Description of App
BlindSquare makes you sense what's around you. The only thing you need to do is listen.
BlindSquare is a new solution that combines the latest technology to help the blind with their daily lives. It has been developed in collaboration with
blind people and carefully field tested. You need either an iPhone or an iPad to get started. It also supports some additional accessories to enhance the
experience.
How does it work?
BlindSquare uses GPS and the compass to locate you. It then gathers information about the surrounding environment from FourSquare. BlindSquare has some
unique algorithms to decide what information is the most relevant and then speaks it to you with high quality speech synthesis.
āWhat's the most popular cafĆ© within 200 meters radius? Where is the post office or the library?ā
Using BlindSquare as a GPS solution:
When you start the app, it will start telling you the interesting places and street crossings around you. By changing the radius, you can limit the area
you are interested in. You can also search by search term or by category. You can select an interesting place from the search results and perform the following
tasks:
1) Get contact info (address, phone number)
2) Open twitter feed or restaurant menu (if provided)
3) Make a phone call
4) Start tracking the place (BlindSquare will assist you by repeating the distance and the clock face direction)
5) Start your favourite navigator for turn-by-turn instructions (TomTom, Navigon or Apple Maps)
BlindSquare is aware of when you travel by car, bus or train and starts to report interesting places in front of you (for example, the next stops) and
street crossings when you are passing them.
You can also save your own private places to iCloud so they will be found with your every device.
Using BlindSquare as a FourSquare client:
If you like to play FourSquare, you can do the following with BlindSquare:
1) Get a list of nearby FourSquare venues
2) When you are in a place, you can check in by shaking your device
3) Do a check in with commenting and twitter/facebook sharing
4) Correct the location of the place
BlindSquare supports the following languages: English, Spanish, French, German, Italian, Dutch, Finnish, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Czech, Russian, Estonian,
Polish, Arabic, Turkish, Portuguese, Japanese, Greek, Romanian, Croatian, Hungarian, Korean and Bulgarian.
VoiceOver usage is supported but it also includes higher quality additional speech synthesis by Acapela Text-To-Speech from Acapela Group.
Instructions in English: http://help.blindsquare.com/instructions and http://blindsquare.com/faq
Please note: This app retrieves data in real time from Foursquare and Open Street Map. Use of a flat rate data plan is highly recommended.
Having only been released in May 2012, BlindSquare has already received several prizes and awards:
- GSMA: Global Mobile Awards 2013, Best Mobile Health Product or Service
- Apps4Finland 2012
- OpenCities App Challenge 2012
- The Finnish Information Processing Association: Best Product 2012
Please note: To use BlindSquare, your iCloud account has to be active so BlindSquare can access it to save your settings and places.
Continued use of GPS running in the background can dramatically decrease battery life.
Comments
Hi, thanks
unstall and reinstall
Version 1.64
What can I say? When they come out with a NEW update. They really bring out the update on a red carpet.
What's New in Version 1.64
- New: BlindSquare now has an integrated map. Go to Tools, GPS Info, Show on Map to view your current location and the places you are tracking. To display
any place on the map, double-tap the Show on Map button on its Place Description screen.
- New: BlindSquare now has a credits screen to thank all of the people who have contributed to this app. Go to Other, About, Credits to read their names.
- Change: When you start BlindSquare, it will no longer report categories that have been deselected on the Filter Announcements screen. To hear which categories
are deselected, touch the Filter Announcements button on the main screen.
- Change: When you use Apple Maps as a third-party navigation app, you can now select the type of route you need: driving directions, walking directions,
or public transport directions. You now also have to enter your start location. Flick to the right until you hear āCurrent Locationā and double-tap, to
select your current location as the start of your route.
Fixed: The problem where BlindSquare would say āno nameā when announcing some intersections has been resolved.
- Fixed: When you browse a list of venues while you are moving, the VoiceOver focus will not jump away anymore.
- Tested also with iOS 7.1
Version 1.68
What's New in Version 1.68
New: You can now choose Cardinal Directions as a fourth option in the Direction Style settings in Other, Settings.
