A number of clever and useful new apps for smartphones offer all the local guidance you’ll need in Mumbai and Pune.
If you have been going to the same shopping malls, weekend hangouts, getaways, restaurants, bars or clubs in Mumbai or Pune, it’s time to change your routine. In a buzzing metro like Mumbai or a vibrant city like Pune, there’s always something new. Take out that smartphone and download these apps to help you explore these cities better.
GETTING SMART IN MUMBAI
If you have ever tried Mumbaikar.com then you will need no persuasion to download Mumbaikar, the free iPhone and Android smartphone app. This app brings the most exhaustive compilation of Mumbai’s nightlife, restaurants, places of interest, local writers’ blogs, and information about local amenities right on to your handset. Not only are the newest and hippest hangouts listed here (with driving directions), there are also user reviews. Newcomers to Mumbai will appreciate features like a directory search in map mode. If you happen to like a place or a listing, then the app allows you to simply mail a link to the page to your friends for social sharing.
Another popular Mumbai-centric website, Mumbaiboss.com, has launched its own free iPhone app. The app, though it does need a content update, will help you unravel what Mumbai is all about. The app offers interesting and sometimes little-known results, including places to dine, things to do, places to shop and things to see.
Suppose you don’t want an app that uses your mobile’s Internet connection. In that case iPhone users can pay $4.99 (Rs 225) for the City Guide Mumbai (Offline) app. As the name suggests, the app provides an offline map of Mumbai for those who do not wish to use their Internet connection. Data stored within the app includes nearby hospitals, hotels, cinemas, temples, pharmacies, gardens and even police stations. Features like the ability to bookmark your favourite locations, search by street name, and so on, make this a very handy tool.
WHY PAY EXTRA?
Taxi and autos are an integral part of exploring Mumbai. Meter Down, a free app for iPhone and Android users, has become a popular travel app. Its clean and clutter-free user interface allows you to look up a meter reading on a scroll table to know how much you have to pay. Night-time taxi fares are also included. If the rates are revised, the app will update itself.
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TRAVEL PUNE WITH SMART APPS
Before you begin sightseeing in Pune, make sure that you have PuneAuto app installed on your handset. The app does not require the user to send any SMS or connect to mobile Internet. It works on any Java-enabled handset. It can be downloaded for free from www.getjar.com.
Full2Pune is another free app for all Java-enabled phones. It can help people get phone numbers and addresses of hospitals, coffee shops or movie theatres, and information about local train timings and Mumbai-Pune trains. Download it from www.full2pune.co.in.
Smartphone users on Android or iPhone platforms can get the free Layar application. Launch Layar and choose “Pune Layar” in the local layers tab. The app then switches to the view from the device camera and retrieves Pune Layar. You first get a filter to let you choose a radius for your search and limit it to specific categories. This is useful when you are looking for a specific landmark. Using the data connection on your handset, you will see various points of interest appear on the mobile’s screen. Point your phone camera in the direction of those points and you will see them pop up as icons. Touch a point that interests you and the app will show information about the location. You can also find more information about the landmark easily, by looking it up on Wikipedia (using the data connection).
If you want to share your experience about a place, on Pune Layar you can rate a point of interest or even view review ratings allotted by others. Smartphones with the Google maps application installed can find their driving directions to the place with a simple click.