Star Walk

Star Walk
Logo of Star Walk application
Developer(s) Vito Technology, Inc.
Initial release for iPhone/iPod Touch: 2008
for iPad: 2011
Type edutainment

Star Walk is an application developed for iOS, Android, Amazon by Vito Technology presented in the mobile software market since 2001.

The objective of Star Walk is to help astronomy amateurs, students and professionals locate and identify over 200,000 stars, planets, constellations and satellites in the night sky. Since its release Star Walk has been downloaded more than 5 million times.[1]

Functionality

Time Machine will help users explore the map of the night sky of tomorrow or years ago.

The application allows users to explore astronomical objects in real time, watch moon phases, meteor showers, iridium flares, see daily sunset and sunrise times, elevation angle, and day length. Most of the objects in the application are complemented with extensive information about them.

Star Walk shows users a list of upcoming celestial events which they can add to the calendar and set a reminder for.

Also, the application is equipped with time machine feature which gives an opportunity to explore the map of the night sky in the past and future. Besides, Star Walk uses iOS device camera for augmented reality feature. It combines the image data from camera with the star map to give the user a real time view of celestial objects.[2]

Releases

Star Walk was premiered on November 8, 2008 for the iPhone and the iPod Touch. A version for the iPad was released on March 4, 2010.

Star Walk for Android released on January 9, 2014.[3]

Reception

In addition to its commercial success, Star Walk was very well received by critics. At WWDC 2010, Star Walk won an Apple Design Award for the iPad version.[4] As of 2012, it won Parents’ Choice Gold Award in the "Mobile Apps" category,[5] Academics' Choice Award,[6] and World Summit Award in "Entertainment and Lifestyle" category.[7] Also, The Webby Awards 2012 nominated Star Walk in "Education & Reference" category.[8]

Reviews

As of January 2013, news website Mashable lists a rating of 4.9 (out of 5) and number 1 in Top 5 Apps for Kids You Don’t Want to Miss.[9]

Famigo recommended Star Walk for toddlers, kids and teens.[10]

Kit Eaton of the New York Times spoke of "the beautiful imagery it uses to show constellations and detail on the planets."[11]

Mel Martin of TUAW called Star Walk "one of the great demos of Apple technology."[12]

Earlier, Bob Tedeschi described it as the application that "will awaken your inner astronomer."[13]

Lonnie Lazar of Cult of Mac offered to use the application "for stargazing as well as to show off some of my iPhone's capabilities to friends and curious strangers."[14]

Soggy Astronomer wrote that "this app brings the old paper star chart into the smartphone age, and makes exploring the night sky easily accessible to everyone."[15]

Derek Walter of RedOrbit.com recommended it for students and teachers, saying "whether or not you are an astronomy teacher, Star Walk is an immersive app for allowing students to explore the universe."[16]

References

  1. ↑ "17 of Apple's Favorite Apps". Money.cnn.com. Retrieved 2014-03-05.
  2. ↑ Chen, Jason. "iPad App Review Marathon Live (Part 2)". Gizmodo.com. Retrieved 2014-03-05.
  3. ↑ "Star Walk disponibile anche per Android". SpazioiTech. Retrieved 2014-03-05.
  4. ↑ Shah, Asam. "10 incredible iPad apps for education". Thenextweb.com. Retrieved 2014-03-05.
  5. ↑ "Parents' Choice Awards. Star Walk". Parents-choice.org. Retrieved 2014-03-05.
  6. ↑ "Academics' Choice Award™ Winner". Acasemicschoice.com. Retrieved 2014-03-05.
  7. ↑ "Winners m-Entertainment & Lifestyle". Wsa-mobile.org. Retrieved 2014-03-05.
  8. ↑ "Education & Reference (Handheld Devices)". Winners.webbyawards.com. Retrieved 2014-03-05.
  9. ↑ Crowell, Chris. "Top 5 Apps for Kids You Don't Want to Miss". Mashable.com. Retrieved 2014-03-05.
  10. ↑ "About Star Walk™ HD - 5 Stars Astronomy Guide". Famigo.com. Retrieved 2014-03-05.
  11. ↑ Eaton, Kit. "App Smart Extra: Starry Night". Gadgetwise.blogs.nytimes.com. Retrieved 2014-03-05.
  12. ↑ Martin, Mel. "Star Walk still out of this world". Tuaw.com. Retrieved 2014-03-05.
  13. ↑ Tedeschi, Bob. "Games and Other Diversions to Turn Into Holiday Gifts". Nytimes.com. Retrieved 2014-03-05.
  14. ↑ Lazar, Lonnie. "Cult of Mac Favorite: Star Walk (Mobile App)". Cultofmac.com. Retrieved 2014-03-05.
  15. ↑ "The Night Sky In Your Pocket". Soggyastronomer.com. Retrieved 2014-03-05.
  16. ↑ Walter, Derek. "Best Educational Apps For Students And Teachers". Redorbit.com. Retrieved 2014-03-05.
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