New: When you open a place's Twitter feed from the Place Summary screen, it will open in Twitterrific, if this client is installed on your device. Otherwise
it will open in the standard Twitter app.
Change: When you are in a moving vehicle, BlindSquare will now announce more of the places that are ahead of you.
Fixed: The problem were BlindSquare would not find bus stops on Foursquare anymore has been resolved.
Fixed: When performing a category search, BlindSquare will again display both lists, places sorted according to distance and places sorted according to
popularity.
Cardinal directions
Hi, cardinal directions
Problem in 1.68 soon to be fixed
Version 1.69
What's New in Version 1.69
New: You can now choose Cardinal Directions as a fourth option in the Direction Style settings in Other, Settings.
New: When you open a place's Twitter feed from the Place Summary screen, it will open in Twitterrific, if this client is installed on your device. Otherwise
it will open in the standard Twitter app.
Change: When you are in a moving vehicle, BlindSquare will now announce more of the places that are ahead of you.
Fixed: The problem were BlindSquare would not find bus stops on Foursquare anymore has been resolved.
Fixed: When performing a category search, BlindSquare will again display both lists, places sorted according to distance and places sorted according to
popularity.
Cardinal directions are your
Cardinal directions are your basic 32 directions on the compass. No, that's not a typo. Divide the 4 in to 4, then those 8 in to 4 and you have it. Pretty cool eh?
Take care.
We have a Birthday Party! Please join to celebrate on Friday
The initial version of BlindSquare has appeared in the App Store in May 2012. Now, two years later, we would like to invite you to celebrate with us the second birthday of BlindSquare and the release of BlindSquare version 2.0. We will release new version on a live show!
Be part of the fun and tune in to BlindSquare radio on Friday, 16 May, 5 PM GMT, 1 PM EDT, 20:00 Finnish time.
Read more: http://blindsquare.com/2014/05/happy-birthday-blindsquare/
Radio ad: https://audioboo.fm/boos/2150384-blindsquare-radio-2-0
Version 2.00
What's New in Version 2.00
New: Remote Control Menu. Use the remote of your headset to access many important BlindSquare features. Press Play to activate the menu. BlindSquare will
start to read the menu items to you. Press Play again to select an item. Press Next Track to skip to the next menu item. Press Previous Track to exit the
menu. When you are not in the menu, pressing Previous Track will announce your current location. Pressing Fast Forward will increase your BlindSquare radius
while pressing Rewind will decrease it. For more information, please see the BlindSquare help (English only).
New: BlindSquare now stores intersection information on your device. When you travel to an area or simulate it, BlindSquare will download intersection
information within a 600 meter radius. This will make BlindSquare intersection announcements more reliable, both when walking and when riding in a vehicle.
New: You can now share places in BlindSquare with your contacts. Select a place, double-tap the Share This Place button on the Place Summary screen, enter
an optional comment, select to share via Air Drop, Email, text message, Whatsapp, Twitter, or clipboard; select the application your recipient can use
to view the place and send. To share your current location go to Tools, GPS-Info, Share My Current Location.
New: You can now view weather information for any place. Go to Tools, Weather to view information for your current location or tap the Weather button on
the Place Summary screen of any place.
New: You can now see your current GPS accuracy, Speed, and heading on the main screen. The button directly above the Home button will cycle through all
of the information when you double-tap it.
an ulternative to navigon?
Interesting. It seems like they are trying to turn in to a cheaper al bee it slightly cheaper alternative to navigon. I saw the price $29.99. Why to just make it $30 lol!
I like the description of the features that are new especially with the remote. Way cool. Does anyone know if blind square can do altitude? I'm asking on behalf of a friend of mine.
Phenomenal App, and Worth Every Penny
I've been reading about Blindsquare since 2012, but I couldn't bring myself to pay $30 for one app.
And then I heard the podcasts that demonstrated its capabilities.
And then I read the comments on this thread from Blindsquare's developer.
After seeing how responsive he was to feedback, and reading how determined he is to make the best possible navigation app for the blind, on Saturday, I finally made the purchase.
