the tone took on a lot of the me, me ,me mentality though it is fair to point out that this is much to do with Edson Hendricks and he has some amazing accomplishments.

rating 3/5

Scramble With Friends by Zynga

jmcclain0129 — Sun, 19 Feb 2012 11:55:47 +0000

Scramble With Friends by Zinga

Who your playing with

Scramble With Friends is a classic word puzzle game developed by Zynga Inc. The aim of the game is to get the highest score by making as many words possible in the stipulated time. ‘Scramble With Friends’ runs on devices using Apple’s iOS Version 4.0 or later (iPhone 3GS, iPhone 4, iPhone 4S, iPod touch (3^rd generation), iPod touch (4^th generation) and iPad).

Invite friends, play randoms select from contacts

The game has a 4×4 puzzle board filled with letters. Each of the letters has a weight, points attached to it. I could spell words by dragging my fingers across the letters. Words can be spelt upwards, downwards, backwards or diagonally. I had to make as many words before the timeout. The game has 3 rounds with a timeout of 2 minutes.

End of turn score summary

The game can be played by many players. I had the option of inviting friends from my Facebook or Twitter account. One can also search users by the username they use to play ‘’Scramble with Friends’. The highest scorer in the game is the winner.

The game starts with 14 tokens. Each round uses up a token. To help you gain a good score, there are power ups available. By default you can choose one power up, which is free. For the second, one token gets used. The in-app purchase allows you to buy tokens which are a must for the gameplay.

Shows the rounds up to three is default

Scramble With Friends has 3 types of power ups available. Freeze Time (freeze clock for few seconds), Inspire (reveal a word missed) and Scramble (rearrange the tiles on the board). The power ups are a must and have to be used strategically. Once you start playing, these power ups feel like life savers!

End of turn score summary

With all the positivity and the token plays there’s a catch too. After I lost all my tokens, I had to wait for a few minutes, watch an advertisement, before the tokens got regenerated. If you have multiple games going on, it’s very annoying since there are very less free tokens you are left with. Zynga shows an ad and asks you to pay if you want to play. One tactic can be to start your game in such a way that you keep shifting to the other while the ad finishes.

As with other games by Zynga, ‘Scramble With Friends’ has familiar interface and easy social networking site connectivity makes it very appealing. An intuitive interface and easy gameplay will make this one an instant hit with the app players for sure!

Specifications:

Seller Zynga Inc.

Platform iOS4.0 or later

Genre Games

Number of Players Multiplayer

Updated 12 January 2012

Version 1.1.4.12

Size 15.3MB

Languages English

Requirements Compatible with iPhone 3GS, iPhone 4, iPhone 4S, iPod touch (3rd generation), iPod touch (4th generation) and iPad.

Price Free (with ads) .99 (without ads)

In-App purchases

16 – Token Package $0.99

33 – Token Package $1.99

85 – Token Package $4.99

175 – Token Package $9.99

500- Token Package $24.99

Star Walk

Ryan Johnson — Sat, 11 Sep 2010 16:35:10 +0000

Star Walk has got to be one of the coolest education apps available on the iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad. It’s amazing how interesting this app is. As a child I remember clutching my telescope for hours scanning the skies in search of well known constellations like Orion’s Belt, and the Big Dipper. At times I would be unsure of what I found and would have to consult the parentals for confirmation. Nowadays, with Star Walk all you need is your iPhone, iPod touch, or iPad and you’re able to lock in on planets, stars, constellations, and more in seconds. It’s a dream!

Created by Vito Technology Inc., Star Walk is so much more than just a star and planet finder. It has many more fun extras built in to make your star gazing experience unbeatable. Sky Live is a feature that gives you a dashboard filled with the latest rise data for popular planets, the sun and the moon, which includes moon phases that let you see the times the moon will be visible and what it looked like yesterday, and what it will look like tonight and tomorrow night. Using this feature you can also easily view information from the past and can peak ahead into the future. It’s really cool.

