February 1, 2015 (Vol. 35, No. 3)

URL:
http://bit.ly/1KWkpxg

Rating:
Strong Points: Fast rendering, easy image export
Weak Points: Can’t search by molecule name

Platform:
iPad/iPhone

Cost:
Free

Summary:

Who doesn’t enjoy looking at and manipulating beautiful protein structures? The Ball & Stick app by MolySym is a fantastic molecule visualization app that quickly downloads and renders structures from the RCSB Protein Data Bank (PDB). Users can search the PDB from within the app and download the molecules for easy offline access. (A note about the search: users can only search by PDB ID, not molecule name.) Once the molecule is saved to the device, users can manipulate it using normal pinch-and-zoom touchscreen mechanics. There are many display options available for the molecule, such as wireframe, stick, ball and stick, and space filling. Conveniently, specific snapshots or vantage points of the molecule can easily be saved to the camera roll or emailed.

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