London’s top five mobile apps
WiFi’s on the Tubes, traditional adverts have been replaced by TV screens; London is becoming ever-more technology friendly.
Okay, we don’t have a restaurant run by robots – yet – but there are an awful lot of London-based apps out there which can improve your everyday London existence, whether you’re already based here or are going to be visiting over the next few weeks. Here’s our list of the top five.
If you’re headed to the Games this summer, this app is an absolute must-have. From live travel information to up-to-the-minute event listings in the area, this app also shows the visitor everything they didn’t know about Stratford. From audio tours of the area to hidden gems, you can also use it to send digital postcards to your friends to let them know you’re at the centre of it all. Not to mention it features Stratford’s greatest site – East Village!
A timely app, this one is just for Android users. Beautiful animated images of London will take over your wallpaper, changing from day to night, while you can keep up with the London 2012 twitter stream which will fly via a branded blimp across the screen every time it is updated.
If you’re a regular user of Boris Bikes or just fancy giving it a whirl, the London Cycle app is an essential tool. The app uses your location to find you the nearest bike docking station and then helps you map out the best route for your destination. It also features handy tips on safety and riding technique, handy for nervous city cyclists.
It may be a city of sport this summer, but there’s no denying that London is a city of pubs – and some of the best pubs in the world at that! However, as beer prices continue to skyrocket, nothing beats a good old Sam Smith’s pub. If you’’re not familiar with the name, Sam Smith’s is an independent Yorkshire brewery which operates over 300 pubs, where no large-name spirits or soft drinks are available. This app determines your location and then shows you where your nearest Sam Smith’s is, saving you time roving the streets and a good few pounds a pint.
The hub of events and places to go in London, this app offers everything the magazine does in a handy digital form. Need a nearby bar for a date or in the mood for sushi? Just a few taps and Time Out will locate you and tell you what’s close, what’s good and what’s not. Another cool feature ‘My iPod gigs’ scans your music collection and tells you if someone you like is playing a gig in town soon and how much a ticket will cost. Intuitive genius.
Given how many of us rely on London’s public transport system I would add a ‘tube checker’ to this list. I’ve tried all of them I think, and the best I’ve found is ‘London Tube Status’. It has a live departures board for each station, and also includes the DLR and London Overground… It’s also free, which is a bonus.
[...] Whether you’re a Londoner, British, or from oversees, getting hold of one of the many phones apps available, designed purely for the Games, is well worth it: take a look at our list of the must-have apps. [...]