Posts Tagged ‘Tips’

Central Park - Super Detailed and Interactive

Tuesday, July 28th, 2009

Ok, so we admit that Central Park was just a green space on UpNext for a while. It was a pretty green space, but we did not have all the great details of the park. No more.

centralpark3

As you can see, we now have ballfields, terraces, zoos, lakes, ponds, roads and more filling up the park. And the best part is, that each of those is interactive. Simply tap and them to get more information.

centralpark2

Central Park is a wonderful treasure in the heart of the city. But navigating it can be difficult. Whether you are meeting friends for a picnic, looking for your sloshball game or attending a free concert, we just wanted to make it easier for you to enjoy everything the park has to offer.

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List View on UpNext

Thursday, July 23rd, 2009

As you can probably tell, we are really big on mapping interfaces here at UpNext. Afterall, we spend all our time making 3D maps. But we understand that sometimes you just want to see things in a list. So we added the ability to see search results in list form.

Here is an example of a category search for Italian restaurants in Midtown.

listhome

In the top right is a “List View” icon, next to the “See All” button. Tap “List View” and you get this:

listview

You can now easily scroll through the results in an ordered list. You can sort your results by distance, name or rating.

Tap on the business you are interested to get more details like rating, address, phone number and reviews. From the Venue Info page you can tap on the “View in Map” button to locate the business.

Using the map interface is still the best way to explore NYC but we understand sometimes a list just makes sense. Enjoy.

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UpNext - Yes, it is an offline map!

Friday, June 26th, 2009

This past weekend, I randomly bumped into Nate Westheimer, VP Product at AnyClip and NY Tech Meetup Organizer, at Destination Bar. (Great place, BTW) Nate mentioned that one of the things he liked best about UpNext was that it worked offline and that we should really be promoting that feature more. Great idea, Nate.

Yes, UpNext does work OFFLINE!

You can move around, zoom in and out, tilt and more without needing an internet connect. Subways lines are also available offline (top right corner).

For any information relating to a business or venue, you need to be connected so that our database is accessible.

So why does this matter? Picture this: you are riding the subway and suddenly you realize you don’t know where you are going. You take out your iPhone and then you feel of twinge of fear as you see ZERO Bars. You are cut off from the world. Don’t panic, open UpNext and use our map to figure it out where you are going.

Also, iPod touch users, even when you don’t have wifi connection, UpNext is still there for you.

While I won’t go as far as to call this a life saving feature, it certainly falls under the category of life enhancing.

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See All Button - Unintended Benefits

Thursday, June 18th, 2009

When you perform a category search, you are given an option in the top right corner to “SEE ALL”. This feature was initially intended to simply allow users to quickly zoom out and see a larger number of results.

But after playing around with the feature, we realized it provided value beyond the quick zoom out.

Take for instance, Indian Food. Go to Categories –> Dining –> Indian. Once the search is completed, tap “SEE ALL”

indian-see-all1

The map zooms out and you can now see all your results. The interesting thing is the clustering of results in certain areas.

In the bottom right in the purple neighborhood, you see a dense clustering of lights along one street. This is 6th Street in the East Village. And if you have ever been to 6th Street you know that it is a destination for Indian food.

Similarly, there is another grouping in the middle right. This area is called Murray Hill also affectionately knows as “Curry Hill” for its numerous Indian restaurants.

Another example is Korean food. Again, go to Categories –> Dining –> Korean and then tap “SEE ALL” once the search is finished.

korean-see-all1

Just south of the Empire State Building you see a clustering of lights. This is West 32nd Street also known as Koreatown. There was even a small independent film called West 32nd Street starring John Cho (of Harold and Kumar fame) based on life in NYC Koreantown.

What we realize now, is that the “SEE ALL” feature is great for identifying ethnic clusters (Koreatown), industry groupings (garmet district), or nightlife hotspots (Meatpacking District).

So whether you are visiting for the weekend or are local to the city, make sure to check out this option.  You might find an area that you never knew existed.

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UpNext - Twitter & Facebook Updates

Thursday, June 11th, 2009

We think UpNext 3D NYC is a great platform for exploring and discovering venues. So we also wanted to make it easy to share these places with friends and followers.

It is easy to update your Twitter feed or Facebook status with your location or information about a business through UpNext.

