To say unit converters are the new tip calculators of the App Store wouldn't be that far from the truth. There have been many entries into this category—far too many to do a comparison review of them all—so we decided to pit two of the newer entries against one another: Convert from Polar Bear Farm and ConvertBot from TapBots.
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Right away, if we were to compare these two applications based purely on the beauty and polish of the applications' interfaces, ConvertBot would win hands-down. TapBot continues its 'robot' metaphor (which was started with WeightBot), giving you the illusion that you are interacting with a robot. Convert, while attractive, does suffer from quite possibly the worst textual logo I've seen in quite some time—your eye is immediately drawn to it, and it takes away from the overall look of the application.
- Aug 29, 2011 ConvertBot encompasses a huge selection of unit conversion options and ordinarily you might expect a long list to select the required tool. By using the rotating dial, ConvertBot removes all of the hassles when attempting to locate the conversion calculation you are seeking and enhances the experience by using smooth animations and a fine.
- Rejecting Convertbot, an app for doing unit-conversions, took some serious work. Developers are not allowed to use any images that duplicate or closely resemble any of Apple's own icons, as this.
In addition to the near-genius marketing angle of a stable of robots, one thing TapBots has done extremely well is to make its applications fun to use. It may not sound like much, but once you realize that their first app was a weight tracker, the feat becomes a little more astounding. ConvertBot isn't as fun to use as WeightBot, but it does take unit conversion—an otherwise menial task—and add some flair.
The two applications offer many of the same categories and measurements, but in the end, Convert beats ConvertBot out in sheer numbers. Idatabase 4 3 – organize all your information and data. While ConvertBot has only 10 currencies, Convert has seemingly every currency in the world short of livestock. Both applications automatically update exchange rates. Convert also has a Typography section, which allows a user to convert units such as inches to points or picas, but it lacks the 'Work' category of ConvertBot that lets you convert joules, calories, and the like. Depending upon your needs, your mileage may vary. The other differences are minor, with Convert having one or two more units here and there, but nothing in the way of essential units.
While Convert offers more units for conversion, one major UI omission makes the large number somewhat daunting. In ConvertBot, you have the abbreviated unit in the selection area, but above, you get the whole, unabbreviated name. In Convert, if you don't know what currency IDR is, for example, you will need to exit the application and look it up. This is obviously not convenient.
Additionally, the lack of a negative button on the number pad input is a poor omission; the solution for entering negative numbers is to enter the positive counterpart then tap the number with your finger. This solution is obscure and one I wouldn't have found without the help of the developer. At the same time, the size of the number pad is appreciated in Convert.
ConvertBot is attractive, though some may argue that it is over-designed and that the interface sacrifices usability and speed for cool factor. There are some places where certain actions feel forced, but once you get used to them, it really isn't so bad. The problem is that, if you want to do many conversions of different units one right after another, speed is limited by the UI. Where Convert has lists, ConvertBot has a wheel. Where you can change to units of the same group in the input screen in Convert, you have to back out to the unit selection screen in ConvertBot. For hardcore users who do a lot of conversions, the added UI of ConvertBot will be annoying, but for the casual user, the UI is a bit fun.
ConvertBot really shines in its ability to translate from one unit to a measure of a unit plus a smaller measure of a unit. For instance, the user can calculate inches into feet and inches; instead of getting 4.5 feet for 54 inches, the application can display four feet, six inches.
At this point, both applications have bugs. ConvertBot is currently having issues with the use of a decimal as a comma for foreign users, and Convert isn't recalculating negative numbers until a new number is added. Both companies have fixes already submitted to the App Store, which is a good omen for future updates and releases.
In short: for casual use, check out ConvertBot. For serious use, check out Convert.
Name: ConvertBot (iTunes Link)
Publisher:TapBots
Price: $0.99
Platform: iPhone and iPod touch
Publisher:TapBots
Price: $0.99
Platform: iPhone and iPod touch
Name:Convert (iTunes Link)
Publisher:Polar Bear Farms
Price: $1.99
Platform: iPhone and iPod touch
Publisher:Polar Bear Farms
Price: $1.99
Platform: iPhone and iPod touch
When it comes to conversions, there is no better app than ‘Convertbot’. Convertbot is a sleek, stylish conversion tool for your iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad. The app has a very nice UI that almost anyone can figure out in a matter of seconds. Whether you are trying to discover the distance between point ‘A’ to point ‘B’ in cm, mm, kilometers, miles, inches etc. or trying to discover how tall you are in feet and inches, this app is right for you.
As a common user of this app, I would recommend it to almost anyone who has to complete a lot of conversion task. The app defiantly is reliable and is available in the Appstore for $1.99.
