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Newton for Osmo
By Amanda Bindel,
Common Sense Media Reviewer
Common Sense Media Reviewers
Cool physics + drawing concept misses mark.
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Newton for Osmo
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Pass
Meets our minimum requirements for privacy and security practices.
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Does not meet our recommendations for privacy and security practices.
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Does not have a privacy policy and should not be used.
Privacy Rating
Our expert evaluators create our privacy ratings. The ratings are designed to help you understand how apps use your data for commercial purposes.
Pass
Meets our minimum requirements for privacy and security practices.
Warning
Does not meet our recommendations for privacy and security practices.
Fail
Does not have a privacy policy and should not be used.
What’s It About?
Think of NEWTON FOR OSMO like a draw-as-you-play pinball machine. Each level presents different obstacles, but the object is to collect points as quickly as possible by drawing lines that the falling balls bounce off to hit the target. After completing the level, players see their times, get a score of one to three stars, and can then advance to the next unlocked level. The reflector attachment on the system allows it to see what players draw on actual paper, and that is then reflected on the device’s screen.
Is It Any Good?
The technology involved in interacting with paper and the screen is jaw-dropping, but the implementation raises a few concerns and frustrations. First, the camera picks up any lines, not only those drawn on paper. The lines on your hand, the grain of the wood on the table -- anything the reflector sees shows up as lines in the game. Players have to figure out how to use that to their advantage. Using those lines may actually be necessary, too, because kids could run through a lot of paper if they create new lines for each puzzle. That means they'd need a fresh sheet of paper for each, which can quickly get wasteful. Though the idea is a really cool one, the actuality is less than workable.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about physics they observe in the world around them. Experiment with what happens when you drop different objects onto different surfaces.
Create a path for balls or marbles to bounce off to get to a target, just as you draw in Newton for Osmo.
App Details
- Device: iPad
- Subjects: Science : physics
- Skills: Thinking & Reasoning : problem solving, strategy
- Pricing structure: Free (Requires Osmo game system ($79.99))
- Release date: October 7, 2015
- Category: Educational Games
- Topics: Science and Nature
- Publisher: Tangible Play Inc
- Version: 2.1.2
- Minimum software requirements: Requires iOS 7.0 or later
- Last updated: July 27, 2016
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