Siri, Apple’s digital assistant technology exclusive to the iPhone 4S, currently accounts for nearly 25 percent of all search queries conducted through the Wolfram Alpha computational knowledge engine. According to The New York Times:

Less than three years ago, Dr. Wolfram created a new kind of search engine, called Wolfram Alpha . Unlike Google or Microsoft’s Bing, Wolfram Alpha does not forage the Web. It culls its own painstakingly curated database to find answers. [...] the technology has come a long way, including delivering many answers for Siri, the question-answering personal assistant in the Apple iPhone 4S.

Originally geared towards math and science queries, Wolfram Alpha has expanded functionality to cover tasks like unit conversions, statistical data aggregation, and consumer-oriented activies such as displaying local show times or calculating distances. This has made it far more useful to mainstream consumers — the kind likely to have an iPhone 4S and Siri.

Apple sold over 37 million iPhones last quarter and the iPhone 4S took the top spot in terms of smartphone popularity, so it’s no surprise that a full quarter of searches on the service are from Apple’s digital assistant. And with smartphone adoption hitting massive growth — paired with speculation that Apple has plans to bring Siri to future iOS devices — it doesn’t seem all that far-fetched to imagine Wolfram working overtime just to provide curated results for Apple products.

Source: NYT

Student enrolled in math classes? Have a job that requires the use of math? Simply someone with a love for mathematics? Whether it’s arithmetic, calculus, or hacking the code of the universe, there are dozens of iPhone and iPad math apps to choose from. Read on for TiPb’s Top 5, must have favorites to get you started!

WolframAlpha (Universal)

WolframAlpha is a much more than a math app, but the computational and mathematical abilities it possesses are phenomenal. Need to not only calculate a complicated integral, but know the steps to get the answer on your own? WolframAlpha can do it. Need to quickly solve a cubic equation? WolframAlpha will calculate all real and complex solutions. Or perhaps you want to look up Fermat’s little theorem or the Riemann Hypothesis – WolframAlpha’s got you covered. From basic mathematics to advanced calculus, statistics, physics and other topics, WolframAlpha is an excellent tool to have in your pocket.

[$1.99 - iTunes link]

Calcbot (Universal)

Calcbot is a beautifully designed calculator the iPhone and iPad. In addition to being UI candy, Calcbot offers many features that makes it a great candidate to replace the native calculator on the iPhone (and fill the gap on the iPad). The more advanced, scientific functions are accessible by a swipe and Calcbot records your history onto a tape that you can email or send values back into the calculator. And true to Tapbots’ style, Calcbot comes to life with finely machined animation and sound.

[$1.99 - iTunes link]

Also Check out:

• PCalc is a very robust and feature-filled RPN calculator and is universal for both iPhone and iPad. [$9.99 - iTunes link]

Apollonius (iPhone)

Apollonius is a must-have application for Geometry students. With it, you can make geometric constructions as if you were using a straightedge and compass. While making constructions, you can move points around to adjust the sizes, angles, and distances to visually see how these changes affect your constructions. Even with complicated constructions, the app runs very smoothly. If you’ve had any experience with Geometer’s Sketchpad, Apollonius is very similar. My only complaint it’s not a universal app for the iPhone and iPad.

[$3.99 - iTunes link]

Math Ref (Universal)

Math Ref is an excellent reference app for mathematics that includes over 1,400 helpful formulas, figures, tips and examples of the equations, and concepts. It also includes example problems and solutions that you may see in specific subject areas. Math Ref doesn’t have a fancy UI, but the information is there; it is clear; and it is easily searchable. Since the UI is basic, Math Ref is very snappy and runs smoothly. This is an app that deserves to be in every math student’s pocket.

[$0.99 - iTunes link]

Also Check out:

• iMathematics! is a universal reference app that contains over 700 formulas in over 120 topics as well as 8 solvers and calculators. [Free, with in-app purchases iTunes link]

SkyNumbers (iPhone and iPad)

For a fun game that will refine your arithmetic skills, check out SkyNumbers. In this game, you’re given a target number while other numbers fall from the sky. You must combine these numbers with addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division to reach the target number. If a single figure falls through the last cloud, the game is over. The speed at which the numbers fall increases with time making this game a fun challenge. SkyNumbers has Game Center support and you can also share your scores on Facebook and Twitter.

[Free for iPhone, with in-app purchases - iTunes link [$2.99 for iPad - itunes link]

Your top math apps?

So there you have it, our top 5 best math apps for iPhone and iPad, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t some other great ones floating around out there. Also, be sure to check out our Picks of the Week and the TiPb iPhone App and Games Forum for more recommendations, and if we missed any of your favorites, leave them in the comments below!

WolframAlpha is a computational knowledge engine on the web, and with their iPad application, you can perform calculations and look up information even easier. WolframAlpha is a universal application, so you pay once but receive the optimum experience on both your iPhone and iPad.

Using WolframAlpha is simple. Just type what you’re interested in and WolframAlpha will provide you information about it. For mathematical expressions, the keyboard has an additional 3 rows of numbers and symbols. Tapping “more” on the keyboard will expand the keyboarding adding 4 more rows of symbols.

When solving advanced problems like integrals and derivatives, WolframAlpha not only provides the answers, but displays the steps taken to find it. The steps are very clearly written with sentences describing the procedure. This is my favorite feature of WolframAlpha because it is an excellent learning tool and because it is a feature missing from calculators.