And I an stunned!
I just keep discovering features.
I've lived in the same area for over thirty years, and Blindsquare made me realize just how much I didn't even know about my own territory!
My favorite feature so far is the simulations, because I'm hoping to move to a bigger city once I finish graduate school. It's amazing for me to be able to "look around" and get a feel for that city even before I visit!
I was surprised to see that at places like Disney World, and Six Flags over Texas, you can even see which rides and attractions are close to you!
And i love the restaurant menus!
I imagine everyone has praised Blindsquare on behalf of those who have average to above-average mobility skills.
But I'd like to say this, speaking as someone whose navigation skills are not good.
This app makes me want to be better! It inspires me. Certainly nothing can take the place of personally developed mobility skills, but Blindsquare makes me want to improve. It makes me think that maybe, with the help of this app, I really can!
I'd just like to say a huge thank-you to Ilkka, for working so hard to develop a stellar app. The only suggestion I would make is for navigation of indoor areas like shopping malls or large buildings. I'm not even sure that's possible, but I thought I'd at least give it a mention. I don't think I'm exaggerating when I say this is one of the highest-quality apps that can be on an iPhone.
Thank you for a phenomenal app; it really is worth every penny.
re: indoor navaagation
Well, tha'ts not possible yet even wiht gps apps for the sighted, but they arje getting there slowly wiht the technology of wifi. I read a lot of sience articles on it. Maybe in a few years it will be not only possible, but acurate. For now though get a braille compus and use it so that way you can get your bearings
New features
Hi. I love the new feature where you can control the app from a Bluetooth headset or the BEM wireless wrist band speaker. I purchased the speaker after a couple of recommendations from other users on Twitter and it's excellent as I can keep my phone tucked away in my pocket. I'm getting a few looks from the public but that is not a problem as it only creates awareness as far as independent traveling from a blind persons prospective is concerned. I've even taken calls on the speaker and it feels rather cool to be taking calls on a wrist band speaker. The Bluetooth speaker doesn't drain my battery as that was one of my concerns. I only wish the speaker had a louder speaker as I do have problems hearing what's been said in a busy environment where there is a lot of traffic.
Version 2.2
PLEASE NOTE: Be advise there are some problems with in this 2.2 update. The 2.2.1 will be coming out very quickly to resolve some of the problems that 2.2 has cropped up. So please use the 2.2 at your discretion and may want to wait to update.
There are some really fantastic updates in here. No bother for me to review in what you can find in this update. Read below for all of the NEW features. The bit about not having my device in the position to make it work right is the best. It will now use the direction of your GPS to determine which way your device is pointing. Nice!
What's New in Version 2.2
- NEW: You can now operate BlindSquare using a bluetooth keyboard, a notetaker or a Braille display supporting text input. Type a question mark to see a
list of all possible commands. To read the help about a specific command, type it followed by a question mark.
- NEW: Plan A Route now supports multiple versions of Navigon installed on one device.
- NEW: When you are in a list of places, you can now double-tap and hold on a place to open a quick access menu that lets you track the place, plan a route,
show it on the map, and simulate it.
- NEW: BlindSquare now uses GPS and your direction of movement to detect how your phone is positioned. This means it is no longer necessary to carry your
device with its back pointing in the direction you are traveling.
- NEW: BlindSquare now uses a better database of intersections for the US; this should make intersection information more reliable.
- CHANGE: When sharing a place, you can now edit its name and address.
- CHANGE: The subcategories listed in Category Searches are now listed alphabetically.
- FIX: The Current Location function in the Audio Menu now also works when the Current Location function has been disabled in the shake settings.
- FIX: A bug where simulation would not always start immediately has been resolved.
blindsquare
The only issue is blind square using fourth square. It keeps giving my building another name. When I get there it tells me that I miss my address. While seeing eye says I made it home. I hope they fixed this.
I suggest you add your home
Holger, I suggest you add your home to My Places and not use Foursquare POI for it.
If you still want to use Foursquare POI, you can find correct one and reset its coordinates to your home door.
