I'm very disappointed in it. Seems to only be able to search one word at a time. Google is much easier to use.

As a middle school math teacher I HIGHLY YES HIGHLY RECOMMEND THIS APP.

I wouldn't guess in 3-4 weeks why it has high ratings, does really nothing, and I'm not even saying better or different from regular search, gives you some silly mostly useless stat. Furthermore, inputting can't perform any 2- or multiple-word search, if its not already inputted I mean, gets you an error with mean options to choose one of words from many inputted, combine couple and you get error again. Several other things, not even worth mentioning, no zoom, etc. And, its pricey too and in-app purchases to add photo check, etc. Not worth having on your phone, I'm deleting it

The app doesn't give you useless data, making it a streamlined way to search for random questions that enter your head. The user has to be able to construct good keywords, because he quality of input determines the quality of output. Overall, my new favorite way to look random stuff up.

Whoa! I wish I had this years ago. Worth every penny and much more!

Absolutely brilliant, solves so many problems, I can help my kids with call even though I'm super rusty!

Amazing... even says the type of moon on my birthday. Extremely powerful

It's info is 💯 % legit. Even has a rudimentary Pokédex on it. Worth. The. Money.

Good app. Keep on trucking

I cannot recommend this app strongly enough. I am semi-retired, work a minion-type job (to stay busy) and I am always thinking Great Thoughts, a process requiring the occasional small datum. I regularly access this app for information and it has yet to fail. Even if the answer is not exactly what I am looking for, it creates other pathways to pursue the answer.

PERFECT APP LOVE IT! SO MATHS. SUCH LEARN. VERY KNOWLADGE! MUST BUUYY

I took Calc I first semester and relied heavily upon Mathway and Photomath for help, both require monthly subscriptions, but with a $10 iTunes gift card and a $3 App Store purchase, this App not only gave me the answers, but also showed me the steps

This app continually amazes me with its ability to interpret and translate my questions to provide the information I want.

Better than Google for most questions I have. Not just math. Want to know how the Sahara compares size-wise to the US? Avoid Google unless you really want to start being inundated with ads for travel agencies and expedition pants. Wolfram Alpha is my go-to app for data questions. Never tried it for philosophy, but I wouldn't be surprised to get those answers, too.

$2.99 is most definitely worst it.

Great for math

I am taking Calculus currently and it is very helpful. It shows you the answers to your problems. The step by step option is also very helpful and informative. It is definitely a grade saver. Worth the purchase in my opinion.

It's greatest shortfall is my lack of imagination.

Imagine everything you want your calculator to do, and this does it and more. But it does much more than math too. Easily the most essential app for any high school or college student.

Hi

I was looking around and I seem to see it goes to 2014 and we're still here

If you can properly articulate your query (there are some quirks) this app is essential for research.

PERIOD

Definitely less powerful than the online version. Only really useful as a maths calculator. For all other subjects google has proven more helpful.

This app is great

I'm a calculus student and this is the most helpful resource I've found. It gives step by step solutions to even the most complex problems.

Being a student, textbooks are not really essential anymore. With WolframAlpha, I can learn even more from the textbook. With its competitor, Khan Academy , it think WolframAlpha did a best job!!!

This app is very helpful. It not only provides and answer but it also provides a great explanation of how that answer was found. Anyone in any kind of higher math I would definitely recommend!!

I purchased this to work out algebra problems and for the knowledge base but it never completes a download and install. Never had this problem with any other app.

Sorry, but I find this app next to useless. It doesn't understand the simplest queries.

Why can I not expand the graphs to view them???? What's the point of the plots if they're limited to some arbitrary x and y ranges?????? AAAHGHHHHHHGGGGGG

This app just simply works and I am yet to find a problem it could not solve.

Great app. 10/10 would recommend. Worth way more that $3.

The syntax is the hardest part. Learn it and be amazed!

Excellent for calculus homework

I did a good chunk of algebra, trig, and calculus in high school, so I have a decent understanding of math, but most of the time I'm just too lazy to do it myself now that it's not required, so I let Wolfram Alpha calculate for X for me.

this app is genius, will save you time!

I use this to just do sanity checks of definite integrals as I work. The app constantly computationally-times out before it can produce the result I need. However, the website has no problem analyzing the same quantity.

I find myself coming back to this app less and less as it doesn't seem to handle very basic mathematical. I highly recommend the website. Especially since this is not a free app.

It helps me with my homework so much, it also has a huge data base of the coolest stuff ever

I have been using this app for years and felt it only appropriate that I show my appreciation for the many times I needed an answer to various analytical questions. Thank you for this great app and for your teams continued work.