Although the mathematical computing power of WolframAlpha is extremely impressive, I don’t find it to be a good calculator replacement. For example, calculators are often used when making multiple calculations and being able to see previous results and quickly access them is something I’ve found invaluable. However, I view WolframAlpha as a separate tool in itself because it offers some features (like showing steps) that calculators do not.

The mathematical abilities of WolframAlpha are excellent, but it’s not all the app has to offer. You can look up information on anything scientific, stocks, weather, health, linguistics, people, organizations, sports, music, and much more. There are very few things that WolframAlpha does not have information about. For example, when typing in the word “apple”, WolframAlpha initially provides the stock information on Apple (AAPL), but at the top, there is a yellow bar that says “assuming “apple” is a financial entity”. Tapping this gives alternative interpretations of the word “apple”, including food. Using this meaning of the word, WolframAlpha provides an ample amount of nutritional information on apples.

The only disappointing thing about WolframAlpha is that you must have an internet connection to use it. So if you’re somewhere without wifi or cell reception (for iPad 3G users), this application is useless. This is understandable because of the vast amount of information that WolframAlpha contains; however, it would be nice if the calculator-like functions were available offline. I would also like to see the ability to save certain pages for offline viewing.

WolframAlpha is a very powerful application despite it’s inability to do anything offline. If you’re a student, scientist, or someone who enjoys discovering information, I recommend adding WolframAlpha to your collection of iPad applications.

Video and screenshots after the break!

[$1.99 - iTunes link]

Pros

• Show steps of complicated math problems
• Huge knowledge of information
• Universal binary so that it includes iPhone version

Cons

• Must have internet connection

WolframAlpha has finally come to the realization that $49.99 is an unreasonable price for their app and have reduced the price to… wait for it… $1.99! On top of that, if you purchased WolframAlpha on an earlier date, you’re eligible for a refund.

In October, 2009, WolframAlpha was released at $49.99 which was difficult to understand since their iPhone-optimized website was available for free through Safari. Two months later, the iPhone optimized version was removed and if you visited wolframalpha.com, a pop-up informed you that you could buy the app for “fully optimized mobile computable knowledge”. Now, Wolfram Alpha has completely reversed their strategy and not only substantially cut the price, but have also brought back the iPhone optimized site and are giving money back!

To be eligible for the refund, you must have purchased WolframAlpha on or before April 1, 2010 for $49.99 or the holiday price of $19.99. To make your claim, visit this site and provide screenshots of your UDID, purchase history, and account info. After verifying your info, Wolfram Alpha will issue you a gift card for $50 or $20 depending on how much you purchased the app for. I expected refunds would be for $48 and $18 to bring the price down to $1.99, but what Wolfram Alpha is really doing is giving early adopters $0.01 for having the app! The deadline to request a refund is May 3, 2010.

Now we must wonder if this new business model is going to work for them. Given estimates that they sold 10,000 copies prior to the price reduction, it will take a long time to break even much less earn a profit at the new price point. Could it be they’re now willing to give up money in exchange for market share? Is this a smart move?

Now that Wolfram Alpha is at a reasonable price, are you planning to pick up a copy? If so, let us know what you think!

[via TUAW and TechCrunch]

Today we have some pretty decent sales going on in the App Store in time for some last minute holiday shopping!

First up we have TomTom North America U.S.A. [iTunes Link], which if you don’t mind dropping Canada from your drive can save you some cash — $49.99. Not too shabby! Again, if you don’t care about Canada, grab the US-only version quick as the reduced app is only available until December 31st.

This next one will be painful for some of you as the game was recently released for $10, a whopping $5 higher than it currently is being offered… Super Monkey Ball 2 [iTunes Link] is now on sale for only $4.99 – this weekend only!

Finally we have one for all of you math lovers out there, Wolfram Alpha [iTunes Link] is on sale for $19.99. So if you are in need of carrying around an all-in-one math tool in your pocket and don’t want to spend 50 bucks for it’s regular price, grab this before the sale ends on December 31st.

If you know of any good deals going on this holiday season be sure mention it in the comments or feel free contact us directly!

If you go to wolframalpha.com on your iPhone (or iPod touch), instead of an optimized version of their website, you now presented with an intercept pop-up advising you that you can go to the App Store and get your $50 premium experience on.

Were too many people not buying the app when they could get the web for free? And is this the best way for Wolfram Alpha to handle it? Let us know what you think, we already have an idea what they’ll say…

[via TUAW]

Wolfram Alpha [$49.00 - iTunes link] for iPhone (and iPod touch) is the “computational knowledge engine” made mobile. While the website is (currently?) free, the iPhone app is decidedly not. But is it worth the premium price? Christina Warren from Mashable says:

It’s a high end graphing calculator (that supports discrete number theory, Calculus derivative and plotting of functions), an almanac, a currency/unit converter and a pretty sophisticated stock analysis tool. And that’s just the beginning.

She shows several examples of the kind of results the Wolfram Alpha app produces, and is particularly impressed with its mortgage calculations and graphical math calculations.

So, for students or those who work in fields that require these specific types of computational features, and Mr. Spock, it very well could be. If anyone tried it out, let us know what you think!

TUAW brings word that Wolfram|Alpha, the revolutionary computational engine from the creator of Mathmatica, now has an iPhone (and iPod touch) optimized version available via http://www.wolframalpha.com/iphone.

Confession: aside from typing in “are you Skynet” and “do my taxes” I’m not quite sure how to use this new beastie, but if you’re smart enough to query up an answer to “what’s the second coolest smartphone, BlackBerry or Palm Pre?”, let us know your results!