George Harrison: The Guitar Collection iPad App Released Today

Bandwidth Publishing, in conjunction with the George Harrison Estate, announces the release of a special iPad app celebrating the guitarist and his historical guitar collection. The Guitar Collection: George Harrison iPad app is available through iTunes today, two days before Harrison’s birthdate.

The app brings George Harrison’s private guitar collection to life through photographs, detailed descriptions, audio, and video footage. For the first time, with the help of unique 360° imaging by photographer Steven Sebring, fans can see the scratches, dings, and worn threads on the guitars as if they were themselves holding the instruments. The app features a number of Harrison’s best known guitars, including the Gretsch G6128 Duo Jet, the Gibson J-160E, the Rickenbacker 360/12, the Fender Stratocaster named ‘Rocky’, the Ramirez Classical, the Fender Rosewood Telecaster, and the Zemaitis Lotus 12-String; additional guitars will be added to the app in the future.



Fans can examine Harrison’s private guitar collection, through personal audio recordings from Harrison himself as he introduces many of the guitars and plays sections of songs.

The history of each guitar is laid out in great detail; including the origin of the guitar, when and how it became part of Harrison’s collection, modifications he made to it and why each was so important in creating his distinctive sound. Songs from his catalogue are organized by the guitars used on each track, which allows the user to appreciate the personalities of each instrument.

The video section of the app contains footage of Ben Harper, Josh Homme, Mike Campbell, and Dhani Harrison each playing and showcasing the guitars and exploring their feel and tone. In addition, Conan O’Brien and Dhani discuss what make these guitars so exceptional. Also in this section, guitar great Gary Moore shares his views on what made George Harrison such a distinctive and influential guitar player.



The app is selling for $9.99 at the Apple AppStore (click on the screen shot at the top).

Links:
George Harrison

Juno's Musical ABCs Available for Free through the App Store (iPad)

My youngest is now reading on his own but I would have loved to have had an app like this a few years ago.



Narrated by talented actress and dedicated mom, Brooke Shields, Juno’s Musical ABCs takes children on a lyrical journey through the alphabet using fun rhymes, colorful images and the beloved Juno characters. With each touch of the screen your child brings the story to life, interacting with characters, letters, musical instruments and more. In addition, the App’s three reading modes (Read It To Me, Read It Myself and Autoplay) provide an option for all reading levels!

“Juno’s Musical ABCs is part of a new series of educational Apps from our team that will provide children with a much needed musical learning tool and we’re delighted to have Brooke Shields’ participation in the project,” said Barrett Cohn, CEO of The Juno Company. “We plan to raise the bar in the Apps market as we continue to build exceptionally engaging and fun mobile content for children.”

Links:
Juno's Musical ABCs (download link)

A Christmas Carol - iPad App Review (Padworx)

Following up on the success of their previous interactive book (“Dracula”, which was released right before Halloween), Padworx have released a stunning interactive version of Charles Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol”.

This version of “A Christmas Carol” breaks away from the traditional eReader presentation and makes maximum use of the iPad’s sound, graphics and interactivity. The book is abridged (approx. 130 pages) and the text runs large which makes it easy for young readers to both read by themselves and to comprehend the nuances of the story. Optimal use of sound adds an additional element that helps bring color to the story. There are also a number of pages (“screens”) that use steampunk-style animation where the user can directly interact with elements in the story (wiping a frosted glass, opening a bolted door, etc.) which then reveals more of the text on the page.

"This is unlike any version of A Christmas Carol ever seen before," said Jeffery Alan Schechter, CEO and producer at PadWorx Digital Media, Inc. "Charles Dickens' remarkable book reminds all of us not just about the importance of gratitude and charity, but about the power of personal transformation. Running with this idea and borrowing from the 'steampunk' art style more closely associated with Jules Verne, we've designed our A Christmas Carol to feel as if the iPad or iPhone you're reading it on has been itself transformed into a steam-powered machine."



"A Christmas Carol" is $4.99 in the AppStore.

Links:
PadWorx