The team behind the computational knowledge engine Wolfram Alpha announced the release of a Wolfram Alpha iPhone app this October. The only problem with the app was that it came with a rather steep price tag - $50 to be more precise. Many wondered if the app was worth it since you could always access the Wolfram Alpha computational knowledge engine from the iPhone’s browser. But the Wolfram Alpha team did these people a “favor” by dropping the mobile optimized Wolfram Alpha site (and pushing the iPhone app). Hey, if you don’t have an alternative, then you have to by the app, right?

Here comes the good news. It seems the holiday season has put the Wolfram Alpha team in a giving mood. They are not giving away the app for free, but they’re offering a significant discount.

“In the spirit of the holiday season, the Wolfram|Alpha App for the iPhone & iPod touch will be on sale for US $19.99, starting December 11 through December 31.You can get it at the App Store,” announced the Wolfram Alpha team.

The Wolfram Alpha iPhone app is properly good. Here are some of the bits you can expect to get if you purchase it:

• The app is connected to Wolfram Alpha’s supercomputing cloud. This allows it to bring the Wolfram Alpha knowledge engine experience to the mobile user.
• It can be used by pretty much anyone, but the team at Wolfram Alpha highlighted these category of users in particular: financial analysts, physicians, scientists, engineers, students, teachers, journalists, parents, economists, nutritionists, systems analysts, marketing managers, pilots, sportsmen.
• The app’s user interface is specially designed for the iPhone. Consequently the UI features a special notation keyboard, customized iPhone output, editable history, and it integrates with native iPhone services (like Maps).
• Easily get an answer to all sorts of questions, spreading across countless domains.

“We’ve spent a great deal of time tuning the Wolfram|Alpha App for the specific needs of iPhone users,” commented Jeremy Schoeller Porter, Business Development at Wolfram Alpha. “The app is, in fact, a large collection of small changes. These changes add up to a unique and natural experience for using Wolfram|Alpha on the iPhone and iPod touch. We believe this experience is valuable, and those who have purchased the app have overwhelmingly told us that they agree. Unlike most of the $1 apps, which tend to only be used for a few days before they’re forgotten, we believe that the Wolfram|Alpha App’s value to users will continue to grow with time."

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If you would like to get the Wolfram Alpha iPhone app, please click here.