MapMyIndia has launched Explore app that helps users find millions of useful places of interest like ATMs, restaurants, petrol pumps, hospitals etc. around them. Apart from being a city guide the app has a social interface also. The users can pin favorite hangouts, rate and review popular places around their location and follow other “Explorers”. 
The Explore app is currently available only on Windows Phone App store (and will soon be launched in Android Play store).
Features of Explore App includes :
Search places and favorites: The application has millions of places and points of interest to choose from – either by category or name – including restaurants, ATMs, hotels, hospitals and more. Users can then select and navigate to the destination chosen and save frequent destinations as favorites.
Your city guide: Lists out MapmyIndia recommendations across three categories – eat & drink, places to see and places to stay with detailed place info and pictures. Has a showcase section that highlights some popular places
Customize your Explore: The users have an option of placing a location on the map.
Social interface: Users can login with Facebook, pin places (which is marking a place as “been here”). Add photos, write reviews, follow other users and subscribe to places. Any such activity is posted on Facebook right away.
The navigation space in India has witnessed severe competition over the last few days.
- Sygic Launches Free Offline Navigation App for Android Users in India.
- TomTom Brings Offline Navigation App to India for Rs 2,050;
- The Map Race, i.e. Google vs. Nokia is ON
The Geospatial services in India, an ecosystem made up of data providers, location enabled device manufacturers, app developers, experts and educators, already generate annual revenues of almost $3 billion and employ nearly 135,000 people in India.
Data companies like MapMyIndia are facing stiff competition from Google and Nokia who have been playing the OS+software role and it will get more difficult to replace the default ‘map’ app in these services, unless the product has a strong USP.
Microsoft, on the other hand is successfully getting marquee apps to launch first in Windows Phone app store (for instance, IRCTC app). Windows Phone on the other hand is gaining ground in India (second to Android).
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