A full list of the conversion:
Angle:
Degree, Grad, Mil, Radian, Revolution
Area:
Acre, Are, Bu, Chō, Dunam, Gō, Hectare, Jō, Rai, Se, Shaku, Square Centimetre, Square Foot, Square Inch, Square Kilometre, Square Metre, Square Mile, Square Millimetre, Square Yard, Tan, Tsubo
Currency:
Algerian Dinar, Aluminum Ounce, Argentine Peso, Aruban Florin, Australian Dollar, Austrian Schilling, Bahamian Dollar, Bahraini Dinar, Balboa, Bangladeshi Taka, Barbados Dollar, Belarussian Ruble, Belgian Franc, Belize Dollar, Bermudian Dollar, Boliviano, Brazilian Real, Brunei Dollar, Bulgarian Lev, Burundian Franc, CFA Franc (BCEAO), CFA Franc (BEAC), CFP Franc, Canadian Dollar, Cape Verdean Escudo, Cayman Island Dollar, Chilean Peso, Chinese Yuan, Colombian Peso, Comoro Franc, Copper Pounds, Cordoba Oro, Costa Rican Colon, Croatian Kuna, Cuban Peso, Cypriot Pound, Cyprus Pound, Czech Koruna, Dalasi, Danish Krone, Deutsche Mark, Dobra, Dominican Peso, Dutch Guilder, E. Car. Dollar, Egyptian Pound, El Salvador Colon, Ethiopian Birr, Euro, Fiji Dollar, Finnish Markka, Forint, French Franc, Ghanian Cedi, Gold Ounce, Greek Drachma, Guarani, Guinea Franc, Haiti Gourde, Hong Kong Dollar, Hryvnia, Iceland Krona, Indian Rupee, Indonesian Rupiah, Iranian Rial, Iraqi Dinar, Irish Pound, Israeli New Sheqel, Italian Lira, Jamaican Dollar, Japanese Yen, Jordanian Dinar, Kenyan Shilling, Kina, Kroon, Kuwaiti Dinar, Kwacha, Latvian Lats, Lebanese Pound, Lek, Lempira, Leone, Lilangeni, Lithuanian Litas, Loti, Luxembourgish Franc, Macedonian Denar, Malaysian Ringgit, Maltese Lira, Maltese Lira, Mauritius Rupee, Mexican Peso, Moldovan Leu, Moroccan Dirham, Naira, Namibian Dollar, Nepalese Rupee, New Taiwan Dollar, New Zealand Dollar, Ngultrum, Norwegian Krone, Nuevo Sol, Ouguiya, Pa’anga, Pakistan Rupee, Palladium Ounce, Pataca, Peso Uruguayo, Philippine Peso, Platinum Ounce, Portuguese Escudo, Pound Sterling, Pula, Qatari Riyal, Quetzal, Renminbi, Rial Omani, Romanian New Leu, Rufiyaa, Russian Rouble, Rwanda Franc, Samoan Tala, Saudi Riyal, Serbian Dinar, Seychelles Rupee, Silver Ounce, Singapore Dollar, Slovak Koruna, Slovak Koruna, Slovenian Tolar, Slovenian Tolar, Solomon Is. Dollar, South African Rand, South Korean Won, Spanish Peseta, Sri Lanka Rupee, Sudanese Dinar, Swedish Krona, Swiss Franc, Syrian Pound, Tanzanian Shilling, Tenge, Thai Baht, Tri. and Tob. Dollar, Tugrik, Tunisian Dinar, Turkish Lira, UAE Dirham, US Dollar, Uganda Shilling, Vanuatu Vatu, Ven. Bolivar, Vietnamese Dong, Yemen Riyal, Zambian Kwacha, Złoty
Data Rate:
Bits/Sec., Bytes/Day, Bytes/Hour, Bytes/Min., Bytes/Sec., Bytes/Week, Gigabits/Sec., Gigabits/Sec. (SI), Gigabytes/Day, Gigabytes/Hour, Gigabytes/Min., Gigabytes/Sec., Gigabytes/Sec. (SI), Gigabytes/Week, Kilobits/Sec., Kilobits/Sec. (SI), Kilobytes/Day, Kilobytes/Hour, Kilobytes/Min., Kilobytes/Sec., Kilobytes/Sec. (SI), Kilobytes/Week, Megabits/Sec., Megabits/Sec. (SI), Megabytes/Day, Megabytes/Hour, Megabytes/Min., Megabytes/Sec., Megabytes/Sec. (SI), Megabytes/Week, Terabits/Sec., Terabits/Sec. (SI), Terabytes/Day, Terabytes/Hour, Terabytes/Min., Terabytes/Sec., Terabytes/Sec. (SI), Terabytes/Week
Data Size:
Bit, Byte, Gigabit, Gigabit (SI), Gigabyte, Gigabyte (SI), Kilobit, Kilobit (SI), Kilobyte, Kilobyte (SI), Megabit, Megabit(SI), Megabyte, Megabyte (SI), Petabit, Petabit (SI), Petabyte, Petabyte (SI), Terabit, Terabit (SI), Terabyte, Terabyte (SI)
Density:
