SOMERVILLE, MA—August 3, 2006—OnScreen Science, Inc.®, publisher of OnScreen DNA™, the interactive 3D visualization software for learning about DNA, today announced a novel online payment program that gives users the option of paying for the software on a by-the-day basis, just for the days they want to use it. OnScreen DNA By-the-Day™ is available now for download from onscreen-dna.com. Payments accumulated on a By-the-Day basis can be applied to the purchase of a regular permanent license for OnScreen DNA if the user later chooses to do so.
OnScreen DNA™, with its "virtual hands-on" model of DNA's double helix, can serve as a self-contained tutorial on DNA's structure, chemical components, and biological function. On-screen guides provide both background and step-by-step explanations of simulated 3D DNA processes. Users can rotate the DNA model and zoom in or out to see it from different perspectives, even while simulations with moving components are taking place. As a means to experiential learning, users are also given the power to control DNA processes by selecting enzyme actions and by dragging the proper DNA building blocks to the proper location for DNA and RNA strand-building.
The rationale for the by-the-day payment plan is that the intervals of time for which OnScreen DNA, or any educational software, is actually needed can vary widely according to the specifics of its usage. While one teacher may want to install the software on lab computers as a year-round learning resource, another may only want to project a lecture hall demonstration on a single day of the year. Among the potential beneficiaries of the money-saving, by-the-day plan are home-schoolers, schools with small software budgets, students wanting to "brush up" on DNA, or anyone with a casual interest in DNA.
The cost of the software under the new plan is $9.99 per twenty-four-hour period, which starts as soon as the payment is made online. As many consecutive days as desired may be purchased at a time. In order to start using OnScreen DNA By-the-Day™, one only need download it, launch it, and follow the on-screen directions to make the secure online payment that activates the software. Expired licenses can be renewed without the need for another download. More details about the By-the-Day program can be obtained from its FAQ page on the onscreen-dna.com web site.
The version of OnScreen DNA™ available through the By-the-Day program is identical in function and features to the one sold under the usual non-expiring license. However, the By-the-Day version differs from the regular one in that it requires an internet connection be maintained for occasional two-way communication between the user's computer and the OnScreen Science server (this is an up-front "phone home" program), and the license is restricted to the computer from which the online purchase was made.
OnScreen DNA™ is a Universal Binary, getting maximum performance out of both PowerPC and Intel Macs. It requires Mac OS 10.3.9 or greater, and a G4 processor or greater is recommended. A Taste of OnScreen DNA™, a free preview version of the software, is available by download from the web site www.onscreen-dna.com. Prospective customers can use the performance of A Taste of OnScreen DNA on their computer as an indication of what they can expect from the full version.
A non-expiring license for OnScreen DNA™ is available from OnScreen Science, Inc.®, 46 Wallace St. Somerville, MA 02144 or online at www.onscreen-dna.com for a price of $199 (USD), which is the equivalent of twenty one-day subscriptions, but without the inconvenience of repeated renewals or the restriction to use on a unique computer. Ten-computer site licenses are available for $695.
OnScreen Science, Inc.® publishes Ph.D.-scientist-designed software for science education tasks particularly benefiting from computer simulations. In addition to OnScreen DNA™, the company also offers OnScreen Particle Physics™, a highly regarded simulation of a particle detection chamber for both the Windows and Macintosh platforms.