Project Title: Dinosaurs iPad: American Museum of Natural History 

Museum/ Institution: American Museum of Natural History (AMNH) 

Media Category: App 

Program Created:  Late 2010 

Program URL:  

AMNH Page:

http://www.amnh.org/apps/dino_ipad.php

iTunes Store:

http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/dinosaurs-ipad-american-museum/id408967122?mt=8

Project Image and Video

Media Source(s)/Credit(s):

Image and video taken 3/9/2011 from http://www.amnh.org/apps/dino_ipad.php

Program Description:

The Dinosaurs iPad App is the next stage in the American Museum of Natural History's App program. They had already created three iPhone Apps, including: AMNH Explorer, Cosmic Discoveries and Dinosaurs. The iPad App is a scaled up and expanded version of Dinosaurs for the iPhone.

The program lets users explore the "Dino Mosaic", which is an image of a tyrannosaurus rex made up of almost 1,000 smaller images of dinosaurs, fossils and other related photos from the Museum's collection. Each of these images can be zoomed in on and viewed up close. Data from the collection is also made available for each. All of the images in the mosaic give users the option of emailing them to a friend as well as being able to leave comments that other App users can read. There are 16 "Dinosaur Stories" that you can explore which provide numerous images and information on different types of dinosaurs. Many of these stories feature images from the actual fossil digs and extensive detail from the AMNH's records.

Firsthand review:

I borrowed an iPad from one of my co-workers who had downloaded the App for me so I could review it. Unlike the previous AMNH iPhone Apps, which were free, Dinosaurs for the iPad cost $2.99. I offered to pay her back, but she told me her kids had so much fun playing with it the night before it was worth it. She said it held her three-year-old's attention for a half hour and that she should probably pay me.

Cost was one of my thoughts when I decided to review this App. I had been impressed with the AMNH for making everything else available for free. However, they have expanded iPad Dinosaurs from the iPhone version. Not only can you view the mosaic images in much better detail, they have doubled the number of "Dinosaur Stories" and are making plans to add more.

Searching through the images is fun, you never know what you will find when you start to zoom in. I would head for one image, but then another near by would catch my eye. I kept looking for quite a while and I never saw it all (there are almost 1,000 images.) The information you can read about the mosaic images is brief, no more than a few sentences, but it's the basics of what you would want to know. The in-depth exploring is done in the "Dinosaur Stories" section. Here you scroll sideways through images and text that take you through facts about the dinosaur in question and also background about how that particular specimen came in to the AMNH's collection. To me, these were fascinating and the photos of early digs were incredible.

Technologies incorporated:

iPad interface, touch screen, web enabled technology (including the ability to email images to a friend). 

Internally or externally produced:

Content provided by AMNH with production by Mosaic Legends, LLC

Entry Contributor and Date: 

Krista Menacher :: 3/9/2011 

Related projects:  

The AMNH also produced 3 Apps for the iPhone: Dinosaurs, AMNH Explorer and Cosmic Discoveries. See http://www.amnh.org/apps/