The other day I entered into a petty dispute with a classmate of mine regarding whether there are 1000 or 1024 megabytes in a gigabyte. To bring the silly discussion to an end, I whipped out my phone and brought up Amount. Bringing the argument to a  halt, I announced not only the amount of megabytes, but how many bits, bytes, kilobytes, petabytes, and terabytes can hang out in a gigabyte.

What is it and what does it do

Main Functionality

Amount is a conversion calculator with a wide variety of categories. The categories break down into units that can all be converted to and from each other. To convert a number you either plug it in on the title screen or inside a category, then tap the unit you are converting from, and every unit in the category will become converted. To edit units in each category either shake the devise, or tap the name of the category at the top of the screen. To check previous conversions there is an icon at the top left of the initial screen.

Pros

• Supports conversions of: angles, area, cooking, currency, energy, length, power, pressure, speed, storage, temperature, time, volume and weight
• Clean looking interface
• No ads clustering up the screen
• Currency converter is updated frequently
• Copy units directly from the app

Cons

• Interface is confusing at first glance
• Lack of customization

Discussion  

When I first started the app I was impressed by how neat and simple the it was; the lack of ads was nice. The actual conversion was a little confusing at first as it works differently than most the conversion calculators I have used before. In the typical converter you would type in a number, click on a drop-down list,  pick the unit you have, and then the one you want. Although, with Amount, you type the number, select the unit out of the list, then every other unit on the page converts. So instead of viewing only one unit to one unit you see the entire category of units convert to one. So, viewing how many feet are in a mile compared to how many are in a kilometer is a much easier task.

I find the variety of categories overly pleasing. They range from simple day to day conversions to more complex and specified ones. I wish I had this app while taking physics, as most of the conversions I did by hand are on here. The currency category is great for people who travel a lot, whether it be for work or enjoyment, as it has all the major world currencies, and is updated in real time. Allowing you to calculate exactly how much foreign currency you will receive before you actually exchange your money.

There are little issues I have with this app. The main concern is the low level of customization. I wish to arrange units so the ones I convert the most are in close proximity. The only way to achieve that as of now it to hide all the other units. It would also be nice to change the color scheme because the entity of the app is a dull white.

Conclusion and download link

Overall, Amount is quite a handy app. It is quick, easy to use, and straight forward. I have not experienced a single bug or any kind of glitch. I would recommend it for anyone who routinely preforms conversions in any sort of field.

Price: $0.99

Version reviewed: 1.3.5

Requires iOS 5 or later. Compatible with iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad.

Download size: 0.5 MB

Amount on Apple App Store