News & Trends: AppWatch

Application: Peter Rabbit: Buddy Edition

Produced By: Sideways

Price: $1.99

Description/Features: Available for the iPad, iPhone and iPod Touch, "Peter Rabbit: Buddy Edition" is a version of the Beatrix Potter classic that incorporates Sideways' patent-pending Buddy Reading technology, which allows two people to remotely read aloud together. For example, a parent who is traveling on business can read a bedtime story in real-time to a child at home, with both able to interact with the digital book and each other across different devices. Other features include a coloring book feature, which enables children to color a drawing in the book and share it electronically; and a learn-to-read function, which allows children to touch objects and see and hear the words.

Application: AccessMyLibrary

Produced By: Gale (part of Cengage Learning)

Price: Free to libraries that subscribe to Gale databases and their patrons

Description/Features: Available on both iOS 
(iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch) and Android devices, Gale's line of AccessMyLibrary apps includes three editions—Public, School and College. Through the app, users can access all of the Gale resources that their library subscribes to—such as journal articles and reference works—as if they were at the physical library. The School edition (for grade, middle and high school students) and College edition (for college students) require students to enter a one-time password, while the Public edition—utilizing smart phones' built-in GPS capabilities—allows users to access Gale resources through public libraries within a 10-mile radius.

Application: How Rocket Learned to Read for iPad

Produced By: Random House Children's Books/Domani Studios

Price: $7.99 (initially offered for a special introductory price of $4.99)

Description/Features: Based on Tad Hills' New York Times best-selling picture book, the app features interactivity and educational games. A "Read to Me" option allows children to simultaneously watch highlighted words and listen to the story read aloud by actress Hope Davis, while the "Read It Myself" option enables readers to silence the narration and read at their own pace. Additionally, a spread featuring the entire alphabet allows kids to tap on a letter to hear it and see a corresponding illustration created exclusively by Hills for the app, and two games ("Bird's Words" and "Alphabet Drop") encourage letter recognition and spelling skills. BB