News
| 05/16/2010 03:19 PM |
| IPhone apps for the traveler |
[ full article ] 
As written in the Way To Go Guide section of the Sunday, May 16, 2010 Washington Post: "Using the iPhone's GPS, it locates nearby sights and reads the articles out loud, turning your phone into a talking tour guide." 
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| 05/16/2010 12:04 PM |
| With my iPhone alone, I’m apped to travel |
by Ross Arbes [ full article ] 
"The iPhone also functioned as an interactive tour guide. One evening, after enjoying a sunset view of the city from the top of nearby Mount Washington, I rode the Monongahela funicular down to the bottom. Curious about the funicular's history, I opened up HearPlanet..." "I learned that the funicular is the oldest continuously operating one in the United States, originally built by German immigrants who modeled it after ones in their homeland." 
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| 05/14/2010 01:10 PM |
| Travelling made easier with your smartphone Say good-bye to carrying around guides |
by Erin Loxam @ VANCOUVER (NEWS1130) [ full article ] 
"Dustin Bhartu with Rogers says the first one to check out is HearPlanet. "It will actually find landmarks and cool things around you. You just simply select it and then this quite amusing robotic voice will read back to you all the history of that specific site."" 
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| 05/05/2010 03:38 PM |
| HearPlanet featured on MasterCard website |
[ full article ] 
"HearPlanet is selected by MasterCard to be featured on their website promoting mobile apps." 
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| 05/01/2010 01:24 PM |
| May/June Issue of Modern Luxury’s Manhattan Magazine: |
[ full article ]  Modern Luxury's Manhattan Magazine covers 5 travel apps in their May/June issue and says, "HearPlanet: This app treats the entire world like a self-guided museum tour." 
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| 03/02/2010 12:22 PM |
| Six Sizzling iPhone Apps That Will Make Your Travel A Breeze in 2010 |
by Tia Jones [ full article ] 
HearPlanet Are you a lone crusader who is passionate about exploring destinations on your own? Then this application is for you! HearPlanet delivers the history and facts about a specific place that you are visiting and also plays it an audio format like a professional tour guide. 
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| 02/25/2010 04:21 AM |
| When It’s Okay to Pay For an App |
by Brian Barrett [full article]
Gizmodo recently featured HearPlanet, highlighting the fact that we save users $2-$1,000 (and possibly more, based on their math - but we're not complaining :). We were listed as the app with the second highest savings out of the seven they highlighted. Besides being featured in the savings grid, Gizmodo's Brian Barrett says, "Frequent traveler? Download HearPlanet's collection of over 250,000 audio guides instead of shelling out around $8 for one at each location." Thanks Gizmodo! 
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| 12/29/2009 06:15 PM |
| Around the World in 10 Apps |
By Paul Zieke [full article]
During a trip to Arizona, Paul & Janice Zieke demonstrated 10 apps that every traveler should consider. "The drive took us past Casa Grande, the site of ancient American Indian ruins. To learn about them, Janice searched HearPlanet. It gave us an instant overview of Casa Grande." 
