(via Fred Wilson)
We were recently honored as one of the winners for the NYC Big App competition. The entire NYC Big App competition was a fantastic experience and we were honored to be in the company of such great apps.
(You can see one of us on the far right of the stage in the shadows. Ok, so you can’t really see us, but we are there.)
Check out the new and improved UpNext iPhone App with expansion into Brooklyn and Queens. Now you can explore and discover more of NYC with UpNext.
Download it now –> iTunes Link
Watch the video demo below to see all the things you can do through UpNext.
A couple months ago, the city of New York launched the NYC Big Apps contest. In order to become more transparent, accessible, and accountable, the city opened up a large number of datasets and made them available for developers.
This flood of data and government support was a tremendous opportunity and we worked hard to make the most of it. We ended up with a vastly improved UpNext NYC app. Some highlights include, expansion into Brooklyn and Queens, greater visual details and additional data layers.
Take a moment to download the UpNext app for FREE on iTunes
But, this contest is exciting to us on many levels. First, the general movement towards open data by municipalities is something that will benefit all of us. As resident of this great city, only good things can come from more accountability.
Second, as a company that works with geodata, we have faced the cumbersome task of collecting data sets from cities. In an attempt to collect one particular dataset, I was yelled at 5 times, misdirected 3 times, mailed in 3 different forms and made 3 in person visits. Now we can just click on a link and download.
Third, we love data and making that data into something you can use. In essence, we take this raw data and build a digital version of NYC for easy use on your mobile phone. Roads, parks, buildings are all data elements that we utilize and enhance to create UpNext. Through the NYC Data Mine we were able to:
85 applications have been submitted to the NYC BigApp Contest. Seriously, 85 fantastic web and mobile applications that are all trying to make NYC a better city! We encourage you to check out the application gallery and see what these developers have created.
If you are a fan of UpNext, please take a minute to vote for us, UpNext.
If you haven’t heard yet, FireFox and WebKit (which Safari and Chrome are based on) have enabled WebGL in their codebase. Major browsers will soon have hardware accelerated 3d graphics built into the browser. No need for special plugins. You’ll be able to just download the new version of Firefox, Safari and Chrome and browse 3d interactive websites with ease. Why is this a big deal?
Up till now the only way to get 3d content was through a plugin. At UpNext we use a Java Applet. That requires us to ask your permission to access the video card. This already limits adoption. Flash can do 3d, but only in a limited fashion. Because Flash doesn’t have permission to deal directly with the video card, its 3d capabilities are severely limited. Plugins tend to be messy (they tend to crash often), not everyone has them and they lack ability to easily share content.
The announcement by Mozilla and Webkit can finally bring 3d content to the mainstream. We’ll finally be able to play rich online games without installing something. Full virtual streaming worlds will only require a url address. Social gaming will get another dimension to play with. 3d Avatars will be commonplace. 3d content will be easy to embed, share and load(finally!). In short, this announcement has the potential to change the interface of the web. Rather than all content being structured around text, content will also be able to be structured around polygons.
Quite honestly, we expected this to happen sooner than 2009. Perhaps the fact that the full embrace of 3d by the iPhone had browsers vendors jealous. Now all that rich content will soon be available through your browser. With touch screen interfaces becoming more common place, WebGL can’t arrive soon enough. We’ll be watching the developments closely and keep you updated on what our progress is with migrating UpNext to WebGL.
Check out this blog post by Patrick Laforge,
Third-Party iPhone Apps I Actually Still Use
It is a great list of 35 iPhone App that are useful, fun and worth keeping around.
(I guess it also helps that UpNext made the list!!)
It’s not often that you come across a mapping application that provides equal utility and pleasure in one package. This spring, UpNext managed to give us just that - Launching the mobile mapping application inspired by its online 3-D map of NYC that made it’s debut over two years ago. In this user-friendly application, curious New York City residents and tourists alike are likely to find themselves lulled into an addictive series of tapping and clicking, bookmarking and sharing… (read the rest)
(via Living Lab Global)
Sometimes you need a little diversion from work. Perhaps some TV or a movie or maybe even a video game. But it can be hard partaking in those activities while being on the sly. Well, UpNext to the rescue…
Play our version of Grand Theft Auto on UpNext
1) Go to UpNext (www.upnext.com)
2) Enter the site
3) Zoom into the map as far as possible (easiest way is to hold down “E”)
4) Use the arrow keys to move around
The best part? If someone comes poking around, wondering what you are doing, simply tell them that you are looking for a lunch spot to take an important client out.
Possible games include:
Enjoy and keep an eye out for easter eggs and artistry.
I was out last night with a friend who frequently uses UpNext on his iPhone. He expressed his enthusiam for the app but had some additional feature requests. What surprised me was that the features he requested were already in the application and he just did not realize it. So periodically, we will post a refresher on some existing features that will help you better use the application. First up…
MY PLACES
My Places is found on the bottom of the home screen next to Categories. From there you have 5 options
1) Rated - see all the places you have rated
2) Favorites - see all the places you have favorited
3) Marked - see all the places you have marked (remember, bookmarks are private and not shared with the UpNext community)
4) Community - see the most favorited and highest rated venues based on the UpNext community. We aggregate everyone’s inputs and show the top places in each neighborhood.
5) Account - Here you have the ability to create an account, log into your account, log in with Facebook Connect
My Places is an easy way to bring up your favorite places and to see what other places UpNext users are talking about. If you use UpNext as your personal city guide, My Places is the best way to see those places you have been, want to go or need to share.
While there are hundred of events in NYC every weekend, we wanted to point out two in particular this weekend because they are enjoyable if you are part of them or they are something to be aware of if you are not.
On Saturday will be the 2nd weekend of Summer Streets.
Summer Streets rolls on August 15!
NYC DOT and our partners are proud to present Summer Streets. We will temporarily close Park Avenue and connecting streets from the Brooklyn Bridge to Central Park to motor vehicles and open it up to people on three consecutive Saturdays in August (August 8, 15, & 22).
A perfect area for jogging, riding a bike or just taking a nice stroll. Check out the activities page to see all the events they have planned.
On Sunday is the NYC Half Marathon. Starting in Central Park and ending near Battery Park. This is a great opportunity to support those who are running to improve their health, raise awareness or just to do it.
So what if you are not participating is either of these events. Well it is good to be aware of them because there will be significant road closures that will deter you if you are heading cross town or uptown.
Make sure you are aware of when the events are occuring and what areas they are affecting. Or just take the subway, which will be running fine regardless of those events above ground. (Try out the subway map on UpNext, top right corner, to find your way around the city.)