2013年4月18日 星期四

PlaceExolorer - Top tool for trip planning and navigation



If you can't find a parking space in crowded city, how do you do? It is really frustrating that you don't have a good idea to plan your travel, right? An iPhone application called PlaceExplorer can definitely help you solve above problems. It is just like your own smart tour guide.

When I drive out, I can't find a place to park my loved car. How can I solve it? No problem, just use PlaceExplorer's " search nearby POI" function to find nearby parking place. It will find all of them and list them from near to far. 

After select the nearest parking place, just touch "navigate" button, PlaceExplorer will guide me to the place and finally solve my problem. 

Unfortunately, after I park my car, I feel very hungry and really want to eat a hamburger in McDonalds. However, can't find anyone. I use PlaceExplorer again and add "McDonalds" as my own POI type. Then, find a McDonalds near me around 500 m to enjoy the hamburger in it.


How PlaceExplorer help me do trip planning? For example, I want to take my family to Japan this summer. I can use PlaceExplorer's "search" function and type "Tokyo", then all of the places related to Tokyo will be found. 


I find Tokyo museum may be interesting so touch it to read more detailed information about it. Touch the "URL" line to surf it's official website. Touch the  "Information" line to utilize Google's search engine to find all of the related information about it. I found lots of travel guides about Tokyo museum from search results, written by others, and are very useful to me. If your Japanese language skill is good, you could also make a call to it to book a tour guide in Tokyo museum. From the bottom of detailed view, there are lots of photos related to Tokyo museum. You could view them to have a whole picture about it. 





PlaceExplorer also can help me plan the route to Tokyo museum. As you know, subway stations is ubiquitous and very convenient in Japan. So I touch "set as location" button to set Tokyo museum as my current location. Then, use "search nearby POI" function to search subway station. 



Finally, I find a station called "東京地下鉄銀座線田原町駅" near Tokyo museum. Select it to enter detailed view and touch "navigation" button to enter navigation page. Select mode as transit, map as Google and start place as Tokyo museum. After touch start button, you can get the route from Tokyo museum to the station. If you want the route from the station to Tokyo museum, just reverse the start and destination. Finally, I save both places by touch "favorite" button, so I don't need to search them again next time. Just view them in favorite view. The above "set as location" with "search nearby location" and "Favorite" function really can make my trip planning become easy and interesting.



There is a tip about "set as location" function. I can not only set my location in detailed view but also in map view. Tap the place or location for about 1 second in the map view, and then it will be set as my current location. In addition to that, I can quickly switch my current location between the places I set before in the "set your location" list as following.



PlaceExplorer is definitely a pratical tool. You will never be lost if you have it, even in the places you never been or unfamiliar with. The function of "set as location " , "navigate", "search", "search nearby POI" and "favorite" is really a great tool to do trip planning. I suggest you to have it if you travel or go out frequently. By the way, PlaceExplorer with Apple map can almost have all of the functionality of navigation appilcations. If you don't want to spend lots of bulks to buy navigation application, you should consider PlaceExplorer.

PlaceExplorer 行程規劃及導航一把罩



外出時,找不到停車場或好吃的餐廳要怎麼辦?旅遊時,不知道如何規劃行程,是不是很煩惱? 今天為各位介紹一款iPhone的程式:PlaceExplorer,一定可以幫你解決上述問題,有了它,就好像有了一位聰明的導遊在你身旁。

像小弟我開車外出時,找不到停車位要怎麼辦? 只要按下search nearby POI的按鈕,並選擇Parking,PlaceExplorer就可以幫你找出附近所有的停車場,並依距離遠近排列,如下。

 這時只要點選你想要去的停車場,按下導航鈕後,就將我引導至此停車場,解決了停車的苦惱。

停好車後,發現肚子有點餓,好想去7-11吃個便當,但放眼望去,卻找不到一間7-11,沒關係,只要再度按下search nearby POI,再按+鍵,就可加入自己定義的搜尋類型,這時輸入7-11後,再搜尋,就可發現340公尺內的巷子裡有一間不錯的7-11,在那吃完簡餐後,還可悠閒地喝杯City Cafe。


PlaceExplorer怎麼幫我規劃旅遊行程呢?像今年想要帶家人去日本東京自由行,我只要使用PlaceExplorer的關鍵搜尋,按下search按鈕,輸入東京後,就可以把和東京相關的重要地標找出來。


這時發現江戶東京博物館似乎是不錯的地點, 因此點選它以閱讀更多的細節. 進入細節頁面後點選URL列, 就可以瀏覽此地點的官網, 點選Infomation列, 就可以利用Google search找出所有與此地點相關的資料, 例如我就閱讀了這篇江戶東京博物館的遊記, 才知道原來這裡有這麼多值得一逛的點, 如果懂日語的話, 還可點選international phone列, 撥打電話去預約導覽, 想要知道附近的景觀, 也可點選最下方的照片, 欣賞附近的美景.





PlaceExplorer也可幫助我規劃去江戶東京博物館的方法, 想當然爾, 在東京最好的交通工具莫過於地鐵了, 這時只要在細節頁面按下"設為在地點"按鈕, 就可假設自己身在江戶東京博物館, 然後再用search nearby POI, 選擇Subway Station, 就可尋找附近的地鐵站.



