The American Museum of Natural History

By – Do you love stars, planets etc.? Then you will love this post. Have you ever looked up at the night sky, and wondered what exactly you were looking at? Pocket Universe is an easy-to-use app that will help you learn constellations, bright stars and planets. You can literally hold up your iPhone 3GS/4 in front of you, and the app will use the built-in compass to display the same view of the sky you see – but one that’s complete with names and information. If you want your kids to learn the constellations, or to impress a date with the names of the stars, this is the only app you need. Take a ride with the Museum‚Äôs astrophysicists through our Solar System, the Milky Way Galaxy, and beyond. Cosmic Discoveries is the first app to collect nearly a 1000 stunning astronomic images and is being launched as part of a year-long series of events to help commemorate the tenth anniversary of the opening of the Museum‚Äôs Rose Center for Earth and Space, a New York City icon and one of the world‚Äôs most revered science and educational institutions. Need some fast facts about our solar system? You’ve got it now! Astronomy Guide is the perfect reference source for finding planets, stars, constellations, and even the history of space travel. Know more about planet Earth and the solar system. Easy controls, fast look-up features, and rich illustrations makes this an ideal gift for the curious mind. The best Astronomy magazine on the planet has gone mobile! This application is a must for those people who are interested in Astronomy and the universe around us. With our Astronomy Dictionary you will have all the terms you need at your fingertips. We have built this dictionary application with a very easy to use interface. We have designed it so that you can easily find what you are looking for without the confusion and frustration like so many other applications out there on the iDevices. HD Astronomy Reference: The following material provides data about the universe and explains it in an easy to understand text. We reference the phenomena that occurs in the solar system, the planets movements and their positions on land. Related Posts Read More

Every so often I see a free app that is just dying to be used as an iPhone demonstration. The candidate for today is the American Museum of Natural History app called Cosmic Discoveries. When you open the app, you see an image of Saturn. It's a bit crinkly, so you dive in for a closer look, dragging your fingers apart to trigger a zoom. What you'll find is that the image is composed of many hundreds of pictures that can be expanded to near full screen proportions. The zoom goes almost literally to infinity. Some of the pictures are historical photos of observatories or scientists, while many others are striking images of the planets and deep space objects taken by some of our best observatories, or the Hubble or Spitzer Space Telescopes. You can explore the images and the attached information for hours. Alas, all things are not perfect. The app doesn't support the iPhone 4 Retina display. Another big foul up is that you're given the opportunity to share any image with someone via email, but when the image arrives, text is plastered across the middle of the image suggesting that the recipient download the app, too. It's hard to believe that the people who want you to enjoy the grandeur of the universe would deface their own images for some cheap promotion, which could have been handled in the text of the email and not in front of the image. I hope that rather glaring fault gets fixed, but even so, this is a really cool program that you can explore at no cost. You're bound to learn a few things, and the gigantic zoom is just the thing to show off your iPhone. There's no iPad-specific version, and the app requires iOS 2.2.1 or later. Read More

Cosmic Discoveries, the latest app from the American Museum of Natural History, lets you explore nearly a thousand space-related images and blurbs, arranged neatly in a galaxy swirl-mosaic. Think of it as getting your mind blown, fun-sized. [iTunes] Read More

An absolutely stunning app for anyone even mildly interested in the galaxy, space or cosmic adventure. Take an adventure with the American Museum of Natural History as they present Cosmic Discoveries, a new free iPhone app that offers a host of beautiful images, interesting stories and fascinating information about the world around us. This app is presented as a part of an ongoing celebration for the tenth anniversary of the opening of the Museum’s Rose Center for Earth and Space, in New York City. As one of the most popular and revered Science Institutions in America, you can rest assured that they have put a worthy amount of energy into creating an app that will appeal to students, scientists and everyday space enthusiasts alike. Offering over a thousand images of impressive quality, gathered from a host of different sources, space agencies, the Museum’s own collection and observatories worldwide. Each photo offers information about its subject, including astronauts, planets, stars, and nebulae. Also, it features photos from here on earth – our history, our technology and so much more to do with our discovery of outer space. All of this is presented as a mosaic with a familiar shape – Saturn. You can also share each photo with a friend right from within the app! There are also 9 different ‘Stories’ included in the app. Learn about Comets, Pulsars, Galaxy Clusters and more! With illustrations, these stories offer detailed and educational information to anyone wanting to know more about the space around our planet, and to help understand the complexities of our universe. This would be a wonderful addition to any astronomy or cosmology class at any level. This app can function as a handy reference or as an interesting introduction to the topic of Space. The American Museum of Natural History is no stranger to the App Store — if you liked their Dinosaur’s App, then you should definitely check this one out! Read More

