Comments on: iBird Explorer

By: Allan D.

Allan D. — Tue, 16 Feb 2010 06:58:59 +0000

Thanks, I will look forward to a review of Sibley app and comparison to iBird.

At first look, iBird is confusing, I need to look closer, but my current impression is the iBird Pro has all the features of the there other products plus a little more.

Another concern is that I can give/sell my paper Sibleys if I did not like it by can not transfer an APP to someone else.

By: Grant McCreary

Grant McCreary — Mon, 15 Feb 2010 01:57:42 +0000

Thanks for the heads-up. I knew a Sibley app was inevitable, but didn’t realize it was released yet. I’ve requested a copy, so hopefully I’ll be able to review it soon.

By: Otis Ryder

Otis Ryder — Sun, 14 Feb 2010 15:27:14 +0000

Sibley is a major disappointment. Maybe he was so busy writing about trees he never looked at what a good bird app looks like?

Tiny drawings can’t be zoomed, interface is crude and not intuitive, only value is the bird calls. No photos either. I’d like to see it reviewed on this site and honestly compared to the other apps. Meanwhile I’m asking Apple for a refund.

By: Otto

Otto — Sun, 14 Feb 2010 14:19:15 +0000

Sibley is out on Iphone – go check it out. It’s great!

By: Jessica Flynn

Jessica Flynn — Fri, 15 Jan 2010 04:01:26 +0000

Thank you Grant that is a great comparison and based on it I know what app I am going to buy. What an exciting time to be a birder. It sounds like Mr. Waite has some good insights into the future of birding, but now I am wondering if I should wait until the Apple tablet comes out before I buy a birding program. Is there any possibility that these apps will work on the tablet as well as the touch?

By: Grant McCreary

Grant McCreary — Fri, 15 Jan 2010 03:04:16 +0000

@Jessica: Yes, this will also work on an iPod Touch. You can find a comparison to the Audubon guides, along with others, here:
http://www.birderslibrary.com/features/iphone-bird-guide-comparison.htm

It also links to a very detailed comparison table that iBird has put together.

@Mitch: I really haven’t followed the news about the Apple Tablet. But considering how much I like the iPhone, and all the things that it is capable of, I really wouldn’t be surprised to be blown away by it. Y’all have created a great app for the iPhone, and I have no doubt you’ve got big plans for the Tablet!

By: Mitch Waite

Mitch Waite — Thu, 14 Jan 2010 08:04:20 +0000

“So will digital field guides make print versions obsolete? Before using iBird, I would have thought not. But now, I’m not so sure. I don’t see reference books going away anytime soon; I still find it much easier to learn the birds and their field marks using a printed guide. Here I’m thinking of guides such as the “big” Sibley and hardcover Collins guide. But I can see how field guides as identification tools, especially in the field, may evolve into the digital realm. iBird could certainly be your primary field guide today.”

You may want to broaden your view to include the Apple tablet – imagine what will happen to field guides when this device appears? Will it’s book sized screen with text that flows like water along side beautiful full page drawings, with illustrations that can slide thru a sequence of species variations, playing it’s song as the images dissolve and fade in and out, coupled with pages that seem to turn in 3D change the way the world looks at the printed book?

By: Jessica Flynn

Jessica Flynn — Tue, 12 Jan 2010 22:31:59 +0000

Wow this sounds like an amazing product. Would I be able to run it on an iPod touch or do I need an iPhone? And how does it compare to the other products like the one from Audubon?