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07
07
2009
ChemMobi Makes it to the Apple App Store for Download
Posted by: Antony Williams in UncategorizedCopyright©2009 Antony Williams
ChemMobi, an application written by James Jack from Symyx has finally been posted to the App Store and can be downloaded, for free, and enable your iPhone to search both Symyx’s Discovery Gate and ChemSpider (using our web services). I’ve posted before about the work done by James (1,2) and it has now come to fruition with the first version of ChemMobi. If you are an iPhone user try it out and give us your feedback!
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July 8th, 2009 at 12:38 pm
Is it time to publish a CHEMiCALC app? (See http://people.emich.edu/bramsay1/ccc.release/chem.html)
July 8th, 2009 at 12:51 pm
Why can’t this app be installed on an iPod Touch? The app store makes some claim that it “requires” a microphone, but I see no reason this could be. While there are certainly features that could be added in the presence of a microphone, it shouldn’t “require” a microphone.
(I realize you didn’t develop this software, but I can’t find any place to leave feedback for the developer, so I hoped you could point this out to him)
July 8th, 2009 at 1:35 pm
Bert…yes, it may indeed be time for a ChemiCalc application. It would be a matter of finding the right developer to develop an iPhone application and it all depends on whether you want to give it away to the world or charge for it.
July 8th, 2009 at 2:58 pm
The application should work on the iTouch but I confess that I haven’t tested it. When James listed it he listed it for 2nd Gen iPhone or iPod Touch…
July 11th, 2009 at 1:08 am
Very interesting. Is there any documentation somewhere, so that those of us who don’t own an iPhone can see what the app can do?
How does one enter a search query? Can one draw a structure on the touch screen? How does one connect to DiscoveryGate in a licensed institution? I for one want details
July 12th, 2009 at 8:20 pm
Alain,
There’s no real documentation per se that I am aware of. It’s a standard App for an iPhone …there’s no documentation for any App I have installed. It might be worth creating a little movie using an iPhone emulator and I’ll discuss with James Jack. Its a good idea to communicate its utility. No, there is no way to draw a structure…you can enter a chemical name to search though. DiscoveryGate linking is there and offers a slice of information that is available.
July 12th, 2009 at 8:46 pm
I’ll reply to two of the threads:
@David Hall: I re-listed the application and made it so it should be installable on 1st gen iPhones and iPod Touches. Please confirm if you are able to install now. Remember to apply the simple workaround for the settings bug (open up ChemMobi settings in the main settings area – do nothing, close). A new version (1.0.1) with this issue fixed has been submitted to Apple.
@Alain Borel: ChemMobi operates in two modes: ChemSpider and DiscoveryGate. These function similarly, but there are some differences:
ChemSpider Mode: Type in a name (Trivial name, Drug name, IUPAC name, part of a name) and hit the search button. If the search returns data you will get the structure and some properties in the details tab like SMILES, InChIs etc. We plan to do more with ChemSpider mode in the future. ChemSpider mode can return more that one record.
DiscoveryGate Mode: Limited free access to the ACD database online via the DiscoveryGate webservice. Type in a name or identifier (Trivial name, Drug name, IUPAC name, CAS number, OHS Number etc) and hit the search button. If you get a hit you will be able to view the structure, the Symyx databases that it’s referenced in, its suppliers, view details like synonyms, some physical properties etc. If the hit has an OHS Number then you can view an OHS summary data sheet. Name searches in DiscoveryGate mode only return one hit.
Future:
I plan to have a go at a touch editor for the iPhone and I’d like to make more use of DiscoveryGate content here too, like perhaps have a synthesis planning capability where you retrieve or draw and structure and then ask for ways to make it that trace back to available compounds for ACD.
There are a few other free chemistry related webservices out there that I’d like to include.
ChemMobi is a great example of what can happen when several companies collaborate for the better good.
ChemMobi will remain free, but in future versions you may need to have your own key for DiscoveryGate key to access all of the features
I will try to make and post a video of ChemMobi in action.