There IS an App for That!

The pace of advancement in technology never slows down, and the fun part about working in the tech industry is that there is always something exciting, new, and outright amazing that you never would have thought of. This week, for example, right here in Maryland I learned that the Enoch Pratt Library is on Foursquare, and that the library used it to give a mug to the new “mayor” of the library . . . when I read the article I thought it was pretty cool that someone would think to use a social networking platform to promote a library, and then I became jealous. I spent so much time reading science fiction and checking out jazz records at my local library back in the day that I would have earned enough check-ins on Foursquare for a Jaguar or a closet full of library mugs!

Later in the day I was talking to a friend of mine, who is a doctor, and I asked him what he thought about iPhone/iPod touch test prep apps for the MCAT and the USMLE. And then he asked the question – there’s an app for that? After I stopped laughing, he told me stories about sleepless nights spent studying for the MCAT. He said it would have been convenient, and much more fun to supplement his studying with an app that had iPhone flashcards and videos.

I can relate to what my friend had to say. The daughter of one of our founders swears by gFlashPro, our flashcard app, as a great study tool. When I think back to my college days and all the time I spent creating flashcards to study for an exam, when I could have been out doing other things, it made me wish I could send myself a smartphone back through time.

But you can’t go back in time and technology never sleeps, so at gWhiz we are always looking forward to what's coming next. Even as I typed this post, a friend instant messaged me to let me know that Facebook had just rolled out some updates to their photo capabilities. Tech doesn’t even seem to like to take a nap, and neither do we. We’ve got some more great apps coming down the pipeline for the Architect Registration Examination and the Fundamentals of Engineering (FE/EIT) exam, and of course we are counting down the days for the arrival our Twilight app in the iTunes store!

Now that we’ve told you our favorite tech tidbits for the week, what are yours? Share your favorite news of tech wizardry by commenting on this post and e-mailing marketing@gwhizmobile.com. We’ll give you a free promo code to an app from the gWhiz or for Dummies catalog!

Our First Contest!

Today in gWhiz history we are doing our first contest to give away 20 promotional codes for the McGraw-Hill ACT Vocabulary App! Guidance counselors, teachers, students, and parents are all eligible for the contest.

To enter we're simply asking folks to put our marketing team to work and tell them why you, or someone you know should get a fee download of the app. The e-mail can go to marketing@gwhizmobile.com, and we've even made it easy for you to share the offer with your friends and loved ones on Facebook with our brand new Facebook Share button.

What app will we feature in our next contest? Keep visiting to find out!

Mobile Education: A Future So Bright We’re Wearing Our Shades

We are cranking away here at gWhiz, and we have some great apps coming down the pipeline. Mobile learning is becoming an increasingly cost effective, convenient, and accessible format to a broad range of audiences to foster a lifetime of learning. With the recent release of the iPad and all that’s going on with the Android, the future is only getting brighter in terms of possibilities and potential for mobile learning.

Consider younger audiences ages, 8 to 18. In a recent post Weblogged, children in this age group spend an average of 53 hours per week consuming and interacting with media! The latest article in Campus Technology Magazine discusses a pilot on the school’s campus, where the school gave out iPods and iPhones to their in coming freshmen class as part of a mobile learning initiative. A recent report by Elliot Massie’s Learning Consortium estimated that corporate expenditures for mobile learning will reach $246.9 million by the end of 2011. The report states, and we agree, that handheld devices have the incredible potential to push and pull information and deliver learning whenever and wherever you need it.

Here at gWhiz we think the potential for mobile learning is limitless across all age groups. Demand for mobile learning has kept our SAT Vocabulary app at the top of the list of SAT Apps on iTunes, and we believe it will so the same for our newly released SAT app. Florida Virtual Schools meStudying:Algebra I app released an algebra app that not only supports their own curriculum, but can also be used as a study aid by anyone taking high school algebra. We even see the demand for mobile learning among our own employees here at gWhiz who use our graduate school test prep apps and gFlashPro cards to study for just about anything, and everything. One of our marketing folks even made some fly fishing flash cards for her father’s iPod touch so that he could have a handy pocket reference when he’s out in the stream.

The future of mobile learning looks like a bright one, and here at gWhiz we are excited about the possibilities. We’ve even got an App coming up based on the popular Defining Twilight series to help students prep for the vocabulary portion of the SAT, ACT, GED, and more. Stay tuned for the announcement . . . .

gWhiz in the News and New Apps!

We’ve got some great stuff going on here at gWhiz! gWhiz is in the news with our new Florida Vrtual schools meStudying: Algebra I app. We’ve also been featured as an iTunes staff top pick in the App Store. And last but not least, the For Dummies SAT Vocabulary App is #1 in SAT apps and in the top 20 of educational apps!

This weekend we also released a GMAT review app with Kaplan into the iTunes store. The app includes more than 300 terms, with definitions, extensive math review and grammar review. Check out the screen shots of the app below:

"For Dummies" SAT Vocab in the App store!

We've got so much new stuff coming out, we almost forgot to mention our latest "For Dummies" application: SAT Vocabulary. This app comes loaded with piles of features including flashcards, four practice tests, one "Genius" test, a comprehensive word lookup feature, and much much more.

Best of all its available at an introductory price of just 99 cents! Check it out !(requires iTunes)

USMLE - Revised!

This is just a quick note to let you know that we've updated our Dr. Fischer's USMLE Disease Deck app with some cool new features:

• Audio Reference - You can play the entire audio disease deck or drag the slider to a specific item
• A flashcard set including the entire list of flashcards. (Previously they were divided up into individual categories)
• A custom flashcard set which can be populated by starring user defined items
• An easier to navigate homescreen
• The ability to save your place within any large flashcard set

The update is now available in the iTunes app store.

Kaplan MBE - Free for a limited time!

Announcing our latest iPhone/iTouch app with Kaplan Publishing: Kaplan MBE (Multistate Bar Exam).

This latest collaboration with Kaplan Publishing is a powerful study tool for individuals preparing to take the MBE.

The app includes Leitner-based flashcards for Torts, Constitutional Law, Evidence, and several other subjects. Each flashcard provides a detailed description of the term or concept, and often adds real-world examples and exam tips. It even tracks your progress using a proficiency graph, available from the home screen!

Tired of doing flashcards? Check out one of the app's six subject videos featuring Christopher Fromm, Esq., or just use the fully searchable reference guide.

Best of all, for a limited time, it's completely free! Check out more screenshots and videos here on our website, or just go get the software (requires iTunes)!