Category Archives: hk

Introducing Explore Metro maps 3.0 for iPhone and iPad

Today, we’re launching a major update to our apps! Explore Beijing, Explore Shanghai, Explore Guangzhou, Explore Hong Kong, Explore Taipei and Explore Singapore have all been updated to version 3.0. This includes new native support for iPad and iPad 2!

We’ve taken the best features of the iPhone/iPod touch experience and redesigned them to work on the iPad’s larger screen. Here’s what you’ll see when you start Explore Shanghai.

 

Of course, the metro map takes centre stage. You can search for a station with the search bar, or tap on any station for timetables and route-planning:

 

Notice the “flip” button? A great new feature is the ability to “flip” the screen to see a large Google Map of the station and surrounding area:

Other nearby stations are highlighted. You can also tap the “locate” button  to centre the map on your current location.

Because the apps are “Universal” apps, they work both on iPhone/iPod touch (including retina graphics!) and iPad/iPad 2. If you’ve already bought one of our apps for iPhone, you can install it on iPad for free. And of course, updating to version 3.0 is free. Not downloaded yet? Our apps cost just $1.99 on the iTunes App Store: download now!

We’d love to hear your feedback about ways to improve our apps. Do get in touch if you find any bugs or have any suggestions!

The ExploreMetro Christmas Sale: Buy one app get one free!

Every app, every city, just $0.99

From now until December 15th you can buy any ExploreMetro iPhone app for just $0.99! That’s 50% off the regular price. Whether you live in Shanghai, Beijing, Guangzhou, Taipei, Singapore or Hong Kong, or are planning a trip there during 2011, be sure to grab a copy today!

Buy one for you, get one for a friend!

The first 100 people who buy an ExploreMetro app will be eligible for a FREE extra copy to send to a friend! That’s right, just purchase any ExploreMetro iPhone app, and forward your iTunes email receipt to iphone at exploremetro dot com. We’ll send you a promo code which you can give to your friend for a free copy of the same app! Hurry, stocks are limited, we only have 100 free apps to give away!

The small print:

  • Promo codes will work in any country, the recipient will require an iTunes account
  • Promo code will be for the same app you purchase.
  • Limited to one code per person
  • Only 100 free apps available, we’ll update this blog post once we’ve sold out

Saturday Subway Stuff: Stinks, security, shuffling and songs

A roundup of the latest metro news and links from ExploreMetro cities!

Google Maps in every ExploreMetro app

We’ve just released the 2.5 update to all our iPhone metro maps! That’s five new updates for Shanghai, Beijing, Guangzhou, Singapore and Hong Kong!

Here’s what’s new!

Google Maps – By popular demand, you can now see a street map for every station. This is really handy if you’re arriving at a metro station and want to see which exit to take, or how to reach your destination. Just tap on any station, then tap Street map (requires a 3G or Wifi internet connection).

New interface – We’ve simplified the interface for browsing stations and planning routes. Just tap any station to see this standard popup. You can switch between Metro map, Street map and Train times (for first/last train times). You can also listen to the name of the station as an audio clip by tapping the station name, or start planning a route.

Easy routeplanning – Planning routes is now even simpler. Tap on the first station, and choose “Plan route”. Then tap on your destination. The route, time and price will be immediately shown. We’ve also updated the Singapore app prices for the new distance-based fares.

Version 2.5 is a FREE update for all existing users. Download our apps today!

Coming soon: Google maps in our iPhone metro maps

By popular request, we’ll soon be including integrated Google Maps in our iPhone metro map apps for Shanghai, Beijing, Guangzhou, Hong Kong and Singapore. Just tap on any station and choose “Street map” to see the area around the selected station. You can pan and zoom the map to see more.

If you’ve got any suggestions on this or other features, do get in touch!

Stay tuned for updates to all our apps to support Google maps over the next few weeks.

PDF maps for Beijing, Guangzhou, Hong Kong, Singapore and Shanghai!

We’re delighted to announce new PDF maps for all our ExploreMetro cities! Now you can print out and carry a handy A4 printout for Beijing, Guangzhou, Hong Kong and Singapore, besides the Shanghai map we already offered.

To download the maps, just click on the “PDF map” tab on any of our city sites, or follow the download links below. The PDF maps are available in both English and Chinese versions. If you have any feedback or spot any mistakes on the map, do get in touch!

Direct links:

We’ve gone KowLOONY! Get Explore Hong Kong for iPhone free!

To celebrate the fact that Explore Hong Kong has just been upgraded to version 1.5, including great new features like “find my nearest station”, we’ve gone KowLOONY! Until Sunday 21st March, you’ll be able to download Explore Hong Kong absolutely free!

Ten great reasons to get Explore Hong Kong:

  1. Fully up-to-date – Every station on every line. Including the new stations at Austin and LOHAS Park!
  2. Plan routes – Get instant time and price details on the go.
  3. Accurate – verified against the official MTR map and routeplanner.
  4. Works offline– Everything works without an Internet connection.
  5. Bilingual – Everything’s available in English and Chinese. Choose traditional or simplified characters.
  6. Audio – Every station name pronounced in Cantonese!
  7. Nearest stations – use your iPhone’s GPS to find the closest MTR stop
  8. First and last train times – don’t miss the last train home!
  9. Line labels – Quickly see the name of any line at a glance
  10. Did we mention it’s free?

Hurry! Download Explore Hong Kong from the iTunes App Store now! Sale ends Sunday 21st March!

Explore Hong Kong MTR for iPhone launched

Explore Hong Kong We’re proud to announce the launch of the fourth ExploreMetro iPhone app – the Explore Hong Kong MTR map. We took all the best features from our Shanghai, Beijing and Guangzhou maps and made them even better!

So, you’ve got route planning for all journeys on the MTR network with times and prices, offline access, station names in English, Traditional Chinese and Simplified Chinese, and free updates for life!

We think Explore Hong Kong is the best Hong Kong MTR app for iPhone and iPod touch. The app is fully up to date with the latest information, including new stations at LOHAS Park and Austin which opened in late 2009.

Explore Hong Kong is available on the iTunes App Store today priced at just $0.99. Want to try it out for free? Follow us on Twitter or become our fan on Facebook where we’ll be handing out some free promo codes!

Read on for some sample screenshots: Continue reading →

Six great updates to our maps

First, three great updates to our maps which are already live; then I’ll tell you about three new features coming soon to ExploreMetro!

  • ExploreHK update – our Hong Kong map got some love, with a fully-updated routeplanner including the new station at Austin and changes to the East and West Rail Lines.
  • New audio for Hong Kong and Guangzhou – now you can hear how any station name sounds just by clicking on the station name, then pressing the “play” button. For Hong Kong, you can practice your Cantonese 🙂
  • Nearby places in Metropedia. For every station in the Shanghai Metropedia/Beijing Subwaypedia/Guangzhou Metropedia/Hong Kong MTRpedia, we now show a “Places near” section with links to local places’ Wikipedia articles. This is a new feature so feedback is very welcome!

And coming soon…
Continue reading →