App review: The Civil War Today

Leave it to The History Channel to make any other history-oriented app seem paltry. The Civil War Today is a breathtaking undertaking, crammed with fascinating data and presented in such a way that it never overwhelms the user. Daily updates mirror the events of 150 years ago, with newspaper reports and summary information, but the app also underlines the growing tragedy of the war with casualty counts on both sides, letters and diaries from soliders (again, on both sides), photos, quotes of the day, maps, and an interactive quiz. History buffs will be in heaven, but even students who have a moderate interest in the Civil War will find themselves anxiously awaiting updates every day.

Read more at Common Sense Media

PBS to stream ‘The Civil War’ free via iPad/iPhone

With the 150th anniversary of the start of the Civil War fast approaching, it probably won’t come as a surprise that PBS has plans to rerun Ken Burns’ acclaimed series on the War Between the States.

What might be a bit more unexpected, though, is that the network plans to offer a free stream of the series’ first episode to showcase its PBS App for the iPad, iPhone and iPod touch. The stream will become available March 24 for a 10-day window.

Read more at Variety’s Technotainment blog