Keeping with the pattern I started last week, today is the day I am going to spotlight an app for the iphone that specifically is helpful for the architecture and design community. This week I am shining a spotlight on StonePedia brought to you by Marble & Granite, Inc.
This app, which showcases over 500 different types of stone, seems like it should be more helpful than it is. While there are over 1,400 photos of stone in the app, they are no where near as nicely presented as the wood images in I.D. Wood.; these images are not full screen close ups of the stone, instead they are images of large slabs of stone in a warehouse. In addition, the program is set up as a resource directory by stone name and as such it is difficult to browse for a stone sample based on color or grain; this makes it hard to stumble across material options for projects. Instead, this program seems as if it has been designed for someone looking to provide an image to a client or distributer of an already selected stone type.
I do want to stress that there are some beneficial applications to this program. While browsing stone choices there is a price rating that shows the relative expensiveness of each stone; while helpful, this would be more useful if there was some sort of baseline price comparison to better understand just how expensive “expensive” grade stone really is. This program also includes some helpful installation and maintenance information, which can come in handy for the novice installer or the DIY home designer who may be working with stone for the very first time.
While this app is definitely worth its $0.99 price tag, I am not convinced that it is essential to any designer, as compared to I.D. Wood. which should be on every Architect/Interior Designer’s iPhone or IPod Touch. Overall I would rate this app 3 stars. It is definitely useful and a good value, but it could be greatly improved.