A look back at 2011...

As the holidays bustle along and the new year approaches, we here at gWhiz would like to thank our loyal customers and partners as well as our family and friends for your continued support. It’s been a busy year! We have accomplished much as we continue to carve out our niche in the mobile educational marketplace. With nearly 150 mobile applications on the market today, we have seen steady growth in both usage and market share.

This growth is due, in no small part, to our focus on perfecting our users’ experience. We are not content to sit back on our laurels but strive to continually improve our products. We are particularly proud of the newest version of our flagship app, gFlash+. Long recognized as the best free flashcard app on the market, gFlash+ offers users a robust, multi-language platform for creating, downloading, and manipulating flashcards in every subject under the sun. In its latest incarnation, gFlash+ offers users more capabilities for free while also offering them configurable upgrades to customize their experience.

As proud as we are of the new gFlash+, we are happy to announce even more exciting developments this year. In May, we released a new comprehensive GMAT review app in partnership with the Graduate Management Admissons Council (GMAC), the owner and administrator of the GMAT exam worldwide. Available for iOS and Android devices, this app offers up to 800 official questions and complete answers and includes performance tracking through GameCenter as well as social media integration.

Another bright spot for us this past year is the new series of LANGE medical apps that we've developed in partnership with McGraw-Hill. Beyond the high-quality subject matter, these apps usher in a new level of mobile test prep sophistication as they allow users to create customized tests by choosing questions from any number of discrete categories, and then measure their progress using our premium analytics. We believe these apps to be among the most advanced mobile test preparation software on the planet. Really! Currently we've released Internal Medicine, Pediatrics, Pharmacy, and Psychiatry, with several other titles still on the way.

But wait, there’s more! We’ve built upon our existing relationship with the good folks at Wiley to develop their CliffsNotes series for Classic Literature. With 40 titles available through individual purchase or by in-app purchase with our new container app, CliffsNotes Study Guides, we have left no literary stone unturned. And we’re happy to report that Apple’s iTunes has recently recognized this app as “New and Noteworthy”!

Not interested in the classics? Maybe you’re expecting to receive a Nook or Kindle this holiday season. If that’s the case, you’ll be glad to know that many of our Android apps are now available through BN.com and the Amazon App Store. Just in time for the holidays. :)

Headed Back to School? Take gWhiz With You!

As the lazy days of summer slowly wind down, it’s time to start preparing for the challenges of another school year. Whether you’re a student, parent, or teacher, gWhiz has the tools you need to make this year the best one yet. So as you fold up your beach umbrella and pack away your swim gear, take a moment to consider this. gWhiz has over one hundred educational applications in a myriad of subjects targeting students of all ages. There’s sure to be one that speaks to you.

Are you a student or a parent of a student in the K-12 demographic? Then check out our meStudying apps for Algebra, Reading, and AP topics (e.g., Art History and English Language). These apps will make hitting the books this fall feel more like an adventure than a chore. Still not completely sold? For a limited time, try out one of our meStudying apps on us. That’s right. Free. Just send us an e-mail at marketing@gwhizmobile.com or post a comment on Facebook letting us know why you should receive one of our meStudying apps completely free. That’s it! We’ll send you a promo code for use on your Android or i-device. Easy as pie.

And, as if that weren’t enough, we’re running a promotion on our CliffsNotes apps just in time for back to school season. Planning to tackle the classics this year? Our CliffsNotes apps can start you off on the right foot. With 36 titles currently available and 4 more on the way, we have your bases covered. And starting September 15th, the CliffsNotes Hamlet app will be free for one month.

For more information about our meStudying and CliffsNotes apps, please visit us at www.gwhizmobile.com.

iOS fix

Over the next month or so, our customers may notice an update to their gWhiz iPhone app which simply says "iOS fix"; we'd like to tell you what it's about.

During our testing of the developer release of iOS 5, we uncovered a problem that prevents the selection of test or quiz options in our test prep apps. Unfortunately, this problem affects many of our titles. (Flashcard and specialty apps are not affected)

We reported this issue to Apple development several weeks ago but don't know yet if they will fix it - it's an incompatibility with previous versions of the iOS, but it's not really a bug (if you want details, feel free to write us).

Anyways, they may yet correct the issue when iOS 5 goes "live", but we've decided to go ahead and start patching our apps anyways. We've updated about 20 titles so far but we've got many more to do yet.

We apologize for any inconvenience caused; please write us at support@gwhizmobile.com if you have any questions.

Thanks for your support!

Explore the Classics With Our New CliffsNotes apps

We’re excited to have deepened our ties with Wiley Publishing to create 16 new mobile applications for their CliffsNotes English Literature series, with more to come. Designed to work on the i-devices, our developers have been working tirelessly to create an experience that is not only entertaining but quite effective. Have only a few days or hours to study? Our CliffsNotes applications offer two modes of review - the Cram Plan and the Full Study Plan. So, if life has gotten in the way, choose the customizable Cram Plan and hit the highlights or dig a little deeper. You decide. Have weeks or months to devote to studying? Then roll up your sleeves and choose the Full Study Plan. It puts all of the app’s content at your fingertips. Literally.