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| 11/26/2009 07:04 PM |
| The New York Times: Apps for the iPhone – A Traveler’s Companion, Pocket Size |
As published in the New York Times Sunday Travel Section over Thanksgiving weekend, journalist Michelle Higgins writes: "Billed as an “audio guide to the world,” HearPlanet offers text and recorded commentary for about 250,000 points of interest worldwide including tourist attractions and landmarks around you." Michelle goes on to to talk about her experience listening to content on the New Museum on Manhattan's Lower East Side and how it "identified important figures such as Ana Mendieta, William Kentridge and Andrea Zittel... and how the facility, which opened on 235 Bowery in December 2007 and was designed by the Tokyo-based firm Kazuyo Sejima + Ryue Nishizawa/SANAA and the New York-based firm Gensler, was named one of the seven architectural wonders by Condé Nast Traveler." [full article] 
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| 11/19/2009 05:05 AM |
| TechDigest: Top 50 iPhone Apps 2009 |
 HearPlanet makes TechDigest list of top 50 apps for 2009! Reviewer, Paul Lamkin writes: "This app uses the iPhone’s geo-location functionality to provide audio guides for wherever you may be. Its developers say that HearPlanet is like having a professional tour guide with you at all times. The truth is, it's great for popular tourist destinations, particularly American ones like The Grand Canyon where the app will provide a professional sounding guide." [original article] 
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| 10/20/2009 06:25 PM |
| iPhone: Travel apps picked by an iPhone expert |
by Sean O'Neill @ Budget Travel [full article]
Josh Clark is the author of 'Best iPhone Apps: The Guide for Discriminating Downloaders'. We recently asked him for some travel tips. Which iPhone apps do you recommend highly for domestic travel? "HearPlanet is a travel audio guide. It lets you search for nearby landmarks and notable locations and then broadcasts audio commentary on those buildings and sights. You can choose to read or listen to it and some items feature human voices, but more obscure locations necessarily rely on text-to-speech robot voices. Still, the effect is like having a knowledgeable companion whispering in your ear as you explore a new place." 
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| 10/17/2009 06:21 PM |
| Apple allows free apps to sell virtual goods |
by Matt Bowman @ Vator.tv [full article]
HearPlanet, one of Vator's Juice Pitcher Top 10 Winners, collects geographically relevant information and delivers it to your iPhone in an audio format--it's essentially an audio tour guide for any place on the planet. They have over 500,000 downloads and have begun being featured in Apple's advertisements. 
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| 09/23/2009 11:23 PM |
| HearPlanet Featured in Apple iPhone Ads |
Apple is featuring HearPlanet in their full page iPhone ads in the New York Times and the Wall Street Journal. Alongside our icon on the phone it says:
“HearPlanet: Imagine a guidebook that speaks to you. With iPhone as your audio guide you’ll get the scoop on landmarks, historic sites and more - in countless cities worldwide - without taking your eyes off the sights.”
You can also see HearPlanet's logo in Apple's iPhone commercials.
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| 09/22/2009 11:36 PM |
| HearPlanet (Best App for Instant Audio Guides) |
O'Reilly, the website for the discriminating downloader, names HearPlanet the best Instant Audio Guide: "HearPlanet is an audio guide that adapts to wherever you go, giving audio commentary on buildings and landmarks around you." "...the effect is like having a knowledgeable companion whispering in your ear as you explore a new place." "HearPlanet tracks 250,000 locations around the globe, giving you a practically never-ending audio guide for the whole world." [full article] 
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| 07/20/2009 08:00 AM |
| PC Magazine: My Favorite Travel Gadgets and Apps |
By Tim Bajarin (click for original article)
HearPlanet: Great app that tells you what is nearby, and, once you're at a location, it tells you about it and serves as your instant local travel guide. Very cool. 
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| 07/15/2009 08:34 AM |
| National Geographic Adventure Magazine |
By Steve Casimiro (link to original article) 
National Geographic Adventure Magazine writes: "Looking for the coolest attractions nearby? HearPlanet will find them..." "Like having a tour guide in your pocket, HearPlanet tells you what attractions are nearby..." Thanks National Geographic! 
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| 06/20/2009 02:28 AM |
| Fox Business News HearPlanet Interview, Live from the Cisco Campus. |
HearPlanet's Steven Echtman was recently interviewed as part of Fox Business News’ special feature “3 Days in the Valley,” broadcast live from the Cisco Campus. Click here to watch the interview. 
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| 06/10/2009 03:45 PM |
| Launch: Silicon Valley 2009 “Most Likely to Succeed” |
HearPlanet won "Most Likely to Succeed" at SVASE's Launch: Silicon Valley 2009. HearPlanet was also chosen by Fox Business Channel to be featured live on Fox Business’ special feature “3 Days in the Valley” (video) from the Cisco Campus.
