This book is an example of a superior ebook and can be useful to everyone. The rating would have been 5 star except for inclusion of warnings about "man-made global warming" which are not supported by scientific facts, even those within the book itself.
I like this app. It’s really nice, the layout is wonderful, it’s easy to use. I was so excited when I finally saw an update for this app. However, none of the imagery was updated. Pluto is still pre-New Horizon’s picture. We have so many beautiful images of Jupiter now with the Juno spacecraft as well as many other bodies in our solar system. For the price, this app should be updated regularly to keep up with the information. Wanted to use it for teaching but unfortunately I can get better images off the web. Would give it five stars if there is a major imagery update.
For the price, this app really needs new content. I would expect information and imagery from New Horizons, Rosetta, Dawn, and possibly Juno. The lack of new content at a $10 price point makes me feel ripped off. That said, I found the layout great. With more up to date content, this would be an easy 5 stars.
You should change the textures of Pluto & ceres new horizons spacecraft have a close up texture map of Pluto and it as a moon called Charon & close up photo of Pluto & Charon
The concept is awesome but it needs a lot of work, it's just v1.0.0
I think it needs an update now, it's been almost 2 years…you guys have had enough time to enhance the app. You are not featured anymore in any apple event or anything, other apps have surpassed you in being the focus of attention. The app is very good, I love the Orrery, it's just awesome, it's the best part of the app. You get to see the solar system spin from every angle as the planet you selected also spins around the sun. However, ipad retina came out….you owe a retina update as you owe The elements a major overhaul and all your other apps. I think you already updated Barefoot atlas for retina…although the drawings are still not-retina. Please update the graphics and resolution. I would like the planets to spin as they normally do in their explanation page. You can then touch them to stop them, move them around zoom in and out and then just do a quick flick so that they go back to spinning at their normal pace. That would be cool. The same way that in The Elements you don't keep the Nitrogen still, the vase is evaporating and fuming. I think that would be a good addition.
So this freezes constantly, and I mean constantly. It doesn't run for more than visualizing one or two planets. I have deleted and reloaded it multiple times without a fix. When it does work, it is completely silent, even the song. I assume they're supposed be some sound here. I'm not running it on old machine, this is an iPad Pro. As others have mentioned, there is been no new content added for probably 10 months (judging from the dull yellow/brown fuzzball they use as a model for Pluto). This wasn't exactly cheap as apps go, certainly not in the same league as Elements for quality. I would get my money back if I can figure out how.
This app is amazing. The picture quality and interactive elements, the information, it can keep you glued to it for hours at a stretch. I have to admit, I was a bit leery about buying this. It's not cheap, and the only reviews up at the time of my purchase were complaints about it no longer being useable on the iPad 1. I took the leap, and I'm glad I did. Yeah, I'm a big old space nerd, but I really don't think that's a prerequisite for enjoying this app. It's gorgeous, it's fun, it teaches. I'm long past school age, but I can't imagine a better tool towards getting the kinder interested in space, to give that little nudge towards really enjoying astronomy class in school. This really is worth every penny.
I expected so much more for the price. The experience of this app is very similar to a glossy DK science book. There are very few animations and interactive activities. I am a teacher and considered this app for my classroom, but I will not use it because it is little more than a glowing encyclopedia. I do not consider this to be harnessing the power of technology in the classroom, except for perhaps the wow factor involved with holding an iPad. Students need to engage with the concepts, not be passive receptacles. The power of the iPad is in the ability to have dynamic content, not just a book that you press a button to turn the page.
Hopefully, this app represents the future of interactive books. The only annoyance I've noticed is that you must have a network connection to bring up information on solar system bodies. Otherwise, the app crashes on my iPad 2. Other than that, I highly recommend this work of art!
Many reviews are disappointed about the lack of iPad 1 support. The problem is that Apple should never have brought out and advertised the iPad 1 the way they did. [Not including the memory, etc. at the time was a sign, as it does make a difference.] The iPad 2 is really what the iPad 1 should be, and probably will be the one to last the longest in future updates for various apps. Though with the retina display etc, it to will have seen its days. The problem is not as much the developers of the app, for what it is they are delivering, but the makers of the tech and what they choose to release and how it is advertised/perception of capabilities.
What an incredible experience! As an amateur Astonomer I am completely thrilled with the awesome photos and background information. We are using this app in our Astronomy group workshops and tossing those old fashioned star charts that simply put folks to sleep.
I will attempt to describe how phenomenal this app is! It is gorgeous, extremely user intuitive, and hard to put down. I am a homeschool mom, so I am constantly looking for educational information that captures students and draws them in. This app is a win from beginning to end. Well done!
Amazing Solar System reference, But needs recent data
Allows you to view the bodies of our Solar System, with pages of text and images, with an incredible Solar System model in 3D that can be expanded, shrunk, sped up and slowed down. Every bit as good as the author's reference on The Elements — However, data in the App (recent images of Pluto come to mind) really need updating.
This is one of the best iPad apps, hands down. Superb information and imagery. Worth every penny. All of the less than 5-star reviews clearly don't understand what this is supposed to be. It's amazing and a masterpiece.
The app is beautifully done. Informative and elegant. Please note that those giving one star are disappointed that the app no longer works with the iPad 1. It works beautifully with later iPads, though. Very cool.