Instructions how to do all this can be found from here: http://blindsquare.com/instructions
2.21 is released, fixes issue with Navigon
Thanks to Apple, I was able to push out 2.21 really fast, it fixed issue with Navigon.
BlindSquare version 2.22 is released US improvements.
Updated
June 25/ 2014
version 2.22
I been playing with new update couple hours and since to works good regarding to the improvements mentions below
all those issues has fixed
Intersection announcements missing.
app developer sent couple days ago some notification that said the follow:
Hello!
If you are from US, there might be need for secondary OpenStreetMap data.
The Primary database I have, has "All world and most of the US", but I
added secondary database to 2.2 to cover whole US.
It is working okay to customers who visit place first time, but not for
ones that have already been there. This is why I will soon release 2.22
which will bring this data to also users who have already cached empty data
on those areas.
What's New in Version 2.22
- NEW: You can now operate BlindSquare using a bluetooth keyboard, a notetaker or
a Braille display supporting text input. Type a question mark to see a list of all
possible commands. To read the help about a specific command, type it followed by
a question mark.
- NEW: Plan A Route now supports multiple versions of Navigon installed on one device.
- NEW: When you are in a list of places, you can now double-tap and hold on a place
to open a quick access menu that lets you track the place, plan a route, show it
on the map, and simulate it.
- NEW: BlindSquare now uses GPS and your direction of movement to detect how your
phone is positioned. This means it is no longer necessary to carry your device with
its back pointing in the direction you are traveling.
- NEW: BlindSquare now uses a better database of intersections for the US; this should
make intersection information more reliable.
- CHANGE: When sharing a place, you can now edit its name and address.
- CHANGE: The subcategories listed in Category Searches are now listed alphabetically.
- FIX: The Current Location function in the Audio Menu now also works when the Current
Location function has been disabled in the shake settings.
- FIX: A bug where simulation would not always start immediately has been resolved.
Android Devices
Have you planed to port this app to Android? Just a curious question
Unfortunally not to android system
Hi Raul
According to the app developer BlindSquare doesn't have plans toandroid version.
Some BlindSquare user made the same question in the mail group list
and the answer from the BSQ app developer was clear any plans to android platform.
I invite to you yoin at the mail group list where you could ask directly to the app developer he reply very quickly at:
blindsquaregps@cruising.ultragroups.com
or the twitter name
@BlindSquareGPS
Google maps.
Hi.
I've tried using blind square with google maps, but find that when i lock my screen it gives me notifications but voiceover speaks over them and most of the time they are very far apart.
I mean that I could be going down a road and it will tell me go strate, then about 5 minutes later it might tell me something elce.
Also Do I need to have the screen locked or unlocked. And if it's unlocked how can i keep it unlocked for ever and make sure it doesn't brush against my pocket when I'm walking?
Or is there nothing I can do about that?
Maybe it's just me. But how are you guys finding google maps. Is there any setting I need to change and would you recommend google maps or apple maps?
I like blind square but the map part confuses me a little. Which one do I use google maps or apple maps and does it make a difference?
I'm using the blues aftershock headphones I think they're called. The ones that go on your cheek bones instead of on your ears, they're good.
Thanks for your help,
Brad.
how to disable google maps notifications from the lock screen.
Hi Brad.
to be honest google maps works better to apple maps talking about accessibility.
google maps provide more features that can be handle with BlindSquare.
you can compare the results using both apps, creating routes with each one and see the differences between each one.
possible solutions:
to stop receiving google maps notificaciones when the screen is locked follow the continue steps
open settings app in your iOS device
go to notification center
look and open google maps
disable show on lock screen.
this avoid that voiceover and tts from google maps talk on the same time.
also I don't see why you need have unlocke the screen all the time when BlindSquare is running.
however if you need have longer time unlock screen follow this steps
open settings app in your device
general
auto/lock
in this new screen you have many choices
1 minute
2 minutes
3 minutes
4 minutes
5 minutes
never
just do double tap to your selection
NOTE: remember while longer time is to lock the screen the battery drans faster.
also I suggest use different tts voice to listen clearly the annosntment per example
apple default voice female voice
and blindSquare male voice
Thanks
Hi.