With a multiple-choice quiz included in every app, you can assess your mastery of the material. Need to review a particularly important passage again? The app allows easy-to-use bookmarking so you can go back to that section again and again. Having trouble following all of the characters and their associations? Check out the interactive character maps. Don’t have time to read through all of the content? The app provides audio plot summaries that you can listen to wherever and whenever is convenient. Some screenshots from To Kill A Mockingbird follow:







Titles already available in iTunes:

Animal Farm
A Tale of Two Cities
Frankenstein
Great Expectations
Hamlet
Jane Eyre
Lord of the Flies
Romeo and Juliet
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
The Canterbury Tales
The Catcher in the Rye
The Great Gatsby
The Kite Runner
The Odyssey
The Scarlet Letter
To Kill a Mockingbird

Have we piqued your curiousity? To see these and our other CliffsNotes mobile applications, go to http://www.gwhizmobile.com/gWhiz/Apps.php?search=CliffsNotes.

Get Connected. Stay Connected.

It’s hard to believe that a mere few years ago, we were all walking around completely disconnected from each other. Remember the payphone, anyone? Until cell phones, that’s the only option we had to reach out and touch someone. Oh, how times have changed.

Here at gWhiz we are enjoying the rising popularity of mobile computing and are producing new, innovative applications every day. Speaking of innovation...our latest apps even have social networking capabilities so you can stay connected - anytime and from anywhere.

The McGraw-Hill AP apps we recently released are a good example. Not only are these apps comprehensive, but they also have lots of bells and whistles that will appeal to the average teenager and make them fun to use! Want to let your friends know how great these apps are or even share your score? Now you can through a Facebook link within the application. Genius, we know.

With 500 separate questions and detailed explanations, these apps leave no stone unturned. Already on the market are apps for AP Psychology, Biology, and U.S. History with apps for World History, English Literature, and English Language coming soon.

Curious? Take a sneak peek…check out some screenshots for 500 AP U.S. History Questions 5 Steps to a 5 below.

It's Been a Good Year!

2010 has been a busy and fruitful year for gWhiz. Since the holidays are the traditional time to reflect on past accomplishments, we thought we would take a look back at the year and share some of our biggest triumphs. We appreciate the unwavering support of our customers and content partners as well as our family and friends and look forward to continued success in 2011.

We started the year with a respectable number of apps under our belt but have experienced phenomenal growth, ending the year with over 100 apps available on four separate platforms including the i-devices, Android, BlackBerry and netbooks. Our products span a wide range of educational topics and appeal to a variety of audiences, from the K-12 set to college students to busy professionals preparing for accreditation programs or just learning for fun.

A few recent additions to our line-up include Guitar Basics for Dummies, an app designed to get the user playing real music – fast! With a built-in electronic tuner and metronome/drum tracks, this app has it all. And you don’t have to be a music aficionado to appreciate our other new For Dummies apps which include GMAT Practice, GRE Practice, and ACT Practice, to name just a few.

Do you have a high-school student in the house? We’ve created several apps this year designed to make studying for the SAT, ACT, and various AP exams much easier and a lot more fun. In collaboration with McGraw-Hill, we developed college-prep apps: ACT Vocabulary and SAT Smart Cards, as well as AP apps for U.S. History, Psychology, World History, U.S. Government and Politics, European History, Microeconomics/Macroeconomics, and Biology. And for the fan of the popular Twilight series, we have created two SAT/ACT prep apps based on the first two books: Defining Twilight Vocabulary Practice and Defining New Moon Vocabulary Practice.

We also continue to work with Florida Virtual Schools, a leading provider of online education for the K-12 set, to develop innovative apps designed to enhance their curricula. With three meStudying apps already on the market and more in the pipeline, gWhiz hopes to position itself as the go-to developer in the virtual education industry.

As we look forward to 2011, we couldn’t be more excited about the future. We see limitless opportunities for growth in our current markets and beyond. We at gWhiz believe in putting out compelling, value-driven products that speak to people. We hope that you will share our vision and continue to support our progress in the new year.

Wishing you peace and prosperity during the holidays and in the year ahead.

New improved version of gFlashPro for iPad and iPhone coming soon!

Here at gWhiz we are never content to just sit on our laurels. In the fast-paced smartphone app market, innovation is the key to success. So we’ve taken a close look at one of our best-selling and highest rated apps, gFlashPro, to see how we can make it better. The result is gFlashPro version 3.0 due out in a few weeks. Not to toot our own horn, but it’s everything a flashcard app should be and more!

With the new, improved version of gFlashPro, we’ve pulled out all the stops. Not only can you download cardsets from StudyStack.com, the gWhiz Catalog, and through Google Docs but now you can access the more than 2.5 million cardsets available at www.quizlet.com. Impressive, eh? It gets better. The new version also makes creating, editing, combining, rearranging and deleting cards and cardsets easier.

The newest version of gFlashPro also allows the use of cards with up to six sides as well as the use of images and HTML in multiple choice answers. Do you use large data sets? Splitting them up into more manageable pieces is a snap with gFlashPro v.3.0. Have an iPad? Leverage the iPad “split view” screen when accessing cardsets and features.

Beyond the improved functionality of the app, it looks a lot prettier too. Users can change the background at will and select from any fonts available on the device. Neat stuff, we know. Done studying for a particular subject? Now cards can be permanently deleted using the gFlashPro editor. And there are no worries about losing your data since the entire gFlashPro database including flashcard data, cardset progress, and configuration settings can be easily backed up.

Hopefully, we’ve piqued your curiosity about our newest version of gFlashPro. We think it’s simply the best flashcard app around, and we hope you’ll agree. After all, many of the improvements we’ve made resulted from suggestions from our users. So thank you! And remember, if you already own an earlier version of gFlashPro, you can upgrade for free. Look for gFlashPro version 3.0 in iTunes soon.