I have 230 apps on my venerable iPad I. Many of them astronomy apps. Only 4 developers out of 230 apps have chosen to abandon the original iPad. None of those are astronomy apps. Like other reviewers, I paid fair money for your app, with the reasonable expectation that you would continue to support it. it is disappointing to find that you have abandoned that platform so quickly. Will you do the same with today's latest iPad in a couple of years?
Please update w/modern Ceres, Pluto, and Charon images...not to mention Pluto's other newly discovered moons (yes we know it's classified as a dwarf planet). Everything else is quite enjoyable. Thank you!
I have decided this app and your BAREFOOT ATLAS are the VERY BEST apps available, and I own about 800 apps. GORGEOUS graphics, and the best Solar System app I own. I own about ten. I will buy anything historical or geographical you develop. I hope you will develop a comparable app on American and world history. PERFECTION!!!
We love this app! I am a pre school teacher and use this app when we have our solar system week. I wish I could update with the new info. Other than that it is a great and informative app!
The latest upgrade to this app only supports Apple IOS 6. If you choose to keep your device running on Apple IOS 5.1.1, this app will not allow you to upgrade and it will not function at its full potential. This developer has chosen to abandon everyone with an iPad 1 and everyone that has chosen to stay away from Apple's IOS 6.
Hard to judge if this app is any good since it fails on starting. It is basic that an app should at least run. Touch Press usually does good work (such as Elements) but to release an app that can't even run on a 64GB iPad with iOS 7.0.3 doesn't say much. Hopefully they will fix this problem soon.
Updated App Crashes Making the Previous Experience Horrible
This was a cool app until the most recent IOS6 update. Now the app doesn't work on my iPad2 3G + wifi. Even after updating the app it still crashes. Hopeful a fix is in the works or this app could be deleted soon.
I like the interface for walking students through research methods. It's cleaner / faster than a full up 3D interface on the iPad and a big screen. But if you're not going to keep up with the rapidly changing local universe...
Seeing the planets and their moons in orbit is awesome. It brings it all the planets into perspective for young and old alike. There is a lot of information on all the planets. Great app.
I paid for this app and loved using it, especially with my kids. Now they won't support us suckers with the iPad1. That's a lousy way to treat customers. Don't become a sucker, find another app that offers continued updates and respect for paying customers.
Pluto and Ceres updates needed. Info is rather limited in general. Visually pleasing though. If it wasn't on sale and I purchased... I'd be somewhat disappointed.
This app worked fine before the latest upgrade. Now it won't even open. The upgrade reaches about 20% then freezes permanently. Reinstalling the app won't work either.
Is there anyway that Apple can stop pushing an upgrade on me that my iPad refuses to handle? I don't have iOS 6... Can't run the upgrade for Solar System. Even still, it won't leave the App Store upgrades section...
Basically. This app has great presentation. But when you dig in the writing is a long winded diatribe on the 'settled science' of global warming. Boring! I would have bought Al Gores crap if I wanted to hear that. Get a brain and write some original Fiction!
I am disappointed that the writers of this app have chosen to abandon the ipad 1 with the new update. Please reconsider. I have enjoyed this app greatly, traveling and learing about our solar system.
A breakthrough electronic book about our Solar System, offering hours of interactive exploration and presenting a treasure trove of visual information. Bestselling author Marcus Chown leads us on a grand tour through the incredible diversity of planets, moons, asteroids, comets and spacecraft that surround the Sun in our cosmic backyard. Illuminating his insightful and surprising text are a wealth of beautiful 3D objects, movies, images, animations, and diagrams, all fully interactive, richly detailed and accurately based on real scientific data. Set the heavens in motion in an interactive orrery that allows you to control the orbits of the moons and planets, observing them from any viewpoint with breath-taking surface detail. View the latest imagery returned by both manned and robot spacecraft, beautifully presented on the iPad screen. Then double-tap any astronomical object to jump directly to its chapter in the interactive book. Solar System for iPad is brought to you by RGB (creators of The Elements) and Faber & Faber (London’s greatest independent publisher). It raises the bar yet again on what an interactive book can be. A perfect gift for anyone with an iPad: Solar System allows the imagination to roam free from Mercury to Pluto and beyond. ------------ Awards: Winner of the FutureBook Digital Innovation Prize (The Bookseller Industry Awards) – March 2011 ------------ Reviews: “There is so much to this application that I can only begin to scratch the surface on its offerings. As with The Elements the content and presentation truly make learning fun and inspiring.” - WIRED Magazine “The new Solar System for iPad app is an amazing and extraordinarily attractive resource for amateur astronomers... an out-of-this-world digital book that is as informative as it is beautiful. It’s a stellar example for other reference app makers on how to best take advantage of the tablet medium.” - USA Today, Marc Saltzman ------------ Features: • Exclusive theme song by Björk • More than 150 beautifully presented story pages • Richly Illustrated with interactive diagrams, videos and 3D objects • Over 40 rotatable and zoomable 3D astronomical objects • Over 600 images from NASA, ESA and JAXA space missions • Detailed captions including technical data • Live astronomical information from Wolfram|Alpha® ------------ Languages: English, German, Japanese ------------ About the author: Leading science writer and former radio astronomer Marcus Chown is cosmology consultant to New Scientist magazine and the author of numerous books including The Quantum Zoo (known internationally as Quantum Theory Cannot Hurt You).