Thanks for that. But Will I still get google mapsgiving me turn by turn directions if I turn the notification off in the settings? Also I don't need the screen unlocked I just did that because I thought that if i didn't voiceover would keep talking over the google maps voice. And nah I don't like the acapella voices pluss google maps has another female voice witch sounds honestly nicer than the voice over voice.
Thanks again. thanks.
Hi. this has now been sorted out.
Offline maps
Hi, Is it possible to download maps for offline use or when you're in an area that doesn't have a good 3g signal?
Not to my knolege. For that
Not to my knolege. For that you will need an app like navigon.
Hth.
Thanks, do you know how many
Thanks, do you know how many mb on average this uses during the day if I had it on all the time?
What's new in version 2.23
NEW: You can now import points of interest (POI) that have been saved in other apps or downloaded from different online sources. The import feature supports the following file formats: Ariadne GPS, Loadstone, GPX, OSM, and MyWay Classic, or zip archives containing files in any of the supported formats. To import a file, upload it to Dropbox or attach it to an Email and send it to yourself. Select the Share option and the Open in option in Dropbox, or open the Email attachment by double-tapping and holding the file name and selecting BlindSquare. Select the points you would like to import by checking the Favorite button. When you have selected all of the points you want to import, double-tap the Import button in the top right of the screen to perform the import.
NEW: When you share a point, you can now also export it in the following file formats: Ariadne GPS, OSM, GPX, and Loadstone.
NEW: The BlindSquare help has now been integrated into the app. Go to Other, Help to read it. You can navigate by heading or use the Jump To button to find the section of interest to you. A Help button is also available at the bottom of some BlindSquare screens: Main screen, GPS Info, Settings, and Place Summary screen. Double-tapping it opens the help section about the respective screen.
NEW: If Transit App is installed on your device, and you are in an area supported by Transit App, you can now view public transport options in your vicinity on the GPS Info screen or use it on the Place Summary screen to plan routes.
NEW LANGUAGE: Croatian
FIX: A problem where selecting the āAllā filter on the Filter Announcements screen would crash the app has been resolved.
FIX: Simulation now starts instantly
Acapela Voices Temporarily Not Available in iOS 8
The version of Acapela currently used in BlindSquare is not compatible with iOS 8, but will continue to work in iOS versions 5, 6, and 7.
I am working on Acapela support for BlindSquare in iOS 8; an update will be available within a few weeks. If you use BlindSquare 2.27 (currently waiting for approval), it will automatically switch to a voice in your language provided with iOS. If you are running an earlier version of BlindSquare, please go to Other, Settings, Select Voice and Language, navigate to your language and select its iOS voice. If you would like to continue to use an Acapela voice with BlindSquare, please do not update to iOS 8 until a BlindSquare update supporting these voices in iOS 8 has been released.
Version 2.27
What's New in Version 2.27
NEW: Support for the Uber taxi service. If the Uber app is installed on your device, you can go to the GPS Info screen or the Place Summary screen to order
a taxi.
NEW: You can now view a list of saved places and public POI around you by opening the Tools menu and double-tapping Around Me.
INFO; In iOS 8, BlindSquare does not yet support the Acapela voices. These voices will be available again soon.
Hi. I have Uber installed and
Hi. I have Uber installed and when I go into Tools and GPS! Uber is dimmed and I can't activate it for some reason.
Do you have Uber services available on your area?
Uber button is shown if you have Uber installed. If there is no Uber available on your area, Uber button will not get arrival time or price estimate, but it will try that each minute.
Try simulating "New York" and then see how it works. In simulation mode, you can even double tap to see all options, but BlindSquare will not let you order taxi in simulation mode, you'll get error message if you try that.
Version 2.32
What's New in Version 2.32
FIX: Address fix on iOS8
FIX: Audio fix on iOS8
NEW: Support for the Uber taxi service. If the Uber app is installed on your device, you can go to the GPS Info screen or the Place Summary screen to order
a taxi.
