Education

[invisiblegirl]

I haven't bought the app, and with its current functionality and price, I'm not going to. From what I can tell, it's simply an interface for the website. I can access the website for free through a web browser both on my computer and on my phone. The Dashboard widget was free, as are downloadable toolbars, widgets, gadgets, etc. for a variety of platforms. Everything except the iPhone app, which is $50. Sure it scales the output for the iPhone display, but the Dashboard widget does the same for the space it's given in my Dashboard, and I assume that the other downloads do this as well. What makes the iPhone app so special? Right now, the answer is nothing, which needs to change if you want to charge so much for it. Of course developing Wolfram Alpha was presumably expensive, and I see no reason that Wolfram shouldn't make some money off it, but why should iPhone users be paying for all of it?

If the iPhone app included some amount of offline functionality, at least as much as what my graphing calculator can do (which I know the iPhone can handle since I already have an app that does it), then I might consider it worth paying for. Without any offline functionality, or even any online functionality that's not available for free via a web browser, it would only be worthwhile as a free download.

[Nilpferdschaf]

I would buy the App, but 50$ is to much, for so much money I could buy to many other stuff.

[Gasport]

For $1.99 I will buy it. What are the prospects for a native iPad application? I assume the iPhone version will work on the iPad, but with the known limitations of running an iPhone app on an iPad.

[ukle]

I bought it for the new price of $2. Worth the convenience and the features of being able to save searches.

A few comments:

Feature suggestion: At the end a long page of results, there is no way to get back to the top (that I know of). I suggest tapping "WolframAlpha" at the top of the screen should scroll back to the top, place the cursor in the search box, and highlight the text, so you can begin typing a new query.

* The section headings from previous queries are not getting erased and are being laid over new search results which is distracting. Quitting the app seems to clear up the issue temporarily, until a new search is done.

* The timeline for weather (and possibly other things) includes the month for each day, e.g. "Mar 29 Mar 30 Mar 31 Apr 1 ..." Due to the limited resolution of the iPhone, they overlap and are illegible. You could get away with displaying the month once at the beginning and once when it changes. I.e. Mar 29 30 31 Apr 1 2 3"

* As others pointed out, the icon needs attention. Some have suggested W|A which is fine but the might look out of place among the other labels. Another option would be "Wolfram" in the icon itself just below the geometric symbol, and "Alpha" as the title. But the minor defect unfairly makes the app appear amateurish.

[DerKaiser]

Hello

I have aquired the app today.

I must say that I really like how you guys did the keyboard function, so you have easily access to everything you need.

The price is now absolutely justified and worth the money.

What I would like to see in the future is a copy paste feature of the output wolframalpha has made.

Example given:

int x^2-2x+4, x=0 to a

gives us the output

a^3/3-a^2+4 a

now we can use this to specify a so that our area has the size 12

a^3/3-a^2+4 a=12

a=3

Do you know what I mean?

Best Regards
- Kaiser

[jedidove]

I bought the app for my iPad the other day. It really is great, and the keyboard alone makes it worth the small fee. However, I think you guys should really be taking more advantage of the platform to justify having it as a separate app since the web site has most of the functionality already. I have two big suggestions that would really set the app apart from the website.

First, you should be able to control the window size of the plots. On the web site you only have the option of the default window and one larger one. At least on the web version you can zoom the picture using pinch to zoom, though you lose quality obviously. I think it would be a huge advantage if the app could control the window range and physical size. In particular, a full screen mode for plots (with proper resolution) would be amazing. Imagine math and physics professors being able to show off nice big plots to students and colleagues wherever they are. The applications would be awesome.

My other suggestion is to add the ability to rotate 3D plots in real time. In combination with the previous suggestion this would let people hold functions in their hand and get a better inutitive feeling for math than ever before. Computers with programs like Mathematica have provided the same functionality for awhile, but none have provided it in a way that is as accessible and intimate as Wolfram could do on the iPad. Combine full screen, 3D rotation, pinch zooming, etc. and you will have created by far the most helpful accessible mathematical tool. People can't whip out Mathematica on a whim in the middle of a class and get what they need right away. The iPad is quick enough to allow for this information to be accessible anywhere anytime.

