If you’re anything like me whenever you pop up from the subway or metro you’re always lost. No matter where I am I can simply stick my head up like a grotesque and hairless badger and find myself in a brave new world, completely unsure of next steps.
Luckily, if you live in New York you can use the AcrossAir Nearest Subway App for the iPhone 3GS. This app overlays nearest subway stops on the live image in front of you. That’s right: this is a HUD for straphangers and it works amazingly.
You can hold the iPhone flat to see arrows pointing you to various subway stops or hold it up to see signs and distances for nearby stations.
The app isn’t available yet, sadly, but they’re working on versions for London and Barcelona and are searching for beta testers for other cities. Presumably this works best on the iPhone 3GS. This reminds me of… well, I’ll just let Charlie Sorrel say it:
Oh, and I almost forgot the obligatory mention of Minority Report. There. Done.
the website actually says only for 3GS.
Fixed. Sorry.
In my town, that can get you killed.
maybe you should move?
omg, i’ve seen the future. this is it.
Hi,
how much is this app?
Are you sure it will work on iPhone 3G? It looks like the app is using the built in compass functionality that is only available in 3GS
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feh, I was hoping this was for the sandwich shop.
That’s what I thought it was too, until I saw the video.
Ok, this is kinda cool, but not really that useful. You said when you come up from the subway you’re confused as to where you really are. I completely agree with that and it’s happened to me lots of times as well. However, the second I pop up from underground, why am I going to want to pull out this app? Why would I want to find the closest subway stop when I already know where that is. I just came from it.
I think this application could be helpful if you were walking around and you need to find the closest subway but it shouldn’t be displayed with the compass view. You’ll look like an idiot either pivoting your feet to see all the stops or spinning your phone around in your hand. I think it would be great to list a few different lines in different columns and show you the direction and distances to those stops. The arrows for this fixed boxes could move depending on the compass but the fact that you/your phone has to spin to see all the stops is just silly.
My guess is that we will never see your version because you don’t have the ability to make it. To not instantly realize how useful this it is, is dumb. This app lays the ground work for more and more HUD type displays. Sure this company has focused on subways, but there is nothing to stop them from applying it to all sorts of landmarks, creating virtual tours and selling contextual advertising.
I’m not knocking the applications feats. I just don’t find it useful for subways. I think it looks pretty cool, but just not very effective for tourist to find their way.
Yeah, i could just see someone pulling this out in the middle of a busy NYC station looking around for directions. Why not just put a “Mug Me I’m a tourist” sticker on your back? either that, or you’re going to quickly piss off a lot of New Yorkers as you look around for directions.
But cool app.
Douche. No one mugs people in NY anymore. You’ve been watching too many scorcese movies.
Funny thing: friend of mine was severely beaten and had his iphone stolen two weeks ago. Granted, it was brooklyn, and he’s gay. But that’s still NYC.
Stop talking out your ass, tony.
NY is a huge place. Probabilistically, it’s safer than almost anywhere.
I’m not sure, is NY the only city in the whole world?
I live in NY. If you don’t know how to get to the train from where you’re standing, you’re probably ill-prepared or a tourist. Tourists don’t frequent bad areas of the city, and even in those really bad areas, you probably not going to be mugged (especially during the day).
You could also just do it the old fashioned way: leave your iPhone in your pocket and ask a cop or store clerk where the train is.
As someone who lives in New York, and visits people in one of the many different neighborhoods I’m not used to, I don’t sit and plan how things are going to be in a neighborhood I don’t have experience of.
Especially after moving from an apartment to a restaurant to bar or other places within an unknown neighborhood, figuring out where you are is helpful.
No, I live in NYC and I learned from experience asking a cop is a bad idea. They always point you in the wrong direction.
Asking a store clerk also doesn’t work since they will often make you buy a stick of gum to help you. You are best off asking someone who is walking a dog if you see one, since they are probably local.
How long before something like this is used for virtual billboards
will there be overlays of manholes?
http://www.mahalo.com/alexa-longueira
While they’re at it, they can just add an overlay of cars, other pedestrians, trees, fences, and street signs. Thank god Apple has helped solve the problem of people having to use their *eyes* to navigate around crowded urban areas!
Yeah, because I know every street in Manhattan, Brooklyn, and Queens and can always figure out which direction I’m facing and what intersection every subway station is at.
And this wasn’t Apple’s doing, it’s the application creators. Duh.
Think about the other possibilities/applications of this app’s premise. Walk around in a museum and it give’s you historical information… or amusement park maps in the palm of your hand…
I am disappointed. I thought it would tell me where to get my Subway sandwich. This is no good!
Me too.. Every place I go I look for the Subway.
Just search ’subway’ at AAfter search , and click on the yellow pages.
Biggs, well crafted on “grotesque and hairless badger,” that caught me off guard.
What about just a list of subway stations and distances
or even better, a map!
This is almost a step back from a map … you’d look like an a$$ walking around with your iPhone in the air navigating the city
Does it work via the compass? GPS won’t work underground, right?
I think pointing out the flaws in using this app for finding your way around the NY subway is missing the point.
We’ve all been familiar with personal head-up-displays ever since Arnie used one to suss out which hairy biker’s clothes to steal in Terminator 2. But getting a camera, display, fast processing and location services into something light enough to carry around has never looked like happening.
Now…wait! It’s all in the phone we carry around every day!
This app is going to inspire some truly unbelievable new developments in the near future. The video is incredible – could you have imagined something like that a couple of years ago?
We’ll probably never see a tourist spinning around in NY subways with this app, but I’m convinced the best is yet to come!
worth mentioning that the app hasn’t been approved by the app store (yet)?
“Launches as soon as Apple approves it!”
http://acrossair.com/apps_newyorknearestsubway.htm
Interesting app, these guys are based in London so lets hope they know there way around the NY subway :-)
Afaik, there is no public API in the iPhone SDK to access the camera like this. So they will have to use some private API, which is forbidden by the Apple Store Terms. It will be interesting if this app gets approved…
Then what’s The Hidden Park doing?
iPhone SDK 3.1
Its just a toy.
The UK/London version of this – Nearest Tube – is apparently already available in the app store.
whats the App name? Live overlay on the underlying camera we all thought was against the published API. Something for Cydia, but didnt think we’d see it on iTunes.
Of course if it is , then we are starting on the picture overlay and direction to the nearest dating partner on monday.
The question that immediately arises for me is how this is supposed to work when there’s no way in hell you’re going to get a GPS signal that far underground. Also, I have to wonder how well the compass is going to work when you’re surrounded by steel structures underground.
Not knocking the idea generally, the display and concept is very impressive, but these are logical questions.
New York gets all the cool geo apps and has a lot of location based companies. They have the awesome UpNext 3d mapping app, ExitStrategy subway app, Foursquare social app, CitySense real-time info app.
NYC is innovating in geo/location based tech.
i always get lost *within* penn station. this would be great to use in there.
That app looks SWEET!!
Video is now at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ps49T0iJwVg
Hi,
The link for the New York Nearest Subway iPhone app changed to: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ps49T0iJwVg
acrossair