Mobile access to Lonely Planet’s city guide content is being made available to Google Android handset users in the UK.
Lonley Planet city guides launched on Android
Mobile access to Lonely Planet’s city guide content is being made available to Google Android handset users in the UK.
Twenty five Compass Guides have been introduced using ‘augmented reality’ technology for UK travellers with Android mobile devices.
The technology allows real life to be annotated with Lonely Planet travel information.
Features include GPS-enabled maps and location-based information for points of interest for every city, while the phone’s built in compass allows users to see their current location and how far or near they are to destinations and sites.
The guides also enable travellers to use all content offline (with the exception of the maps), meaning no roaming fees.
The cities currently available are Amsterdam, Bangkok, Barcelona, Beijing, Hong Kong, Istanbul, London, Paris, Prague, Rome, Seoul, Singapore, Tokyo, Sydney, Vancouver, Boston, Chicago, LA, Las Vegas, Miami, New Orleans, New York City, San Francisco, Seattle and Washington DC.
Phrasebook applications, currently on sale in the US, will soon be available to UK Android users.
The applications are available for English speakers and translate commonly used phrases into popular languages – Arabic, Greek, Hindi, Korean, Mexican Spanish, Portuguese, Russian, Swahili, Turkish and Polish.
Each phrasebook contains more than 600 spoken and phonetic pronunciations, covering everything from greetings to places to go out.
Lonely Planet innovation and ecosystems manager Matthew Cashmore said: “The application pinpoints your exact location so that when you find yourself in a new city and want to know what there is to see and do around you, just look through the camera and a wealth of information on the best destinations, accommodation, sites, bars and restaurants appear stuck like posted notes to points of interest around you.”
The Compass Guides and Phrasebooks are available for $4.99 from the Google Android store and work on all major Android phones.
