#tagwhat

I perused lists of "top ten augmented reality apps" and TagWhat was on quite a few of them. Here's my problem - I don't understand how it's considered an augmented reality app.

One might argue that because there's a constant stream of information coming at you about your location, that's augmented reality. I think the monocle on the Yelp app ruined me in terms of what I consider augmented reality. 

At any rate, let's get into the app. The app takes tips from social media and other coupon types of apps to help you find what's going on near you. The app offers some pretty cool different categories that you can add to your stream. Your stream is a feed that shows you different points of interest based on your location. They pop up in order of how close they are to you. You can add channels like "Celebrity," "Movies and TV," "FourSquare," "Deals" and even "Nature" to your stream and it it will show you everything from a deal on a cup of coffee to the Beach Boys Historic Landmark.

                                               Click on a location and it will show you a Wikipedia article based on it. If you'd like to go to any of the places that pop up on your feed, you can hit the directional arrow and it will open your Maps app. You can get directions to the location that way. The problem with that is you have to exit the app to get directions.

                                                Once you arrive at your destination (and you open the app again), you can also connect your Twitter or Facebook accounts to the app and share when you've found something cool. 

Here's why I like it: if you have a boring Saturday, you can customize your feed and find cool things in your area. There's even a "World of Twilight" category. That's not a joke.

                                              You can also select "Cocktails" and a selection of places will pop up. According to TagWhat's Tumblr, it shows you where a drink originated. I've discovered that 21 miles from my hometown is the birthplace of the Zombie cocktail. 

One of the best features was the "Movies and TV" channel. You can discover gems all around your neighborhood (if you live in Los Angeles) and make a day of visiting where Quentin Tarantino's "Jackie Brown" filmed a scene or where the "Pulp Fiction" diner hold-up scene occurred.

                         This portion of the app may lead to a treasure hunt, searching out different places where movies were filmed or where celebrities once were. If you're a movie geek, this part of the app is pretty awesome. It makes learning a little more fun. Lastly, this app helps you find good deals in your area.

                                               It connects to FourSquare, so on top of the places that are partnering with this app to give you deals, FourSquare also finds you deals.

Here's what I don't like: if you're looking for a cool augmented reality feature like something that uses the camera on your phone, you're out of luck. While it is showing you cool points of interest around your exact location in real time, I don't exactly understand why it's considered augmented reality. I also don't like that you have to exit the app to utilize the Map app when getting directions. It should be built in. Also, I didn't see a ratings system in terms of restaurants. You could be walking into a complete dump. I suppose that is part of the adventure though. Another aspect I didn't enjoy is how long it takes to load. 

                                              If you're walking around that's probably no big deal. But if you're in a car and want information fast, you might be making a lot of U-turns. 

Yesterday, Tagwhat launched Feed, a new iPhone app. Here's a link to download: http://bit.ly/Z8t1pi

  First, what is it? Feed analyzes the social media posts (Facebook and Foursquare to start) of all the restaurants and bars around you and pulls out deals, specials, and events that are happening near you, right now.There's no need to friend or follow a business, so Feed even shows you opportunities at places you haven't yet discovered. Feed constantly refreshes, bringing in posts whether it's breakfast, happy hour, or midnight snack time.

Why do we think you'll love it? Because Feed uncovers the millions of deals, specials, and events hidden in social media everyday. In our own hometown of Boulder, Colorado this morning, we found real-time specials from a brewery, pizzeria, cafe, and many others from Facebook. We found even more in Feed from Foursquare.

  Feed is a valuable service that you can use all day, everyday, just about anywhere on Earth. Soon, Feed will not only be a mobile app, but will be published on-line alongside news around the web and integrated with other mobile apps.

Please let us know if you have any questions or comments. Feedback is greatly appreciated. Visit Feed at http://www.getfeedapp.com.

How do your friends at Tagwhat celebrate the launch of their World of Twilight, Lord of the Rings, James Bond 007, and Wine Country channels? Cocktails, of course.

We are thrilled to announce the launch of our Cocktails channel - stories of the drinks we know and love placed at the real-life locations where they originated.  Here's a bird's eye view of NYC, for example.  

So why not enjoy a Long Island Ice Tea at the Long Island bar where it was invented?  Now your smartphone's equipped to help you do just that.

Interested in adding your own stories to Tagwhat? It's easy at http://publish.tagwhat.com.

And to license your own branded channel just click on "Create your own branded channel" at http://www.tagwhat.com and follow the simple steps.

What if you could drive through Napa and Sonoma with a personal tour guide at your side?  What if you had each winery's website and Facebook, Twitter, and Foursquare pages at your fingertips when you stopped in for a taste? 

That would be the most helpful content at just the right time and place, wouldn't it?

We think so.  And that's why today Tagwhat announces its Wine Country channel.  Beautiful content on your smartphone as you drive through Northern California's wine country or on-line at http://tagwh.at/c/81.

You say your favorite winery isn't there?  You say you'd like to see stories of wineries in France? Australia? New York? Well, why not add them yourself?  Super easy to do at http://publish.tagwhat.com.  

Tagwhat announces two new channel in its mobile tour guide to follow our recent announcement of the World of Twilight channel.

First, the James Bond 007 channel, inspired by the recent Skyfall premiere, delivers a tour filled with rich content about the series as you pass filming locations around the world.  For example, enjoy the clip of the first utterance of "Bond. James Bond." from Dr. No when you're near Les Ambassadeurs in London. http://www.tagwh.at/t/740235

Second, our new Celebrity Chefs channel offers stories of famous chefs, their websites, Facebook pages, Twitter streams, and Foursquare pages, as you pass their restaurants.  Check out this Tag about Chicago's Girl and the Goat, available as you stroll through the Windy City. http://www.tagwh.at/t/740751

As always, set notifications in Tagwhat to 'on' so that you get a friendly tap on the shoulder when you're near stories in these and your other favorite Tagwhat channels.