SolarWalk
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Solar Walk updated, on sale now
During WWDC, we got a chance to see an upcoming Solar Walk update from the folks at Vito Technology, and that update is now available. It adds a redesigned information screen that's easier to access and more filled out, as well as a greatly improved graphics system. There are also preset bookmarks, which will show you around the solar system from different perspectives. There are a bevy of new objects floating out there in virtual space, including things such as asteroids, comets and dwarf planets. To celebrate the update and its back-to-school timed release, Solar Walk is currently on sale for 99 cents. This app, like most of Vito's products, has been everywhere already. It's featured in Apple's stores, and chances are you might have already bought it. But if not, at that price, it's a steal.
Star Walk and Solar Walk apps now track the Space X Dragon
The two bestselling astronomy apps, Star Walk and Solar Walk for iOS, can now find and track the Space X Dragon, the first commercial vehicle to visit the International Space Station. The Dragon was launched Tuesday. When you search for the spacecraft, you'll see it's current position. As I write this, it's in orbit next to the ISS. Using the augmented-reality feature, you likely can find the Dragon when it is in a good position overhead. I didn't try to find Dragon in the night sky, but it was easy to find on my iPhone. I could use the search command to find by name, or I could look on the last 30-day launches list. It appears centered on the screen in the correct orientation to the ISS and the star background. You also can get some specifics on the Dragon position and a bit of history. Use AirPlay mirroring and an Apple TV, and you can get it on the big screen, great for teachers or sharing with friends. I was interested in how the spacecraft was added so quickly to the app, and the developers told me they were contacted by the Space X people and wanted it added. Space X helped with the math and collaborated with Vito Technologies to get the 3D model correctly displayed. Star Walk is available for US$4.99. Solar Walk is a $2.99. Some screen shots are in the gallery below. %Gallery-156087%
Star Walk and Solar Walk updated for the new iPad Retina display
The highly rated astronomy iPad apps from Vito Technology have updates that allow them to display the heavens and our solar system in dazzling high definition for owners of the new iPad. Star Walk (US $4.99) is a fully animated guide to the night sky with a database of more than 20,000 objects. With the Retina display update, everything from details to the amount of items displayed on-screen at once is dramatically increased. Star Walk has also added more than 200,000 objects on screen, compared to 10,000 on the original iPad and iPad2. There are also new high resolution pictures of the day. Solar Walk (US $2.99) is an interactive 3D model of the Solar System. Using your fingers on the iPad screen you can explore the surfaces of planets, change your position to create your own eclipses, and even see man-made satellites orbiting our earth. I don't have the new iPad to test these apps, but the older versions were just stunning, and especially nice when you display them on a large monitor. These versions will be even more spectacular. Our Victor Agreda does have the app on the new iPad and he reports the interface is smooth as silk on the new versions and that moving around is more responsive than ever, but some texturing on the 3D models could use enhancement. Vito Technology is also offering a contest to win a new iPad if you are willing to follow them on Twitter. Details are available on the Company website.
Daily iPad App: Solar Walk
Want to tour the Solar System? Solar Walk is a just-updated universal iOS app that allows you to do just that. The new version has support for 3D, so you get some rather stunning renditions of planets and satellites that are more realistic than what's available in a 2D presentation. I reviewed the app in 2010 and found it to be very educational. Solar Walk would be very nice for teachers, who could plug it into external monitors in the classroom. As near as I can tell, the app doesn't support the high end 3D method that uses shutter glasses or polarizing filters, but instead uses the tried and true red/blue anaglyphic glasses that became popular in the fifties. They are cheap, and easily available from suppliers like Amazon. Note: A late email from the developer says you can use the app with a 3D TV although it is not noted in the app help. Here's how to do it if you have a 3D TV.: 1. Connect your iPad with an HDMI adapter to the 3d TV 2. Switch on 3D function in Solar Walk Menu. 3. There will appear a question what type of 3D you want to use anaglyph glasses or 3D TV. Choose 3D TV. 4. On you 3D TV screen there will appear two pictures on a screen. 5. Switch 3D mode on a TV. 6. Put on 3D glasses and enjoy. You can also see the 3D images just fine on the iPad. Solar Walk includes very detailed graphics and information about our solar system, and this new version adds some movies (in 2D) on tides, circles of latitude, and the zodiacal constellations. My favorite 3D view was of Saturn and its moons. With 3D glasses on, the planets and artificial satellites come alive. It was interesting to watch things like the Hubble Space Telescope in its proper real time position slowly gliding over the earth far below. You can navigate to any view that you like, using finger gestures, and you can zoom in and out as well. There is an option to listen to music while you use the app, but I found the music forgettable and distracting. Screen captures are supported and background stars are rendered in their proper positions. Solar Walk is very educational, but as before, the textual information is still a bit thin. I always found myself wanting to read more. Perhaps some links to NASA or Wikipedia would be in order. Still, the new features are worthwhile and the app is a reasonable US$2.99. This app was created by the team that made the much praised Star Walk app. This app is of equal quality and the graphics are sharp and very attractive. There are some (2D) screen shots in the gallery below. %Gallery-132539%
Macworld Expo 2011: Vito Technology updates the Walk apps
Russian company Vito Technology was in one of the booths around the Mobile App Showcase at Macworld 2011 last week, and they kindly sat down to show off new versions of their apps, all coming up in the next month or so as free updates on the App Store. Popular astronomy app Star Walk was first. It's getting a visual enhancement in the next version, with a brand new sky and a new look to the stars that's more visually interesting than the current setup. The other feature that will be added is a "calendar of celestial events," where things like meteor showers or lunar eclipses will be tracked (per your location) so that you can see when something interesting is coming up. Later on, Vito wants to add other cultural displays to the app, including constellation charts and other star maps from Hawaiian, Arabic and Native American viewpoints. Star Walk is also going to be integrated into some of Macmillan's science textbooks, so students will be able to work directly with the app as they learn. We also got to see updates for the other Vito apps, including Solar Walk and a very different Geo Walk.
WWDC 2010: Vito Technology walks on with Star Walk and Geo Walk
We met up with both Victor Toporkov and Murad Nazaraliev of Vito Technology during WWDC this past week, and while we know the company's name well from their great Star Walk and Solar Walk apps (the first one won an Apple Design Award this week, and the second one is quite popular, too), we learned some interesting facts about the history of the company. Toporkov now lives in the United States, but the company has its roots in Novosibirsk, the biggest city in Siberia. Back in the 1950s, Russia created a scientific center out in the middle of Siberia, consisting of a whole group of nuclear and scientific research facilities. Toporkov was one of those nuclear scientists, and now that the Cold War is over, he and many other scientists in that community have moved on to creating various kinds of software. In fact, the region itself is now sometimes referred to as "Silicon Forest," in a comparison with Silicon Valley in the US. I found that background fascinating. But of course, Vito is looking to the future -- after a couple of solid educational astronomy apps on the App Store, they're looking to come back down to Earth with Geo Walk. I first got to use this app back at Macworld Expo this year, but the latest version has come a long way, with lots of various nodes to browse around a 3D globe, featuring historical locations or individuals. The app is due out next week on the App Store, with an iPad version coming later in July, and Vito says they'll be pricing the app at just 99 cents -- it's meant for kids, and they're trying to find the lowest acceptable price possible.
