Reviews of iPad/iPod/iPhone (iThing) apps

here is one that my 15 month old LOVES

wimsey lite (free) :smiley: :smiley: :smiley: :smiley:
This app is great, it helps teach about puzzles and you can adjust the age range. (0-18 months and 18-32 months)
I Just would have liked if they say the name of the animal, after each puzzle is completed. But other than that my daughter LOVES this app!

Imagination Zoo is a new painting application that allows children to design their own creatures and share them with friends from around the world. These animals move, make sounds, and travel, just like real animals.

Benesse Corporation, Inc. has made available this new application for parents who want to enjoy the iPhone 4 with their children. The iPad version is also available.

Follow these steps to enjoy Imagination Zoo:

Select your favorite patterns from the template list and use the crayon tool to color the chosen pattern. A choice of 12 colors allows for an endless variety of mixed and overlapping colors.
If you tilt your iPhone upwards, multiple parts such as diagrams, tools, and jewels will fall into your screen. Take your pick and decorate your animal.
When you’re done creating your animal, register its name, record its sound, and it’s ready to be unleashed. Some animals can fly while others can swim.
You can also see other imaginative animals made by kids from all over the world. Seeing so many other creatively designed animals will inspire children to let their imaginations run wild and go back to the drawing board to create a new animal.
Created animals can be saved onto a list and be retrieved at anytime.

Thanks for the info. I have bought it at the apple store and my little son loves this app too :smiley:

I started using the app Doman Flash Cards for Math on our ipad. I like it and my son enjoys the lessons.

For those of you interested in French, here are my daughter’s favorite apps:

Les aventures de Lola (lite) Excellent memory game with flags, three levels of difficulty. (Available in Chinese too.) Fun for parents too. L’alphabet de Lola works with letters and words. Really catchy, as we follow a train which leads to many activities: matching small to capital letters, dragging letters to form the word, memory with letters…

Trouve les tous: Ã la recherche des animaux You need to find the animals by listening to their sounds, scrolling left and right. Word is shown. (available in English too, but with a French accent :slight_smile:

Tchoupi: Joue et apprend les couleurs A little expensive for the content (E2.99), but my daughter’s favorite to work on colors.

Mes premiers mots (by Alexandre Menard): Can be played by non speakers. Drag the letter to match the word corresponding to the picture. Excellent for reluctant readers and spellers. Limited to animal, colors and fruits, would love more themes!
There are many other apps from A. Menard: we have all of his puzzles (dinosaurs, insects, tangrams)

Decouvrions (+ Jouer à lire) With the first app, you identify the animal, with the second one, you find the word. Many animals, but the lady’s voice is computerized and quite unbearable after a while.

For Spanish, our favorite one is IWrite Words Spanish. Excellent voice-over!

Could Chinese parents let us know which apps they are using?
I’m after regular ‘intuitive’ games such as memory, drag and match, puzzles etc… with Chinese voice over.
(I’ve got quite a few stories and flashcards in Chinese but my daughter doesn’t play with these, no matter the language)

Thanks!

I have some questions too for those who used or are still using iPod touch:

  1. What generation/model of iPod do you recommend for using most of the educational apps you’ve tried?
    2)What apps do you recommend for iPod? Are they the same as for iPhone, those that some of you mentioned on this thread?
    Thank you in advance. Very good thread!

Andrea

ready to get one . it will be my 18 years old specialneed daughter birthday present .
the question what to get ?? 64 gb , 32 ,?? 3G or not ??
what added accessories will i need ??
did you buy extended guarantee for it ???
i will be getting it from the states , my relative is there and hopefully will bring it with her.
i am hoping to get all the family ditch in instead of useless gifts that my daughter cannot use . please if you got an ipad write back
love
viv

Hi Bella,

I purchased the ipad2 for my son. I got the 64gb because even though they only give up to eleven pages to hold apps you can now put them in folders. I had no idea how many gbs I would need and to tell you the truth I still do not know. I have not figured out how to check how much space I have used. It also depends on your personal preference you can have apps in your itunes account and switch them out with each other if your apps exceed the space on your ipad. I personally was more comfortable in paying the extra money to have all his apps available without me having to rearrange things. I bought directly from the apple store they have free shipping and free engraving. But if you get the engraving you can not return the ipad2. We got his ipad2 before the 3g service was an option. I was aware that if I waited a couple more months it would be available. Since we have a wireless connection at home I decided that if we were out there are enough apps to keep busy. The only accesory I bought was the leather smart cover. I did not buy the extended warranty because the apple store gives you one year of warranty for free and I figured that if something were to happen to it after a year that the ipad3 will be coming out…
I am sure that your daughter will love this gift from her whole family.
Happy Birthday to Her :smiley:

