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Soundwalk along with the France’s Clicmobile have recently (at the Nuit Blanche, October 3rd) launched a couple of cool iPhone applications. They call them “aural augmented reality tour” apps, which allow visitors to Paris to explore three different neighborhoods of the city: Saint-Germain-des-Prés, Le Marais and Belleville.
A friend of mine, Nikola Pejcic, was at the launch event on behalf of IntoMobile and he said what Soundwalk has to offer is amazing. The genuine idea is to engage a famous person (an actor or writer for instance) to talk about some neighborhood of the city so you could experience Paris beyond standard touristic offering. All this is followed by the unique sound track, plus there are custom maps with points of interest and walking directions — creating a fun and learning experience, as a result.
Best of all they prepare to add more city neighborhoods in the near future, as well as release the similar New York City Guide, which will feature Little Italy with Vinny Vella, the Bronx with Jazzy Jay and Afrika Bambaataa, and downtown Manhattan (Ground Zero) with Paul Auster. Moreover, we’ve heard the updated version is coming that will come with all-round photos, and at some later point, augmented reality options (super cool!). Finally, the Android version is also in works, which will rely on Layar’s platform.
In u nutshell, if you’re going to Paris and want to experience the city from a different angle, consider buying some of the Soundwalk tours. Each app costs $5.99, but it’s the money well spent, at least me thinks so. Here are the links:
- Paris Saint-Germain-des-Prés – french, english
- Paris Belleville – french, english
- Paris Le Marais – french, english
And before I let you go, check out a demo video after the jump, just in case you’re still not convinced. 
About The Author
Dusan Belic
Dusan has been using smartphones since their introduction and is now following the latest trends in the industry. The "convergence" is what he's most excited about, and writing about it is the next logical thing to do. He thinks that using a smartphone is what everyone who cares about their time should do. In addition to his interests in mobile phones, Dusan also loves to experiment with the latest web and mobile 2.0 services. The idea of accessing and managing your information from any device no matter where you are simply amazes him. Whether it's an online to-do list, note taking service or a video sharing social network, he's there to try it out. He admits though, he's still searching for the ultimate web-based organizational tool, which "sings" perfectly with the mobile PIM application. Dusan used to run SymbianWatch.com which later became part of IntoMobile. He lives in Serbia, South-East Europe, from where he edits the site on a daily basis.
