Marble Institute of America, the authoritative source for natural stone standards and education, and studiomarmo, the renowned Italian expert on natural stone graphic and web design, have announced the release of iStone, a natural stone swatch application originally designed for the iPad, for iPhone and iPod. The app is available in the Apple App Store.

iStone is presented in a beautifully rendered 3D environment and was designed to take advantage of the high resolution screen and advanced capabilities of apple devices. The app presents images and technical information on over 1,000 natural stones from around the world, including a search function that allows the user to filter by stone type, color, country of origin and more. Also included is the ability to view stones in 3D and bookmatch format, as well as email capability to share images with clients, colleagues or friends.

Designers and architects alike will find the array of colors and information useful in the specification of natural stone. Natural stone professionals will use the app as a replacement for weighty and expensive sample stones or documents.

“The iStone app for iPhone and iPod means that you will always have your stone swatch with you,” said Jim Hieb, MIA Executive Vice President and CEO.  “The best part about expanding the app to all 3 apple mobile devices is that you only have to pay for the app once. If you already purchased the app for your iPad, you can now download it on the iPhone or iPod for free!"  Hieb concluded, “anyone that has utilized the MIA’s popular Stone Swatch, Natural Stone Gallery, or Stone Box will agree that this is the next step in presenting that valuable information about natural stone.”

For more information on iStone, visit www.istoneforios.com to learn more or download the application. To order any of the printed stone swatches, visit www.marblestore.org.