Hi,
today, I want to "officially" introduce to you my app Spyglass. It already has been mentioned in the article Prepare for the Bourne Legacy with our Windows Phone spy app roundup at WPCentral last year. Like Where Is My Car? that I introduced last week, this is an augmented reality app, but while Where Is My Car? is strongly focused on managing a parked car with some special features like a parking time reminder, Spyglass is a much more universal tool, not focused on a special use case.
In Spyglass, it is all about managing and displaying "targets". A target may be anything that has geo coordinates like for example a point of interest (POI). There are many ways to add targets:
The targets can be displayed in augmented reality, on a map and in a list.
Of course, there is also a directions function to get the directions to a target. In the latest version, third party directions apps like HERE Maps are supported on Windows Phone 8. Additionally, on Windows Phone 8, the offline maps feature may be used to make maps available for offline usage of the map view and the address search.
Some examples where this app may be useful:
I hope you enjoy this app and that it is useful for you. If you have some suggestions how this app can be improved, I would appreciate some feedback.
today, I want to "officially" introduce to you my app Spyglass. It already has been mentioned in the article Prepare for the Bourne Legacy with our Windows Phone spy app roundup at WPCentral last year. Like Where Is My Car? that I introduced last week, this is an augmented reality app, but while Where Is My Car? is strongly focused on managing a parked car with some special features like a parking time reminder, Spyglass is a much more universal tool, not focused on a special use case.
In Spyglass, it is all about managing and displaying "targets". A target may be anything that has geo coordinates like for example a point of interest (POI). There are many ways to add targets:
- Perform a cross bearing by aiming at a target from two different locations in the augmented reality view. Please be aware that there must be a significant difference between the headings towards the target to get good results. Especially, the difference must be significantly greater than the heading accuracy. Unfortunately, the heading accuracy in today's phones is far from being perfect, therefore this won't work that great for long distances.
- Save your current location.
- Tap on the map.
- Enter WGS84 coordinates.
- Find addresses.
- Get ATMs, post boxes, toilets and interesting places ("What's here?" function) from OpenStreetMap via Overpass API.
- Search on Bing Maps.
- Import GPX data.
The targets can be displayed in augmented reality, on a map and in a list.
Of course, there is also a directions function to get the directions to a target. In the latest version, third party directions apps like HERE Maps are supported on Windows Phone 8. Additionally, on Windows Phone 8, the offline maps feature may be used to make maps available for offline usage of the map view and the address search.
Some examples where this app may be useful:
- Find back to your hotel, car, some shop, landmark or any other place you want to return to. I always use this e.g. on city trips to mark the location of my hotel and of restaurants, bars etc. I discover and I maybe want to visit later.
- Remember where you have been, e.g. for your travel diary or to tell your friends.
- Ever stood in front of some landmark and wanted to know what it actually is? Maybe the "What's here?" function knows.
- Discover interesting stuff around you, e.g. when visiting foreign towns or even in your home town.
- Find out where to get some food, drinks etc. around you.
- Although this is no dedicated geocaching app, the augmented reality view may bring some extra fun when looking for caches.
- Mark target locations on secret spy missions. ;-)
- There are many more! Tell us all the interesting stuff you did with this app right here in this thread.
I hope you enjoy this app and that it is useful for you. If you have some suggestions how this app can be improved, I would appreciate some feedback.