If you’re having trouble finding places with the new maps on your iPhone, you must not have heard of Localscope. I’ve been searching and browsing the world with this thing since long before iOS 6, so I didn’t miss a beat. And today’s update to version 3 doesn’t just add more navigation options. Now it ties into Reminders, so you’re always aware of what’s around you and what you can get done while you’re here.
Localscope is to the world around you what a browser is to the Web. It has browsing and searching modes, and it pulls its location data from all the major location services and even some minor ones. It encompasses Google, Yelp, Foursquare, Wikipedia, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Flickr and even more. You can search by name, category or address, or you can just browse for what’s nearby.
When you find where you’re going, you can use the in-app map view and surprisingly accurate compass Localscope displays on every entry to get there. If that’s not powerful enough, you can send it over to the Maps app. Yes, even if it’s a place Apple’s Maps wouldn’t find on its own, you can send the coordinates to Maps from Localscope and figure out how to get there.
Version 3.0 adds Factual data as yet another location source, it’s now iPhone 5-ready, it adds support for the iOS 6 sharing menu and Facebook integration, and it even has a new secondary screen, so you can display the info on a connected car’s heads-up display. And I haven’t even gotten to the Reminders features yet.
Reminding You About Reminders
One of the most promising features in iOS 6 is native geofencing. This allows apps to trigger actions when you leave or arrive at a location. The built-in Reminders app incorporates this feature, so you can set a reminder to email so-and-so when you get to work or remember to grab milk when you go by the store. It’s extremely handy – in theory.
Unfortunately, Apple has not yet implemented location-based reminders in a handy way. You either have to have the address of a place saved in your contacts, or you have to use your current location. Localscope 3 solves this problem.
Now you can add reminders for any place you identify in Localscope. You can even organize them into lists within the app. So you can have one list of restaurants to try and another one for errands. And it pulls in your reminders from the Reminders app and lists them on the map as well.
This is the kind of app that reminds you why you have a smartphone. It helps you find your way in the world, even while the phone is still in your pocket.
Localscope is $1.99 in the iTunes Store.
