Factbook

Factbook Review

by on June 29, 2011

Lifting info from the CIA’s The World FactBook resource, which gets more than 6 million hits per month (fact!), the FactBook app compiles and compares diverse statistics about countries from around the globe.

Sure, FactBook won’t add any new features to your phone. It is sure is fascinating to browse through though. The interface is particularly user-friendly. From the main menu, you can choose to view by Region and Country or compare global statistics by Rankings. For the latter, a simple iPod-style clicker wheel allows you to select by category, including by economy, population, government and general information. This ranking feature is where the app gets most interesting, with the option to compare titbits about any two countries.

Be warned though, there is a significant problem with FactBook. It failed to load any stats on our HTC Desire Z and Desire HD; the mechanics of the app appear OK but there’s nothing to gander it. Hopefully this will be redressed with an update in the not too distant future.  But where FactBook does work, which is on most other handsets, it puts an immense – and CIA-approved – bank of knowledge at your fingertips. We rate this as a fun, educational diversion. And that’s a fact.

Compatible with: Android 1.5 and above.

Download this app: Factbook for Android