The latest app off Cooliris’ armory of applications optimized for imaging, Discover takes the straightforward but near-humdrum Wikipedia for a graphical spin. It re-lays out Wiki’s interface to resemble the good old fashioned printed magazine—minus the potential for paper cuts and utilizes the iPad’s glorious display and accelerometer.
“Creating innovative, better ways to navigate content is our specialty, and this is no exception.” stated the entry on the Cooliris blog Watercolor. “With Discover for iPad, we’re making our first foray into information and textual navigation, using stunning graphics, an intuitive user interface, and seamless page-by-page navigation.”
As you can probably tell from the video above, the starts with a still image off the Wikipedia entry (ala-Photo of the Day) arranged like a magazine cover, complete with a masthead and the current date. This certainly breathes new life into the Wikipedia’s text-heavy look and usability with a handful of interactive elements which we think is a lot more preferable compared to accessing the site on a browser. With the iPad’s accelerometer, the cover image changes with a slight shake and more information is presented when it shifts to landscape mode.
To know more about an image or continue reading an article, all you need is to tap on a link. The Wiki entries are then arranged into columns along with the accompanying images which you can pinch to zoom for a closer look. The text are displayed in a larger font size for easier reading and instead of having to scroll down through an entry’s long browser page, you can instinctively swipe to the left or to the left or right to move from one page to another.
Naturally, you also have a search text box for specifying the entry you need by swiping downward. The app also keeps track of viewing history, a nifty feature if you find yourself several links away from the entry your were originally reading.
Discover by Cooliris provides a more compelling way of researching in Wikipedia, such a departure from the site’s originally boring interface and is easily enhanced with the iPad’s touchscreen navigation.
“By turning Wikipedia into a live magazine, we offer readers a virtually limitless source of quality content that is delightful to use on a daily basis.” said Soujanya Bhumkar, Cooliris CEO and Co-founder, on the app’s official press release. “Discover delivers on our promise to go beyond the browser with the user content experience as the priority and top of mind.”
According to the blog, the company submitted the app to the Apple App Store and is up for approval. If we are to believe Apple’s own response to FCC’s inquiry regarding the app approval process, 95% of apps are approved within 14 days after submission which means that if all goes well, we should be expecting the Cooliris Discover’s entry into the App Store within the next two weeks.
Tags: Cooliris, Discover, Interface, iPad, Layout, Mobile Apps, Wikipedia