Three Days In the Valley: Day Three (Article) 
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| 04/01/2009 10:33 AM |
| United Airlines’ Hemispheres Magazine: You Can Take It With You |
April's edition of United Airlines' Hemispheres Magazine Please go to Page 20. (cir. 3700 flight/day & up to 7.6 million passengers per month). "HearPlanet: The best kind of travel guide -- one that requires no reading. Once on the ground, fire up HearPlanet, an exhaustive audio guidebook packed into your iPhone. It's not bulky or heavy, and its pages won't get smeared with sunscreen. 
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| 03/30/2009 10:17 AM |
| Salon: Five Location-Based Apps for the iPhone |
 By Lisa Hoover (link to original article) If you like to go sightseeing when you travel, then you’ll love HearPlanet. It uses geolocation to determine where you are, then feeds you tons of information about the area’s landmarks, famous buildings, historical sites, and more via your headphones. More than just an audio tour guide, listen while you drive around running errands and you just might learn something you never knew about your hometown. 
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| 03/26/2009 02:06 PM |
| touchtip: Think Global, Go Local with Audio Tours from HearPlanet |
 By Shane Burley (link to original article)"HearPlanet stands out as one of the best of these, focusing on traditional tourism in a non-specific way by providing text and audio tour guides for over 250,000 points-of-interest around the globe. Today, HearPlanet Premium gets a new feature that adds interactive maps to the tour guides along with audio descriptions using human voices." 
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| 03/26/2009 12:47 PM |
| cnet news: HearPlanet adds map to audio tour guide iPhone app |
By Elinor Mills (link to original article)
"My questions could easily have been answered with the HearPlanet Premium iPhone app. The new version of the "talking tour guide" mobile program, released publicly on Thursday, includes an integrated, interactive map and human voices, in addition to the computer-generated audio..." 
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| 03/22/2009 04:35 PM |
| Blorge: Top 40 best free iPod Touch Apps |
 By Arnold Zafra (link to original article)HearPlanet - A talking tour guide for you iPod Touch, this applications covers hundreds of thousands places around the globe. 
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| 03/15/2009 06:34 PM |
| Mobiletech Addicts – HearPlanet for iPhone – Review |
by Edward J R [full article]
"So, you're going to visit some place and would like to learn something about that place, so what can you do if you have an iPhone? You can buy one of the many tourist guides and *read* it. But what about being able to *listen* to text about a given place? Here comes HearPlanet which is kind-of a tourist guide that speaks to you!" 
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| 03/09/2009 11:13 AM |
| Appcraver |
Appcraver
...The option of reading the information or listening to the audio is very nice. The ability, via the geolocation, to have HearPlanet identify your current location and provide you with points of interests close to you is a handy feature especially if you’re just out exploring and don’t have exact addresses to search.
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| 02/19/2009 11:00 PM |
| USA Today: Application developers see iPhone as way to get noticed |
By Jefferson Graham (link to original article)
"The iPhone has the largest install base with the highest level of functionality," says Steven Echtman, CEO of HearPlanet, a free travel audio tour service that launched in early January. Other platforms have larger numbers of subscribers, such as Windows Mobile and BlackBerry, but users aren't as likely to add lots of new applications, he says, because Apple makes it easier via its App Store. HearPlanet has been downloaded more than 50,000 times. 
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| 02/10/2009 11:18 AM |
| Video from HearPlanet Macworld Launch Event |
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Steven Echtman with the now famous HearPlanet Launch Party Tour Bus. Video by Allan Lundell Editorial and graphics by Brian Cibula 
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| 02/08/2009 12:55 AM |
| 70jozat Blog: HearPlanet Travel App for your iPhone |
70jozat Blog (link to original article)
"HearPlanet is a travel app for the iPhone and iPod touch that allows you by searching for a city, to find the interesting attractions around you, and if text is too boring, the app will read it for you..." 