NEW: You can now view a list of saved places and public POI around you by opening the Tools menu and double-tapping Around Me.
INFO: In iOS 8, BlindSquare does not yet support the Acapela voices. These voices will be available in next release.
I just baught the app when it
I just baught the app when it was on sale and I love it. I do notice a few things though.
IN exploring the app tha'ts about it. I have not tried travling but i did do a podcast on it of my first impressions. Check it out at my usual haunt. lol!
Version 2.4.2
What's New in Version 2.42
NEW: Acapela has new voice alternatives and works also in iOS 8
GPS and Compass are both used
When you are moving, direction is based on GPS, not compass. Compass is calibrated automatically based on GPS direction, so when you stop, compass should work also if you don't have device on your hand.
From day 1 BlindSquare has been hands free solution, more than any other gps app. It even supports controlling it with your headphone remote controller to minimise need for taking device out of your pocket.
Aftershokz Bluez 2 is ok
Aftershokz Bluez 2 has only one button, but it can control also BlindSquare. So, you can use audio menu with it. It has only Play/Pause feature, so you can see what you can do from here: http://blindsquare.com/instructions/#audio-menu
If you live in US, you can use coupon code "bsqrocks" to get 10% off and free shipping when visiting Aftershokz.com.
Data usage is few megabytes / hour
BlindSquare uses very compact data for intersections and addresses.
If you use BSq 4 hours / day, I would expect it to use max. 0.3 G / month.
Now in iOS 8 there is possibility to see data usage of each app. It would be nice to get some feedback of monthly usage.
Version 2.49
What's New in Version 2.49
- NEW: When an AfterShokz Bluez2 headset is connected, the Audio Menu now includes the option to change the radius setting
- NEW: If the Moovit app is installed on your device, and you are in an area supported by Moovit, you can now use it on the Place Summary screen to plan routes.
- NEW: The Korean localization of BlindSquare includes full help
- FIX: The Audio Menu now lists more of the recently mentioned places
Version 3.00
What's New in Version 3.00
NEW: BlindSquare now supports BlindSquare BPS (Beacon Positioning System), an indoor navigation system based on iBeacons. It is currently available at
a few places only, but will hopefully become available at more venues soon.
NEW: 3d sounds. If you use a stereo headset with BlindSquare, you will now hear the alert sound played from the direction of the POI that is being announced.
NEW: BlindSquare now supports the TransitTimes+ public transport app
NEW: If you use BlindSquare on an iPhone 6 or 6plus, you can check changes in elevation. Based on your deviceās barometer, the GPS-Info screen shows your
elevation compared to when you started BlindSquare. There is also a button letting you reset your elevation to the current reading.
CHANGE: Optimized to use less memory
CHANGE: Updated Open Street Map data, more intersection information available in some areas now.
FIX: Resolved a timing issue in the Audio Menu that made it harder to select the intended item.
note: You can control BlindSquareās Audio Menu from your Apple watch. Start BlindSquare on your phone, swipe up with two fingers to bring up your glances,
and double-tap the Pause button. Double-Tap again to activate an Audio Menu item.
I love BlindSquare
I am running the current version as of June, 2015. One reason I hesitated to buy it is I wanted to know about places around me that "social networking" people might not visit.
I was so wrong. BlindSquare knows about many, many venues, everything from daycare to assisted living. Those of us who don't use social networking constantly might have some prejudices that get in the way.
For one example, we have highways that change names here in Silicon Valley and BlindSquare pinpoints when that happens.
I also think it's a perfect answer to the blindness debate about screen readers vs. self-voicing apps. I love shoving it in my pocket and letting the self-voicing take over. But I love being able to utilize VoiceOver to explore its many features.
I too have run in to a few accuracy issues, but having used a variety of GPS apps, and having borrowed a friend's Trekker, I have not seen it being less accurate than anything else. Also as blind people, we might approach something from a side entrance and not know. I went to a restaurant today at lunch, and ended up on its back patio, because my guide dog, who had been there before went straight to the water bowl they leave out for visiting pups. BlindSquare said the restaurant was 35 yards away at 4 O'clock. In fact it was because I wasn't actually at its front entrance!
