We Ask…The People Who Made Star Walk

Murad Nazaraliev and Victor Toporkov of Vito Technology

As part of our ongoing series of interviews with people making a difference in the education and technology fields, we spoke to Vito Technology, makers of the Star Walk, Solar Walk and Geo Walk apps, and asked them about astronomy and iOS.

Vito Technology designs and develops mobile apps. Find out more at vitotechnology.com. 

SMATOOS: For what audience did you design Star Walk and Solar Walk? Kids, adults? People with a special interest in space?

Vito Technology (VT): Star Walk was initially developed as a useful educational tool geared towards astronomy amateurs, students, and professionals. However, it became much more than that. We have found that the majority of people can find many valuable uses for our application.

SMATOOS: Tell us about your team. What combination of special skills does it take to develop these sophisticated apps?

VT: Our team of developers is a group of fans who fall in love easily with the great novelties that come up in the gadget market. Creativity, passion for new technologies, and love for what you do – these are the most important skills. Every time a new idea pops up in the air, it causes discussions, sleepless nights, and dramatic fights at the office.

SMATOOS: Vito Technology produces science apps that are popular with kids. Do you think there is a difference between the way kids learn about science and the way they learn about the arts?

VT: Not really sure what you meant by arts here. But we do enjoy the fact that parents from all over the world use the iPad and Star Walk to teach their kids astronomy.

SMATOOS: Did you have any teachers or education specialists contributing to the development of these apps?

VT: No, we didn’t get any help from teachers or education specialists.

SMATOOS: Will you making Android versions of any of your apps?

VT: No, we don’t have this in our upcoming plans. The rapid evolution of iOS together with its continuous major improvements are another reason why we’ll stick to development for iOS for as long as we can. Other mobile platforms haven’t changed much during the last decade and when they did, the changes were very minor. We have been developing for mobile devices for about ten years now, and we have to say that iOS is the only platform that allows you to literally be guided only by your own imagination.

SMATOOS: Vito Technology has been getting a lot of press and acclaim for the apps it’s produced so far. What’s next for the company?

VT: Since Star Walk won an Apple Design Award in 2010 we have been closely following and taking advantage of the latest Apple technologies. We are currently getting ready for an iPad 3, but nothing more can be unveiled for now.

Read the SMATOOS reviews of  Star Walk, Solar Walk and Geo Walk.

Read more interviews with developers creating innovative apps!

By Nell Wulfhart
Nell Wulfhart is an editor at SMATOOS.com. Her interests are digital culture, developments in publishing and proper punctuation.