The app is very useful as a teaching aid to illustrate some key math concepts for kids. I also use it occasionally for casual light duty math work. I primarily use R for the heavy lifting.

This app will help me so much in my AP stats and physics classes thanks for the price drop!

I mean google can answer all these questions for you but for someone who travels a lot it's a great tool to gain good local knowledge!

I absolutely love this app... it has saved me from so much thinking... it even gives you the solutions and how you get the answer!!!

The app has been getting better and better. I have primarily used for mathematics and Physics.

Amazing calculator, definitely the best one till now! I sooooo love it and recommend it!❤️

As a CSE student this does everything I need thank you developers I LOVE This app and I recommend it to everyone

If you ever use a scientific calculator, this app takes things to a whole new level.

I strongly recommend this app for anyone learning, or already practicing, maths and sciences.

You can look up almost anything.

WolframAlpha has worked flawlessly for many years, until a recent issue. It has now been fully restored.

There was no app update needed, since it seems that it is software as a service as well.

Getting "invalid signature" when making any query.

Have never had a problem before.

Two hours later, everything is back to normal.

This is an amazing app. Well worth the cost, even for the most casual user.

I've used this app many times for calculations mundane (covert Imperial to metric) to somewhat unusual (relativistic time dilation), and it has worked very well for me. If you have a need for anything Wolfram Alpha offers on your iPad and / or phone, get this app.

A few advantages over just using the website: advanced copy-paste functions, improved formatting, history.

WolframAlpha is more than just a mathematics tool. It also pulls from vast databases with, for example, population data, info about various corporations allowing interesting comparisons and much more. Try comparing Microsoft to Google, for instance by typing the two names as input.

I've been a fan of Mathematica since 2005, and this app is a nice way to ask any question which has an answer containing mathematical content (including just numbers). It's a little finicky at times but will tell you to rephrase your question so it can understand. I've recommended this app to college students as an alternative to looking in the back of the book or solutions manual. It almost always gives the asker much more than they would need and is a superb educational support tool. The best part of it is it's incredible value. It costs little but is loaded with information and could not be a better value for the money.

Wolfram Alpha has been helping me learn math and solve problems for over a year now, in addition to being to being the ultimate knowledge power in the universe (sorry, Imperials, not even the Death Star can top this one). It's helped me all the way from my geometry and algebra classes in high school, up to trig and engineering calculus in college- with step-by-step instructions for many of those problems you just can't seem to work out on your own. It also integrates with Siri, and knows that the Answer to Life, the Universe, and Everything is exactly 42. To any broke college student out there with a math class - forgo a cup of Starbucks coffee, a snack from a vending machine, or a beer, and invest in your education instead. You won't regret it.

This app was very much worth the $5 I spent on it. I use it all the time, ranging from being my main calculator for both my iPhone and iPad as well as doing just about anything else! The level of detail really rings true with me. A hilarious example of this I discovered today while trying to explain radiation to someone using the app. I found not only the etymology, similar words, and a few other tidbits but 670 rhyming words for radiation as well as the scrabble score of the word radiation. If you're just going to buy a trivia app then this is the one for you. If you're looking for an app to run finite math calculations alongside showing you every known isotopic version of plutonium along with every other element on the periodic table of the elements, then this is also the app for you. A very well spent $5, in conclusion.

This is honestly the best search engine I've ever used. It may not have every tiny feature you would want. But it gives a crapload of information within seconds. Instead of giving you website results for you to choose from, this app gives you the absolute BEST answer it can find by searching EVERY resource so that you can just type in your question/topic and it will gives you answers instead of website links. My days of scrolling through websites are over. I don't know about you, but I'd rather get straight forward answers.

I absolutely love this app! It got me through pre calculus and was a major life saver. It shows you step by step on how an answer was gotten as well as different aspects of getting there. You must how how to enter the problem correctly though in order to get the right answer. For example parentheses in correct area. When you input the question make sure to check if it transferred correctly, it will show you how it was understood. The biggest problem with people is that they don't understand how to enter the question and therefore say it doesn't work, or was given the wrong answer. It's in fact an error on your behalf, not the program!

