Ever wonder where the heck something is? Sure there’s Google Maps but it’s not always the easiest way of searching for something. As Jeff pointed out a while back in his review, Where To? does exactly that. It was good back then and now it’s had a huge update making it all the better.

In the latest update, FutureTap has added a plethora of useful features. Perhaps most useful of all is the ability to view business hours for each destination. It’s easy to turn up at a store too late without realizing, or visit the cinema before it’s opened – something like Where To? sets out to eradicate that problem. Throughout the experience, a compass style directional arrow points the user in the right direction and links up with Google Earth. This means that users who have never seen their destination will have a great idea of what they’re looking for with an actual view of the area. In the U.S and Canada, turn by turn navigational app MotionX GPS (purchased separately) drive can also come in handy here with the Where To? app linking up with it to provide accurate directions within the app. Previously, there was already connectivity with Navigon MobileNavigator and TomTom.

There’s even now improved functionality for the visually impaired, courtesy of VoiceOver support, providing directions and distances continuously announced to help any such users.

Where To? was already a great app with over 2,400 brands searchable via the app and the Augmented Reality tools superimposing search results onto the live camera video, but this update looks set to have made it even more vital for those in need of some help travelling.

Where To? is available now for all iOS devices. It’s priced at $2.99 with an in-app purchase of $0.99 adding Augmented Reality features.

$2.99

Where To? - Discover your next destination

iPhone App - Designed for the iPhone, compatible with the iPad

Our Rating: :: HIGHLY RECOMMENDED
Read Our Full Review >>

Released: 2009-06-23 :: Category: Navigation

Maybe I still haven’t fully accepted technology for just how wonderful it really is, but it still impresses me hugely when my iPhone can tell me exactly how to get from one place to another within seconds. Presumably, there’s a future ahead of us where no one can ever get lost, all thanks to wonderful GPS and Google Maps. This future should clearly include Maps+, a new app from IZE Ltd which aims to build upon the uses that the built in app Maps already offers.

Maps+ brings with it the lofty promise of ensuring that its users will never be lost. A tap of a button ensures that users can pinpoint their location on the map with another tap enabling a compass feature that then rotates the map to match the direction that the user is currently facing.

Users can easily search for an address using the search function and even co-ordinates can be searched if the full address isn’t known. Route directions are simple to acquire then with car, bike (in the US) and pedestrian paths being available to consult. There’s also the added benefit of being able to set midway stopping points if the user wishes to stop at certain other locations on the way.

If the user is waiting to reach their destination via public transport, they can even set up an alarm that’s dependent on location so they need never miss their stop on the train for example.

Particularly useful to fitness addicts, there’s also a feature to record the route taken via GPS so that users can keep track of the path they’ve taken.

Simple social networking features are also available whereby users can view their friends’ tweets and the location in which they were tweeted.

Maps+ offers a lot in its quest to be more feature rich than the bundled app of a similar name. It’s certainly worth a look for those after a bit more to the free GPS navigation apps currently available.

Maps+ is available now and is compatible with all iOS devices. It’s a free app to download but there are some limitations that are bypassed with a $2.99 in-app purchase.

FREE!

Maps+

+ Universal App - Designed for iPhone and iPad
Released: 2011-05-18 :: Category: Navigation

The Hotlist is a geo-social aggregator that finds what’s going on around you without you having to do anything at all.

From the press release: “The app aggregates public info from its users Facebook accounts to populate a Google map with events. It then shows them anyone they know who has RSVP’d to a specific event, the guy-to-girl ratio, Yelp reviews of specific locations and any live Tweets to give insight into the pulse of the crowd at a venue or event.”

With already 160,000 people on board, and Blackboard and Android users coming soon, The Hotlist is coming together to be the end-all source for what to do on a weekend night. That is, if you like crowds.

All you have to do is get yourself a Facebook account and pick up the app for free. So go on, have some fun!

FREE!

Hotlist™

iPhone App - Designed for the iPhone, compatible with the iPad
Released: 2010-07-30 :: Category: Social Networking

In an unsurprising move, Google has started to show their Google Ads on their Google Maps service. As thought, it was only a matter of time before this happened, I mean, let it be known, Google Maps is a great service, but even Google (the company who in my eyes is trying to take over the world, slowly) must pay for it somehow. The ads show as little ‘Place’ icons, and just as normal addresses would they pop-up in iPhone-esque bubbles. These ads are indicated by stating ‘Sponsored Link’.

In the screenshot circulating you can see an ad for a fancy restaurant on West 52nd Street, New York. The 21 Club. The ads are fairly unobtrusive, in fact – very – unobtrusive. In order to view one of these ads, you actually have to click on it’s icon on the map.

These ads are also very sparse. In my recent use of the service I only ran into two or three, that said, with recent reports of Apple buying it’s own maps company, and possibly developing its own mapping system, perhaps Google Maps is becoming less attractive as each day passes.

Have you seen one of these ads? We’d love to know. Hit up the comments.

Let’s face it. We all love Google Maps on our iPhone’s. The convenience of swiping here, and flicking there to get directions to where we want to go is all too .. convenient. But, it’s been like that for some time now, and it may just be about to change.

Remember when Apple and Google used to be such real good pals? Well, I’m afraid to say that sadly those days seem to be over. After the recent Google Voice saga earlier last month, which managed to generate huge media attention and even managed to get the FCC involved, Google and Apple seem to have been slowly drifting apart from each other.

Today, Gizmodo reports that another recent rumored purchase of Apple’s may confirm that this is the case. Uncovered via a tweet posted back in July from the founder of Placebase – Fred Lalonde, it’s now rumored Apple have bought Placebase, outright. The acquisition of the company took place in July of this year, but is only coming to light now, due to recent events involving both Google and Apple.

So, what exactly separates Placebase from Google Maps? Well, from this post published on Gigaom in early 2008, we can see Placebase has a few things Google Maps doesn’t. For a start, the service allows users to overlay layers upon layers of data on top of each other, to provide an overall richer, fuller experience. On top of this, it’s said that Placebase’s API is smarter and easier than Google’s claiming easier integration into third party products.

But, if Apple now has a maps company which is deemed superior to Google Maps, Why do they need Google? Now, that said I can’t see them just dropping Google and the arrangement they currently have for ‘native’ iPhone maps functionality, after all – it’s now one of the iPhone’s most prominent features. But you have to wonder. With a maps company under it’s belt, Apple could be gearing to compete with Google in this area, in a very big way.