And I love that it knows when I'm in a car vs walking. I've been walking all over with it and also running it while raiding around on paratransit. One driver, who was listening to the announcements commented that it was a "gps in reverse". Her GPS was telling her where to turn and BlindSquare was voicing what we were approaching and passing. She said, as a sighted person with her eyes on the road, she appreciated listening to Blindsquare read what was around, because it would be unsafe for her to be looking at all the signs. Perhaps we should try to introduce it to some of our sighted friends who are driving to see if they too find it so useful.
A couple of thoughts about data usage: for me, it seems to be using about 2MB an hour. I pay $30 to T-Mobile for 5GB so my feet would wear out before I used all my data. I do like that it tells me how long I've been walking, encouraging me to exercise even more.
Also to save data, though it turned out I didn't really need to, I tried carrying a digital recorder clipped to my belt next to the phone. It captured everything BlindSquare said while I was walking and it was fun to review later.
I am also impressed with the full built-in help, as it's easy to navigate to a particular heading to read about a feature you don't fully understand. It's written clearly without fluf or ambiguity.
As a former software engineer myself, I want to thank the developer for the fine workmanship evident in this app. All the little voiceover hints are an example of how user-centered it is. Another example are all the sounds, which remind me of what T.V. Raman first called "Earcons" (icons for the blind) that give you information in a way that is subtle and enriches the voice feedback.
I have more to say but have to get back to work.
Blindsquare and it's new features.
I really feel very sad and disappointed to see some of the new features are available only for few countries. I don't think it's a good time for buying this app while I'm in India. since the new features are not sure about india. smile. let me wait and see if I can make use of the entire features.
blind square
I just got this app and so far so good. I'm noticing however that when I go into search, the edit box appears but within seconds, I get kicked out of the search screen back to the main page. Has anyone else noticed this and know how this might be resolved?
Getting back from search to main
That should happen if location is not known -- So, when starting app, until GPS location is known.
I have heard that in iOS 8.4 there might be some iOS related problem that can make GPS signal to appear slower than it should... I don't have any own experience, but that is something I have heard.
Best
blind square and directions
Additionally, are you guys planning on adding turn by turn directions? This is already a terrific app and having that particular functionality will eliminate the need of having third party apps with this feature.
not a gps app
Blind square is not designed to be a gps app. Navigon and waze are very good at workign with blidn square to provide what you need. This is the way I see it, I could be wrong.
Turn-by-turn
It is on a plan to have also built-in turn-by-turn, but that will be just "one opinion" of the route. I think one of the major features of BSq is that it supports 11 different turn-by-turn apps, so you can always pick the one that works best on your area.
I have even heard of case, where Navigon is unusable on certain area, because it lacks support for local alphabetics. Since BlindSquare can handle that part, it makes Navigon usable again (and that's nice, since they have best maps of that area).
Best
Version 3.1
What's New in Version 3.1
NEW: You can now filter list items in the My Places list, category search results, and text search results by a search term, subcategory, or by distance.
Use the Action button in the top right of the screen to initiate a filtering action. You can apply filters to a filtered list, too. For example: You can
first double-tap āFoodā, and then filter the list to only show Italian restaurants. Once Italian restaurants only are displayed, you can apply a second
filter and tell BlindSquare to only show matches within a specified distance.
NEW: On the Place Summary screen, you will find a new button called Find Similar Places, which brings up a list of places of the same category as the currently
shown place.
NEW: You can now mark contacts as favorites so they appear on your My Places list.
NEW: You can now define what information you hear when you use the My Location feature through the Audio Menu; see Other, Settings, Audio Menu settings.
CHANGE: The Add Place button is now located in the top row of buttons on the main screen.
CHANGE: When you launch Apple Maps through BlindSquare for turn-by-turn directions, your starting location is now also sent to Apple Maps.
FIX: When you returned to a point on your my Places List that BlindSquare has already announced during the same walk, BlindSquare will now announce it
again most of the time provided a certain amount of time has elapsed after you passed the point for the first time.