Google has added yet another mobile app to it’s hundreds of apps out there. Google’s new mobile app-FieldTrip wants to take you for a field trip to all the interesting places around you. The app that gives you facts about the places around you — unprompted, without the need to ask for the information. The new Android app suggests places and experiences that fall under a number of categories including Architecture, Historic Places & Events, Lifestyle, Offers & Deals, Food Drinks & Fun, Movie Locations, Outdoor Art and Obscure Places of Interest around you.
You can subscribe to dozens of feeds. Choose from categories such as “Historic Places and Events,” “Lifestyle,” “Food, Drinks, and Fun,” “Cool and Unique” and more. A “new” icon will appear on the subscriptions button when new feeds become available. You may get occasional reminders if new content becomes available in your area.
You can also can ask Field Trip to read them notifications if the phone is connected to a headset or Bluetooth or if they are driving — and the app will determine on its own that they are driving based on how fast they are moving. The number of notifications you receive varies greatly depending on your location. The default setting is “Feeling lucky”, which provides occasional notifications.
Google has dubbed it you “local friend” as you make your way through a city. “The idea behind the app was to build something that would help people connect with the real, physical world around them,” said John Hanke, a vice president of product at Google who runs a small lab at the company building location-based and social mobile apps. “It’s always running in the background, so it knows where you are and is always looking to see if something interesting is in your immediate physical environment.”
The initial launch of Field Trip is focused on the US. There is some information outside the US but not a lot. The Android app is available at the Android app, with an iOS version expected in the future.