Let me explain this app( well not the app but the program itself along with Mathmatica) are steps to turning our entire educational system upside down, by teaching kids to do actual math instead of teaching them how to calculate integrals. Additionally I would love to see the people at Wolfram contact others in the programming business like for example trying to have it be incorporated into Maeve Google or Siri or Cortana. But at least I would love it if they would add a voice to text option for the input bar that would be amazing, since I can't really take a photo of my horrible hand writing and have it come up with something legible

I want to start with the good. This app works fine and does exactly the same thing the free webpage does. It is a very useful tool for algebra and calculus. This brings me to my main complaint. It it too limited and for some reason Wolfram believes it is worth more than it is. It is not Mathematica yet when it launched they asked for 50 dollars. I bought it at what I think is a fair price (3 dollars ) and it has been on sale a couple of times. However now I'm upset that I can't share it with my wife because again they limit it to purchases after June 10, 2014. I hope they reconsider and allow sharing to everyone who has bought this in the past. I'd be glad to pay for in app purchases if they actually bring added functions but I won't pay twice for the same thing.

This app works just like the website and just like the site, it basically runs whatever you want through Mathematica. I use this whenever I don't have my MacBook and can't get access to Mathematica. On a side note, I've seen a few complaints coming from engineering students in the comments for this app and they are so superficial when compared to what the app is actually capable off. If you need to look up a definition then go read a book that's not what this app is for. If you've been backed into a corner and need a helping hand to solve your complex formula then this app will be your hero.

I haven't had a chance to browse through a significant portion of this app, but I was very interested when I noticed an engineering section, specifically a civil engineering section. Much to my disappointment there isn't much to it and the section regarding beam deflection consists of some pretty silly nonsense. WA needs some help in that section, especially if they are going to make me pay for an app that tells me the information that I input, which came straight from the AISC Manual (bible), is invalid. I'll have to look through the rest but it was disappointing to say the least. There are too many errors to even say that it's close so WA's best course of action might be to consult a structural engineer. You can borrow my AISC Manual at least if you'd like...try again, please.

If you are a college student or high school student and if you are taking a Math class, this is the app that you need! Not only does it give you the answer to any problem you compute into the program, it also gives you the step by step process on how to get that answer. It shows you the math and also tells you why each step is done. It is like having a personal tutor in your room helping you out on the problem. It has made calculus so much easier to understand and finish my homework without stress of what I just learned. If you hate getting stuck on your homework not knowing why you can’t get the right answer or you don’t know what the next step is, this will be so helpful for you. I promise you that the 3 dollars is well worth it, that you for sure will get your money’s worth and then some. So if you are having problems with calculus or any math for that matter, this will be your dearest friend to put into your app library. Plus not only does it do math but it can answer a lot of other fact based questions as well. It’s like google for facts. This App seems like it came from the future because it’s just mind blowing! What are you waiting for? Your math homework awaits!

While I haven't used any other functionality, its math-related abilities are incredible.

As an early-level engineering student, the math I'm typically dealing with can be difficult to calculate, and in some cases, I'm unable to check my answer to fully make sure I'm understanding it. Wolfram Alpha helps me make sure I know that I got the correct answer.

While its Boolean algebra abilities can be limited, it's amazing at differentiation and integration. By extension, it's been an incredible tool when using Laplace Transformation, as well as it's inverse operation, even in plain-text input

It's plain-text abilities supersede any other math tool, and I can honestly say I use this app (and it's website) far more often than the program the school pays for. The additional keyboard with special symbols for math (such as an integral key and a square root key) are only bonuses.

If you haven't used this app or this website, I definitely recommend it, even for its limitless non-math abilities.

This app provides a solid interface for the wolfram alpha computational engine, which does require a internet connection. The app provides generous information for certain requests which are posed in a condensed form that includes words, grammars, numbers, etc. The app provides many examples, which are quite useful. It sort of understands English, just not well. Unfortunately, many requests are just misunderstood. When I type in a request, alpha asks me, "did you mean this?" It often guesses wrongly. It does not tell me how to change my input to suggest something else. It is difficult and time-consuming to find corresponding examples in many cases.

In summary, the app is very powerful and downright challenging to access many of the amazing capabilities.

I have found cryptograms and name analysis to be a fun past time. I also like the weather reports.

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! DO NOT INSTALL THE ADD-IN !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I like WolframAlpha but what I'm mad as H..L about is the fact that i purchased the in-app "image as input" add-on and still don't have it. Now after purchasing the add-in Wolfram Alpha crashes repeatedly or continuously asks for my Apple ID. I've tried restoring the add-in, but it asks for my Apple ID then does nothing. I've tried purchasing again, but it tells me I've already purchased and asks for my Apple ID and does nothing again. So not only did I lose 0.99 cents, I also lost the $2.99 I paid for the app.

