I was trying to think of a whitty and informed intro to this post, just as a way to show how this app – called “WAM” (short for World Around Me”) – helps you find your feet in foreign or new places. Luckily, they’ve sent us this rather nice video with some “Chikka-wow-wow” music in the background which probably does the app more justice to be fair..
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ATl17jz3ITc
It’s available for both Android and iOS and, as we’ve seen before, harnesses the power of augmented reality to help you actually see where and how far places are. As an example, let’s imagine you’ve just arrived by EasyJet into London and you were too tight to pay for any in-flight meal. You can find your local FatDonalds McDonalds by simply searching for “Restaurants” (of course, calling McDonalds a “restaurant” is always a bit of a stretch). You then simply hold your phone up and you can see where the Maccy D’s is and how far. Just walk towards it and, in minutes, you can be feasting on a McChickBeefFestiveTurkey Burger.
However, to get serious for a minute, this is all the creation of a startup called WT InfoTech in Lancaster. Co-founder and CEO, Tarun Sainani started the company after finishing his masters in E-Business and Innovation at the University of Lancaster. He tells us that..
WAM is designed to help everyone; not just globe-trotting travellers. Whether you’re adrift in a strange city on the other side of the world or visiting friends on the other side of a familiar city, WAMMING can help you feel at home in your surroundings and makes finding the facilities you need easy.
The world is changing and the amount of data at our fingertips can be confusing. WAM is designed with the user at its heart – what could be easier than holding up your phone and seeing the streets in front of you spring to life with the information you need? So next time you need a helping hand making sense of a strange city, why not WAM it?
Give it a good WAM if you intend visiting a new place soon. There’s a “lite” version available for free and the full Android version is currently discounted to 99p rather than the normal £2.49. The full version of the iOS app is only 69p. If you want more info, head to worldaroundmeapp.com.
You can also search for banks, bars, pubs, cafes, clothing stores, doctors, petrol stations, hotels, museums, parks and much more. There’s also Three ability to look for your interests like “Thai Food”, “ATMS”, “Bus Stops” or anything that comes to mind.