Harry Potter and the iPhone Apps

By Jason Boog 

9780439784542_lg.jpgAs the Harry Potter franchise launches the adaptation of J.K. Rowling’s novel, “Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince,” a number of companies are experimenting with promotional iPhone apps. Will they sell books?

In Apple’s App Store Potter fans can find an official free application that imitates Dumbledore’s Pensieve. Users can uncork digital memory vials, revealing scenes and other film content. Readers can also paste their pictures into Wanted posters, imitating the boy wizard’s adventures as a magical outlaw.

The Christian Science Monitor uncovered a wizard wand app called Magic Wars, allowing young readers to cast spells with a smartphone. Check it out: “[The app] trains Hogwarts’ newest students in the art of casting spells and prepares them for duels with other wizards. The game, launched three weeks ago by pocketfungames, preps players for wizard battles by having them practice motions with an iPhone while reciting an incantation.”