July 1, 2015 (Vol. 35, No. 13)

URL:
http://apple.co/1rR157V

Rating:
Strong Points: Includes short detailed descriptions for many features
Weak Points: Constant motion in animation is distracting/disorienting

Platform:
iPad/iPhone

Cost:
Free

Summary:

The Cell World app is a nice educational app that is comprised of an interactive animation of the inside of a eukaryotic cell (as well as some rather hypnotic music). As users navigate around the cell via the navigation controls and basic touchscreen mechanics, they can tap on specific features (such as various organelles, the cytoplasm, and the cytoskeleton) to display the feature’s name and a short description that is displayed at the bottom of the screen. At the same time, users can display a longer description by opening a panel from the side of the screen. App users can choose to simply read these more detailed explanations or they can hear the descriptions by playing the accompanying audio files. The animation is well done, although perhaps not as polished as some would like. Also, it is almost constantly in motion (unless you freeze it by selecting a feature), so a word of caution to anyone prone to motion sickness or dizziness.

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