
WAM - World Around Me
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Review WAM - World Around Me
Find everything near you
Author: Tariq Abdulla
Date: 15 Apr 2017, tested on HTC One S
Neat design, fully-featured free version, ads are not confusing
Orientation not that accurate
World Around Me for Android uses augmented reality to help you find local amenities like shops, restaurants, banks, ATMs and petrol stations. You look at the world around you through your device camera, and blue boxes appear with the name and distance of the points of interest. You can also see them in more traditional formats, such as a list or on a map.
The main menu is very simple, and you choose from general categories depending on what you are looking for. E.g. Eat and Drink, Money (banks and ATMs), Fuel, Move (public transport stations), Stay (hotels), Enjoy (parks, museums cinemas...).
When looking around, you can tap on one of the boxes to read some reviews, see it on a map or give them a call. This is all powered by information from Google. The display is very intuitive as closer attractions appear nearer to you than those that are further away. You can see the review score (if any) for each item, as well as the distance.
You will probably feel a bit awkward holding your device up, and you should always be aware of safety, particularly in a new location. People think you are taking a photo of random streets, and try to avoid your lens! However, World Around Me is a great app for travelling, and may even be best used from the comfort of your hotel room for getting quick suggestions before heading out (whether it's for activities or places to eat).
Locations, particularly orientation, doesn't seem to be super-accurate, so you are better off using the map view if you need to figure out directions.World Around Me Lite offers everything in the premium version; you can just remove the unobtrusive ads by paying for the app.
Final ratings
Usefulness 9/10
Usability 9/10
Originality 9/10
Design 8/10