The star spotting function really is the coolest feature of all. You really don’t need to do anything to get it to work. Adults and kids of any age can just open the app, position it toward the sky and instantly can make sense of everything above them. Let me give you an example of how handy this is. I was at a party just a few weekends ago where there was a debate over whether or not a twinkling object in the sky was a satellite or star. I was adamant about it being a satellite and went into a lengthy explanation as to how I could tell. Well, the debate continued on for about 10 minutes before another party goer stepped in to lend his two cents. Unfortunately for me he was armed with Star Walk. He whipped out his phone, pointed it toward the object, and proceeded to tell us the exact name of the star. How can you compete with that? You can’t!

Look, I can go on and on about more of the features like Time Machine, Picture of the Day, Location finder, and all the customizable settings, but I love the app so much that I think it’s worth you finding out for yourself. There isn’t a single thing I don’t like about this app, which for me is a rarity. Star Walk is a great conversation piece that you just can’t go wrong with. Break it out on a date, with the kids, or pretty much whenever you want. I can assure you you’ll enjoy it and will never look at constellations the same again.

Pros:

Very slick, super easy to use
Astonishes people when they see how accurate it is
Excellent for all occasions; great for kids
Very educational; makes stargazing easy and enjoyable

Cons:

None that I can think of

Version Reviewed: 4.5

Requirements: iPhone, iPod touch, or iPad; iPhone OS 3.0 or later

Flashcards for iPad

Kevin Purcell — Sat, 10 Jul 2010 16:21:33 +0000

Flashcards for iPad is an app designed for the little tikes in your family. Preschoolers will really enjoy this $5.99 app from INKids. It uses the whole langauge approach to help them learn to read and spell.

When you open Flashcards there are three rows of icons. Tap one of the eight categories in the top two rows and you get a game for your child to play. It gives a picture and both spells and pronounces the name of the image. Tap the picture and you get a sound associated with that image. In the animals category it makes the sound the animal makes. Tap the speaker icon next to the word and you get the word pronounced again. You can tap it over and over to hear the word or sound. If you wait a few seconds it will automatically advance to the next slide with a new image and word. Or you can swipe the image to the left or right to go forwards or backwards.

The bottom three categories on the Home screen are for Word Match. It shows you an image and audibly asks, “Is this a …” and gives three options. For example, one screen showed a motorbike and asked, “Is this a spider, a motorbike, or a finger. It gave the sound of each of the three choices after it pronounced the word. If you get it right it says, “Yep, well done.” If you get it wrong it says, “Try again.” The second time it says, “Close. Give it another go.”

The Spelling Game shows you the image and has two rows of words. The top row is greyed out a little and shows the actual word. The bottom is the letters of the words mixed up and out of order. Your little guy or gal drags the letter to the upper row. When he or she does it pronounces the sound and makes a ding sound if you get it right. If you get it wrong it pronounces the letter you incorrectly dragged to the upper row and bounces it back down to the lower row.

The final option on the bottom row of the Home screen is Shuffle. It gives you words from any of the upper eight categories, so you are not using only one category at a time.

In the row at the bottom is a tiny toolbar. The first icon looks like a speaker and will mute the music that plays. The lock button locks the icon so your toddler won’t accidentally exit the game he or she is playing or get into the info screen and change the settings. This attention to detail is what makes this is a great app.

If you do open the settings screen, you will see choices for Sound, Record Sounds, Languages, Presentations, Feedback and About INKids. The really interesting features are the Record Sounds and Presentation screens. The first lets you record your own words for the sounds, so that the word will be said in your own voice. First listen to the original sound to know exactly what is being said. Then choose the red record button and record it in your voice. It will take you a long time to go through all of them, so I recommend just choose a category at a time.

The Presentation tab lets you choose how the app behaves. You can have the slides move automatically and advance them as fast or slow as you like. It ranges from 5 to 30 seconds.

I think Flashcards for iPad is a very good app. To help test it I showed it to my little nephew who is turning three. He absolutely loved it and his mother wanted to take my iPad home with her so he could play it. The only reason I am not giving it a full five fingers is the delay from tapping the home screen is a little long. My nephew got frustrated and kept tapping and tapping.

One improvement that would make this app useful for teachers is the ability to export the screen to an external display via the VGA/Dock adapter. I could see a preschool teacher using the app with her entire class hooked up to a projector.