New app from Google hitting iOS soon: Field Trip

So much about distancing from Apple. Google just recently launched very nice YouTube client and Chrome browser for iOS, it’s said to be working on a standalone Maps app and now introduced a new software that runs in the background analyzing your environment to give you facts about the places around you.

It pops up a nice card when you get close to something interesting and will even read the info to you if you have a headset or Bluetooth connected. Best thing you check it out in a video I’ve included right below…

The official web page says the iOS version is coming soon. You can register your interest to get notified via email when it’s ready. It’s another app in Google’s arsenal with local offerings in mind.

The app’s pretty straightforward: simply select the local feeds you like and your phone will automatically retrieve relevant information as you walk next to those places. It can help you learn about everything from local history to the latest and best places to shop, eat, and have fun, Google says.

Field Trip packs in tips from Arcadia, Atlas Obscura and Daily Secret and Google also tapped its partnerships with Thrillist, Food Network, Zagat and Eater for dining recommendations.

thanks to partnerships with Thrillist, Food Network, Zagat, and Eater, but it also brings in information from Cool Hunting, Experts at Sunset, WeHeart, Inhabitat, Remodelista, Songkick, and Flavorpill. Music events, movies, history, architecture, and more types of data are all aggregated into the app and viewable through a map that users can zoom in and out of to explore. It even uses Google Offers and Vayable to show local deals.

Google explains:

Field Trip can help you learn about everything from local history to the latest and best places to shop, eat, and have fun. You select the local feeds you like and the information pops up on your phone automatically, as you walk next to those places.

The app also serves data from Cool Hunting, Experts at Sunset, WeHeart, Inhabitat, Remodelista, Songkick, Flavorpill, Google Offers and Vayable for local deals, music events, movies, history, architecture and more.

Available categories include Architecture, Historic Places & Events, Lifestyle, Offers & Deals, Food Drinks & Fun, Movie Locations, Outdoor Art and Obscure Places of Interest.

Here’s a nice promo clip.

Engineers behind the software told The New York Times that Google wants to “move the device out of your way and put the information front and center”, so people can “scan the environment and know what the Web knows about the places around you”.

Users can choose alerts on a per-publisher basis and how frequently they want to receive them. If you opt out of alerts, you will have to manually open the app to pull up-to-date information.

Highlights include:

• Discover thousands of interesting places/experiences that fall under the following categories: Architecture, Historic Places & Events, Lifestyle, Offers & Deals, Food Drinks & Fun, Movie Locations, Outdoor Art and Obscure Places of Interest around you.
• Choose from three different modes to set frequency of Field Trip notifications. See “Field Trip” worthy places around you on a map, by tapping on cards in map view to pull up enthralling points of interest around you.
• Go on a Field Trip while you drive. Field Trip can detect when you’re driving and automatically “talk” about interesting places and experience around you.
• Capture the memory of a special place, by sharing a wondrous discovery through email and social networks such as Google+, Twitter and Facebook.
• Wondering where the gem that you recently discovered is? Find your discovered field trip cards in the “recent’ section.
• Field trip learns what you love. Thumbs up or down to tune the information discovery engine.

Field Trip for Android is available right now from Google’s Play Store free of charge.

Android 2.3 or higher is required to use Field Trip on smartphones. Google notes that the app is not optimized for tablets.

What do you think about Field Trip?