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| 01/19/2009 05:59 AM |
| Put a Tour Guide in Your Pocket |
Home Based Travel Agent Podcast - Barry Kantz and Lorene Romero (link to original article)
Would you like a tour guide in your pocket? One that you can use whenever you like and wherever your are. HearPlanet offers such a service. Listen to the podcast and learn how you can have a tour guide for over 250,000 locations on the planet. 
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| 01/17/2009 11:30 PM |
| iPhone Extras: HearPlanet turns iPhone into a talking tour guide |
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By Justin Time (link to original article) If you are always on the move and you own an iPhone, well, you could surely use the new application HearPlanet which literally transforms your iPhone into a talking tour guide. Released on Christmas Eve in Apple’s iTunes App Store, HearPlanet quickly climbed into the top ten on Apple’s list of paid Travel applications and is available for $3.99... 
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| 01/14/2009 06:03 AM |
| Camera Town: Turn your iPhone into a Talking Tour Guide – Great for Photowalks |
 (link to original article)Find Great Locations to Photograph Wherever You Go! HearPlanet turns your iPhone into a talking tour guide. Leave those bulky tour books behind and let HearPlanet show you the way. The software makes it easy to find what you're looking for, wherever you are - and fast! You'll be amazed how easy it is to access all the landmarks, historic sites, cultural spots, nature areas, famous buildings, sports venues, recreation areas, and more - all in a way that really 'speaks' to you. Use HearPlanet to learn all about the places you go, as well as what's around you every day. It's a great way to learn about your surroundings and you'll be amazing at what you find. 
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| 01/14/2009 04:30 AM |
| iPhones Talk: Turn your iPhone into a talking tour guide with HearPlanet for the iPhone |
(link to original article)...HearPlanet is a simple but smart app with a nice look and feel. As some sites have suggested, integration with maps and phone numbers would be a great addition in time. HearPlanet is a free download (for a limited time) from the iTunes App Store, works on both the iPhone and iPod touch, and it illustrates how powerful the Apple devices have grown in a very limited time. 
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| 01/13/2009 07:47 AM |
| Gadling: HearPlanet turns your iPhone into a talking tour guide |
By Scott Carmichael (link to original article)
The iPhone is quickly turning into the most popular mobile phone on the market. The device has shown it is quite capable as a gaming console, as well as a platform for some pretty awesome travel applications. One of the newest travel apps that seems to be catching a lot of attention is HearPlanet. This application turns your iPhone into a location based talking tour guide... 
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| 01/12/2009 04:50 PM |
| The Next Web: HearPlanet iPhone App. Death to Tour Buses |
By Zee (link to original article)
I am not a tour bus kind of guy, if I’m going to go on a tour I’ll hire a guide (and a big car) and see the place in comfort. With HearPlanet, an innovative new iPhone app I may not even need to do that. HearPlanet will user your location to give you a good overview of items of interest around you. Similar to previously mentioned “Where to” in some respects, however HearPlanet also seems to offer information about the places rather than just links to locations. The “Hear” in HearPlanet stems from the fact that the application will actually dictate info about your location... 
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| 01/12/2009 06:37 AM |
| Blorge: HearPlanet free place guide . . for the moment |
 Gareth Powell (link to original article)HearPlanet is an idea which is truly excellent and can only expand. The idea is that you are traveling in a strange place your iPhone or your iPod Touch becomes your instant guide. If your machine has GPS built in it can pretty much be totally automatic...What you get is a personal guide which you can read or, more amazing still, it can read the information to you...With a 3G iPhone you can use the location services and HearPlanet will figure out precisely where you are. And then let you know what things of interest are around you... 
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| 01/12/2009 05:14 AM |
| Palupix News Center: Get HearPlanet for Free While You Can |
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By Tomi Utomo If you're always on the go and own an iPhone or iPod touch, you could surely use a talking tour guide - especially when said tour guide knows some 230,000 by heart! As the developers put it, “It's like having a professional tour guide always by your side.” 
