March 2012
The Archives
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03.30.12Kinect Sesame Street TV looks properly marvellousOkay, this has nothing to do with iPhone and iPad apps – it's something for Microsoft's Xbox 360 console. But I wanted to share it with you. I'm at the MIPCube conference in Cannes for my day job, and there was a session where Microsoft showed off an upcoming thing called Kinect Sesame Street TV. It's not a game, it's more an interactive TV show, where your children interact with Sesame Street characters using the Kinect motion-controller. Josh Atkins, from Microsoft-owned studio Soho Productions, showed it off. This isn't the existing Sesame Street Kinect game, by the way. Kinect Sesame Street TV ...
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03.30.12Disney’s Jungle Book is now an iPad book-appHave fond memories of Mowgli, Baloo and friends in Disney's The Jungle Book? Own an iPad? Your luck is in: Disney has just turned its classic film into a book-app for Apple's tablet. It's being sold for £2.49 on the App Store, and follows the familiar tale of Mowgli as he grows up in the jungle, while trying not to become lunch for the nefarious Shere Khan. As with other Disney book-apps, there is voice narration and plenty of interactivity, including digital colouring pages, puzzles and mini-games – one involving memory and the other involving a bongo drum. Which is always nice. And ...
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03.28.12Pinocchio gets a book-app reworking by the Bean Bag KidsBack in August 2011, we were impressed by a book-app by developer Mundomono called Little Red Riding Hood by the Bean Bag Kids. Now it's got a sequel based on a similarly-familiar story. Bean Bag Kids present Pinocchio went live on the App Store today as a 69p Universal app for iPhone and iPad. It sees "the most cuddly and cute actors in iOS" re-enact the growing-nosed puppet tale in 14 interactive scenes. Aimed at 2-7 year-olds, the app includes voice narration in English or Spanish, with a 3D game engine driving the whizzy graphics – which, by the way, have been ...
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03.28.12Your Fantastic Elastic Brain gets neural on iPadNeurology frightens me. I prefer not to think too hard about that pulpy mass inside my skull that makes me tick, in case it short-circuits. Perhaps Your Fantastic Elastic Brain will change my mind though. It looks excellent: an iPad book-app that aims to teach children about their brains in an entertaining but educational way, based on an existing print book. It's aimed at school-age kids – five and up – blending interactive "brain workouts" with text and animations. "Learn to play chess, feel the emotion evoked through music and art, volunteer, challenge yourself to do something new, and become more ...
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03.26.12SpeechTree is a £120 iPad app for children with autismA number of developers are making iOS apps aimed at children with autism and other complex communication needs. SpeechTree is the latest to be launched on the App Store, although its price puts it at the highest end of the market. Costing £119.99, it's a "full featured AAC communication system & interactive learning program" for children, usable by parents, teachers and therapists working with kids who are working on their communication skills. AAC standing for 'augmentative and alternative communication', although we suspect you may be familiar with the acronym if your children fall into this category. The app promises thousands of photos ...
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03.26.12Beautiful book-apps: The Perfect Shape and Flip: Interactive StorybookThese are good times for parents with iPads and a yen for lovely visuals. There are lots of children's book-apps coming out showcasing the creativity of animators and illustrators. Two more hit the App Store today. Flip: Interactive Storybook focuses on a child called Emma, who goes on "an enchanting life journey" to find happiness. The app features genuinely whizzy-looking 3D animation, bolstered by interactivity and an original score. According to its App Store listing, its creator is Jill Hackett - "an incredible young artist, animator and storyteller" - and this is her first book-app. We hope there are some more coming ...
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03.26.12Cooper’s Pack New York City app introduces kids to the Big AppleThis is a simply spiffing idea: a guidebook-app for iPhone and iPad designed specifically for children. Cooper's Pack New York City is based on a stuffed dog called Cooper travelling to the Big Apple to visit his teddybear friend Phinney. Cue photos of the pair exploring Central Park, Times Square, Grand Central Terminal and other landmarks in the city, with more than 500 images, maps and animations to keep things interesting. It's based on an existing print book, and aimed at 5-12 year-olds. There are 'buried bones' to find while using the app too – a neat game-like touch that should while ...
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03.26.12Pete’s Robot loses its ‘heartdrive’ on iPhone and iPadSometimes we catch a glimpse of a new app while flicking through our App Store RSS feeds, and its artwork leaps out at us. Pete's Robot, a new book-app from Heartdrive Media, is one of those. It's a book-app about a boy named Pete, who builds a robot. "Pete builds and builds all day and all night until he is finished, except he forgets the most important part...the robot's heartdrive! The robot goes crazy and takes off into town, causing all sorts of silly mischief..." The app has 30 animated pages, with background music and a choice of three ...
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03.26.12Little Critter gets a book-app collection for iPhone and iPadMercer Mayer's Little Critter character has apparently starred in more than 200 printed books. Now 10 of them have been digitised for a single iOS app: Little Critter Collection #1. It's the work of Oceanhouse Media, and its features will be familiar if you've used any of its popular Dr. Seuss book-apps. There is voice narration, sound effects and highlighting of individual words as they're read. The app is aimed at 1-5 year-olds, and extra features include a find-the-creature mini-game. If you're a Little Critter veteran, these are the stories included: All By Myself; I Just Forgot; I Was So Mad; Just ...
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03.22.12Monster Time app tells the time. With monsters.It took a while, but our children are finally getting interested in clocks and telling the time. Not that it's making much of a difference to the 5.30am wake-up call. Well, I say 'call'. More 'shouting, jumping and fighting'. Anyway, we were very impressed by an iOS app called Hickory Dickory Dock last year, which made learning to tell the time fun and interactive. Now it's got competition in the form of Monster Time. Developed by Myello Digital, it aims to teach your children how to tell the time through five colourful monsters. "They’ve packed their digital and analogue clocks, (complete with ...
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