First, find the venue you want to share and go to the VENUE INFO window.

photo-13-30-48

In the bottom left, there is an ACTION icon. Simply tap this icon and you will be given an option to update Twitter or Facebook.

Note: You must be logged into each respective account before we can send an update. We do not store this login information. It is passed directly to Twitter or Facebook for authentication.

Facebook: Go to –> MY PLACES –> ACCOUNT –> login using Facebook Connect.

Twitter: Exit the application and go to –> SETTINGS (on your iPhone) –> UpNext (scroll down to find it, it will be near the bottom) –> At the bottom is a field to enter your Twitter Logins.

photo2-13-30-48

Once logged in, you are ready to update your status. Simply tap on the service you wish to update. You are now given a pre-populated field with the business name and address to input your message.

photo3-13-30-48

Simply tap done when you are finished with your update and it will be sent to Twitter or Facebook.

Use this feature however you please but if you are unsure what to say, some examples are given below.

Ost Cafe (441 E. 12th St) sitting at the counter, writing a post for @upnext blog. This one will have them rolling in the aisles.

Babbo (110 Waverly Pl) @radvani7 you got to try this place. Best Italian in the city. Tell them @dam00n sent you and you will get absolutely nothing since they don’t know who I am.

Soho House (29 9th Ave) @betaworks is here looking for their next big investment. They must have seen that I was here.

Have fun with it and we hope you find it useful. (And yes, there is more to come with this feature in future updates.)

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Help Us Improve Business Listings

Tuesday, June 9th, 2009

We recently saw a positive write up of our presentation at the NY Tech Meetup last week. Overall the post was positive but the writer, Joe Simpson of Mimeo (btw check out Mimeo when you get a chance, very cool company), pointed out some issues he ran into regarding our data.

In my brief test for accuracy, it did come up a bit short however. When I searched for my company, Mimeo, I was presented with two results. The first result was telling me my office is on 12 W 27th Street in New York. The second result dropped me onto 460 Park Avenue.

We fixed these issues and thank Joe for pointing them out. Our local data is something we are constantly working to improve but it can be challenging to keep up with all the changes happening in this dynamic city.

That’s why we created a system for the UpNext community to help us out and make our data better. If you want to edit or add a business listing, you can do this directly through the UpNext 3D NYC iPhone App.

Simply tap on the building where the business is or should be located. In the top right of the building directory you will find the EDIT button.

Building Directory

Tap on EDIT and you will be given a full screen list of all the businesses located within that building. At the top you have the option to add a new business. Simply select, ADD NEW BUSINESS or the name of the business you wish to edit.

Business Listing

Once you have selected the business you wish to add or edit, simply input as much information as you can regarding the venue. You have the option to modify: Business Name, Phone #, Address, Website, Open/Closed and Add Categories.

Edit Listings

Simply select DONE when you are finished and you will be able to confirm your changes. All changes are sent to the UpNext team and we approve listing within 2 business days. (Note: the approval process is simply to prevent people from adding spam like businesses listings)

Thanks for the help and let us know if we can make the process better.

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Navigation Tip: Neighborhood View

Monday, July 30th, 2007

Want to quickly move from Chelsea to the Financial District on UpNext?

To move easily from neighborhood to neighborhood, zoom out to the neighborhood view. Then click on the area you want to explore and the map will zoom back into the 3D view.



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Profile Tip: My Locations

Thursday, July 26th, 2007

Make UpNext work for you!

In your profile, add “Home” and “Work” to My Locations!

Note: My Locations only appear on your profile and are not visible to others when they view your profile. (So go ahead and add ¬タワLover¬タン.)

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Search Tip: Search Bar

Thursday, July 19th, 2007

Searching for businesses and information is easy on UpNext!

Recovery Searches - addresses, intersections, specific businesses

  1. Enter an address, intersection, business name, etc. in search bar
  2. Hit “GO”
  3. The map will glide to the desired search result

Discovery Searches - categories, descriptions

  1. Enter keyword(s) in search bar
  2. Hit “GO”
  3. Navigate around the city as result update in the viewing area
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Navigation Tip: Zooming

Wednesday, July 18th, 2007

Zooming 3 ways! Pick the one that works best for you!


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