Rohan Mathawan
Navigation was never so easy and the way people travel has changed significantly. Travellers are no more dependent on local people for directions and recommendations. Language is also another barrier in communication between travellers and locals. Today, travellers are highly dependent on digital mediums for navigation which is time saving and easy to use. To enhance local search, Bengaluru-based startup, TrackMyPhones Mobile Solutions Pvt. Ltd. has come up with a unique app called ‘Street Lens’ to help local explorers, travellers, shoppers and foodies to improve their local search for new places. With Street Lens users can discover local businesses, search food joints, check ratings, read reviews, and make calls and reservations.
Street Lens is an Augmented Reality App that helps people in locating nearby places within the radius of 500 meters to 5 km by just holding the mobile camera in the direction they are heading to. The places are broadly categorized into Close by, Food, Shopping, Transport, Bank, Fuel, Religious, Emergency and Landmarks. One has to just select a category and hold the phone camera (virtual eye) in the desired direction. The app not only shows various places by holding the mobile in the direction one is heading to but it also provides ratings, directions and contact details of the place. The app saves a lot of time by presenting different places in the chosen category and allows the user to discover new places.
How does it work?
Street Lens gives dynamic information about your surroundings such as shops, restaurants, banks, ATMs, gas stations, landmarks, police stations and other points of interest, shown as virtual signs overlaid on or above the buildings.
Street Lens makes finding the best of what’s around you as simple and natural as looking down a street. The app uses your mobile’s camera display and device’s accelerometer to reveal the best shops, restaurants, and other points of interest, so you instantly see what’s in that direction. The app will show places and the distance, simply tap a place’s icon to get more information and it will give the detailed address and directions using Google Maps. You can also check photos of a place or make a call or just read reviews about it. Users can also share the location with their contacts.
The app shows places in 3 modes
- Hold your mobile down and you will see the places around you in Google Map view.
- Tilt again to portrait mode and you will see the list of places in list view along with the direction to each of those places.
- Hold your mobile in landscape mode and the app works in augmented reality mode.
You can switch between these modes without tapping.
Unique offering compared to the competitors
Seamless switching from Augmented Reality to Google Maps view to List view without tapping on a button makes the app unique and different from its alternatives available on the internet. Street Lens switches the view based on how you hold your phone making it a more engaging experience. Also, most of the apps display a few places for free and ask to pay to display more than a certain limit while Street Lens displays the maximum allowed number of places, routes, reviews, all for free.
Users can also call a Hotel / Restaurant and do reservations, call an ambulance, call a shop and much more with just one tap in details view.
Goal and the future of Street Lens
According to TrackMyPhones’ founder, Mr. Srihari Karanth, “Street Lens intends to change the way we should travel around. Nowadays, people use smart phones to plan trips, check location information like maps, weather, hotel rooms, cabs, and restaurants. The main reason for using mobile applications is real-time data, geo-location, online booking systems, price comparison facility and on-time booking feature but in the current times it is more about safety precautions, which is our main goal. The app allows users to view details of unlimited number of places, check out routes to the places, see reviews, call and do reservations and much more, for free. We are working on the new updates of the app which will make it future ready and a preferred choice of travelers.”
Download on Google Play: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.trackyapps.street_lens
About TrackMyPhones (Tracky Apps):
Founded in 2016, Bangalore-based start-up TrackMyPhones Mobile Solutions Pvt. Ltd. offers a suite of apps for anti-theft, remote monitoring, women safety, parental control etc. with a host of features like getting location in real-time, monitoring what apps the user have installed recently, keeping a check on kid’s online activities by looking at their browser history, call logs, pictures and videos in the gallery, all online.