1400+ Dinosaur Handbook app review: a guide to prehistoric creatures

Introduction

If the prehistoric era's amazing and fascinating creatures capture your interest, 1400+ Dinosaur Handbook Complete is an iPhone and iPad app that you might like to try out.

The developers of this app have included a comprehensive list of all the genera that are included in the superorder Dinosauria aside from the Aves class which includes birds. You'll even find the unlisted, unpublished, and other genera that are no longer considered to be dinosaurs within this app.

You can purchase it in the Reference section of the App Store, where it is available for $1.99. Let's take a look at its content and features.

App Content

1400+ Dinosaur Handbook Complete is a fairly simplistic app albeit with plenty of content which makes its size close to a whopping 400 MB. It will occupy a lot of space on your iOS device, so be sure to clear up some of your old pictures and videos so you can accommodate it easily.

The interface is clean and despite its size, it functions in a speedy and smooth manner. The contents include not just all the genera that constitute the superorder Dinosauria, but it also lists genera that are considered invalid, doubtful, or formally unpublished ones. Furthermore, you will also find junior synonyms of more established names along with the genera that are no longer classified as dinosaurs.

The reclassified genera include birds, crocodilians, and even petrified wood.

Layout & Entries

As the title suggests, the app includes a total of more than 1400 items along with images as well as a write up that includes Description, Location, History, and Stories to go with each entry. No wonder it's such a hefty app! Luckily you don't have to memorize your favorite ones because you can create your own reference guide in the favorites section by collecting the dinosaurs you like the most, so you can retrieve those entries in seconds.

The only gripe I have with this app is that the images are not quite as high-resolution as one would hope. Even other users have complained about the quality. The app size is gargantuan even with low-res pictures though.

Some users criticize the fact that the image is sometimes an illustration and sometimes the fossil, which is not consistent. While the observation is astute, it should be noted that the developers have tried to provide fossil pictures where possible while the rest of the entries are illustrated. This is the ideal mix in my humble opinion.

Pros & Cons

Pros

• Includes a comprehensive list of all the genera included in the superorder Dinosauria aside from the Aves class
• Comes with unlisted, unpublished, and other genera that are no longer considered to be dinosaurs
• Includes the Description, Location, History, and Stories of each entry along with a photograph
• Enables you to save your favorite dinosaurs for easy retrieval

Cons

• Occupies almost 400MB of space on the user's iOS device
• Despite its size, it only carries low-resolution images with each entry

Final Words

You will have to clear out plenty of space on your iPhone or iPad, and the illustrations are nothing to write home about, but 1400+ Dinosaur Handbook Complete is a really handy reference guide with basic information for each of the entries, of which there are many. This is a great guide if you need such a utility at your fingertips.