Posted on: March 28, 2011 Posted by: Jesse_Hayges Comments: 0

With all the things that the new Mac AppStore has to offer, one of the things I was really wishing for most was a new Mac version of the popular iStudiez Pro App that I have for both my iPhone and my iPad. iStudiez Pro is an App for keeping your homework, assignments, grades, and classes all straight, and with ease, I might add. Both of the iOS versions of this App are wildly popular among that small niche of people who actually like to write down their assignments. The style and function of the iStudiez Pro Apps, really hammer home the point that style and function need not be strangers in the AppVerse. With intuitive functions and features, a drop dead gorgeous UI, and now cloud sync, this App is a must for all students, and maybe even parents; more on that last one later.

This App really couldn’t be much simpler to use, and as for what it can do for your organizational skills- let’s just say that it can really save the day. When you launch the App on the iPad you are shown a nice book like interface. You can actually flip the pages by the way. When you open it on the iPhone, you can see your assignments listed on a chalkboard, or tap on the calendar or assignment tabs. The most charming of the two implements though is the iPad version with it’s book and side calendar interface. Said interface is built upon to make a wonderful implementation in the new Mac version. When you launch the App at home on your Mac, you see a very familiar looking UI. The features that this App grants you for keeping things on track are wonderful and plentiful. There is a place for you to put your assignments, a place for you to write in all of the classes you have for this term, along with places to put the names and other pertinent pieces of info about your instructors as well. And as a sort of bonus, this App also uses your iCal and Calendar information to remind you of what else is going on in life.

The Planner, the place where most of your class information is stored, is very easy to read, and very easy to find the things you’re looking for.

In the Mac version, there is a side panel, in the planner, that holds all of your semesters, current and past, and within that panel you can add classes, add whole new terms, and edit them as well. In the main panel, there is a place for you to see your classes at a glance, when they are, where they are held, and you can even add new exams and other such things as well.

In Assignments, you get a very easy to read list of all of your assignments, current and completed, as well as a wonderful panel for adding new assignments. By clicking on the plus icon, you can add an assignment on the right. There is a place for the name of the assignment, a description, the class, and it’s due date. You can also select the priority of the assignment. Once you have your assignments put into the database, the dock icon will be updated with a badge showing the number of incomplete tasks that you have left to do. This is helpful if you set up the App to run on start-up so you can be reminded immediately of your slacking.

In the over view section, you can see the open date book before you showing you what it is you have on the agenda for today. This is the view that I live in most on my iPad and on my Mac. You can also choose, if you like, a weekly look that shows a more calendar looking interface with your work shown in color coded tabs that correspond to the color you’ve chosen for your classes. I like The daily version though, because it shows me on the left page what classes I have for the day, what time they are, and if I’m in class, how much longer I have to sit and suffer through the boring science lecture. On the right page it shows me if I have any assignments due today. Also, on the far right, on the chalk-board side, there is a calendar display that shows dots under the dates that I have classes or events that might need my attention.

This App is very beautiful, on any device, and with cloud sync, they all can work together to keep me, and you, on track. If you’re going to invest in this App for any of your devices, I suggest running it on the Mac (or your primary device) first, and then once you’ve put in all of your data, just use the cloud sync function to sync up the rest of them. It makes things so easy. If I forget to bring my iPad to class, I can whip out my iPhone and just type in the new test or reading I have to do, and when I get home to my Mac, it’s already updated, waiting for me to go. This new feature is great for those of us on the go. It also is nice the other way around as well. I can now, thanks to the Mac version and cloud sync, sit in front of my Mac and transfer my whole syllabus for a class into the App, and then my iPad and my iPhone are going to be ready to go as soon as I leave the house with either of them. This also can work for the Parent and Child end as well. Say, I am a 15 year old boy. (AAAAHHH!! Not again!) And my Mom wants to know what I’m doing in school. If we all use the same family AppleID for our itunes, and she downloads herself a copy of iStudiez Pro on her MacBook, and I have it on my iPod Touch that she bought me for X-mas (thanks mom!); She would be up to date in a flash every time I complete or start a new assignment. Sure it won’t help her keep track of how much I’m skipping class in third period to go see Shelly Schnider in the library, but it’s a start, right? When it’s all said and done this App, in all of its’ incarnations are very much worth the money. There is a competitor on the Mac AppStore, but it’s not as good, and it doesn’t have an iOS version to sync up with. My advice, spend the little bit extra, and buy this duo for yourself, or the student in your life. I put my seal of approval behind this App, and give it a firm 9 out of 10. If they could ever figure out a way to get DropBox working with this thing so I can just upload my assignments into to and do them right inside of the App, that would be worthy of that lofty perfect 10.

Mac App receives a 9 out of 10 possible points.

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