Hi
I am still undecided as to go for an ipad 2 or for an android tablet.
I mainly want it for ET of my kids (oldest now 3,5 years) and get excited evey time I see your extensive recommendation list here.
Question for those who know more than me:
Are the educational apps for android tablets rapidly increasing?
Have they come to a similar number than the Apple apps or are they still considerably less?
What do you think who will offer the most apps in the foreseeable future (1-2 years): Androids or Apple?

I guess the last question is the “one million dollar question” but I cannot help asking it.

Can those of you who know the market better than I do please give their opinon here?

THANKS IN ADVANCE! Isa

Sorry for they typo - when I said “I mainly want it for ET of my kids (oldest now 3,5 years)” I meant EL as in Early Learnng of course…

Hi all,

any updates or more recommendations for iPad apps? We just got one.

Thanks for all the earlier recommendations.

-Shaman

If there is a way to copy/paste icons into the forum, I could show you what I’ve got?

Has anyone any advice on how to show Itunes in different languages? It’s automatically set up to French (due to credit card needing to match address), and I can only see apps comments in French: most of the apps I download are in English or Chinese and I don’t have access to user’s comments in other languages…

I found a list with 50 top free educational apps for iPad/iPhone http://www.appstoreapps.com/top-50-free-education-apps/
It has apps for different levels. Some of them are only for iPhone and some for both iPhone and iPad.

hypatia -

I think the best way is to just look at the app store on a computer because it’s much easier to change your country! You don’t have to have an active account in the country you want to look at, you just go and switch it down at the bottom.

In English, it says “Change country” under Manage down at the bottom of the iTunes Store main page. In French, “Changer de pays” is the last one under Gérer. I think it’s exactly like that for all the country stores if you are using the iTunes stand alone app on a computer (not a device).

I usually change countries just so I can read reviews and see what’s popular elsewhere. I still have to come back and buy them in the U.S. store though.

I quote glitterusagi:
"I usually change countries just so I can read reviews and see what’s popular elsewhere. I still have to come back and buy them in the U.S. store though. "
same here: I live in Spain and it won´t let me buy a certain app in German becasue it only exists in the “German itunes”, the same app is offered to me but in Spanish. Well, I happen to live here but I teach my child German (mother tongue) and English. This restriction is so annoying and I think the same as Shen-Li commented in her blog recently “I have never understood country restrictions when it comes to digital products”. Is there no way around it?

Thanks in advance
Isa

Glitterusagi, karma to you!
I’ve done this and am able to see the other comments, but can’t purchase in US dollars. With the conversion rates, paying apps in Euro is more expensive than US$.

Does anyone know how to ‘copy-paste’ apps icons on the forum?

Thrilled to report that my Ipad screen is once again shattered, this time thanks to me, not my kids. Whoops. Now I need to sweet talk my hubby into fixing it again…and buy an otter box. http://www.otterbox.com/ipad-cases/ipad-cases,default,sc.html

We bought this case http://www.bestbuy.com/site/Griffin+Technology+-+Survivor+Case+for+Apple+iPad+2+-+Black/2490083.p?id=1218330050323&skuId=2490083&st=griffin case&cp=1&lp=2
This durable case is designed to protect your iPad 2 from dirt, sand, rain and shock. The frame is constructed with polycarbonate material that is shatter-resistant and clad in shock-absorbing silicone.Military standard tested and certified. Protects against sand, dust, wind, rain, vibration, drop and other elements. :biggrin:

The screen has a good protection and is sensitive enough for little fingers. Amazon has it twice cheaper than Bestbuy.

TmT, if you purchase that case, would you mind coming back and giving a review?! We are looking for a sturdy one also for an original iPad. I’m really sorry your screen is shattered (again?!?), I’d be devastated.

Does anyone mind if I clean up this thread with copy and paste? I’d like to look logically at the different apps and reviews specifically from Brillkids forum parents, but it’s rather hard to sort through as is.

I’d just copy and paste all the reviews onto one post and sort them the best I can figure with what is already given here.