This wouldn't be so bad if there was someone to contact but they're support is for business products only. I've searched the web for the problem without luck. If Apple weren't A.S...ES about refunds I world get a refund for the app and add-in and be done with it.

This app provides very interesting factoids and attractive graphs that you can discover by accident. However the search syntax and results of directed searches are either totally arcane or resultless ("Wolfram/Alpha doesn't know how to interpret your input.") I have had very limited success getting the math parser to actually do anything complicated, perhaps because the syntax is so freeform that you don't have any means of constraining the parsing. If you enjoy browsing encyclopedias and dictionaries (I do), then this app has some value. However, if you want to do serious work then plan on spending many hours without benefit of a decent manual or tutorial to learn how to ask questions, and even then you may be disappointed.

As can be gathered from the title, I truly love this app. It is crucial for my chemistry and pre-calc grades. I'm not cheating, mind you, I just can't hear a single word my professor says. All I hear is "blah blah blah permutation blah blah graded tomorrow" and he hands us our homework. Wiki is useful, but unreliable, so I use Wolfram. It is a cache of information! Anything you can think of, Wolfram has it. Amazing.

Person story here: I have ideasthesia, a mental condition in which I see numbers as specific colours. Usually it's factor based. Wolfram is the system I used to find said factors to see if I was correct. For example, I know instantly that 70,560 has a 2,3,5, and a 7, but I don't know their powers. (Hint: it's (2^5)(3^2)(7^2)(5)) Wolfram makes it simple to calculate these, no powerful computers needed.

Truly, and invaluable tool. All others who say different are simply not intellectuals.

UPDATED REVIEW (original is below): Still two stars. I now have the latest iPad (gen 4) and the app's response is a little better than when I was using an iPad 2. But when I ask for a list of things, it makes me wait about 20 seconds and gives me the first few items on the list. I have to tap the "more" button to wait another 15 secs for a few more items from the list. If you want a long list, I must repeat this several times. Also, the history button automatically makes the app freeze; not only do I have to completely quit the app from the launch bar when this happens, but the app always crashes at least one more time before it will completely open again. This happens 100% of the time when I try to see my history. In fact, I have never been able to see my history on this app. It's bad enough that it doesn't have a back button, but the history button completely disables the app.

ORIGINAL REVIEW: 50 - 60% of the time I use this app on my iPad 2, the app doesn't respond to my taps. About 40% of the time (when it does respond), it return with an error message indicating that no servers are available.

Being able to navigate trough results is what makes an engine better. History is hidden, no back button, UI components and controls are absolutely not "touch-friendly" (in 2013 this is ridiculous and even more for a paid app!) Results are... Well if you do examples, they are impressive, but if you build your own query, you will get disappointed soon. Picture upload just analyses the image properties, but doesn't search for results that may be related to the image. Last but not least: the tutorial is outdated and for the Web app, not for the mobile app!!

Wolfram should stick to Mathematica or change product manager, this market venture looks like a disaster at least for end users.

Two stars only for some interesting mathematical computing results, way better than Google's calculator, but still... It's not worth to pay for this App, not at the current version!

I have the new iPad so I can use SIRI when I choose, but I find myself usually using this App and... not so much SIRI. This App is just simply awesomely mind blowing. The best thing is it will save you money and hassle because after I started using it and realized what it could do it replaced at least five of my other Apps. This is well worth the money, easy to use and would also be great for a college student. Can you imagine it, solving sophisticated math problems instantly, and a wealth of statistics and history at your finger tips. Their is only on word for this App. Alpha.

What this man has done with this app is simply brilliant. This is the wave of the future and computers. This is what we dreamed about when we first thought about computers and how we thought they would interact with us. It is finally coming to where computers are starting to think and become "smart". Where else can you add the color red to the color yellow and comes up with the correct answer? The amount of different computations that this program can handle is astonishing! I wish I was smart enough to even begin to learn how to use this app to even be able to experiment in the beginning of the potential that it.

User Satisfaction: This is the best math minded app to use as an educational resource for knowledge and experience. The app presents educational information like never before. I enjoy the app's multimedia on my iDevices. This is an extraordinary way to access the informational freeway. I can get information quickly. WolframAlpha has a "Multi-subject Cross-section" of valuable educational information. This is an excellent app, specifically for research/educational information. There are many great strengths to make you proud to own the app. The app effectively performs and communicates search results. The overall app is attractive. I would highly recommend this app to a friend or colleague.