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| 01/12/2009 01:49 AM |
| StartupMeme: Travelling? – HearPlanet Is For You! |
 By Sam (link to original article)HearPlanet, the iPhone and iPod touch app, is a pretty cool mash-up of detailed local information so you can search for a city, search for places etc. And the news is prevailing the air that the app is readily available on the website as a FREE app only for this week. The app finds items like museums, stadiums, zoos, and other landmarks or popular attractions. You click on one of the destinations, and the app starts reading about it. Some of the entries are short, others are quite detailed. When you tap the play button HearPlanet switches you to speaker mode so you can share the information you’re getting. It also makes it nice for car travel. The best part of it is that, it doesn’t only work in the US but in many destinations of the world, easily and effectively. 
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| 01/10/2009 11:00 PM |
| Lifehacker: HearPlanet is a Free Talking Tour Guide for Your iPhone |
By Adam Pash (link to original article)
"HearPlanet uses your iPhone's location awareness to find places of interest near you. When you choose a topic, HearPlanet loads up a screen with both the text and audio of the Wikipedia article in question. If your iPhone or iPod touch can't find you, HearPlanet offers a search option in which you can enter a search topic and location. That means that even if you don't want the audio tour guide, you can still use HearPlanet..." "HearPlanet is a simple but smart app with a nice look and feel." 
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| 01/09/2009 08:14 PM |
| Get HearPlanet for Free While You Can |
 By Filip Truta, Apple News EditorUpdate: HearPlanet is still free to download via the App Store, although we had been informed that the Jan 11 was the last day iPhone users could grab the application at no charge. The original news piece is intact and available below. If you're always on the go and own an iPhone or iPod touch, you could surely use a talking tour guide - especially when said tour guide knows some 230,000 by heart! As the developers put it, “It's like having a professional tour guide always by your side.” That's HearPlanet for you, and it's free to download this week only. According to the folks at HearPlanet, the application with the same name turns your iPhone into a travel guide, with audio tours of over 230,000 locations. Normally, HearPlanet is $3.99, but the spirit of Macworld got to the app's vendors, rendering them highly generous for the week. 
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| 01/08/2009 11:00 PM |
| Macworld Bound: HearPlanet Party Bus TONIGHT |
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By Adam Yesterday I announced a party taking place on A FREAKING BUS! and I wanted to followup with a photo of the bus and a reminder that we’ll be circling Moscone every 20 minutes from 3-4PM picking people up. Once the bus is full, we’re going to take the party bus around the city. I hope you’ll be there! 
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| 01/08/2009 10:55 PM |
| TUAW: HearPlanet free for a little while longer |
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By Robert Palmer Just a reminder as Macworld Expo heads into the home stretch, the iPhone/iPod touch travel application HearPlanet is available for free this week only. HearPlanet turns your iPhone into a travel guide, with audio tours of over 230,000 locations. Normally, HearPlanet is $3.99, but it's free during Macworld. You can get it in the App Store. The company's party bus has been a fixture outside Moscone Center, and will be outside TUAW's Tweetup at the Thirsty Bear at 6 p.m. Stop by and say hi to them (and us too) as we celebrate another Macworld Expo and toast the (hopeful) future of the show.. 
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| 01/08/2009 05:00 PM |
| TUAW: HearPlanet is one clever travel app |
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By Mel Martin My colleague Robert Palmer has reported that HearPlanet is free for this week, so I downloaded and gave it a try. It is a nice surprise. HearPlanet for the iPhone and iPod touch is a pretty cool mash-up of detailed local information so you can search for a city, for example, and HearPlanet will tell you about all the things that are around you. There is detailed text, or better yet it will read the information to you. Those with a 3G iPhone can use location services. HearPlanet will figure out where you are, and what things of interest are around you. The app finds items like museums, stadiums, zoos, and other landmarks or popular attractions. You click on one of the destinations, and the app starts reading about it. Some of the entries are short, others are quite detailed... 
