What’s New in Version 4.4

– “Smart resolution” automatically loads higher-res images when needed
– Thousands of new high-resolution works
– Tap-and-hold in full-screen thumbnail grid for work overviews
– Running count added on thumbnail grid
– New artists: Prendergast, Sully, Sorolla y Bastida, Gude
– Many new subjects that can be searched on

To access the new features, upgrade for free on the App Store or buy now.

PRESS RELEASE

Ashland, OR — September 1, 2011 — Open Door Networks Inc. and Project A Inc. (“We-Envision”) today announced an update of their #1 classic art app, Art Authority for iPad, which includes new “Smart Resolution” (Smart-res) technology for quickly displaying high-resolution works of art. Normally displaying hi-res works requires the images to be either built into the app for quick display (impractical for an app with access to 55,000 works), or downloaded as needed (potentially slow and bandwidth-intensive). Smart-res works are originally downloaded only at the resolution needed for initial display, with higher-res works then downloaded if the user wants to “zoom in” on a particular aspect of the work.

Art Authority’s Smart-res implementation manages the transition from lower-res to higher-res image by first zooming-in on the already-available lower-res version of the work, while in parallel downloading the higher-res one. It then fades in the high-res version over the low-res one, providing an additional “sharpening” effect. The implementation also remembers (caches) higher-res works after they have been downloaded so that they are instantly available in the future (for instance as user “favorites”) and even while offline. High-res version of key works are built into the app (pre-cached) for immediate access.

“Users have been asking us for both higher-res images and faster access to those images. These two requests are no longer contradictory,” said Alan Oppenheimer, president of Open Door Networks. “Now users can, for instance, view Van Gogh’s ‘Starry Night’ quickly and still zoom in on its individual brush strokes as desired.”

Art Authority 4.4 also includes a number of other new features, such as additional artists and subjects, and an enhanced thumbnail display mode with tap-and-hold summaries and running image counts.

The price for Art Authority for iPad 4.4 remains $9.99 through the App Store. Upgrades from previous versions are free. Details, including a complete artist list and FAQ, are available from the We-Envision.com.

Art Authority for iPad, the #3 top-grossing and #7 top-selling reference app in 2010, was specifically designed for Apple’s ground-breaking tablet. Hailed as “an experience like no other” and “visually dazzling,” the app stunningly displays paintings and sculptures by major western artists from ancient times through current-day. In addition to being popular at home, the app is in use by Seton Hill University in multiple art classes, and under evaluation by many other educational institutions. Art Authority is also available for the iPhone and Mac.