Good Afternoon: The amount of information WA can access, and present in an accessible format is astonishing. In fact, the greatest strength of the program is the ability to present information is readily comprehensible fashion to the average person (they must have read Tufte). I do have one suggestion for improvement. Many of the screens do not present a convenient way to backtrack to previous screens. Some screens have a Back button, others don't; you have to use the History button. Although having access to your browsing is a great idea in and of itself, it's not the most convenient means of navigation for non-scientists. Easier navigation, such as having Back and Forward buttons always available, would suffice to make WA one of the ten greatest iOS apps ever. Thank you for reading.

I don't even think words can describe this app. It fu****g does everything. I am currently in college, and just this day (the day I bought it) it saved me time doing Calculus homework. The app helped me breeze through some online homework. Some of the long derivatives take a lengthy time to complete, and this app solves them, and if need be, can show you how it was solved. This is a must for any college student, because it saves time, can help you understand math better, or help with your grades.

The app can also tell you the weather, and any other information that would be needed by a student. I will need to use statistics in my next paper, and this app can bring it up for you.

REALLY DO YOURSELF A FAVOR, AND GET THIS APP FOR $3. I don't know why anyone wouldn't get it, I mean a calculus book cost $130+ and it doesn't help you solve problems.

Wolfram Alpha brings a whole new level of capabilities to my iPhone. It's not really a search engine in the traditional sense, but rather a knowledge engine. Imagine having, say, the Encyclopedia Britannica and the OED, completely cross-referenced, at your fingertips, ready to give you all their wealth of knowledge on practically any topic in a flash. That gives you an idea of what Wolfram Alpha can do.

Siri uses some portions of Wolfram Alpha when handling user questions, but this app gives you the entire program. For me, this is THE indispensable app, the one that will utterly blow the minds of everyone who sees it in action.

Oh yeah, don't miss the "image as input" extension. For just $0.99 more, it gives Wolfram Alpha huge added capabilities. Try it on a photo from your Camera Roll, and you will not believe the amount and depth of information!

This app is by far the best purchase I've made from my iPhone. This app is worth much more than the price it costs. WolframAlpha's creator is a programing genius that has designed WolframAlpha to understand and interpret the many ways that a question can be asked which makes WolframAlpha (in my opinion) the most user-friendly program currently available and this app does a great job of advancing that user-friendliness even further. The "example" selection of this app shows the amazing number a functions that Wolfram can be used for and is extremely beneficial in knowing how to get the best answer. IF YOU EVER ARE DOING ADVANCED MATHEMATICAL CALCULATIONS OR ARE DOING ANYTHING YOU CANT ASK YOUR CALCULATOR, THIS PROGRAM IS PERFECT! It will do anything, from calculating the Hermite polynomials (and showing its steps of how it got there) to telling you how many people share a name. This app is utterly amazing and definitely a must buy for any curious person.

Um, oldredwolf, actually you just lost credibility. The sky map is accurate. You just don't know how to read one. It's not a map you look down on; it's what you see when you look up. If you lay on your back, with your feet pointing south, then north is 'up' and west is to your RIGHT.

Please don't complain about an amazingly useful app such as this based on your own misunderstanding.

On to my thoughts on this app. I use it several times a day for all sorts of needs. (this, and the desktop, website) I highly recommend that people spend a good amount of time looking through the examples, as you otherwise probably won't even have a clue of how broad the scope is of Wolfram|Alpha's knowledge, and what can be done with it. It's breathtaking. A truly remarkable tool that is very underrated…even by the many 5 star givers. It's worth far more than 5 stars.

Wolfram Alpha is an amazing portal into the universe of all types of knowledge! You can look up word definitions, country populations, the distance to a star in a faraway galaxy, and a brief information about a politician. Yet, it goes much further than this. It can produce almost immediate results of your statistical or financial calculations, using the data you input. It understands your language, the way you speak. Without browsing Google for answers to parts of your calculation, you can just simply ask a question, such as, what is Mark Zuckerman's net worth divided by the number of active Facebook users, and immediately get the answer, roughly 16 bucks, and then you can compare his net worth with that of Bill Gates. Of course, you can already get all this information on Wolfram's website for free. This app, however, is an official app from Wolfram Alpha, and it will help you enter the variables and get the results much faster and much more efficiently on your mobile device.

I suppose if you are looking for mathematical or quantitative results, this app seems good. I found that it did not do a good job of finding non-numerical data. For example, I tried to get a list of community colleges, but it kept showing me info on a TV show called "Community". I could not get it to ignore that erroneous result. Then, I tried to look up info on a specific school (my son's high school), but it could not find anything at all. To use the app effectively, I have to know what it is good at and what it is not good at and make a decision whether to use WolframAlpha or Google. Hopefully, WolframBeta will improve on this. Conceptually, I like the concept and hope to see stellar updates.