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| 01/08/2009 05:00 PM |
| Appcraver: Macworld 2009 Update: Editor’s Picks Part 2 |
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By Barbara Holbrook (link to original article) Another day at Macworld and this time we hit the south hall of Moscone Center in search of even more good news from the iPhone front. Today, we’re showcasing three more of our favorite finds. As before, look for more in-depth coverage to follow in the near future. For now, enjoy the very latest… Hear Planet is the cool cousin you like to visit because they always know the best places to hang out. They celebrated their launch into the App Store at Macworld and are already seeing several thousand downloads a day. Hear Planet is a sight-seeing app that provides point-of-interest information that can be listened to on an iPhone or iPod touch. They have more than 230,000 listings worldwide and are working partnerships to expand the list even more. To show how well they know their stuff, the Hear Planet crew chartered a bus to shuttle Macworld attendees from party to party — complete with DJ and bartender. Yup. Hear Planet can plan our vacation any day. 
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| 01/07/2009 10:00 PM |
| HearPlanet Application |
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Software Engineering and Photography Super Collider - Terry Reinert (link to original article)
"I downloaded the application today and let me tell you what… this application is going to rock for traveling photographers and those that like to go on photowalks!!" "Let me give you a quick example of how freaking cool this thing is. I downloaded the application from iTunes and synced it over to my iPod Touch. I launched the application and within a few seconds a list of locations with a thumbnail of the map and my distance to it appeared. Some notable entries are Brevard Community College, Palm Shores Florida, Windover Farms of Melbourne, Lotus Florida, and Eau Gallie High School. Now I immediately thought that the program was screwed up because I have never heard of a Lotus Florida before. So I selected that one and the topics list came up showing Overview, Geography, Honeymoon Hill, and Honeymoon Lake. Still thinking the application is messed up I selected Overview, hit the play button, and listened to the story… Lotus used to be a town in Brevard County and is now part of Merrit Island! I listened to the rest of the entries and learned that Honeymoon Hill is the highest point in Brevard County and is now known for the expensive houses that are built upon it. Not even 5 minutes after installing the application I now have a new location to go scout tomorrow to take photos!" 
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| 01/07/2009 06:09 PM |
| USA Today: iPhone audio tours |
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By Jefferson Graham @ USA Today [full article]
HearPlanet offers audio tours of San Francisco, New York and Paris and other locations via its new iPhone application. To get the word out, HearPlanet rented a big double-decker tour bus to cart Macworld delegates around San Francisco during the show. 
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| 01/06/2009 04:55 PM |
| HearPlanet has partnered with San Francisco’s Super Sightseeing Tours |
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macnn.com (link to original article) HearPlanethas partnered with San Francisco's Super Sightseeing Tours to offer demonstrations of their iPhone application. Each day of Macworld attendees can hop on the HearPlanet double decker tour bus and go on a mini tour of nearby San Francisco sights, demonstrating the power of HearPlanet's ability to deliver its location based audio info on-the-go. HearPlanet has also created an exclusive audio guide to the very best Macworld events. By searching 'Macworld' in the HearPlanet application users can find featured parties and events with details narrated by their hosts. 
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| 01/05/2009 12:22 PM |
| HearPlanet Announces Double-Decker Tour Bus Launch Party – Most Unique Macworld Event Ever. |
HearPlanet Announces Double-Decker Tour Bus Launch Party – Most Unique Macworld Event Ever. HearPlanet chose a San Francisco tour bus as their launch party venue. What better way to introduce a product that’s all about turning your cell phone into a talking tour guide? January 5, 2009 San Francisco, CA, USA HearPlanet turns your cell [...]
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| 12/24/2008 12:07 PM |
| HearPlanet Turns Cell Phones Everywhere Into “Talking Tour Guides” |
Newly released into Apple’s iPhone App Store, HearPlanet provides spoken descriptions of over 200,000 points-of-interest around the world. HearPlanet essentially turns the entire world into an interactive on-demand museum-style audio tour. It’s like having a professional tour guide always by your side. December 26, 2008 San Francisco, CA, USA Debuting in the Travel section of [...]
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