Location-based applications in the App Store are now 1500 strong and counting.  On top of this exciting milestone, the store was also booming with fun and new unique location applications.  The Sports category in particular saw a jump in GPS capable apps with the introduction of Snow Motion: UT, Snowboard Spotter, Ski Spotter, and FanFinder - Sports Bar Locator, the present #1 free sports app.

Snow Motion: UT tests actual ski and snowboard skills by calculating speed, air and difficulty of a trick all from the user’s pocket.  Snow Motion also includes a friend locator, to find other friends using the app on the mountain and maps to Utah’s top resorts.  Snow Motion is also available for California and Lake Tahoe.  Snowboard Spotter and Ski Spotter are both designed by the same developer, GP Apps, and serve the same purpose.  When the user takes a break from the mountain, they can simply open the application and press save location.  When they are ready to return, it will use GPS to find where the skis or snowboard were left behind.  FanFinder - Sports Bar Locator locates sports bars where other fans of your favorite teams are watching the games.  The application will locate your position and provide results for the closest bars to that location.  You may then select your favorite teams and shake the phone to give results of the bars that specifically cater to fans of the teams selected.

SayNFind is different from other navigation applications because while it pinpoints your current location and can give you mapped out directions to an end spot, it is different as it allows the user to say where they would like to go instead of having to type the street address.  Simply speak the location and SayNFind will route the course with turn by turn directions.

Paparazzi is a geo-based game that rewards the player with points for every photo taken as well as rewards points for every photo the player is featured in. As the player gains attention and points, they become more valuable to the other players.  It is entertainment that incorporates social networking, photography, and location enabled capabilities.

Under the Travel category, there is UFO Hunter and Historic Sites.  UFO Hunter incorporates entertainment and location to reveal all reported UFO sightings in relation to current position.  Historic Sites features nearby historical sites, as listed by the National Registry of Historic Places, along with driving directions, a map, and additional facts and information about the sites.

By Courtney Teeling