I was in Mexico over the holidays with my sister last month. We drove out to a remote beach and laid our towels down near the water. We had no idea if the tide was coming in or going out, but fortunately I had my newly purchased Wolfram Alpha app on my iPhone. I loaded the app and searched "next high tide puerto vallarta"... a few seconds later we discovered the next high tide wasn't for another 8 hours. Armed with the information we decided to keep our towels close to the water instead of moving further up the beach.

Since that trip I have used the Wolfram Alpha app on many occasions (currency conversion, food nutrition, settling of bets on how I'm related to my mothers uncles first cousins son, and so on), and have never looked back on the price point with regret. (at the time it was $50)

I use this app every day. I can't say the same about most other apps currently on my iPhone. That's all. :)

Life just keeps on getting better …. in a week or so, I will have my first iPhone, and it will be a real treasure having it and the Assistant app or Siri connected to Wolfram Alpha and Nuance … the future is bright for those that are entering college, and are able to have such nice tools to keep the pitch of excitement at a very high level.

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When I first attended college, all I had was a slide rule for math and a book of five-place logarithm tables to compute with, but now it it truly amazing to see the the changes in a lifetime. Because of all the cool science and math stuff now on my iPad, there is a strong gravitational pull to return to the university to excel in calculus even at my age.

I want to get this app for my Droid X. I don't find anything wrong with the app, but sometimes placing the cursor somewhere else is a bother. In my honest opinion, you're not going to like the app if you've never used it and don't appreciate it as much as someone who uses it a lot for calculus and physics. It's not only just those two subjects it's helpful in, but they do it well in those two, especially using integrals and derivatives and whatnot. I don't give it 5 stars because as great as Wolfram|Alpha is, it's not at the 5 star level. It's great, but this is only a stepping stone for something greater in the future, and it doesn't quite know EVERYTHING. Just knows enough.

This is NOT a substitute for Google or Wikipedia. If you just want basic information, those are both the best way to get it and there are good applications on the iPad already. What It does do very well is answer often complex questions about data.

It is quick to find the relevant information, calculate the answer(s) and display the results. For example, I asked it to compare the per capita gross domestic product of California versus Canada. In a remarkably short time, it did the comparison and displayed the answer. I also asked it to calculate loudness at 100 decibels at 500 Hz. It did so quickly and displayed the full curve so I go more that I asked for.

On a few occasions, it has had trouble determining the metric but could quickly do the calculations when I went to more discrete parameters. I have not yet tried it to do math but I am sure it would do that well given Wolfram's reputation in this area.

This is simply an amazing application for anyone who likes to ask questions requiring lots of data or calculations in a broad range of fields.

Wow this app is amazing! I can't believe it can do everything I challenged it to do! Truly outstanding. It will be one of the best two dollars you will ever spend. No other app can do what this thing can. Tides, calculus, graphs, length of the Nile, anything and everything. Those that gave this less than perfect scores do so only because they focus on it's limitations and its less-than-perfect reliability. I however, see its potential. It currently delivers excellent answers a large majority of the time, and its performance improves constantly. 21st century Western society wants answers as fast and easily as it can, and Wolfram Alpha delivers.

(I release this comment to the public domain)

Using the iPad, the WA site works great now on Safari Mobile. There's little reason to pay money for an app. Perhaps the browser has SOME limitations that the app will get around but I've not yet found it. However, the app is ad-free, so... there's where your buck is going. If you have problems, uninstall it and re-install it. I've seen apps have problems and, sometimes, it takes 2 or 3 re-installs to fix the problem. But it works so... If you're having problems, just use the site. However, the addition and small nuances of the app (like the extended on-screen keyboard) is nice. It's a small app and does everything it should. Plus you can quickly open it in Safari using the icon in the top right corner. Also, it fits to your screen better in the app than in the browser.

---Satisfied i-Pad WA user.

I've seen it have some trouble with multiple word queries...it'll choose one of the words, and tell you a LOT about that word. That may be more a function of my lack of understanding of the parameters of the purpose of it, though. There's NO QUESTION that this is some VERY powerful computing! Where Google will give you a list of web sites where you MIGHT find the answer you're looking for, this app gives you ANSWERS! I'd recommend going to the WolframAlpha web site to take a look at the brief video giving brief descriptions of sample searches, and the very long list of areas for use. But for two bucks, you CANNOT go wrong, even just for entertainment purposes!