PlaceExplorer貼心的幫我找到了附近唯一的地鐵站: 東京地下鐵 銀座線 田原町駅, 這時我只要選擇此站, 按下導航按鈕進入導航頁面後, 選擇大眾交通工具(transit)及Goodle map, 起始點(start place)設為江戶東京博物館, 就可呼叫Google Map, 規劃出江戶東京博物館到田原町駅的路徑了, 如果要田原町駅到江戶東京博物館的路徑, 只要簡單按下交換起始點的按鈕即可. 在規劃好旅程後, 按下"我的最愛"按鈕, 就可儲存地點, 下次就可輕鬆地在Favorite頁面, 瀏覽儲存的地點, 而不用重新搜尋了. 上述"設為在地點"的功能, 配合"search nearby POI"及"我的最愛儲存"功能是不是讓旅程規劃變得簡單又有趣了呢.



在此也介紹一個小技巧, "設為在地點"不是只有在細節頁面才可設定, 我也可以在地圖上任何一點壓按一秒後, 即可將此點設為在地點, 然後在set your location列表裡, 還可快速地切換過去自己曾設過的在地點.



PlaceExplorer確實為一方便的工具軟體, 有了它即便身處在陌生的地方, 也可以輕輕鬆鬆找出附近所有的地標, 你不會再無所適從, 然後"設為在地點", "導航", "我的最愛儲存"及"相關資料搜尋"等功能更是規劃旅遊的好工具,建議經常外出的朋友,都可以下載來使用。另外PlaceExplorer搭配Apple導航,幾乎已經可以完全達到一般導航軟體的功能,對於不想花大筆錢買導航軟體的人,也是一個絕佳的選擇。


我們將增送10組的免費碼, 只要至PlaceExplorer的專頁留言或按讚, 就有機會得到, 我們將在4/27 禮拜六晚上在專頁上公布中獎名單. 歡迎想要試用的朋友趕快至專頁留言.

PlaceExplorer專頁連結:https://www.facebook.com/PlaceExplorer

itunes連結:

PlaceExplorer - A practical tool for you to search any kind of place information and navigate


iTunes link: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/placeexplorer/id630043640?mt=8

[Help]
PlaceExplorer is a great tool to help you search place with detailed information. You will never be lost if you have it. You can also use it to do trip planning. It is really a smart tourist guide for you.
PlaceExplorer has two kinds of place search:
(1)Search By Keyword: If you touch "search Place" button on top navigation bar, it will pop up keyword input box. Type keyword or address in the input box, it will search any places related with the keyword or address. For example, type Tokyo, PlaceExplorer will find Tokyo Disney Land, Tokyo Dome and so on. 

                 
(2)Search Nearby Point Of Interest: If you touch "search POI" button on top navigation bar, it will pop up place type list. Touch any place type you want to search, PlaceExplorer will search all of nearby places with this type. For instance, if you touch cafe, it will search all of nearby cafe. 


PlaceExplorer has lots of built-in place types, you could also add your own place type by yourself. Just touch "+" button on top of the place type list, then you can input your own place type and search. For example, if you input McDonalds, all of nearby McDonalds restaurants will be found.


Setting of nearby location, there are two kinds of nearby location, 
(1)Real Nearby Location: This nearby location is obtained from your device's GPS data and is your real current location. 
(2)User Defined Nearby Location: This is the nearby location defined by you and is not your real current location. The advantage of it is that you can assume you are at some place and then search nearby point of interest around this place to do trip planning before you go out. Take for example, if you want to go to New York Central Park, you can define it as your nearby location and then search nearby restaurants. After doing such kind of trip planning, you don't need to be worried that you can't find a good restaurant to eat during your trips to New York Central Park. PlaceExplorer has two kinds of methods to define your nearby location, 
(a)touch on map: touch "map" button on top right of navigation bar, it will show map view. In the map view, touch and hold a location or place that you want to set as your nearby location for about 1 second, then PlaceExplorer will set the place as your nearby location. 
























(b)select from place's detailed information view: touch the location button in the place's detailed information view, then it will set this place as your nearby location.
By the way, you can touch "Set your location" button on top navigation bar, then it will show nearby location list. You can use this list to switch your nearby location between real nearby location or previous user defined nearby location.






















PlaceExplorer can present place search results with two kinds of types,
(1)list:  This is the default option. 
(2)map: touch "map" button on top right of navigation bar, it will show all of the place search results in the map view. 


Touch any place search result, then PlaceExplorer will show more detailed information in the place's detailed information view. It will include following information:
1.Address:
2.Web site: touch web site link to browse the official web site through internet.
3.Information: touch it to search related information of the place through Google search engine.
4.Phone number: touch the phone number to call.
5.Distance: It is distance from the place to nearby location.
6.Map: touch this button to show the place on Apple or Google map, or view its Google's street view.
7.Direction: touch this button to navigate to this place.
8.Favorite: touch this button to save all of the detailed information of this place into favorite folder and device. After that, you can read information of this place in favorite view without searching it again.
9.Location: set this place as user defined nearby location.
10.Photo: show photos related with the place.