Scuba Diving Apps

Wild Dolphins

Version: 1.0.0
Price: Free
Platform: iPad only

Description: Wild Dolphins tells the story behind the movie Dolphin Tale (in theaters now). It contains interviews, videos, graphics, sounds, and interactive elements to provide factual and scientific background to Winter’s miraculous rescue and recovery. (Winter is the dolphin with the prosthetic tail, featured in the movie.) It also presents information on dolphin conservation and educational tidbits.

Pros: This app is so easy to use and entertaining it’s hard to believe it’s actually an educational app. Good for all ages, except for the some of the graphic video and photos. The quality of the video footage and photos is fantastic. The educational portions are interactive and fun.

Cons: Do I have to have a con? I had to think long and hard to come up with some. Some of the photos and video footage is fairly graphic. Also, this app is laid out more like an interactive media presentation rather then an app, but once again it’s a means to get information out to the public and I can’t fault the developer for implementation.

Bottom Line: I usually pass up educational apps unless they’re about sharks, electronics, or software programming. Sharks are my passion, but when the editor asked me to give this app a look it was hard to put down the iPad and actually write this review. The information was moving and inspiring, and from an engineering point-of-view I enjoyed learning about the prosthetic and how it worked. Inside the app there is also a web store so you can donate and purchase merchandise to help the conservation efforts. In Florida, for example, you can renew some specialty license plates (FL tag) and get a free memory stick that looks just like the license plate. On technical merits the app is phenomenally written and constructed. Everything flows smoothly and appears to work seamlessly.

To download a free trial version of this app, go to Wild Dolphins.

PADI Rescue Diver Michael Dombrowski, President of DomCo Electronics, Inc., is an Electrical and Software Engineer with over 10 years of experience specializing in iOS applications and rapid prototyping. He has created apps for the educational industry, including The Organwise Guys, and for the dive industry with RB Planner, as well as prototypes for the Arduino Community. To see more, visit his website at www.DomCoElectronics.com