I have seen some reviews that say "it'd not what it's cracked up to be" an "not helpful" etc. The one thing I have to say is it takes a little while to get used to because it's not like google, treat it like a calculator and it'll work wonders. Also go through the getting started thing booklet in the top left corner it definitely helps and gives you ideas. For example I can figure out how many calories I burned on my run, get the nutrition label for tons of foods, preform chemical conversion, do physics calculations, and obtain tons of stats on just about anything. Thats knly the tip of the iceberg. The only downside is it can be slow at times when you arent in Wi-Fi or 3G. All in all I would highly recommend this app for anyone and everyone who is even slightly curious.

WolframAlpha is so useful. It's computational analysis of what I search never fails to provide me with relevant answers. Possibly the best tool I have ever used to find answers. Keep up the good work!!

Note to new users: WolframAlpha is more of answers style search engine. Say for example you search "Giza necropolis" it won't find a lot of information and will most likely tell you it can't find an answer to that query. If you search "population of Washington DC divided by the gross income of the united states in 1989" it will provide you with graphs, statistics, and much more information that is very useful. It's extremely good for finding answers, not for Google searching about a topic. Keep that in mind when you purchase.

I guess I had the wrong impression. I thought I could ask this thing anything but the first 9 out of 10 random questions I could think of it didn't know (such as the tallest mountain in vermont). Even when I asked it things I thought would be easy it didnt have an answer. Basically, I stumped it way more than not. I only thought of one new question that it could actually answer that wasn't one of the ones I read about and already knew that it knew, and the rest it did not know. The things it does know though, it does really well. It's great for math, derivatives and integrals for example, but for general knowledge I'll stick to google, which usually gives any answer in the preview lines on the first page of results.

I am so impressed with this app I can't begin to explain. Seeing a bunch of negative reviews and I just can't comprehend the mindset of those people.

You DO have to learn how to write queries for it. It's not hard. The people saying they can't use it must not have looked at the ton of examples it comes with. And just like a search engine, if you don't get the results you want try rewording the query. Nothing can read your mind. I'm stunned at everything it can do!

So if you have ADD, or you think you can just sit down and type in a creative writing excerpt, then this isn't for you. If you want a powerful, super informative tool to aid your day-to-day activities then this is as good as it gets (as of this writing anyway).

If you are having any trouble with this app I suggest reading the help documentation within the app, and even visiting their website as well. I found that questions and mathematical formulas had to be asked/entered in very distinct ways in order to get results. A brief study of how the system works and this whole system is absolutely AMAZING and to have it provided in the form of an iPhone app is a blessing!

This often misunderstood app is based on what was intended to be a one century long project (based on what I read in the literature within the app), though with rapid improvements in communication combined with more and more users, it could take much less time for this project and app to truly provide answers to questions and solve mathematical answers to ABSOLUTELY EVERYTHING!

Apps are one of the last things that ever impress me. In fact, this is the first time I have ever written a review for an app and I have over 300 in iTunes and 9 screens worth on my iPhone. --- It was simply the poor reviews and reviews which showed some people who purchased this app weren't realizing it's full potential which made me feel I must review Wolfram!

This app is great, kind of. Trying to insert text is horrible—you select somewhere in the middle and it skips back to the end. Also if in landscape mode tryin to insert text a dialog box covers the whole top row and you can't get rid of it. It also forces complex results and there is NO WAY to choose reals only. This makes absolutely no sense and is the worst thing about the app. It also sometimes says it doesn't know how to interpret your query, but upon resubmitting handles it fine. Others are right, it is often VERY slow, both typing and for results. I'd like to e able to enlarge and save graphs, also. Mostly though it's a very good app, definitely worth $2 as long as you're prepared to deal with several very frustrating issues.

I have an iPod touch and do not have a lot of math needs. This app was worth $2 for the new "instant arithmetic" feature alone, however--I needed a better calculator! Now, I can compute a tip at a restaurant while still seeing intermediate steps. Then, when I have Internet again, I can lookup information like the time remaining until an important date, the weather, or the sunset time. The bookmark feature makes these frequent lookups of constantly changing information easy to do and justifies the price over the Safari version.

If only this had been around when I was taking calculus! Considering that I've found value in this in the few things I do just for fun, if you are currently a high school or college student, there is no question that you should get this.

