Places Around App for iPhone Review
Since iTunes have millions of apps to choose from, you’re likely to stumble upon a handful of apps that does virtually the same thing. Places Around for iPhone is a location app that sits shoulder to shoulder with many other apps with similar features. In such a tie, you got to consider other aspects such as ease of use, stability and design, and possible standout features to choose one over the other. In the next few paragraphs, we’ll see what Places Around offers to the users and where it stands amid the competition.
Features
Places Around app for iPhone has almost every feature you would expect in a proximity service locator. But there is a bit of information overload, in the way it presents details to the user. The app immediately identifies your location and provides you a heft list of search categories to sift through in your place. It readily populates the map with pins that include directions, contacts and even photos via FourSquare. From the listings of many hotels, coffee shops, police stations etc, it can be a bit difficult to dig out the info you might be looking for.
Places Around iPhone app does not however restrict you to your current location alone. You are free to set your favorite location in the app. It is also a handy feature that search listings also feature mini reviews from Foursquare users and website links that open the website from within the app. If the map view with all those pins is confusing, you can opt to view all the listings in a neat list format instead. The view also has a compass showing the direction and distance to your target. The accuracy however is questionable. Visually, the design of Places Around app for iPhone is average at best. But everything is clearly labeled for easy comprehension. Performance wise, the app is stable and responsive.
Conclusion
If it were free of competition, Places Around app for iPhone would have been an instant hit. It has all the bells and whistles to let you find what exists around you. At $1.99 it is reasonably priced as well. But iTunes is flush with many apps with similar features – and some of them even free. So, from a user perspective, it is a tossup between whether to go for an ad-free paid app or a free one, even if it is ad supported. Anyways, check it out yourself before taking a call.
Category: iPhone Apps, Travel
