There's an App for That

If you've ever had a burning desire to read Zachary Taylor's inaugural address, wondered about the exact wording of the Mayflower Compact or simply forgotten the 17th Amendment, worry no more. There's an app for that.

MultiEducator Inc., a multimedia software developer, earlier this month released American Dreams, an iPhone/iPod application that compiles historical documents, speeches and Supreme Court decisions. The program allows users to search and favorite text versions of 480 speeches (including every inaugural address), 90 Supreme Court rulings and 18 audio recordings, which will expand as events occur and other historical documents are deemed worthy of inclusion.

Students of history, government officials and anyone who wants to have this information in the palm of their hand -- literally -- will appreciate American Dreams, said Marc Schulman, the app's developer.

The most important documents and decisions for inclusion jumped right out, added Schulman, who has been working to bring history to multimedia platforms since the early 1990s. He said that the app also shows users why the document or speech was important with a contextual description, an added value similar apps lack.

A quick search of the iTunes app store revealed U.S. Historical Documents, which lets users search, bookmark and create inline notes. Other related apps compile information on members of Congress, presidents and famous speeches.

Schulman anticipates an updgrade in a month or so to fix various formatting inconsistencies and spelling errors, and users will be able to download a free update every three to six months as new content becomes available. The app is supposed to have an email function, which Schulman said will be added immediately. The development team also is exploring a video component and adapting the app for Apple's new iPad.

The app, available for $2.99 in iTunes, was released Feb. 1.