I wish there were more offline functionality in here for us Touch users. You can't solve equations or any other complex math without going online. I would be satisfied if the offline version could parse phrases like "15% tip $25" instead of forcing me to enter 1.15*25 by hand.

This app is amazing. If you are considering buying it, before you read any further, buy it. It does everything and anything better that all the other apps out there. I deleted my calculator app, dictionary app, stock app, all because this app puts it all in one is an amazingly sleek easy to use layout that will give you an answer to whatever you want. The thing that amazed me the most was the calculus but I honestly haven't gotten very far into the it other physics and math features because I decided to write this review write away. Overview: buy it, you will be amazed

Best app ever! I'm a mechanical engineering student and this does it all. Any and every math problem I've had has easily been solved. Easy to use and interact with, this app is the only calculator app you'll ever need and it does so much more than that! If you have a question about its capabilities all you have to do is enter the subject and it tells you everything you need to know. DEFINATELY worth the money... Get this app! Also, reviews 17 and 18 are moronic... Google and wikipedia give you links and general encyclopedic knowledge... Wolfram answers your specific math and general knowledge questions. Learn to use this app, reviewers 17 and 18 then tell me how it really is.

This app is incredible. As everyone has already stated you can gain so much knowledge from one simple question. It's nothing like the Internet, it breaks down questions in categories that are direct facts w/o all the Internet filler. Plus, like previusly mentioned, when you ask something online you may only get that answer and be satisfied but this will give you that answer and more very quickly. Also, it's only $1.99 compared to what it used to be which I think was 50 bucks. I'm a scientist, so the chemical formulas and math that is available is excellent. If you don't have this app, you probably should.

No one will ever exceed the level of computational power available in Wolfram software: a bold statement but one that holds up under serious scrutiny. This app opens so much computational power to the iPhone/touch owner it's hard to imagine most will ever use more than 10% of capability.

There are always going to be embryonic software/display issues when fielding ANY new app: and so it is with this early version. On my iPhone when I used several Wolfram examples, vestiges of some of those prior frames/windows displayed on my 3gs would appear on top of my current screen. Those elements are banded in the middle of the current display. A glitch I can work around but one that needs to be fixed.

A HUGE Thank You to Wolfram & Apple for making this an app available for the iPhone & iTouch

I bought the app when it was on sale for $20, and I have consistantly used it in all my engineering, math, and science courses. Considering the amount of money I have poured down the drain with text books that have online components that expire after a few semesters; this app really shines as an pocket everything reference. The input is way more streamlined than it's free web counterpart. Buttons for integral and derivatives, like one would find on a TI-8x. But, this is way cheaper, and less bulky than a graphing calculator. $50 is cheap for the power of this app. Now, I only use my ti-89 on tests, but, in labs, or anything else, this is my first choice. Although, I may note that a few of my professors still refuse to believe that I'm not constantly text messaging.

If any iPhone app is worth $20 it is this one. It's capable of some amazing calculations and is unlike anything else out there. Yea I realize one can use the website for free but trust me, it's not the same. Huge difference in functionality. I love this program. However I must say there is no way it's worth $50. Sorry, but as great as it is, $50 is way too much to spend for this. They'd probably make a fortune if they dropped the price down to $9.99, but that's just my humble opinion. Anyway - while you can get this for a sub-insane price, I strongly suggest you do so. You will be extremely impressed with what this can do. This is no dumb search engine.

I can see why people were complaining about the $50 price tag. I have heard it rationalized as "at least it's cheaper than a graphing calculator." (I don't know if that is the Wolfram "party line") Anyway, the $50 doesn't give new hardware--I've already paid for the iPhone. But $20? Absolutely. I hope that they keep adding more examples to the iPhone app as they add them to the webpage, because I usually go to the examples page and use that as a starting point. Also, I wish that they would add an email link on the web version that sends an iPhone-enabled version so that I can quickly process files that my friends send me in the iPhone app.

Overall, great product for the iPhone and even more amazing Wolfram Alpha technology. If you like surfing through Wikipedia, then you will probably like mining information. The iPhone app makes it possible to do that anywhere. 5 stars!

Nice example of a cross between search a calculator and analytics. Yes you could Google most of this and put it together yourself but you have some work to create the same results. Certainly enough functionality for people who search and do analytics on a daily basis.

I tried the free website first and found I use it a lot so the iPhone formatting and ease of use makes it that much more accessible and useful. It isn't cheap but for the price if one or two reference books you have the utility of a couple hundred on the iPhone. Ability to campare all kinds of things side by side is great for research.

Hoping to see improvements on formatting and more analytics features.