Morcombe field guide – update

Update:

I have now bought it and find that it actually works quite well both on my iPhone and on the iPad (but see limitations below).

On the iPad the text is a little pixellated and “furry” when full screen but it is still readable, at least for quick reference purposes.

Surprisingly the images are clear. Not quite as sharp as on the iPhone, but quite usable. Even things like the bill drawings of the Little Corella, for example, are clear. I am pleasantly surprised, as some other apps I have don’t translate well to the bigger screen.

Of course, on the iPhone all is crisp and clear.

Still playing with it on my iPhone 3G plus my iPad, but it works very well.

Like:

I particularly like the split screen scrolling so that I can continue to see the image whilst scrolling through the text.

Calls are provided by David Stewart and are clear, with little background distraction. A variety of calls are provided in some cases.

The ability to limit searches to narrower geographic zones and to enter approximate size to limits hits to reasonable possibilities

Search where you only have to type in a few letters to get close hits – saves lots of typing

Alphabetic as well as taxonomic lists

You can create a personal list, but not as flexible as some other recording apps.

All data is local – you can use it without 3G or wifi connection – a big plus for fieldwork.

Minor problems – only iPad related:

Will not work in landscape mode on iPad

Text is a bit big and furry and won’t re-size, wasting screen space (does not scale properly).

Conclusion

Overall a great tool that provides excellent funtionality in a very small package on the iPhone. Practical for field trips with the bonus of sounds as well as images. Now I don’t need all the bird call files I currently have on my phone as now they are integrated with the images and text.

In short, provides greater usefulness than a standard book because of sounds, quick searching and all the rest of the book in one place.

My only wish-list is that hopefully updates will address issues like utilizing GPS tools and providing full iPad functionality.

Damian

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