The next time you’re about to visit a museum, do yourself a favor and drop in on your favorite app store first. Most institutions have not yet created a mobile app, but as a group, museums are headed in that direction. In the last few months, free apps were released by the Museum of Modern Art and the American Museum of Natural History, in New York; the Los Angeles Museum of the Holocaust; and the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (which also has an Android app). I recently tested the newest museum apps for New York. While they take distinctly different approaches, they demonstrate the vast potential for technology to help people make the most of a museum visit. They can also point to a restroom in a hurry. The Museum of Natural History Explorer, which arrived in July, features a navigation system that, while flawed, helps users find exhibits and museum facilities more easily than with a printed map. While visiting the museum with my wife and two children, for instance, we knew we couldn’t tackle the entire building in a few hours, so we opened the Tours section of the app and chose the Highlights Tour from among the four itineraries listed. (We could have also found specific exhibits in a nicely arranged directory.) The Highlights Tour includes three options, depending on the number of preferred stops. The real magic of the app begins when it finds the nearest attraction, or plots a course between you and any other exhibit you choose. Unfortunately, it can be unreliable. In various places in the museum — near the Giant Sequoia exhibit, to name one — the device had a hard time finding me. A spokesman, Lowell Eschen, said the museum was still working out the kinks in its geolocation technology. But even when the app can’t spot you, the map offers step-by-step directions to an exhibit from the last place it saw you, so you can find your way easily enough. The navigation system also points to dining areas, shops, exits and restrooms. The app is free, but I would have happily paid for the restroom finder when we were near Lucy, the legendary Australopithecus afarensis, when my children heard the call of nature. Rather than wander in urgent circles seeking a museum worker or restroom sign, I tapped two buttons on the iPhone and it led us toward relief. Read More

Want to get the most out of New York City? It isn’t always easy. There’s so much happening all at once that deciding what to do can feel like a full-time project, and it’s often easy to walk right past something amazing. Fortunately, the big apple comes with apps. Whether you’re looking for a happening happy hour, The New York Times critic’s favorite restaurant, or just the nearest subway stop, there are plenty of free apps to help you track it down. Most of them also have location-based features that can help you explore whatever nook of the city where you happen to be. Below, find nine of our favorite mobile apps for exploring New York City It’s hard to pack all of New York City into one app, but this one comes incredibly close to pulling it off. Delivering more than 60 apps for street vendors, nightlife, tourist attractions, subway stations, the garbage collection schedule, and everything in between, it’s hard to believe that this is also free. Looking for a beer near you? Coovents is a location-based application that shows you the happy hours going on right now. Even better, it gives you a map so that you can get there. If you’re more of a planner, you can also search drink specials by day or location. When you find one you like, you can connect to Twitter to alert your friends and add it to a list of favorites. For most people, modern art is something that goes down a little easier with some explanation. Instead of standing in front of a painting thinking, “I just don’t get it,” the MoMA app helps by pulling up an audio tutorial talking about the painting or special exhibit. You’ll like it so much that you’ll want to come back for all new exhibits and special events (which are also conveniently updated regularly in the app). Navigating New York City can even be frustrating for locals and it’s completely daunting for the unacquainted. This augmented reality Android app helps you find the subway, bus, or train stations nearest you. Hold up your phone as if you’re taking a photo, and you’ll see icons for the stations that are located in that direction. Click a station to get walking directions. This collection of four regularly updated lists from The New York Times is a great start to planning your week. An events Read More

AMNH Explorer is one of those iPhone apps that is cool on so many levels.  For starters, the idea of acting as a personal tour guide for a visit to a leading museum is a great idea I believe. It doesn ‘t hurt to be acting as a personal guide to one of the coolest museums in the world either “ and I ‘m happy to say the app ‘s execution is as good as its intentions.  Here ‘s a bit of AMNH Explorer ‘s App Store description: It ‘s the new way to find your way at the American Museum of Natural History. Chart your own course at the American Museum of Natural History in New York City with AMNH Explorer ”a new app that is part custom navigation system, part personal tour guide for the Museum ‘s world-famous halls. Providing turn-by-turn directions, AMNH Explorer takes visitors from the edge of the universe to the age of the dinosaurs. Choose from a variety of Museum-designed tours or create your own from a list of popular exhibits, specimens, or artifacts. AMNH Explorer also lets you share your adventures with friends and family by linking directly to your Facebook and Twitter profiles. Download AMNH Explorer now and start planning your next visit or use your iPhone or iPod Touch to discover the Museum ‘s must-sees from anywhere in the world. KEY FEATURES: PERSONAL GPS: Find your current location within the Museum and explore the map. TURN-BY-TURN DIRECTIONS: Get realtime directions to your next exhibit, a café, or anywhere else in the Museum using the quickest route. DIGITAL EXHIBITS: Learn more about select items from the Museum ‘s vast collection during your visit or browse exhibits from anywhere in the world. PRE-LOADED TOURS: Choose from Museum highlights or in-depth guided tours. CUSTOM TOURS: Plan your own tour before you arrive or on the spot. Explorer comes pre-loaded with over 100 Museum exhibits for you to choose from. FOSSIL TREASURE HUNT: Use clues to find specimens and exhibits in the Museum ‘s fossil halls. SHARING THE EXPERIENCE: Share an interesting exhibit through email, Facebook, or Twitter. BOOKMARKING: Want to learn more? Bookmark an item and receive a link to more information when you get home. Bloomberg is the founding sponsor of the AMNH Exploration System. And here are a few more screencaps, starting with the page showing a directory of popular exhibits: A screen Read More

