Localscope for iOS gets an update and continues to provide great location based info
Localscope (US $2.99) has been around the app store for quite awhile, and continues to get updates that make the app a great way to explore your surroundings without moving an inch. This latest update tweaks the GUI and adds geo-tagged video resources from YouTube.
While some discovery apps give you loads of text, Localscope provides geo-tagged media files to show your picture, maps and videos, and then provides direction pointers to destinations. When you are ready to leave, you can navigate by direct linking to almost every navigation app available, including, of course, Apple and Google Maps, TomTom, Garmin, Navigon, Waze and dozens of others.
The app integrates info from Google, Facebook, Foursquare, Twitter, YouTube, Instagram, Yelp, Citysearch and many more. It works anywhere in the world, and has built-in support for 21 languages.
You can search by category (museums, restaurants, locksmiths, etc.) or you can type in any business name or destination.
Destinations can be saved to your address book, or shared with friends via email, Facebook and Twitter. It's a very complete one-stop place to find, see and hear about things around you.
The app allows you to set geo-tagged reminders, and get notified when approaching or leaving a destination.
One of my only criticisms of the app, and they are mild ones, is that there are a lot of nested screens. I'd like to see more info come up on the main screen to reduce clicking. I also see context-sensitive ads coming up. They might be helpful to some, but this is a paid app and I think there should be an option to eliminate them. To me, they are unwanted and uninvited clutter. If you are going to fill an app with ads, then make the app free.
Localscope is not a universal app; it's designed for the iPhone and requires iOS 7.0. Localscope is optimized for the iPhone 5 and above.
