I bought some discounted iTunes cards yesterday and used them to download
the app today. Given how iTunes works, you can install the same app on
multiple devices so I've put it on an old iPod Touch running iOS 5 and a
full-sized iPad running iOS 6. So far, it looks like a great piece of work.
I'm not that keen on list-taking as I find the record keeping part of
record keeping incredibly tedious...so I can't comment much on that. What I
do like:
* It's great to have the full text and plates of the latest Pizzey as my
(beloved) paper copy is a few editions old by now.
* Photos! I really like having photos, particularly for more cryptic or
anonymous species. For my money, there isn't a set of plates in any
Australian field guide that does an adequate job on the LBJs.
* Similar species is a very nice feature to have.
* Another set of recordings is good to have. I'm looking forward to
spending some time on these. Just as a random check, I looked at Golden
Whistler and was happy to find 8 recordings, including one from just down
the road from my location. The ones I listened to were very clear.
By chance, I recently used the sister application to this - Roberts South
Africa (where Guy Gibbon is very well known) so the basic functionality and
UI are familiar to me already.
Would I recommend buying Morcombe or Pizzey electronically, for those that
are interested? Yes. I've never loved Morcombe's plates but the sounds and
convenience are super. As a few people have already noted, being able to
keep one or more field guides in your pocket without having to think about
it is just fantastic. Not only for trips, but when you're around town. When
people ask me about what binos to get, I recommend "the highest quality you
can afford and no heavier than you're willing to carry." Same same. If you
don't have your binos or guide with you, they don't help much. (Hello,
spotting scope and tripod in the closet? I'm talking to you.) With the
electronic guides, it doesn't take any more weight if you put more guides
in. (Well, slightly more since, as everyone knows, 1s weigh more than 0s.)
With this in mind, I really hope that future electronic field guides add
more text. Once weight and printing costs are no longer an issue, why not
put in more information?
Speaking of electronic guides, I find them super useful for subjects where
I don't need them as much. Eh? If I'm going somewhere and there's a guide
to herps or something I'm not so fussed about, I won't take a paper guide.
If there's en electronic guide, I can take it along and often end up being
very happy to have it....but it wouldn't have been worth taking on paper.
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