The American Museum of Natural History on New York City's Upper West Side has released AMNH Explorer (free) for the iPhone and iPod touch. This app, funded by Bloomberg, is a tour guide and personal navigation system that allows you to easily traverse the museum's huge collection. You can search for an exhibit by popularity, exhibit hall, or an alphabetical listing, and the app will use the museum's free Wi-Fi to give you step-by-step directions to your intended destination (using either the stairs or elevators). You can also get directions to the closest restroom or exit as well as information about restaurants and gift shops. If you want to know more about an exhibit, tap its card to see more detail. After you've seen an exhibit, you can mark it as visited, which puts a banner on the exhibit's information card. You can also bookmark exhibits, which will send you an email that details what you've bookmarked as a record of your visit. There is also an option to send exhibit information to Twitter or Facebook. Tours can be personally built by adding attractions to a list that you can rearrange, and the app will walk you to each one; you can also use one of the packaged tours. There are four tours built into the app; the Dino tour and the Earth and Space tour are preset, but if you're strapped for time, the Highlights tour gives you the choice of a tour that is short, medium, or long with varying numbers of exhibits in each. The Night at the Museum tour shows you exhibits that were featured in the popular film. There is also the option to go on a treasure hunt, which will give you some information on an exhibit and provide hints until you hunt it down. Floor maps can be displayed with your location pinpointed to allow you to orient yourself. I've gotten lost in the AMNH more than once, and this is quite valuable. An easy to follow orientation video that is subtitled for the deaf is also included in the app. If you haven't brought the app to the museum, they will lend you a device for free during your visit; I think that's very nice indeed. If you've ever been to the AMNH, you know how daunting finding an exhibit can be. This app solves that problem, and it does a lot more. Read More

By Staff, Tuesday, Feb 16, 2010 | From learning ABCs to counting 123s, going back in time to looking to the stars, the iTunes App Store has something for pretty much everyone. Here’s a sampling of great iPhone and iPod touch apps and games for kids. MONOPOLY Here & Now: The World Edition [$4.99 - iTunes link] – Celebrate the 75th Anniversary of the MONOPOLY brand as the game you know and love goes global. Doodle Jump [$0.99 - iTunes link] – insanely addictive game that’s currently #1 on the App Store Top Paid list. Dinosaurs: The American Museum of Natural History Collections (free - iTunes link] – most kids LOVE dinosaurs and this amazing app let’s kids explore the museums collection. Pickin’ Time [$1.99 - iTunes link] – another game to keep kids of all ages engaged. While teaching them about vegetables! Math Cards [$0.99 - iTunes link] – Sorry kids, it’s not all games. This app uses quick quizzes to improve basic math kill. ABC Animals [$1.99 - iTunes link] – really engaging way to help teach preschoolers letters, phonics and handwriting. Preschool Music [$0.99 - iTunes link] – includes four fun musical activities for preschoolers to jam along with. Perhaps not one for the back of the mini-van. Elmo’s Monster Maker [$3.99 - iTunes link] – super fun app that lets kids design their own monster friend to play with Elmo. Jelly Car 2 [$0.99 - iTunes link] – this game has become a real favorite on the App Store and this version lets you use your own much in the game. Word Magic [$0.99 - iTunes link] – great way to help kids 3-6 have fun with words and spelling. NASA App [free - iTunes link] – educate and entertain with this official app from NASA. Includes a ton of fantastic information about space missions past and present. Wheels on the Bus [$0.99 - iTunes link] – the classic. Brilliantly updated for iPhone and iPod touch. Any other great apps for kids that you would recommend? Let us know! Read More