Google has brought the once Android exclusive location discovery app Field Trip over to Apple devices. The app uses a wide variety of discovery services to help create a sort of interactive tour bus experience while you drive.
Field Trip lets you enter what types of places you’re interested in discovering, such as “architecture”, “food, drinks & fun”, and “offers & deals”. Then as you’re driving, walking or biking around a neighborhood, the app pops up locations that fall under these categories that are located near you. The app will also give audio descriptions of nearby locations to you so that you can stumble upon places without even looking at your phone.
The app takes its information from a wide variety of discovery services. “It uses code and search from Google, maps from Apple and hyperlocal place information from companies like Thrillist, Food Network, Zagat and Run Riot for food results; Sunset, Cool Hunting, WeHeart, Inhabitat and Remodelista for shopping results; and Songkick and Flavorpill for local music gigs.”
The app offers an interesting alternative for those looking for something a little more spontaneous than an app like Yelp can offer. Here are a few of the app’s other features as listed in the App Store description:
* Came across an amazing story or restaurant? Mark it as a favorite to easily come back to it at any point.
* Choose from three different modes to set frequency of Field Trip notifications. See “Field Trip”-worthy places around you on a map, by tapping on cards in map view to pull up enthralling points of interest around you.
* Capture the memory of a special place, by sharing a wondrous discovery through email and social networks such as Google+, Twitter and Facebook.
So what are you waiting for? Go have a wondrous moment of discovery when you find the McDonald’s down the road that you never knew was there.