Gram/Cubic CM, Gram/Litre, Kilogram/Cubic Metre, Pound/Cubic Foot, Pound/Cubic Inch, Pound/Gallon, Pound/Gallon (UK)
Force:
![Convert bottle jack to air over hydraulic Convert bottle jack to air over hydraulic](https://img.shockblast.net/2011/08/ShockBlast-iPhone-UI-ICON-2.png)
Dyne, Kilogram-Force, Newton, Pound-Force, Poundal
Fuel:
Gallons/100 Miles, Gallons/100 Miles (UK), KM/Litre, Litres/10 KM, Litres/100 KM, Litres/100 Miles, Litres/KM, Miles/Gallon, Miles/Gallon (UK)
Illuminance:
Foot Candle, Kilolux, Lumen/Square CM, Lumen/Square Foot, Lumen/Square Metre, Lux, Millilux, Nox, Phot
Length:
Ångström, Astronomical Unit, Bu, Centimetre, Chain, Chō, Fathom, Foot, Foot + Inch, Furlong, Hand, Hiro, Inch, Jō, Kanejaku, Ken, Kilometre, Kilometre + Metre, League, Light Minute, Light Second, Light Year, Link, Metre, Metre + Centimetre, Micron, Mil, Mile, Mile + Foot, Millimetre, Mō, Nanometre, Nautical Mile, Parsec, Ri, Rin, Rod, Smoot, Sun, Thou, Yard
Mass:
Carat, Fun, Grain, Gram, Hyakume, Kan, Kilogram, Kin, Long Ton, Metric Ton, Microgram, Milligram, Momme, Ounce, Pennyweight, Pound, Pound + Ounce, Short Ton, Slug, Stone, Stone + Pound, Troy Ounce
Power:
BTU/Hour, BTU/Minute, BTU/Second, Foot-Pound/Minute, Foot-Pound/Second, Horsepower, Kilowatt, Megawatt, Metric Horsepower (M), Newton Metre/Hour, Newton Metre/Minute, Newton Metre/Second, Pferdestärke, Ton of Refrigeration, Watt
Pressure:
Atmospheres, Bars, CM of Mercury, CM of Water, Gigapascal, Hectopascal, Inch of Water, Inches of Mercury, KG/Square CM, KG/Square Metre, Kilopascal, MM of Mercury, MM of Water, Megapascal, Millibar, Pascal, Pounds/Square Foot, Pounds/Square Inch, Torr
Radioactivity:
Becquerel, Curie, Gigabecquerel, Megabecquerel, Microcurie, Millicurie, Terabecquerel
SI:
Atto, Base, Centi, Deci, Deka, Exa, Femto, Giga, Hecto, Kilo, Mega, Micro, Milli, Nano, Peta, Pico, Tera, Yocto, Yotta, Zepto, Zetta
Speed:
Feet/Minute, Feet/Second, Kilometres/Hour, Kilometres/Minute, Knots, Metres/Second, Miles/Hour, Miles/Minute, Miles/Second, Minutes/Kilometres, Minutes/Metres, Minutes/Miles, Minutes/Yards
Temperature:
Celsius, Fahrenheit, Kelvin, Rankine
Time:
Days, Hours, Hours + Minute, Microseconds, Milliseconds, Minutes, Minutes + Seconds, Nanoseconds, Seconds, Weeks, Weeks + Days, Years, Years + Days, Years + Weeks
Typography:
Agate Line, Centimetre, Cicero, Didot, Inch, Millimetre, Pica, Pica + Point, Pixel (150), Pixel (300), Pixel (72), Pixel (96)
Volume:
Beer Barrel, Beer Barrel (UK), Bucket, Bushel, Cubic Centimetre, Cubic Feet, Cubic Inch, Cubic Metre, Cubic Millimetre, Cubic Yard, Cup, Cup (M), Cup (UK), Dash, Dash (UK), Dram, Drop, Drop (UK), Dry Gallon, Dry Pint, Dry Quart, Fifth, Gallon, Gallon (UK), Gill, Gill (UK), Gō, Koku, Litre, Microlitre, Millilitre, Oil Barrel, Ounce, Ounce (UK), Peck, Pinch, Pinch (UK), Pint, Pint (UK), Quart, Quart (UK), Sai, Shaku, Shot, Shō, Tablespoon, Tablespoon (M), Tablespoon (UK), Teaspoon, Teaspoon (M), Teaspoon (UK), To
Convert Bottle Jack To Hydraulic Ram
Volumetric Flow:
Cubic Feet/Min., Cubic Feet/Sec., Cubic Metre/Hour, Cubic Metre/Min, Cubic Metre/Sec., Cubic Yard/Sec., Gallon/Day, Gallon/Day (UK), Gallon/Min., Gallon/Min. (UK), Gallon/Sec., Gallon/Sec. (UK), Litre/Hour, Litre/Min., Litre/Sec.
Work:
Cleverbot
BTU, Calorie, Electron Volt, Erg, Foot Pound, Gigawatt Hour, Inch Pound, Joule, Kilogram Calorie, Kilojoule, Kilowatt Hour, MBTU, MMBTU, Megajoule, Megawatt Hour, Newton Metre, Quad, Therm, Tonne of Coal, Tonne of Oil, Watt Hour