Please add some more robust display and manipulation tools to the iPad app. I promise you that it will blow people's minds. When the public sees the iPad doing what I'm describing, people will have one thought on their mind: "I want".

[Mavrisa]

I think it should be able to do some calculations on its own without the need for a wifi connection. There are both calculator apps and graphing apps that don't use the internet. The only thing this can do without the internet is act as a fairly simple number calculator. And I don't need this app to tell me that 7^5 is 16807... I have the calculator app that comes with the iPod Touch for that. I'd like something that can tell me, even if it takes 20 odd seconds, where x is minimized in sin^4(4x). I can only hope this is in the works.

[sammiefields2512]

Unlike some of these comments, I am less concerned with the price and more focused on the functionality. I would ask for two additions:

1) I recognize that the iPhone is not powerful enough to host Mathematica natively, but I am sure it is sufficient for certain computations. If WA could be my standard calculator (even when out of data range) then I would use it a lot more. As the iPhone gets more and more powerful, more of the functionality of WA could be ported over (it might even be useful to show a toggle of when it is performing calculations natively vs. on your servers).

2) The ability to store solutions on the iPhone and send those solutions to someone else (even a pdf or rich html).

Thank you.

[me3hh]

I really love your work here at wolframalpha.com and I think it's fantastic that you've made an iPhone app as well.

[bvisness]

I really, really like the app. Of course, I'm kind of ticked off that now it's only $1.99 or so (I got it on holiday steal for $25.00 and thought it was a steal.) I love the interface, though, and the ability to save any image to your iPhone photo library.

[moviesguru]

Nice thread:) and yeah site too,but i am new to this place:(
where can i find development tools?? anyone

[Cat612]

I have the app. It's an excellent resource, I have deleted my dictionary and all other information apps!

[chocochoco]

That's so interesting. I will buy one.

[davepowell]

Any word on an app for the Blackberry?

[webdesignsurrey]

So pleased to be able to buy the app for a sensible price, I just couldn't justify the expense until now, what a great move.

[Timothy]

$50 is quite expensive, especially when most apps are less that $5, and a lot of them are even free. At ten times the price of the average app, I would hope the functionality is no short of amazing. I have yet to download this app, as I'm just now reading the reviews on it, but -eek!- I didn't expect it to be so expensive.

[ncbcrj]

It's really a great app

[maxClark]

When will we see WA optimized for iPhone 4 and iOS 4? Are there any new features coming?

[Gabbione]

This is easily one of the most valuable apps on my phone. Price? Heck, I spent $495 for an HP-45 back when I had hair (that wasn't gray)! Simply put, I don't see how any serious Engineering student does not have this app. I don't see how any serious Finance/Accounting student does not have this app. Same goes for Economics, Chemistry, Physics, and Mathematics students. Price? Forget the price and look at the functionality, the versatility, and the breadth and depth of what this app can allow you to do!

[leemegia]

I've heard that the update will be soon coming from the OS4. Too bad I just traded in my iPhone for a Sprint HTC EVO

[amberhe]

I saw this app on my friend's Iphone, it's pretty unique as far as i can tell. Is there a similar app on the droid platform?

[datorres3]

I am a little confused. I am new to the wolframalpha thing, a friend showed it to me and i downloaded the app for 99 cents on my iphone and it doesnt work. but i read all these posts of it costing 50 dollars so I am wondering what i downloaded? Can anyone help me and answer my questions?

[TurnipJam]

How about an android app? I guarantee that the average Droid user is more interested in a utilitarian app like WolframAlpha than an iSheep.

[ncbcrj]

I am addicted to buying apps...this sounds like another good one ;) ... love the iphone!

[christinejoseph]

How about an android app? I guarantee that the average Droid user is more interested in a utilitarian app like WolframAlpha than an iSheep.

You are absolutely right! Android user's favorite is app WolfarmAlpha. It is a better Computational Knowledge Engine than other iSheep.