It doesn’t matter whether a GPS signal is available to know what restaurants are nearby, or where the next gas station is. In fact, I’d easily trade Localscope for Google’s Places on Android (and who wants Hotpot when you have Facebook?). You’re never tethered to a single source of information with Google, Bing, Foursquare, Twitter, and Wikimapia for a combination of maps, current events, and augmented reality. Talk about holy wowza! And the thing is, Localscope is incredibly pretty. It’s the iPhone companion you’ll want on your homescreen if not in a nearby folder, and we’re going to run through some of the features that make this client worth its weight in bacon.
That was probably a poor a move on my part. “Bacon?” I wouldn’t be surprised if you’re already clicking on that Maps bookmark to find the nearest Waffle House. Don’t bother. With Localscope, you can have augmented reality bacon. You can have bacon in your Twitter stream. Hell, you can have Google or Microsoft branded bacon with the exact coordinates and phone number for a bacon date. But whether you’re looking for bacon or trying to save your bacon, Localscope can find what you need in a matter of seconds.
The app is divided into three main sections that make a variety of swooshing and clicking noises as you interact with their various elements. At the top you’ll see a list of keywords and a search bar so you can find breakfast, festivals, or addresses. Underneath this list, a row of icons that can be swiped left and right to select the underlying engine. Since I’m in Charlotte, I can type in
“Speed Street” when May comes around to see what people are talking about on Twitter, or to research festivities on Bing or Google. With Wikimapia, walking down Tryon Street should provide me some historical and business information thanks the iPhone’s camera. Underneath these tools, a slide-up tray mapping your current location allows you to share where you’re at with friends, or manually pinpoint a place on the planet so you can look for things nearby. For example, think about being a passenger on a road trip – you could pinpoint the town ahead of you to check for gas stations and local food spots. That’s pretty awesome.
Forget rockstar festivities and fast cars in the Queen City for a moment. With a WiFi connection, you could feasibly travel the world with only your iPod touch. With the ability to set the map manually, you’ll still get all of the relevant location information you’ll want. If you do happen to have the iPhone, you’ll get accurate compass information, a GPS strength indicator, and integration with TomTom’s navigation app. I’ve said it before, but think of Localscope with TomTom an expensive alternative to Google Places & Navigation Beta on Android.
A majority of your time will be spent with those terrific keywords, looking for things such as hotels and mom & pop inns for some peace of mind. What’s really neat is that you have both the option to dig into keywords, or you can delete the presets with a swipe and a tap of the trashcan. Results work the same way: Tweetie inspired panels swipe away to reveal shortcuts for maps & the place’s phone number for example. Alternatively you can just tap into a result to get all the information you need, and with Facebook integration you can hookup your friends with the latest party place. There are compasses everywhere in the app, giving you an idea of how far away something is without having to view the whole map. It’s a nice touch, but I almost wonder if it’s slightly overused. If you want to see everything that’s around you, it’s certainly possible to search “all” so you’ll know about all of the major conveniences in your vicinity.
Who needs Google Buzz when you can have a filtered Twitter that only shows local results? Bing is also an excellent alternative to Google (especially for places), and you have augmented reality built in with a quick flick. Localscope is very cool, and is functional on either 3G or WiFi grids with the iPhone or iPod touch. For a $1.99 in the App Store, I’ll be sure to mark this on my highly recommended list.
