itsmyiPad review: Granimator

“Granimator – The Wallpaper Creator” is a free and unconventional drawing app that is one of the most satisfying and creative ways to spend 30 minutes that I have yet discovered for my iPad.

I call it “unconventional” because it’s a hard app to categorise and the idea of creating wallpaper using pre-defined shapes and icons may sound a bit boring, but Granimator is anything but restrictive. Thanks to an abundance of imaginative creation packs (more available via in-app purchase) combined with scale, position and colour options, there are endless ways of creating weird and wonderful images that look simply fabulous when saved as wallpaper for your iPad or shared via email and Facebook with other devices and the wider world.

Although it’s possible to place your images precisely by tweaking the easy-to-use artist tools, it’s far more fun to swirl your fingers across the screen and create random wonderful patterns, to the accompaniment of lots of lovely burps, squeaks and squelches that guarantee this app is as much fun for kids as it is for grown ups. And let’s face it, since when do we ever tire of being able to make squelchy, squeaky noises as adults too!

Since buying my iPad, this app remains one of my favourites and one of the reasons that I love my iPad over a netbook any day of the week. I may not be able to create pivot tables on the Pad, but I can do spreadsheets well enough. But try doing Granimator on a netbook. You can’t!

For a free app, Granimator offers super value and masses of functionality just as it comes, but the opportunity to expand using add-in theme packs promises to extend its appeal in the weeks and months ahead. Excellent!